Victoria Canal live in Glasgow: Rising star steals hearts with special stripped-back set
At her first headline show in Glasgow, Victoria Canal proves a captivating live presence.
Photo: Victoria Canal
After a stretch of huge shows with Hozier, the release of her brand-new EP WELL WELL, and being awarded the Rising Star award at this year’s Ivor Novellos, it’s safe to say there’s not much singer-songwriter Victoria Canal hasn’t achieved in 2023.
As a result, there’s a palpable anticipation as chattering fans await Canal’s arrival at her first headline show in Glasgow, the concluding date for the UK leg of her headline UK/EU tour.
Arriving on stage, she walks out with a huge smile, dressed in a plaid, pleated skirt and a white crop t-shirt, where she is met with the enthusiastic claps and cheers of the seated audience. As the house lights come down on the already darkened room, Canal is left lit up on stage alone, with only her guitar and piano beside her.
Picking up the guitar, Canal sits in front of the mic, comfortable with the largeness of the dark space around her. She is noticeably unafraid to share her thoughts and feelings as she performs. Asking for the house lights to be lifted so she can see the audience’s faces, telling heart wrenching and humorous stories from her life, and even giving one lucky fan a hug mid-set. Canal proves herself to be an honest and genuine performer who is impossible not to gravitate towards. So much so that, as much as her vocals and song writing talent are entirely entrancing, her personality is what really shone through at Websters Theatre.
“Do you guys mind if I talk between every song?”, she asked, receiving cheers in response. “Yeah, we’re just chilling.”
Despite the unusualness of the venue – a converted church in Glasgow’s west end, which Canal herself admits is giving off ‘school theatre vibes’ – Canal’s emotive vocals and deep, skilfully played piano accompaniment allow her to fill the immensely quiet room with a warmth and a sense of companionship that wasn’t there before she arrived. She is entirely herself on stage, which it has to be said is no small feat in today’s society, especially since it almost instantly allows her to bond with those around her, despite not actually knowing them.
As for the set itself, she offers a captivating solo run through of an assortment of her tracks – from her song Company, which explores the liminal space that exists between platonic and queer love, to her emotionally charged She Walks In, which reflects on her body image issues, pertaining in part to her limb difference. Giving the audience an insight into the personal stories that accompany each song, Canal brings more weight and emotion to each of her lyrics, while the freedom of performing solo allows her vocals to move more freely with her music via dreamy ad libs.
And even though there’s a minor technical difficulty that was completely unavoidable — due to Canal travelling to the venue on her own with one guitar — there’s a number of special moments that will not soon be forgotten by each of her fans. As well as inviting her support act Terra Kin up for a wholesome cover of Pheobe Bridgers’ Motion Sickness, which was met by gasps and squeals from the front row, Canal also encouraged everyone to put their arms around one another during the heartbreaking swan song, allowing for a wonderfully cathartic moment to be shared by the crowd.
“I think I’ve figured it out,” she tells the audience before dedicating her emotional performance of the song to her Dad, “forgiveness is what matters most. Forgiving the people who have wronged you, but also forgiving yourself for your own mistakes.”
It only takes the lights being turned on at the end of her set to see the effect of Canal’s performance. Streams of black mascara are streaked down faces and many stay seated for a minute longer than they need to. Still hanging onto her every word, it’s easy to see that Canal’s wonderful ability to connect with people, as well as articulate the feelings many have felt, is what makes her performance so impactful. You really get the sense this is only the start of a long and well-deserved career for the Spanish-American songwriter.