Music review: Trevor Horn, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

Of the many hundreds of gigs I’ve attended over the years, this was the first one in which the star individually thanked the sound crew during the ‘meet the band’ segment. Trevor Horn, pop producer extraordinaire, recognises the importance of great sound.

Trevor Horn PIC: Bruno Vincent/Getty

Music review: Trevor Horn, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall ****

During his 40 years in the biz, Horn has masterminded huge – both aurally and commercially - records for the likes of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, ABC, Grace Jones and Pet Shop Boys among many others. If anyone has earned the right to release an album of inventively reimagined ‘80s hits, most of which he performed tonight, it’s the man who, as they say, invented the decade.

His 20-piece band includes himself on bass and occasional vocals, Lol Crème (10cc) on guitar and keyboards, three flamboyant session singers and a string section. Horn, whose address book must be the size of Uranus, also welcomed guest vocalists Steve Hogarth (Marillion), Danny Cummings (Dire Straits) and Russ Ballard (Argent).

Highlights during this almost three-hour show included a quasi-baroque version of Springsteen’s Dancing in the Dark, an absolutely enormous assault on Frankie’s Relax and a poignant Celtic rearrangement of Knopfler’s Brothers in Arms. Horn being decked out in a kilt and sporran during the show’s second act was another sweet sop to his Scottish fans.

Also, his none-more-Horny bombastic overhaul of New Order’s Blue Monday is better than the overrated original.

A hugely enjoyable evening in the presence of a maestro. - Paul Whitelaw