SINCE the release of their critically acclaimed album ‘Imaginal Disk’ in 2024, Magdalena Bay have been on a never-ending victory lap – taking their fantastical pop tunes all over the world to countless venues and festivals.
The latest UK leg of the tour brings them to Glasgow’s O2 Academy on a Saturday night – and expectation is high for a group whose live show is as every bit as colourful as their music. Much like their songwriting, the staging at the Academy aims for the stars – there’s a cosmic backdrop, rocky fittings, a podium and hologram screens which blast out a constant stream of psychedelic and trippy videos.
It all provides the perfect backdrop to singer Mica Tennenbaum and guitarist/keyboardist Matthew Lewin. With so much time spent on the road, the pair have grown into a really slick, polished, effortless live act; Lewin receives a rapturous response each time he steps forward for a rousing solo, but it’s mainly left to Tennenbaum to lead from the front. She’s a theatrical and infectious presence – almost bigger than the stage allows – dancing over the monitors and switching from one visually striking costume to the next. At times she’s sweet and angelic, at others she’s shredding on the keytar and every inch a rock star. It’s perhaps one of the most ambitious shows you’ll see in a venue of this size, with so many ideas vying for attention – but they remain completely magnetic throughout.
The set design reflects the temporal landscape of ‘Imaginal Disk’ – the album is about a protagonist whose body rejects the ‘disk’ and must learn to be human again. The gig therefore moves like a fever dream – vivid in texture and feeling, and underpinned by the band’s pulsing rhythms and luminous synths. Live they sound remarkably close to the record – aside from the triumphant solos and brief moments of crowd interplay. The bubbly production and lush, complex arrangements hit every bit as hard while Tennebaum’s bubblegum vocals, beautiful and otherworldly, bring everything to life.
Highlights included the likes of ‘Killing Time’, with its huge pop hooks, while the funky ‘Image’ and strutting ‘Secrets’ go down a storm. Elsewhere ‘Death and Romance’ is massive, and she adorns a striking sunflower costume for ‘Vampire in the Corner’. ‘Angel on a Satellite’ brings the pace down in the most balladic moment of the night, before the gig ends with excellent, ethereal new single ‘Second Sleeps’ and a dancefloor bounce for one of their most direct pop bangers ‘The Beginning’.
Effortlessly bringing the magic of their music to life, seeing Magdalena Bay is a unique experience. They’re a band working at the top of their kaleidoscopic powers and we can’t wait to see what comes next.
