This is a bit of a follow-up to my post about seeing Los Campesinos! in Glasgow last year. I had arranged my trip to Scotland so that I could catch two gigs while I was there, and Good Kid was the second. The band released their first EP in 2018, and have put out three more since then, gathering a super dedicated following in Canada and internationally. Fiona saw them in support of Lovejoy in 2023, but I think this was the first time they were headlining their own shows in the UK. (And in Europe. I had actually bought a ticket for their 29 September Amsterdam gig on the same tour, in case my Scotland trip fell through. But I was able to pass it on to another fan when I ended up staying in Dundee for longer than I’d originally anticipated.)
We had also splurged on VIP tickets. This was not technically a first for me. I had bought a VIP upgrade to see Set It Off in November 2022, but because that gig was cursed, I didn’t actually get to take part in the pre-show VIP experience. So Good Kid was going to be the first time of actually getting the fancy extras.
I don’t know if VIP upgrades are a new thing for touring bands, but I’ve only really been aware of them for a few years. With streaming music having cut off a chunk of revenue from selling records, selling add-ons while touring seems like a good way for artists to make a little extra money while providing a special experiences for dedicated fans. The packages seem to typically include some kind of meet & greet with the artist, unique merch, and a special pre-show performance. And because the VIP upgrades are limited, it seems like a good deal if you’re really into the band.
On the the day of the gig I was working on the wall in the flat. The simple decorating project had kinda spiralled a bit. We’d thought that the old electric fire didn’t work, and we’d decided to look behind it to see what was there – because a non-functional electric fire and a decorative mantle wasn’t very efficient use of space. What was behind it was: a big hole for the old fireplace. We actually discovered that the fire did work – we just had missed the set of switches that turn it on. But by the time we removed the mantle we were committed. I’d spent a chunk of the morning of the gig staring at building materials in B&Q and figuring out how to frame and seal up the hole, and I was ready for a nice break.
There was some ambiguity about when we had to be there for VIP entry. We left at what we thought was a reasonable time, but it took us longer than expected to get to Glasgow because of traffic. Neither of us had been to SWG3 before, and we weren’t sure where to park nearby. Fortunately there is a lot of on-street parking on Kelvinhaugh St nearby. We found a spot, walked to the venue, and found a queue of people with reassuringly obvious Good Kid vibes standing outside.
A little while later a staffer came and guided the queue across the street and into the main building. Someone from the Good Kid tour party handed us our first exclusive merch! A laminate VIP pass and lanyard, a gorgeous metallic Umon pin, and a tour poster. They opened the doors to the actual auditorium at about 18:00. There were about 50 people in the VIP group, and we spread out in the cavernous space, some heading directly for the merch stand (early access, no crowding!), while some made for the stage.
Everyone milled about for a few minutes, and the band came out and sat on the edge of the stage. They did a little Q&A with the fans, and played acoustic versions of four songs, “Orbit”, “Slingshot”, “Osmosis”, and “Alchemist”. They were lovely. One of the questions that got pitched to them came from Fiona: “why do you hate playing ‘Pox’?” This because according to setlist.fm it’s a song they rarely play, but Fiona and I both love it. They said they didn’t hate it, but they’ve got so many other songs to play, and the slow tempo of “Pox” doesn’t always fit the energy of the show. Would they play it this evening? Maybe!
After the acoustic set, the band jumped down into the small crowd of fans and spent some time chatting and signing posters and merch. They were super friendly, and seemed genuinely happy to see people turn out early.
Eventually the band had to go off and prepare for the rest of the evening, and at that point the doors opened to the general audience, and the venue filled up. The opening act was Dutch Criminal Record, who are not actually Dutch. They played a fine set, including a neat cover of Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck Babe”, but after the excitement of the pre-show I felt a bit distracted while watching them.
Good Kid came back on stage around 20:40, opening the set with “No Time To Explain”. Touring is hard work, but they looked like they were having a ton of fun on playing their songs and having 1200 fans cheer them on. They have certain set pieces they do throughout the show. At one point their bring out the “Wheel of Chaos”, a spin-the-wheel game that tells them what to do or play next. On this evening, the wheel landed on “Wonderwall”, so bassist Michael donned sunglasses and a hoodie and gave his best rendition.
Their tour manager/photographer had even more shenanigans planned for this evening, though. Before the gig started, one of their crew had taped set lists to the stage, but she had cut bits out of them and then stuck the snippets of paper on jigsaw pizzle pieces and put them into a bag. Whenever they came to a gap, the band would have to do a lucky dip in the bag to find out what they were going to play next. Of course they played all the fan favourites (and they even played “Pox”!) but mixing up the order added another element of randomness.
In the encore, there was even someone in the crowd who proposed to their partner, and singer Nick gave them an emotional shout-out.
Because I’ve been so slow in blogging this, almost a year has passed…and the band is doing some shows in Europe again: a few festivals, and a few headliners. Fiona and I have tickets to see them in Utrecht this coming Wednesday, and we’ve got VIP upgrades again. We had such a great time at the Glasgow gig that we had to take the opportunity to see them again. Some bands are worth the time whenever they’re in town – Good Kid is absolutely one of them.
Set list:
- No Time to Explain
- Alchemist
- Bubbly
- Aloe Lite
- Osmosis
- Tell Me You Know
- Down with the King
- Witches
- Slingshot
- Break
- Second Rate Town (guitarist David solo acoustic version)
- Pox (by special audience request!)
- Nomu
- Premier Inn
- Wall
- Wonderwall (Oasis cover)
- Ground
- Dirt Man (Carter Vail cover)
- Dance Class
- Summer
Encore:
- Madeleine (proposal during the song!)
- Drifting (chosen by the engaged couple doing the lucky dip for a jigsaw piece)
- From the Start (Laufey cover)
- Mimi’s Delivery Service