Hypnotised by sound and colour: Tame Impala Glasgow review
Written by Erin Grieve
Australian psychedelic rock band (yes, I know it’s technically just one guy) Tame Impala gave GlasGLOW a run for their money during the Glasgow date of the Deadbeat Tour on Monday night.
Tame Impala performing at the OVO Hydro, Glasgow, 11 April 2026 | Credit: Erin Grieve
The highly-anticipated gig took place on 11 April at the OVO Hydro where the ensemble performed in front of a sold-out crowd of over 14,000 fans. A stark difference in size from their last performance at the iconic Barrowland Ballroom over a decade ago. Needless to say, this concert was absolutely worth the 11-year waiting time.
As soon as the room fell into darkness was the moment the audience was transported inside the mind of frontman Kevin Parker, the genius behind Tame Impala. The visual aspect of the show was nothing short of magical and truly broke the boundaries of your typical live music experience. It didn’t matter whether you were barricade or nosebleeds, every single person present was able to fully immerse themselves in Parker’s artistic vision.
Looking around, you could see the looks of mesmerisation in everyone’s eyes as the room filled from top to bottom with colourful strobe lights. Although, if the end goal here was to be seen from space, perhaps Hampden would’ve been a better shout. Takes notes, Kevin.
The setlist contained an energetic blend of tunes from Tame Impala’s newest record Deadbeat, including the Grammy-winning song ‘End of Summer’, as well as hits from Parker’s four other studio albums. However, the real star of the show was undoubtedly ‘Let It Happen’ from his 2015 album Currents. As the first second of the intro came blaring through the speakers, the crowd collectively erupted into cheers of excitement, bracing themselves for what was about to come. Then as the beat dropped, fans sang along to the iconic ‘doo do doos’ from the instrumental as multicoloured confetti rained down on them. A tick off the bucket list for sure.
Halfway during the set, Parker separates from the rest of his band and after a “bathroom break” appears on the B-stage located at the back of the arena. This solo side quest was kept short and sweet, with Parker only performing ‘Ethereal Connection’ and ‘Not My World’ before manoeuvring his way back through the crowd – kudos to the security working that night. With nothing but a striped rug, flashing rainbow lamps and scattered cushions, the stage design definitely gave off more of a ‘bohemian bedroom rave’ vibe in comparison to the big main stage. A nice touch that made the show feel that slight bit more intimate.
It was clear how much time and thought had been put into creating this show from the impressive visuals all the way down to the music playing during the intermission. Not only does this guy have insane talent, but he also knows how to put on a damn good show. I wish I could tell you how he does it, but the less I know the better.
Oh, and give the lighting team a well-deserved raise.
Rating: 4.5/5
