Dua Lipa at The Hydro

Way back in 2020, when the country was locked down, Dua Lipa released Future Nostalgia on 27th March. Around that time our eldest daughter Zoe discovered Tik Tok and on it she discovered the song Don't Start Now. Before long, we all knew it!

And before long we all fell in love with Future Nostalgia, an album that would go on to be one of my albums of the year. Rammed full of hits; catchy, clever and euphoric pop. We tuned into Dua's Studio 2054 online concert and longed for the day when she would visit Glasgow.

Last night she did!

Oh what a night!

Pure pop with a clubby edge at times. We had outfit changes, dancers, roller blading dancers, lights, balloons, confetti cannons, a levitating stage, a catwalk, a pop star on top of her game backed by an excellent band and with (even after only 2 albums) an incredible selection of pop songs.

The set was largely lifted from Future Nostalgia, a truly stunning pop album in its own right, but every song could (and many were) be a single. 

First, I must mention support act Griff who played a super 30-minute set and got the crowd singing along. Not only with her cover of Whitney Houston's classic I Wanna Dance With Somebody, but also with her own songs like One Night and Head On Fire. Tipped as one to watch at the 2021 Brits, I can only echo this and I'll be digging into her releases to date with as much eagerness as my kids. Only 21, Griff could explode over the next few years.

But last night was all about Dua Lipa. Her band, backing singers and dancers all took to the stage, introduced on the giant screens .... and then it was Dua in a pink PVC cat suit, strutting confidently on to the stage as her band jammed an extended intro to Physical.

And then things got physical! Dua and her dancers rarely stopped for the next 100-minutes. The crowd responded, cheering dance moves, breakdowns, singing choruses, singing full songs, waving mobiles, getting up on shoulders and generally going crazy. Many had been waiting almost 2-years for this performance. 

Cool is one of my favourite Dua songs, cause it is super cool, the synths are just sublime. Break My Heart is ridiculously catchy while being euphoric and clubby with it. Posing the brilliant question

Am I falling in love with the one that could break my heart?

Be The One was Dua Lipa's second single way back in 2015 and it was possibly my favourite song of the night. Dua and her band broke the song down and played off the room against each other to sing the chorus.

Boys Will Be Boys was euphoric, lifted in pace slightly from the album version? It certainly seemed that way. A clubby mix with the dancers going crazy on the catwalk stage while Dua changed outfits was really cool, a great show.

The big songs were really kicking in now. One Kiss was incredible, lifting everyone on to their feet (although many in the seats were up already), Hallucinate was pure pop perfection and even Cold Heart, Dua's duet with Elton John sounded euphoric in the way it was played. My kids love it, but I'm not a fan when it comes on the radio. I loved it last night!

Dua was simply sensational. Oozing confidence as she strutted, danced, hair flicked and sang, seemingly effortlessly. Her outfits were pure pop, catsuits, dresses, clubby outfits ... a pop superstar.

The dancers left the stage and Dua sang the euphoric Levitating from .... a levitating stage - of course! Theatrical and pure pop. Closing with a double punch encore of Future Nostalgia and Don't Start Now, confetti rained down on the crowd who were now deliriously giddy on a pure pop high.

Wow! Dua Lipa put on an incredible show. This was pop, theatre, a dance club, a disco, a dream and pure pop escapism. At only 26, Dua Lipa has the pop world at her feet. I can't wait to see and hear what she does next.

Setlist

1. Physical (extended)

2. New Rules (extended)

3. Love Again

4. Cool

5. Pretty Please

6. Break My Heart

7. Be The One

IDGAF

8. We're Good

9. Good In Bed

10. Fever

11. Boys Will Be Boys

Club Future Nostalgia Mix

12. One Kiss

13. Electricity

14. Hallucinate

15. Cold Heart

16. Levitating

17. Future Nostalgia

18. Don't Start Now

Barrowland idea

Calvin Harris to blow the roof off the Barrowland......imagine.....

Scottish music fans regularly debated the future of Glasgow's world famous Barrowland Ballroom for a number of years, particularly when the Academy and the ABC came on to the scene. There was no doubt that the number of shows at the legendary venue fell in number, but 2016 saw Barras end the year in a rich vein of form.

Teenage Fanclub, Deacon Blue, Frightened Rabbit, Twin Atlantic and Fatherson were Scottish acts who elected to have homecoming Christmas shows at the Barrowland Ballroom.

It got me thinking.....

Could the Barras have a month of Christmas shows? Turn it into a Barrowland Homecoming Festival?

It easily could. Here is the Scottish acts who could feasibly book their Christmas show for 2017 already, many would sell out instantly. Can you imagine Calvin Harris blowing the roof off the place? Paolo Nutini ripping it up and singing his heart out and going for a pint in McChuills afterwards?

Paulo could probably do a  month at the Barras on his own!

Many acts (Scottish or otherwise) still prefer two or three nights at the Barrowland than opting for a larger single show. Who can blame them for choosing the best venue in the world with the best atmosphere?!

