Sharleen Spiteri is a rarity in the world today. A woman and the lead singer in an amazing and successful rock band.
The band, which also includes guitarists Johnny McElhone and Ally McErlaine, swooped into Dubai on Thursday night to give us a night of perfect pop rock.
All the hits came thick and fast, from Halo and Summer Son to In Demand and I Don’t Want a Lover — and the crowd loved it, singing along with Spiteri.
Spiteri chatted away with the crowd and someone even threw a stetson onto the stage — the lucky fellow was promised a meeting with the band backstage after the show.
It was the band’s second time preforming in Dubai after a successful show last year at Irish Village and they pulled off another energetic and entertaining night on Thursday.
For a band that’s been around for almost 30 years, there was a certainty and confidence that comes only from true professionals. The band’s first hit came in 1988 with I Don’t Want a Lover and they have since racked up sales of more than 35 million across the world. Not bad for a band from Glasgow. Their most recent release was a greatest hits compilation to celebrate the band’s 25th anniversary, called Texas 25.
The band’s songs are as fresh today as they were when they were first released and Spiteri has a voice that’s powerful and distinctive. The highlight for me on Thursday was when she sang Inner Smile. I remember as a kid being blown away when Spiteri dressed up as Elvis for the video — it was mad, and brilliant. Spiteri was and is a hero for myself and many little girls who have wanted to pick up a guitar but thought it was the domain of men. It’s great when there are artists like her to show them it’s not. Buy your daughter a guitar today!
It was a great night all round and the crowd loved it. It really was a one-night-only affair too as the band were to fly back to the UK on the same night. Hopefully, they’ll make a return to these shores soon.
