This English indie rock band is typically recognized from their hit, “Gooey,” off of their 2014 album, ZABA. However, after releasing a new record, How to Be a Human Being, in 2016, they’ve been on tour and recently performed in Austin, Texas this past Monday night. I had the incredible opportunity to attend this sold-out show with a few of my friends, and it was one of the best nights I’ve had in a while. The band opened the show with “Life Itself,” one of their hits off of How to Be a Human Being. Vocalist Dave Bayley was full of energy as soon as he came out on stage – and didn’t stop dancing until the very end, even with a hurt ankle. After the first two songs, he told the crowd he was going to sit and sing to rest his leg, but he couldn’t even get to the first chorus of the song before he was on his feet again! (Photo Courtesy of Megan Pavel) The spirit and energy from the crowd proved how great this band is – they played a total of twelve songs from both albums, and it seemed like everyone at the show new all the words. Glass Animals included other hits from How to Be a Human Being, including “Season 2 Episode 3,” and “Youth.” After lots of cheering from the fans, they came out to play two more encore songs; the first was “Pools,” off of ZABA and then they ended the show with “Pork Soda,” from the new album. The technical features of the show were also impressive. The sound was clean – the music wasn’t overriding the vocals and vice versa. The show took place in Moody Theatre at ACL Live, so it was three levels, and even at the top, the sound mix was still perfect. The lighting fit the performance very well, and matched the mood of each song. My only complaint would be that the lights focused on Dave Bayley, the vocalist, and not really anyone else. I had the chance to be in the photo pit and do photography for the first three songs of the show, and it was difficult to get quality pictures of the other members: Drew MacFarlane, Edmund Irwin-Singer, and Joe Seaward.

Personally, my favorite part of the show was the giant pineapple-shaped disco ball which was hung over the stage. It fit the vibe of new album perfectly, and near the end of the performance, Dave was handing out actual pineapples to lucky fans in the crowd. This was my first time getting to see Glass Animals, and I can say that I will definitely be seeing them again when their tour brings them through town!

(Photo Courtesy of Megan Pavel)

Check out Glass Animals on social media:

Twitter: @GlassAnimals Instagram: @glassanimals Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glassanimals

Written by: Megan Pavel