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Texas review – Sharleen Spiteri on fantastic form in career-spanning set


The sweary Scotswoman is a wildly amusing presence in this joyful celebration of three decades in music – even if she fails to drown out those invasive drums

There’s a strong sense that Texas may have had many of the same records in their collections as other bands who emerged from the west of Scotland in the 1980s, but chose to pursue success rather than indie purity. It’s not just the songs, good though they are, because Spiteri is an inspired frontperson – her voice remains fantastic and she’s a wildly amusing presence, gently upbraiding a man who calls her “a legend” for diminishing language, re-creating stage tricks she learned from Justin Hawkins of the Darkness, and peppering every sentence with obscenities. It’s a two-hour set that doesn’t feel like two hours – well paced, and with big hits spaced throughout – and leaving the acoustic segment until late, so they can finish off with the biggest bangers.

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Sharleen Spiteri

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