Doja Cat Navigates the Pop-Freak Divide at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro

The OVO Hydro caught Doja Cat working through a tension that has defined her last few records. She opened with the glossy 80s-inflected pop of Vie and Planet Her, fronting a ten-piece band in a purple bodysuit and acid green wig. It was tight and controlled. Make It Up hit harder than on wax, and Paint the Town Red landed with the kind of swagger that fills a room this size without much effort.

Then the show flipped. A run of songs from Scarlet brought a different kind of performance. For WYM Freestyle and a metal-stripped Tia Tamera she was on the floor, grinding against the mic stand, tights torn open in the back. During Demons she wrapped the mic cord around her neck and kept every note in place. It was messy in a way that only works if your cover of Celebrity Skin got the