Blondshell, Queen Margaret Union, Glasgow review - woozy rock with an air of nonchalance

There is such nonchalance with Sabrina Teitelbaum that even her appeals to the crowd appeared laid-back. At points during her set the Los Angeles singer would slowly raise an arm, in the time-honoured tradition of a musician demanding noise, but in a way that suggested she wasn’t bothered if the call was actually heeded. Then again, perhaps it was just a sign that she knew the gesture would have the desired effect, given her evident popularity here.

Two albums into her career, and with this show – her first ever in Scotland – upgraded due to demand, the 28-year-old appears in a settled position, having established herself in an increasingly crowded field of acts inspired by 90s stoner and college rock types. The opening moments gave reason to understand why, for Teitelbaum and her four-piece backing band deliver woozy rock but with enough pop trimmings. Therefore, the set-opening “23’s A Baby” possessed both ethereal vocals and a killer chorus, while the dazed and confused vibe of early highlight “Docket” was punctuated with bursts of noise that could have resonated in a venue three times the size of the Glasgow building.

There was both efficiency and sparseness here, both in the onstage set-up, which only featured a banner with the band name hanging behind them, and in the manner in which Teitelbaum and her band got down to business. When they lashed through the scuzz-pop glory of “What’s Fair” and then immediately raced through the brief snap and crack of “Veronica Mars”, it almost felt too easy, gems that would have made Belly and Veruca Salt proud. 

The 70-minute set was not as free-flowing from there, though. In a live setting a lot of Blondshell’s material felt more straightforward than on record, with some of those aforementioned influences – plus the likes of Pavement, Throwing Muses et al –  evidently chiselled into each song. For the most part that was fine, but there were times when the set became very familiar, as on the sludgy guitars of “Arms”, and you wished more of Teitelbaum’s personality could assert itself, whether in song or on stage. 

She introduced “Berlin TV Tower” with an anecdote about, depressingly, enduring sexism in the music industry based on her looks, but the song itself differed little from what came before. Then again, when variety was introduced it was via the mild-mannered and acoustic led “Thumbtack”, a stripped down track that shed rather too much of what makes Blondshell enjoyable.

 But there was still plenty to enjoy, including a cover of “Diet Pepsi” by Addison Rae that neatly served to illustrate the variety of age ranges in the crowd – excitable cheering from younger fans and nonplussed looks from the middle-aged men in attendance. All, however, could unite to enjoy a strong closing run, with the main-set closing “Kiss City” a storming sing-a-long anthem and the encore’s threat-drenched tale of sexual violence “Salad” providing brooding drums and piercing guitars. It was a finale to really make some noise for, without Teitelbaum needing to ask for it.

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