When Glasgow band Texas were formed way back in 1987 this guy was still a teenager, tonight would be an almost nostalgic trip back in time to more simple days, formed by vocalist Sharleen Spiteri and bass player Johnny McElhone Texas released debut album Southside in 1989 at a time when the Scottish music scene was thriving with bands such as Simple Minds, Big Country, Del Amitri, Love and Money, Deacon Blue and many more putting Scotland and especially Glasgow on the music map. Here is a band with over forty million album sales behind them, and as an example of their status in the UK music scene they sold 20,000 tickets for London’s O2 Arena the other night and if you consider that it was their first time playing the iconic London venue it is an incredible achievement.
We were at the first of two shows at Glasgow’s biggest indoor venue, the OVO Hydro. The venue was packed already for fellow Scot KT Tunstall taking to the stage and there was a real buzz of excitement in the air, Saturday night gigs in Glasgow are always special, tonight was no different. KT Tunstall broke on to the music scene as an acoustic performer way back in 2004 when she released debut album Eye To The Telescope; an album that was a multi-platinum seller, the talented singer-songwriter has continued to perform around the world to large audiences. The Grammy-nominated artist released latest album Face To Face in August 2023 but tonight’s seven-track set would mainly consist of her better known hits such as Suddenly I See. Joining KT on the stage tonight is the drummer from Razorlight, Andy Burrows who also plays just about every other instrument tonight. Tunstall’s stage presence and energy is felt immediately as she bounces around the stage during I Am The Pilot and Dear Shadow. She comments that Sharleen Spiteri will be swearing much more than her (we can testify to that!), Other Side Of The World gets the crowd moving, there must be at least 9000 in the arena already as Burrows gets the chance to sing Razorlight’s track America going head to head with KT; two great musicians combining here as the crowd sing along. Black Horse and the Cherry Tree is next up, Tunstall’s 2nd biggest song keeps the high energy flowing before a short version of Eurythmics song Sweet Dreams quickly followed by Hold On and a dedication to the best decade of music … It’s the 1980s of course as The Bangles hit Walk Like An Egyptian reverberates around the arena that is almost at capacity now as KT’s biggest song Suddenly I See is sang by just about everyone amongst the twelve-thousand people crowd, it’s a special moment and a great end to the set. 8/10
Tonight’s performance is completely sold out, during the short interval everyone is scurrying to the bar so just the usual Saturday night mayhem. In March 2024 Texas released an album in collaboration with American musician Spooner Oldham, The Muscle Shoals Sessions being the album name but most people will be here tonight to hear the old classic Texas hits from 1997 album White On Blonde and more. As the curtain falls to the floor the band are ready to party as they begin the set with biggest song I Don’t Want A Lover, the crowd response to this is incredible. You would think there were 50,000 in the arena with the noise, Sharleen then asks if the crowd are up for it tonight, the resounding answer is a massive scream of YES! These two shows are the last of the tour celebrating thirty-five years since the release of Southside, the crowd don’t need much motivation as the set continues with another big hit Halo followed by Everyday Now, a slower track that takes us right back to the beginning of the band’s career. Texas have gone through quite a few drummers during their long career, the latest one Cat Myers is superb through tonight’s show. During the tour Spiteri and guitarist Tony McGovern have been challenging for the ‘pick flick cup’ which entails throwing a plectrum in the air and flicking it back up and catching it, after tonight’s round the score is sitting at 5-5, decider tomorrow*, these moments prove how much fun a Texas gig can be, next up is Conversation, the keyboard player Eddie Campbell has been great so far but his performance on this track is very special.
Sharleen Spiteri still has the energy of a 25-year-old on the stage and looks like she has hardly aged since those 1980s days as she swaps the green guitar for the keyboards and the first cover version of the night with Al Green track Tired Of Being Alone, proving that she is an all round musician. There are a few wolf whistles from the crowd as Sharleen removes her jacket, you can get cancelled for that she says before saying “Aye right … fuck off!” The imagery on the screen at the back of the stage added to the spectacle as the Northern Soul influenced track Keep On Talking shows some old video of Northern Soul dancers in action from the 1970s, the crowd are loving this. Summer Son from The Hush album is one of our most listened to Texas tracks and is played as well tonight as when it was released in 1999. Next song Insane gives us more of the same, Spiteri’s amazing vocal range comes into play during this memorable track as the crowd join in for the chorus “Cause everybody wants to be a winner/Nobody wants to lose their game/It’s the same for me, it’s the same for you/It’s insane, insane insane”. Famous French footballer Thierry Henry is a self-proclaimed Texas fan and appears in the video for Let’s Work It Out, released in 1997 from the album Jump On Board, the video for the song featuring Henry and Spiteri plays on the screen.
Put Your Arms Around Me is the first of the acoustic section of the set as Sharleen invites the band to “Fuck off the stage” and has to tell a few fans that are chatting during this solo acoustic number to “Shut the fuck up”, they quickly do! Guitarist McGovern then joins Sharleen for Let Me Sleep as they share vocal duties, In Demand is the last of the acoustic tracks as the other bands members return to the stage. Black Eyed Boy is an instantly recognisable song and is one of the best of the set, the crowd involvement is keeping the band-crowd energy high, before the last song of the main set Say What You Want Spiteri says to the crowd if we react well to this one then they might come back on for an encore, the response is memorable as 12,000 people are singing back the chorus to the stage. The encore begins with Inner Smile and is just a continuation of the high-energy emanating from the fans who have been incredible tonight, as have the five band members, makes us proud to be Glaswegian tonight. We are already at the two-hour mark as Sharleen leaves the stage returning wearing a leather Elvis-style catsuit commenting “I haven’t wore this suit since 2001 and it still fits me” before moving into the last song of the night Elvis Presley track Suspicious Minds she comments “If you don’t know this one then fuck off home now!”, at times this show was akin to a stand up comedy show, a very unique performance and one that will live long in the memory. 10/10
* Sharleen won the Pick Flick Cup by 6-5 and was presented the trophy by comedian John Bishop during Sunday’s show. Better luck next time Tony!
Written by: Alan Brown
