Closing out the fifth-anniversary tour of their album Celestial Blues, King Woman took to the stage at the Garage in Glasgow for a brilliant finale. The intimate venue allowed the booming bass and heavy drums to reverberate viscerally throughout the room.
Kristina Esfandiari formed King Woman as a solo project back in 2009, expanding over the years to include Joey Raygoza and Peter Arsendorf in the current line-up. Celestial Blues, released in July 2021, branched out from the slow shoegaze of their former releases to offer a grungier sound. It was highly praised by critics, who noted the deeply personal lyrics as Esfandiari reflects on her upbringing in a small Christian community in northern California.
Esfandiari has stated that with the creation of Celestial Blues she “closed a chapter on [her] pain and suffering through religion.” Watching her scream her heart out through these tracks live is a hypnotic, cathartic experience.
Feedback blasted through the speakers as the band came on stage. Esfandiari appeared from the foggy haze of centre stage, as if emerging from the shadows, giving the crowd a brilliant, up-close experience of her sensational performance. The set started slowly with the title track ‘Celestial Blues,’ The calmness didn’t last long, however, as the second track on the setlist, ‘Golgotha,’ crescendoed to a growling guitar accompanied by screaming vocals before returning to a sinister lull.
This dynamic continued for the rest of the show, with Esfandiari delivering a mix of sensual, quiet vocals and powerful shouts that feverishly built up the audience’s anticipation. Her stage presence is undeniable; having performed for 14 years, she knows how to command a room with ease, captivating the crowd within seconds. She carries a strong connection with her fans, coming down to take their hands and sing with them, pulling the audience further into the performance.
Songs like ‘Boghz’ and ‘Psychic Wound’ (which featured in the acclaimed A24 film I Saw the TV Glow) left the audience fired up for more guttural screaming and powerful bass, cementing them as some of the most impactful tracks from the album. To the delight of long-time fans, tracks outside of Celestial Blues made their way onto the setlist, including ‘Utopia’ from their 2017 debut album Created in the Image of Suffering and the later single ‘Bury,’ which recalled their earlier shoegaze style (albeit with the guitar and bass still thrumming strongly in the background).
Drawing near the end of the show, ‘Paradise Lost’ calmed things down with a softer melody of haunting guitar; but not for long, as the band walked off the stage to the sound of the crowd chanting “Lucifer, falling from the heights” like a ritual.
For the encore, King Woman surprised fans with a beautiful rendition of the Stone Roses’ ‘I Wanna Be Adored.’ As Esfandiari asked the crowd, “Do you adore me?” she made her way to the front of the stage to her enamoured fans, ending the show with a heartfelt expression of gratitude for her supporters.
If I can leave you with one recommendation, it is to let Celestial Blues get under your skin, whether you consider yourself a dedicated metalhead or not. King Woman’s blend of visceral guitars, angelic vocals, and slow builds creates a hypnotic soundscape that I guarantee will possess fans of shoegaze, rock, and heavy metal alike.
Photography by Olivia Dalton, provided for press use.
