KT TUNSTALL // SEC ARMADILLO, GLASGOW
KT Tunstall showcased her newest work alongside cherished nostalgia and also featured an incredible surprise Spice Girl - Melanie C.
★★★★★ (5/5)
KT TUNSTALL AT SEC ARMADILLO, GLASGOW
PHOTOCREDIT: ROSS BAKER
KT Tunstall is a Scottish legend. She has evolved substantially from her King Tut’s days and is now an international sensation and a headline act. Born in Edinburgh and adopted into a family from Fife, Tunstall grew strong ties with California after spending time there as a child. She studied music in London and broke through to the masses in 2004. Her notorious performance on Jools Holland at this time would cement as a truly, talent musician with a creative, unique style.
Tunstall has released an assortment of indie albums and EPs. Her most recent project began in 2017 when she announced a trilogy of albums following the themes of soul, body and mind. The first album was Kin; next was Wax in 2008; finally Nut was released in September 2022. During this time, Tunstall has also opened up about the progression of ongoing struggles with hearing loss and tinnitus forcing her to think more about scheduling and her demanding love for touring. This resulted in high demand for her 2023 tour and her night at Glasgow’s SEC Armadillo filled up quickly.
The crowd was warmed up by cheeky chappie Andy Burrows. He is most known for his work writing and drumming with Razorlight and has also worked with the New York indie rock outfit We Are Scientists. On stage looking very casual in his joggers and denim jacket, Burrows was relaxed and light-hearted. He held a satirical give away competition with a bag of carrots which had brilliant effect of keeping the audience engaged. Burrows showed off an incredible vocal range with the track ‘Because I Know That I Can,’ a charging number that spiked the ears of audience. The track before was ‘Company’ which sounded particularly melancholic – even when compared to the studio version so Burrows did well to lift spirits with his carrot talk and the following set list. He played his Razorlight massive ‘America’ and then his track ‘Keep On Moving On.’ He definitely had the crowd on his side with lots of approving laughter and cheers from fans who likely were not his usual market.
KT TUNSTALL // SEC ARMADILLO, GLASGOW
PHOTOCREDIT: ROSS BAKER
It was a short wait for KT Tunstall and the excitement was palpable from the chirpy crowd. As the lights dimmed again and KT appeared to skip out on to the stage and the audience roared. There was a glowing radiance about her as she opened her set as stood and sounded strong playing opening numbers from her new album ‘I Am the Pilot’ and ‘Dear Shadow.’ These firework songs are filled with colour and pack a punch and sounded amazing as she performed them. She thanked Cathy Dennis, who helped write the opening number, and then paid tribute to her by playing snippets of Dennis’s tracks ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head’ and ‘Toxic.’
Next was 2004’s beloved ‘Other side of the World’ as the first of the older tracks to be played. It was obvious just how much it meant to the crowd as they sung and swayed. Tunstall’s vocals were strong, crisp and poignant. As the night continued, the album Nut was the main feature, punctuated with various surprises. Around the midway point of the set, Tunstall’s friend and megastar Melanie C joined her on stage. Mel C looked edgy and upbeat as she laughed and danced on stage as the pair sung ‘When You’re Gone,’ ‘The Time of my Life’ and the Spice Girls classic ‘Stop.’ Although Tunstall had announced her surprise guest on Instagram a few days prior to the show, it was clear that much of the crowd had no clue and were in ecstasy at the surprise.
KT TUNSTALL AND SPECIAL GUEEST… MEL C AT SEC ARMADILLO, GLASGOW
PHOTOCREDIT: ROSS BAKER
Tunstall did not allow the energy to drop once Mel had left the stage and played the stomping favourite ‘Black Horse and the Cherry Tree.’ Where the crowd continued to dance and celebrate. The main set was closed with the urgent, older, favourite ‘Saving My Face’ and the hard edged, newer single ‘Canons.’
The night’s encore featured ‘Out of Touch’ and ‘Brain In A Jar’ before Mel C came back on stage to join Tunstall for an incredible performance of the brilliant ‘Suddenly I See.’ The crowd was a mass of happy people and enjoying themselves. Tunstall performance was fantastic, and Mel C blew the audience away. This was a night that attendees will be bragging about for a long time. Tunstall may have been on the scene for a while but she continues to prove she can still create new sounds and generate new interest her fearless style.
