Photo + Words: Olivia Macrae
Fast-rising band Girl In The Year Above took their October 2026 tour to Glasgow’s King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut on Sunday 18 October. This was a stunning set with a string of authentic tracks and instrumentation. Girl In The Year Above have a beautiful yet emotionally driven soundscape, known for their Celtic storytelling and powerful vocals.
Sydney band RAGEFLOWER opened the night at 8pm followed by headliner Girl In The Year Above at 9pm. The set began with entrancing solo vocals from lead vocalist Jennifer Ball which followed a roar of applause, which the crowd continued to do after almost every song! Ball was ecstatic – “I’m not supposed to talk til’ after the 3rd song, but this is just so nice!”.
With only four songs released to date, the setlist was mostly made up of unreleased original tracks, alongside their most well-known cover of Teardrop by Massive Attack which famously featured in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man. You could tell this tour meant a lot to the band. They had fantastic stage presence and a visible connection to each other as well as with the fans in the crowd, which was nice to see. At one point Ball gave a shoutout to the loyal fans at the front who sang all the words to songs that aren’t even out yet.
Jeanie White (songwriter, keys & backing vocals) introduced one unreleased song ‘Elvis’ which had beautiful catchy vocals and light strings. Jennifer Ball later introduced the unreleased track ‘All Hail September’ as a song about school life and the people that cook you lunch. If there’s one thing Girl In The Year Above have nailed, it’s fan connection. I liked that the band offered plenty of storytelling and lots of giggling and chatter in between songs, as it gave the crowd a good feel of the meanings behind their music in addition to a snippet into their personal lives and stories.
Nearing the end of the set, Jennifer introduced the band to the crowd and thanked the venue before playing their latest single ‘Wet Paint’ which only got released a month prior. The crowd had clearly been gearing up for this one, as there was a fan project organised where people held up signs for the lyrics “wet paint don’t touch”.
Girl In The Year Above are one of those bands that stick in your mind after the concert’s over. I’m looking forward to what else is in store for them next year, with a slot at Warrington’s Neighbourhood Festival already booked for May 2027. Listen to ‘Wet Paint’ here.
