As Wendy Rene’s ‘After Laughter Comes Tears’ blares over the speakers, 26 year old Clairo giggles along with her bandmates for several minutes in a private moment, before offering a playful turn and wink to the audience, in a move that appears to break down the fourth wall of her living room to invite us in.

Painting the first few strokes of the tapestry of the evening with the slow burning ‘Nomad’, Cottrill wanders around her proverbial abode to tinker with various retro synthesisers, inviting the audience on a tour of her musical journey thus far, from the dreamy bedroom pop that defined her early career - and the lion’s share of the last decade’s musical landscape as a whole - to the lush, ornate jazz arrangements of 2024’s ‘Charm’.

The jazz lounge, chintzy armchair vibe of the Atlanta singer’s 3rd studio effort bleeds into every aspect of the show, with olive green stage drapes lifted straight from the colour palette of the album’s cover, to an overhead light that wouldn’t be out of place in a New York townhouse illuminating the ‘Juna’ singer as she croons into the microphone, albeit barely at times.

Carried by the choir of Glasgow, who have trained for this moment with years of school assemblies, Cottrill appears to be happy to not be the focus of the evening, but rather a simple accompaniment to the vibe, appearing to take a while to find her voice; and often being drowned out by the rich assortment of live instrumentation that otherwise elevates the show to a new level of dreamy.



“You sound so great… but where’s the dancing?” teases Cottrill, despite the show rarely stepping above Bossa Nova tempo. From this side of the barrier, however, this stillness doesn’t seem to serve as a disservice to the show - the audience seem content to be simply soaking in the glittery ambience and rich instrumentation on offer. Any sympathetic bouncing along offered by those in the first few rows to songs like ‘Amoeba’ feels almost out of place.
Highlights of the evening include ‘Steeeam’, a new set addition from short-lived lockdown project Shelly, which found legs on TikTok last year, and the joyous ‘Add Up My Love’, a career highlight and enough to get even the most indifferent boyfriend swaying.

Cottrill offers few words, perhaps content to let the music do the talking; piping up only to thank the audience and support (New York rising star, June McDoom) for being there, and to tentatively offer well wishes for St. Patrick’s day - a move which the audience take in jest, offering a “Scotland” chant that offers a momentary break of flow in the show.

A far cry from the high octane, glamorous productions and play-along gameshow spawning spectacles offered by Clairo’s pop contemporaries, the vibe of the evening is one of which her peers can effortlessly attach to: an intimate affair with friends, an appreciation for soulful music and perhaps a glass of red wine. Charming, indeed.