By Fiona Shepherd

Published 23rd Nov 2023, 15:19 BST

Georgia, Room 2, Glasgow ****

Drum roll for one woman band Georgia… actually, on reflection, she can do that herself, such is her signature centre-stage kit of syndrum pads. Daughter of Leftfield's Neil Barnes, she is dance music royalty, summoning the spirit of Madonna with her intro music, a statement of intent welcoming those who love pop and who came to dance.

Like the indie Sheila E, she started out with Started Out, all autotuned vox and ecstatic house grooves, with a melancholy Italian piano house passage thrown in just before she welcomed her drummer and bassist to whip up a rock climax. Barnes is a multi-instrumentalist who majors on drums and has toured solo but relished this opportunity to beef out her sound with a band, whether the bass quake drone of 24 Hours or the go-faster momentum of Never Let You Go.

It's Euphoric, the title track of her latest album, was pure rapture, with her light vocals anchored by her rhythm section. “How you feeling?” she inquired of her increasingly warmed up audience. The answer could only be “euphoric”. Barnes, meanwhile, was so transported that she hit her head off one of her drums.

With no obvious damage done, she strapped on a guitar to unleash the chiming line of The Dream. Next, drummer Charlie flexed her multi-instrumentalist skills with some epic piano embellishment, delivered to whoops of approval. Add in some disco effervescence and the sheer joy of Some Things You'll Never Know and the only play left for such a communal celebration was for Barnes to get down in the crowd.

She still had her best song left in reserve, the glacial synths and electro judder of About Work the Dancefloor being a sterling showcase for a musician who declares her love for The Blue Nile and Kate Bush while maintaining her dedication to rhythm.

Music review: Georgia, Room 2, Glasgow