Concert review
Barrowland, Glasgow - June 3, 2011
by Jonathan Geddes for The Herald

FOR a comeback, a gig at your home town’s most beloved venue isn’t a bad call. “It’s been a while since Texas played the Barrowland,” declared singer Sharleen Spiteri early on, but it’s been several years since Texas played anywhere.

This wasn’t a mawkish return, however, although guitarist Ally McErlaine – having recovered from the brain aneurysm he suffered in 2009 – was given a rousing ovation. McErlaine and company ran through a mix of expected hits, surprise covers, obscurities and a lone new offering.
That track, The Conversation, was fine, a country-tinged number that had a bit of a stomp behind it. It let Spiteri’s vocals excel, and the singer had several other occasions to display that she’s an excellent vocalist. Chatty, too, nattering away to the crowd between every song like a long-lost friend trying to catch up.
Spiteri’s enthusiasm and the goodnatured vibe of the crowd ensured the gig was speedy as well as sticky, although the group’s music does have some awkward limitations. The likes of the moribund Sleep and In Our Lifetime are stuck on the middle of the road while a timid cover of Guns N’ Roses’ Sweet Child O’ Mine resembled closing-time karaoke.
And yet, although the music is unfashionable, it remains catchy, and extremely well executed. The hits were dished out with regularity, from the canoodle-inducing Say What You Want and Summer Son’s disco beat to Inner Smile’s gigantic sing-a-long, and even an acoustic segment swiftly became raucous. Such energy ensured the night merrily bounced along, serving as a reassuring return.


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