Texas, Glasgow review - 'Spiteri made it look easy'

Sharleen Spiteri of Texas | Calum Buchan

Texas, Hydro, Glasgow ★★★★

When supreme support act KT Tunstall made reference to “the unofficial queen of Scotland” in her entertaining opening set, it was reasonable to assume that she was referring to Texas frontwoman Sharleen Spiteri, limbering up to rule the Hydro. Instead, the familiar opening chords of Eurythmics’ Sweet Dreams rang out, mashed into her debut hit Black Horse and the Cherry Tree (big in jazzercise, she told us). The dowager Annie Lennox would approve.

At times during this celebration of 35 years of Texas, Spiteri was more like the court jester, freely ranting, bantering and generally holding court. “Do not encourage me,” she warned her home crowd as she bounded around the stage, a sparkling star in shimmering black. “You bring out the very best in me - and the very worst in me.” Both sides of her gallus character were lapped on this first of two sell-out Hydro shows.

Calum Buchan

The two-hour set opened with guitarist Tony McGovern in silhouette, wrangling the desert-dry riff from their debut hit I Don't Want A Lover, but this band have come a long way from the prevailing rootsy Scotpop of the late Eighties or even their breakthrough cover of Al Green’s Tired Of Being Alone, delivered at the piano as a big, slick, sultry cabaret.

Texas expertly repurpose their influences, from the sanitised northern soul of Keep On Talking to the chiming ABBA pastiche of Summer Son, which ushered in a strong run of tunes around the halfway mark.

Insane was an intoxicating mix of psychedelic rhythm'n'blues and silky, soaring vocals, followed by the irresistible Chic-like Let’s Work It Out and jubilant When We Are Together.

Spiteri worked hard and made it look and sound easy. By the time she encored with Inner Smile in her Tom Ford-designed Elvis leathers, it was evident that Sharleen Spiteri is, in fact, the King of Scotland.