CMAT at Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow, 4th March 2026 – a joyful spectacle, CMAT earns venue’s Hall Of Fame honour

At the Barrowland Ballroom, magic doesn’t take long to spark. This week Irish pop-country powerhouse CMAT turned the iconic Glasgow venue into a glittering celebration of camp theatrics, sharp humour and irresistible pop hooks. It was a joyful spectacle that felt especially vital in a world that often feels short on it.

In true theatrical fashion, the night began not on stage but high above the famous dancefloor. As the lights dimmed, a spotlight revealed CMAT perched above the crowd, launching into ‘Janis Joplining’ while fans spun around trying to locate her voice. Moments later she strutted toward the stage, where the band burst into the swaggering ‘The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station’, instantly igniting the room. 

From there the set raced through highlights from across her catalogue. ‘When a Good Man Cries’ provided one of the night’s most powerful moments, her voice soaring across the ballroom as the humour briefly gave way to raw vulnerability. Soon after, the opening of ‘Take a Sexy Picture of Me’ sent the floor into motion as fans enthusiastically recreated the viral TikTok dance. 

Later, the encore brought the triumphant ‘Euro-Country’ which saw the crowd belting its political and poignant words in a moment of shared catharsis. Seconds later CMAT and the ‘Sexy CMAT band’ had us line dancing to ‘I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby!’. These two songs sum up CMAT and her music – fun and exciting, yet equally political and powerful. The soaring ‘Stay for Something’ closed the night with the floor bouncing beneath a crowd that hadn’t stopped dancing all night.

A huge part of the show’s charm came from CMAT’s gleeful campness and theatrical flair. The Barrowland’s stage became her runway, filled with glittering tartan outfits, dramatic poses and playful hair flips. Between songs she traded jokes with the crowd, told wildly funny stories and reacted to shouted comments from the front rows. The laughter was often as loud as the music, and her quick wit made the whole evening feel wonderfully chaotic and personal.

Her affection for the venue was equally clear. Looking out at the sea of bouncing fans beneath the glowing neon stars, she declared the Barrowland the ‘best venue in the world.’ Earlier that evening she had been welcomed into the venue’s Hall of Fame, receiving her own plaque on the famous wall. An accolade she looked genuinely moved by.

By the end, CMAT had turned the Barrowland into something more than a concert; it was a shared celebration of music, humour and theatrical joy. With a crowd dancing, laughing and singing every word, it was clear why she had earned her place in the venue’s Hall of Fame. If the Barrowland Ballroom is built on legendary nights then this one surely deserves to be remembered among them.

Image credit: Sarah Doyle

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