Live Music Review: Iggy Pop

Artist: Iggy Pop 
Venues: Glasgow O2 Academy
Dates: 3 June 2025

I last saw Iggy Pop at the Barrowland in 2002, so it’s safe to say I had waited long enough for the Godfather of Punk to return to Scotland. Nearby pubs were crammed. The crowds outside the O2 Academy were a conveyor belt of black leather jackets and band t-shirts. The excitement glinted in every greying hairline; twinkled in each creased eye.

“TV Eye” from The Stooges 1970 album ‘Funhouse’ was an explosive entrance. I counted two seconds of the song had passed before members of the crowd were pushing themselves through to the front. Two…..seconds. That’s the impact it had as an opener. Surprisingly, Iggy chose to play two of his biggest solo numbers “The Passenger” and “Lust For Life” early in his set (the latter opened using The Prodigy remix from the T2 film). While he no longer invites half the audience to clamber on stage during The Passenger, the seventy-eight year old maintained a warm connection with his adoring public throughout the lively set, reveling in the reverence his fans clearly hold for him.

The double-header of “I Wanna Be Your Dog” and “Search And Destroy” shuffled the crowd, roistered on the balconies and reminding everyone of the raw and primitive legacy of The Stooges, aided by an exceptional horn section. There have been several musicians utilised by Iggy over the years, but it is always satisfying to see older heroes such as Alice Cooper, Jah Wobble and Hugh Cornwall backed by a band refined and honed to compliment the experienced star at the front of the stage.

“Some Weird Sin” started off as a poem, but has become one of the poppier numbers Iggy has created, while “Nightclubbing” was swiftly halved with 2023 number “Modern Day Ripff”. As the night drew towards its conclusion, Iggy waved to all corners of the venue during final number “Funtime” from 1977’s ‘The Idiot’ album, and exited with a blown kiss to the sweaty faces grinning back.

This is allegedly Iggy Pop’s final U.K tour, and may account for the several people photographing his name upon the white neon board listing outside the venue. His like will never be seen again.

Stephen Watt