I have let my imagination run (easily) wild and made up a few imaginary support slots/double bills just to fit a number of bands in. I guess you would have give some acts a couple of nights. Who have I missed?

Over to the venue and promoters who could make this happen....

2017 (Imaginary) Christmas Homecoming Festival at Glasgow Barrowland

Friday 1st Dec - Teenage Fanclub with special guest Edwyn Collins
2nd - Deacon Blue with special guests Justin Currie (I know from playing football with Justin Currie that he would love to play the Barrowland again - ideally with Del Amitri!)
3rd - The Twilight Sad

Mon 4th - Idlewild 
5th - The Waterboys
6th - Frightened Rabbit
7th - Twin Atlantic
8th - The View
9th - Franz Ferdinand with special guests The Vaselines
10th - Belle and Sebastian with special guests BMX Bandits

Mon 11th - Mogwai with special guests The Pastels
12th - Simple Minds
13th - Simple Minds
14th  -  Chvrches
15th - Primal Scream with special guests The Jesus and Mary Chain
16th - Travis
17th - Arab Strap

Mon 18th - Amy McDonald with special guest KT Tunstall
19th - Biffy Clyro with special guests Fatherson
20th - Biffy Clyro with special guests Fatherson
21st - Paulo Nutini with special guest Gerry Cinnamon
22nd - Paolo Nutini with special guest Gerry Cinnamon
23rd - Calvin Harris 
24th -  Calvin Harris 

27th - Texas
28th - Runrig
29th - Runrig
30th - Edinburgh Hogmanay warm up show (for whoever is heading to Edinburgh for the bells). Worked well for Primal Scream a number of years back. Failing that The Bay City Rollers

Glasgow 2014 - Opening and closing ceremonies

London 2012 was wrapped up a week ago tonight, the closing ceremony was somewhat under-whelming in comparison to Danny Boyle’s epic opening, yet both ceremonies clearly highlighted how important music is to British culture.

It got me thinking about the songs and artists that could soundtrack the Commonwealth Games and Glasgow 2014; what songs would kick-start the bash, prove how friendly, welcoming and organised us Scots can be and then close the Commonwealth Games with a party like only Glasgow knows how to hold.

We certainly have plenty of musical talent to choose from and some of the names listed below would be more than capable of producing a specially written soundtrack for the ceremony – think Craig Armstrong, Mogwai, Bobby Gillespie, Mylo or Calvin Harris.

Putting my own musical preferences to one side and thinking of music and artists that would truly represent Scotland, my own 1 hour-playlist for Scotland would be;

• Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham – A nice traditional start 
• Eddie Reader – performing a Rabbie Burns poem
• Paulo Nutini – taking on Dougie Maclean’s classic ‘Caledonia’ 
• Fairground Attraction - Perfect - cause the Commonwealth Games will be perfectly organised ;-)
  
• Lulu – Shout – raised in the East End of Glasgow, this would be quite fitting and really get things going

• Bluebells – Young At Heart - cause we are all so young at heart
• Calvin Harris – Some rousing electronic pop courtesy of the boy from Dumfries 
• Primal Scream – Movin’ On Up  - not sure if the punk in Bobby G would be up for this, but worth an ask.
• The Proclaimers – 500 Miles - has to be included

• Red Hot Chilli Pipers – An epic rendition of ‘Flower of Scotland’ accompanied by a film featuring people of all ages singing from all around the country in stunning scenery 
• Runrig – Closing the ceremony with a rousing Loch Lomond

 That is a pretty safe choice and there are some shoe-ins there that you have to think you could place your mortgage on. Texas, Deacon Blue, Travis, Wet Wet Wet and Simple Minds are the other big names that will likely feature on the committee's 'want' list. Lets not forget Annie Lennox...

Perhaps an alternative opening/closing ceremony could take place in George Square/Glasgow Green?

Aztec Camera – Roddy Frame with the triumphant ‘Somewhere In My Heart’…’love will see you through’

BMX Bandits – leading the crowd in a sing-a-long of E102’s ‘I’m so happy that love has come around’ chorus

Primal Scream – ‘Movin’ On Up’, ‘Come Together’ and really getting the party started with ‘Loaded’

Superstar – ‘Superstar’ – for the Superstars that will come out of the Games

Beta Band – a reformed Beta Band with the classic ‘Dry The Rain’ - as we really don't want it to rain like it has this summer!
Franz Ferdinand - 'Take Me Out' - an indie anthem
Belle and Sebastian - 'The Boy with the Arab Strap'
Teenage Fanclub - 'Ain't That Enough'

Closing the night in style would be the Optimo DJ's.

To bring the mood down we could bring on;

Arab Strap - reforming for a specially written drunken ramble about the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow akin to this joke 

Glasvegas - 'Flowers and Fitba Tops' 

 Never mind an opening ceremony, lets get a festival of the best of Scottish music on the go!

In short, Glasgow (and indeed Scotland) will not be short of options when it comes to music in 2014 and we should make the most of the opportunity to highlight some of the fantastic artists that the city and country has produced.