A cold winter’s night in Glasgow was slightly warmer when the indie garage punk group Shannon and the Clams brought their unique California sound to the ROOM 2 stage. Only a week after Halloween, the group’s psychedelic screeches and synthy cries brought the weirdness back to Glasgow.

The group drew a mixed crowd of Scots, from the superfans at the barrier to families at the back, filling out the modest venue. Despite this being the first time the group performed in the city, they kept true to their usual quirky spirit, sporting pink outfits from head to toe. 

They primarily performed songs from their most recent album, The Moon Is In The Wrong Place, whilst also playing some fan favourites, exciting the crowd with their second song of the show, “I Leave Again” from Onion, where guitarist and vocalist Cody Blanchard’s screeches set the tone for the set ahead. Blanchard flexed his vocal prowess, using his voice to make sounds other instruments could not.

The album was released earlier this year in May, inspired by the sudden death of Shannon Shaw’s – the band’s frontwoman – beloved fiancé, Joe Haener. 

The album opens with “The Vow,” which focuses on Shaw and Haener’s love and their would-have-been wedding, had it not been for his tragic death. Shaw yearns deeply for him, made clear when she shifts from gentle vocals to melodic wails. Rather than dwelling in her sadness she focuses on the lingering feeling of his presence, setting the stage for the rest of the album that explores connecting with feelings and worlds that are beyond this dimension.

At its core, the album explores heavy themes through a mystical, loving, dissociate, and gracious perspective. The quartet performed some of their most surreal and escapist songs off of their new album, such as “UFO” and “Dali’s Clock” – during which, the quartet Commanded audience participation, with the room being split, half chanting “tick” the other “tock” with the band using this as the backing track for the rest of the song.

The Oakland-based group also paid homage to previous records, plucking some of their most playful songs.

“Ozma” toys with grief through flowery language, surf-rock beats, and a story akin to a children’s bedtime story. Their keyboardist Will Sprout took to the tambourine, adding a whimsiness to the thuds of Nate Mahan’s heavy drum sounds.

Finishing with “Real or Magic,” the group left a sense of their signature kaleidoscopic contemplation in Glasgow.