WORDS AND IMAGES BY DESH KAPUR
“Stripped Back And Acoustic It Allows All Its Nuances And Texture To Shine Through”
Formed in 1986 by Johnny McElhone (formerly of the bands Altered Images and Hipsway) and Sharleen Spiteri on lead vocals. They are a Scottish alternative rock band and tonight they were playing their debut album ‘SOUTHSIDE’ acoustically in full, followed by an electric set of greatest hits
‘SOUTHSIDE’ was their debut album, released in 1989, peaking at number 3 on the UK album charts, whilst the debut single of the album “I Don’t Want a Lover”, was a top-ten hit on the UK Singles Chart and peaked within the top ten of the charts in many other European countries. On top of that, the album reached number 88 on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States and sold over two million copies worldwide.
Not bad going for a first album.
Having never been to the London Palladium before but remembering it from my childhood from the TV show “Live From The London Palladium” I was excited to see the venue in real life and it didn’t disappoint. Beautifully ornate, with a Royal Gallery (where we were allowed to watch the second half of the show from) and Royal boxes; it instantly made you think of times gone by. What an amazing setting for this show.
In the words of Sharleen Spiteri herself, tonight Texas would be supported by Texas! What that meant was that the band would play “SOUTHSIDE” in full acoustically, before going off and coming back on, outfit change, electric guitars plugged in and launch into a full, greatest hits set. Cool!
The laid back nature of the first half of the show was very evident when Sharleen walked onto the stage, sporting a yellow bobble hat and what looked like a cup of tea, and settled into her chair with a cheeky “We’re back “….explained how the night was going to run, engaged in some banter with the audience and launched into “I DON’T WHAT A LOVER” and the noise level in the Palladium went up a notch.
“SOUTHSIDE’ was and is a pretty excellent pop/rock record that has aged very well indeed., stripped back and acoustic it allows all its nuances and texture to shine through. It’s American blues and country delivered with a distinctly Scottish rock/pop tone and although made in 1989, it hasn’t dated one bit. And tonight, it was just a great voice and some straight-up cool country rock tracks. “I Don’t Want A Lover”, and “Fight the Feeling” were my favourites of the first set. Hearing Southside in this way, showcased the song-writing talents of Sharleen and Johnny McElhrone.
So, now it was time for a short interval, no choc ices to be had unfortunately, so we headed to the bar, A quick outfit change for Sharleen and a turnaround for the stage set up and the band took to the stage for the 2nd half. The atmosphere felt distinctly more up for the second half as the band returned to the stage and launched the 1997 hit “Halo”.
The second set was the Texas we know and love, all-electric, twanging ’80s guitar, layered chord progressions over smooth pop/rock keys and heartfelt lyrics. Sharleen’s vocals feel like they haven’t aged a day; she truly is one of the finest singers Scotland’s ever produced. Not only that, she has a true connection between her and the audience, regaling the audience with hilarious anecdotes, her beautiful Scottish brogue masking her potty mouth, she almost uses the word F%^k as a comma.
On tonight’s showing, Texas are back, and everything is better for it.
SET LIST
SOUTHSIDE ACOUSTIC SET
1/ I DONT WANT A LOVER
2/ TELL ME WHY
3/ EVERYDAY NOW
4/ PRAYER FOR YOU
5/ FAITH
6/ THRILL HAS GONE
7/ FIGHT THE FEELING
8/ FOOL FOR LOVE
9/ ONE CHOICE
10/ FUTURE IS PROMISES
HITS SET
11/ HALO
12/ SUMMER SON
13/ HI
14/ IN OUR LIFETIME
15/ YOU CAN CALL ME
16/LET’S WORK IT OUT/RIP IT UP
17/ WHEN WE ARE TOGETHER
18/ UNBELIEVABLE
19/ IN DEMAND
20/ MR HAZE
21/ INNER SMILE
22/ SAY WHAT YOU WANT ENCORE
23/ I DONT WANT A LOVER
24/ BLACK EYED BOY
25/ SUSPICIOUS MINDS
FOLLOW TEXAS
My life is a soundtrack, i track my life through music, photography is my passion, my escape, my expression. Without both i have pieces missing, thankfully i’m blessed and get to combine both.
Born in Manchester, lived in Australia for 22 years where i was heavily involved in the Australian Music Industry, firstly in bands (Singer) and then managing bands (all original), I moved back to the UK, Wales specifically 10 years ago and married my childhood sweetheart and life is good.
