Music review: Paloma Faith, Armadillo, Glasgow

The dance pop numbers may have been received with relish, but Paloma Faith was in her personal power zone belting out the ballads, writes Fiona Shepherd

Paloma Faith, Armadillo, Glasgow ***

“I am going to sing you some miserable songs,” cautioned Paloma Faith, already several numbers deep into a set composed entirely of tracks from her “divorce” album The Glorification of Sadness. Black clad and emoting behind gothic shades, her rich voice rang out on How You Leave a Man and exploded with the declaration “I am a woman” following the slinky blues intro of God In a Dress. Hear her roar indeed.

Despite the pain of a break-up, Faith still exuded her usual extrovert wit, now tinged with an air of defiance. She had some sharp and funny words for negligent husbands, and in praise of maternal selfishness. Hoping to recall “the joyous and rebellious" pre-Covid days, she urged the audience on to their feet for Enjoy Yourself and the more naturally effervescent Cry on the Dancefloor. The catchy catharsis of Eat Shit and Die was fair enough but the slick pop gospel testifying of Say My Name, silky retro R&B of I Am Enough and Europop melodrama of Let It Ride were more effective calling cards.

Paloma Faith PIC: Brian J Ritchie/Hotsauce / Shutterstock

Faith promenaded through the crowd to end the first half, announcing she would be faking it in the upbeat second half. If so, she faked it well on the verve of Stone Cold Sober and Picking Up the Pieces. Everything was bigger, brighter and bouncier as she zipped through a short selection of her biggest hits, interacting more mischievously with her backing singers, from the cutesy yet also gutsy handjive of Upside Down to the taut, funky Can't Rely On You.

Faith has had some of her greatest commercial successes with club tunes. Here, the dance pop of Lullaby and the drum'n'bass-powered Changing were received with relish but Faith was in her personal power zone belting out big ballad Only Love Can Hurt Like This.