LIVE REVIEW: Glaive at Emo’s Austin
AUSTIN, TX | EMO’S AUSTIN | OCTOBER 23, 2026 | BY ERIC MARTINEZ
Lined up as early as 3 p.m., fans were eager to enter Emo’s on October 23rd for Glaive’s sold-out God Save The Three Tour, featuring special guest Tiffany Day. The hours between arrival and doors opening did little to dampen the anticipation, a testament to the dedicated fanbases both artists have cultivated through their distinct takes on electronic and alternative pop.
Following the release of her sophomore album, HALO, Tiffany Day has continued to carve out a place for herself within the hyperpop landscape. Longtime listeners will recognize traces of the genre throughout her earlier work, but her recent embrace of its sound has helped her reach an increasingly wider audience. Performing tracks including “PRETTY4U,” “TELL ME WHAT I DID,” and “DOIT4ME,” Day brought the songs to life before a sold-out crowd, turning what once might have felt like a daydream into a reality. As her set came to a close, however, the crowd began to thin. It became difficult to distinguish between those who had arrived early for the full lineup and those who had come specifically for Day. Given the demand for a North American headlining tour of her own, the number of fans who departed after her performance was hardly surprising. Still, it was the first time I had witnessed such a significant portion of a crowd leave before a headliner took the stage.
Glaive, the stage name of Ash Blue Gutierrez, soon emerged onto a cross-adorned stage, opening with “Spinning Around,” one of the more intimate tracks from his latest album, God Save The Three. He encouraged the crowd to “throw the three up,” a gesture tied to the album’s title that also seemed to invite fans into a shared understanding of his world. Before long, flashes of white and gold light swept across the venue, illuminating everything from the ceiling to the crowd below. Taking the stage alone, Glaive controlled the room with little difficulty, offering anecdotes and personal context for nearly every song in the set. Among them was “Bluebirds,” which he introduced as a song about a close friend navigating heartbreak before eventually reconciling with his partner.
Two of the night's standout performances for me were “uk bitches” and “pardon me,” tracks released under his Orvine Hall alias that explore a different side of his artistry through a hyperpop lens. The intensity of both songs brought an immediate rush of adrenaline, making the experience of being immersed in the crowd all the more exhilarating. Positioned farther from the stage, I could surrender to the music without worrying about getting swept up in the rowdiness closer to the front. Moments like these reinforced why Tiffany Day was such a fitting addition to the tour. Although their sounds occupy differing ends of the electronic pop spectrum, the contrast between them made for a compelling pairing. Their recent collaboration, “MEANT TO BE,” captures that balance particularly well, bringing their respective approaches together in a track that feels like a natural extension of both artists' creative identities.
Glaive delivered a worthwhile performance, making the hours of anticipation feel well spent. Since that night, God Save The Three has remained on repeat, and I'm looking forward to seeing how he carries that momentum through the remaining North American dates of the tour.
