Lynks comes to Glasgow with the help of Shelf Lives and TATYANA
Saint Luke’s felt the full effects of Lynks’ talent.
Photo: Isla Kerr
Fresh off the back of long-awaited debut album ABOMINATION, Lynks is halfway through an epic run of shows in both the UK and Europe. This past Sunday saw them bring their epic celebration of all things excess to Saint Luke’s in Glasgow. With support from Shelf Lives and TATYANA, the powerhouse electric-pop act put on a show unlike any other.
With doors opening at 7PM, there wasn’t much time for a crowd to gather before Canadian-British post-punk band Shelf Lives set at 10-past. Guitarist Jonny Hilyard counted the crowd before joking, “Glasgow might be the only place where a 20-25 person mosh pit could actually work”.
They kept up these funny engagements with the crowd throughout, and all those watching were invested in their performance; Sabrina and Jonny danced while encouraging the crowd to do the same, matching their energy perfectly.
With duos like Wargasm and Hot Milk growing in popularity over the last year, there is a heightened appreciation of smaller outfits such as these that make all the noise of much bigger setups, just without the extra bodies.
Vocalist Sabrina Di Giulio jumped down to the barrier to sing the last song to what was now a decently sized audience, twirling an audience member around before singing into another’s face and handing them the mic. A set full of hooks and angsty vocals drew to a close with Jonny shouting “Glasgow we f*cking love you” before walking off. Whenever they return to the city, I can guarantee you’ll see many of this evening’s crowd there.
A drastic change in pace and style came in the form of electric-pop musician and harp genius TATYANA. Her latest album It’s Over was released in March this year and received rave reviews. A blend of gentle harmony and electric beats with hypnotic synth lines, its tracks were made to be played underneath stained glass windows such as Saint Luke’s. TATYANA moved around the stage with grace and rhythm — it felt as if you were at her very own dance party.
It’s Over features a collaboration with Dave Okumu on Control and, on Sunday, TATYANA took on both roles of the song. She explains that her love of the harp “came first”, which led her into electronic music. She has evidently mastered both and put an incredible show tonight, which has put her on my ones to watch radar.
ABOMINATION doesn’t shy away from religion and Lynks’ struggle to find their place within one — making a disused church in Glasgow an ironic yet perfect location for this tour’s only stop in Scotland.
With red blown-up hands on either side of the stage and the venue lit in red, an eerie reading of the bible verse Leviticus 18 echoed around the room. It is the first track on the new album and a fitting walkout tonight. Three cloaked figures take to the stage as the verse’s anti-queer sentiments are read out in full before the title track of the album begins. The cloaks drop to reveal Lynks and their dancers. The track evidently meant a lot to the crowd, who wasted no time belting out the lyrics and commenting on the incredible entrance they just witnessed.
A brief pause allows Lynks to comically introduce themself, “I’m Lynks and [referring to the dancers] this is Lynks’ Shower Gel”. The next track was CPR and, fittingly, stethoscopes were brought out. They informed the crowd they were about to learn “how to save a life” and the action began once more. Leaping around the stage in a choreographed frenzy to the lyrics, “Oh, so go on, pick me up in your Honda / You could be my first responder”. I'm not sure this gleeful demonstration counts as a first aid course, but it definitely made the temperature rise tonight.
The stage lighting was turned off for Room 116 as torches were used to spotlight Lynks and then swirled around as if they were batons of fire. Upon finishing to raucous cheers they stated, “That was the torches one”.
The humour continued as Lynks announced that they, alongside the dancers, were going for a Guinness World Record: “The most gimmicks in one hour and fifteen minutes” — “It’s just like the Renaissance tour but without the giant mechanical horse”. Lynks has made an identity out of humour and their ability to make light of even the most saddening personal experiences, their fanbase loves them for this and laughter erupts at every one of these gags.
A brief outfit change saw Lynks take to stage in a wedding dress to perform the entirety of NEW BOYFRIEND as rose petals flew and champagne bottles were sprayed. Ceremony over, they spun out of the dress to reveal a tightly fitted mesh number and announced it was time for their “government mandated 15-minute break”. They began rifling through a box of Celebrations until an audience member shouted “Do you want a Yum Yum?”, which led to a recently purchased Greggs box being brought on stage. Lynks took a bite before offering individual Celebrations to the crowd based upon their favoured kind. They threw the remaining contents of the box into the air as the audience grabbed at the falling treats.
New track TENNIS SONG resulted in a one sided match of tennis between ‘Lynks Shower gel’ and the crowd as they hit soft tennis balls into the masses while Lynks sang the lyrics about another one sided match. This one is less about the game and instead centres around their unrequited affection towards a tennis coach who got them into the sport.
An encore allowed for another outfit change and this time Lynks returned dressed in a diamante encrusted blue denim jacket and jean combo. As FLASH IN THE PAN began to heat up they jumped into the crowd and were passed from arm to arm. Returning to stage to have a disco ball (on a wooden stick) suspended above their head to draw the song to a close. The fun didn’t stop there, as the beat of Str8 Acting echoed around the room and madness descended once more. As the night drew to a close every face leaving the room had a look of joy and amazement that only a show like this could provide.
Lynks is a born performer, and their ability to relate to their listeners is second to none. If you haven’t already, get to a show as quickly as you can as this artist will be selling out larger venues in no time.
All photos by Isla Kerr.