Djo plays an unforgettable show at the O2 Academy, Glasgow
On June 2nd, Djo brought his Back On You World Tour 2025 to Glasgow’s O2 Academy for a sold-out night of unbridled fun and euphoric, feel-good tunes.
The alias of psychedelic synth-pop artist Joe Keery, Djo performed in support of his latest album, The Crux, which joined streaming services in early April.
Outside the O2 Academy, long queues of fans wrapped around the venue as doors were about to open, before hurrying inside to get the best spots in time for Djo’s support act, Post Animal.
A psychedelic rock band hailing all the way from Chicago, Illinois, this dynamic five-piece opened the show with a thrilling series of tracks from their albums Love Gibberish (2022) and Forward Motion Godyssey (2020), as well as highlighting their latest single, Pie in the Sky.
A band to which Djo himself belonged up until 2019 - when acting commitments took further priority - it was lovely to see his former bandmates share the same stage as the headliner. Consisting of Dalton Allison (bass/vocals), Jake Hirshland (guitar/keyboard/vocals), Javi Reyes (guitar/vocals), Wesley Toledo (drums/vocals) and Matt Williams (guitar/vocals), Post Animal were an excellent invitation into the alternative soundscape of the night ahead.
After Post Animal left the stage, the anticipation in the air was palpable. As the crowd talked amongst themselves, bought drinks and excitedly chatted about their favourite songs, Djo’s 9:15pm start time drew nearer. Soon enough, the room went dark and there was a moment of silence before the crowd erupted into cheers and screams.
The moment they had waited for was about to finally happen, and Djo’s band members entered the stage one by one as the lights flickered, building up the tension in the room. When Djo himself walked out onto the stage, Glasgow roared, living up to the hype of a Scottish crowd.
Djo opened his 90-minute set with Runner and Gloom, two energetic tracks from his 2022 album, DECIDE. As the crowd got into the electric vibe of the show, they started the infamous Scottish chant, “Here we fucking go!” which Djo certainly seemed uplifted by.
Next were tracks from his latest album The Crux, including Link, Charlie's Garden and the fan-favourite, Basic Being Basic. The crowd sang extra loud for it’s chorus: “I think you're scared of being basic / That’s ironic 'cause it's reading like you're even more basic / It's not funny, it's so funny 'cause you're basic.”
Notably, Djo then dove into a performance of the well-loved and dreamy synth-filled track, Fool, teasing the crowd by lifting his sunglasses at the very last line, “Behind those eyes,” which the crowd met with adoring cheers.
Not long after surpassing the halfway point of his set, Djo then played End of Beginning, turning the expectation for an artist to leave their most popular song until last on its head.
The sixth track from his 2022 album, DECIDE, the song blew up two years later - and seemingly overnight. With a TikTok trend gaining traction as people linked the lyrics, “When I’m back in Chicago, I feel it,” to personal videos about new beginnings, formative memories and the people or places make them feel most at home, the song has since garnered over 1.5 billion streams on Spotify, a number which rightfully skyrocketed Djo into the online alt-music spotlight.
With lyrics depicting the nostalgia-laden feeling of looking back at a different version of yourself - which, for Djo, was his early twenties spent in Chicago - we’re sure that playing this song each night of tour brings back to him just a little of that feeling like you’re exactly where you’re meant to be.
After playing an energized rendition of Potion, Djo and his band ran off-stage as the crowd cheered for “one more song.” Less than a minute later, he reappeared for an encore performance of Back On You and Flash Mountain. As the lights flickered and the audience danced all their adrenaline out to the music, it definitely felt like Djo and his band had received the loving welcome to the O2 Academy, Glasgow that they deserved.
In case you missed the Glasgow show, here’s Djo’s full setlist from the night:
Runner
Gloom
Link
Charlie’s Garden
Basic Being Basic
Fool
Lonesome is a State of Mind
Egg
Fly
Gap Tooth Smile
Chateau (Feel Alright)
Figure You Out
Delete Ya
Roddy
End of Beginning
Potion
Encore:
Back on You
Flash Mountain
Those wanting to see Djo live this year are in luck, as he has a vibrant roster of upcoming performances across Europe, the UK and North America.
With the Back On Your World Tour 2025 set to have it’s closing night in Amsterdam, Djo will soon after support the iconic indie-folk artist Noah Kahan in Cardiff and Dublin. Then, after a stint at Glastonbury Festival, he and his band will head out on tour with the indie-pop songstress Gracie Abrams for The Secret of Us Deluxe Tour in Boston and Toronto. For the full list of his upcoming live shows, you can head to Djo’s website.
In the meantime, make sure to follow Djo on Instagram to keep updated with his latest projects, and stream the rest of his music on Spotify below: