Texas at the M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool

There are bands you go to see because they have a new album to promote.

Then there are bands like Texas.

You go because their songs have become part of your life.

For thirty-five years, Sharleen Spiteri and her Glaswegian band have quietly built one of the finest catalogues in British pop and rock. No gimmicks. No endless reinventions. Just great songs, performed by musicians who know exactly who they are.

Judging by the packed M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool was more than ready to celebrate that journey.

Before Texas took to the stage, the audience was treated to a superb thirty-minute set from KT Tunstall. Support acts often face the challenge of performing to half-empty arenas while concertgoers are still finding their seats, but not this time. The venue was already filling nicely, and Tunstall had the audience with her from the very first song.

Joined by Andy Burrows of Razorlight fame, she demonstrated exactly why she remains one of Britain’s most respected live performers. Watching the pair effortlessly build songs using loop pedals while Burrows switched between drums, bass and acoustic guitar was fascinating. Their musicianship was exceptional, and by the end of the set they had achieved exactly what every support act hopes for.

They’d won the room.

As the familiar spoken-word introduction from Paris, Texas echoed around the arena, anticipation reached fever pitch. The huge curtain dropped to reveal a striking desert canyon backdrop before the unmistakable opening guitar of I Don’t Want a Lover filled the room.

Then she appeared.

Dressed in a sparkling black suit and wearing the biggest smile imaginable, Sharleen Spiteri bounded onto the stage with the confidence of someone who has spent decades doing exactly what she was born to do.

Within minutes she had the audience eating out of her hand.

After a superb performance of Halo, she paused, admired her outfit and asked with a grin,

“Do you like my sparkly suit?”

The roar that greeted her suggested Liverpool certainly did.

“We’ve got thirty-five years of music to get through,” she laughed.

And they certainly made a good start.

The hits came thick and fast.

Halo.

Summer Son.

Black Eyed Boy.

When We Are Together.

Each one greeted like an old friend.

There wasn’t a weak moment in the set. Newer material, including Mr Haze and Hi, sat comfortably alongside the classics, while a beautifully understated version of Al Green’s Tired of Being Alone reminded everyone just what an extraordinary vocalist Spiteri remains.

One of the evening’s most intimate moments came during Put Your Arms Around Me. Accompanied by guitarist Tony McGovern, the stripped-back performance showcased a different side of the band, proving that sometimes less really is more.

Between songs, Spiteri chatted effortlessly with the audience.

She has that rare ability to make an arena feel like your local pub.

One story in particular had the audience in stitches.

Her daughter happened to be celebrating her birthday that very evening, and while she hoped everyone would tidy up before she got home, experience had taught her otherwise.

Like countless mums, she already knew exactly what awaited her.

A house that looked as though a small tornado had passed through it.

She laughed as she described spending the next couple of days cleaning everything her daughter somehow managed to miss.

Judging by the audience’s reaction, she wasn’t alone.

It was one of those wonderfully ordinary moments that reminded everyone why she is so easy to warm to.

She’s refreshingly honest, naturally funny and completely unpretentious.

There was another hilarious exchange when she challenged Tony McGovern to demonstrate his guitar-picking skills.

Let’s just say…

It didn’t quite go to plan.

The laughter that followed was every bit as genuine as the music itself.

As the evening gathered pace, so too did the atmosphere.

Thousands of voices joined together for every chorus, and not once did Spiteri falter.

She didn’t miss a note.

Considering the temperature inside the arena, that was impressive enough.

Then came one of the biggest cheers of the night.

Out walked Sharleen wearing the famous leather suit from the Inner Smile video.

More than two decades after first wearing it, it still fitted perfectly.

She admitted she was delighted about that, and judging by the applause, the audience shared her delight.

The suit, inspired by her lifelong admiration for Elvis Presley, was the perfect choice for a rousing rendition of Suspicious Minds. Red neon lights spelling out “Texas” glowed behind the band as she channelled more than a little of the King’s swagger.

By the time Inner Smile brought the evening to its climax, Spiteri was climbing onto the speakers at the side of the stage, throwing in a few unmistakable Elvis moves and somehow finding even more energy than she’d shown two hours earlier.

It was impossible not to smile along with her.

Throughout the night, one thing became abundantly clear.

Texas don’t need elaborate staging, dancers or theatrical gimmicks to hold an audience’s attention.

They simply have brilliant songs.

Add to that one of Britain’s finest female vocalists and a frontwoman whose warmth, humour and authenticity shine through every conversation, and you have everything required for a memorable night.

As the lights came up and thousands of smiling fans reluctantly headed for the exits, I found myself thinking how rare bands like Texas have become.

Thirty-five years after I Don’t Want a Lover first announced their arrival, they’re not relying on nostalgia.

They’re simply reminding us why those songs mattered in the first place.

And judging by Liverpool’s reaction…

They still do.