Live Report: Texas at Trinity's Summer Series

Red-hot from their Friday afternoon performance on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury, Texas kick off this year’s Trinity Summer Series in dynamite form. It is the beginning of a superb week of gigs – The War on Drugs, Bastille, Kraftwerk, Interpol, Madness and Róisín Murphy are all primed and ready to play in the splendid grounds of the 400-year-old university.

Texas come tearing out of the blocks with debut single ‘I Don’t Want a Lover’ meshing with a sample from Wim Wenders’ classic movie Paris, Texas, from which they derived their name. It’s iconic Ry Cooder doused slide guitar ignites the affable audience pronto, immediately triggering hands in the air and chanting of chorus.

Texas head buck cat, Sharleen Spiteri, slickly clad in country hued varsity jacket, black britches tucked into eight-hole boots all topped with that unmistakable barnet is absolute box-office, spurring the audience with fist pumps, yelps of ‘Come On!’, stage rushes and killer one-liners. I mean killer. Visibly bugged with sound gremlins, she yells out “Dublin, how you doing? That felt like I was in a 1970s porn movie, I had that much bass pounding up my arse!” Killer.

After a thumping version of ‘Summer Son’, she asks, “can someone get it that my guitar doesn’t sound like a fucking banjo?” Crushed.

Texas at Trinity College. Monday 26th of June 2023. Copyright MIguel Ruiz.

However, none of it is prima donna guff, rather the opposite, she connects with her devoted audience in the most intimate of ways – chatting with specific people in the crowd, commenting on their dancing prowess or lack of, telling us tales of homelife, favourite touring snacks (Dairy Milks and Hunky Dorys) her dreaded 5.45 in the am hotel pick-up, she even stops to chew the fat with her lighting man. We’re eating out of her hand.

And that’s before you even consider the songs. And boy do Texas have the songs. Whether it is the tubular bell chiming, Italo disco clapping, ‘Summer Son’ or the Donna Summer licked, Motown soulful ‘Mr. Haze’; the Elvis kissed ‘Inner Smile’ or Diana Ross infused ‘Black Eyed Boy’; the pop-rock of ‘Halo’ or chugging dance floor stomp of ‘The Conversation’ - you know Texas. And if you don’t, a Texas greatest hits compilation The Very Best of 1989 -2023 was released just this month, get on it.

Obviously, this ain’t no one woman show neither. Texas emanate a Wrecking Crew style aura. Seasoned and expert. Co-founder Johnny McElhone shuffles about in rude boy attire, like he is in his living room, snug and relaxed. Rookie member Cat Myers in Nirvana vest brings the mammoth rock, walloping the drums with a feral abandon, that is addictive to watch. Eddie Campbell in denims, Ben Sherman and fedora hat is jubilant and brilliant on keys while lead guitarist Tony McGovern brings the Chic like genius licks.

Texas at Trinity College. Monday 26th of June 2023. Copyright MIguel Ruiz.

We plough on. Spiteri’s marvellous vocal on the Giorgio Moroder marauding ‘Let’s Work It Out’ splits into a couplet or two of Orange Juice’s ‘Rip It Up’ which is a delight, while ‘When We Are Together’ is The Clash backed by The Supremes. She rouses the crowd into seminal singalongs – “I know you lot can sing; I never met an Irish person who cannae sing”. She serenades us. And if you ever forget how gifted her voice is, the vocal on ‘Black Eyed Boy’ is a spectacular reminder.

On acoustic love ballad ‘In Demand’, a thousand mobile phones light the night. It is an emotionally charged moment which Spiteri hacks down to size, picking out a man in the audience – “Fuck me! Did you get brought up on Guinness? You’re the tallest person I have ever seen!” Swinging erratically from one sentiment to its contrary keeps things lively. Talking about Guinness, despite numerous call outs for one by Spiteri, even asserting that she’ll sing no more until she gets a pint of plain, none gets served. Desperately, she eventually badgers someone in the audience for theirs. It is half drunk. She wonders, “You haven’t been pissing in this have you?”

Texas at Trinity College. Monday 26th of June 2023. Copyright MIguel Ruiz.

The crowd it appears has had their fair fill; now in ecstatic mood, the call and response between mob and band during ‘Say What You Want’ is magnificent.

Spiteri is hewn from The Clash, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and Blondie but it's Elvis that pulses the most. We finish with a stupendous version of ‘Suspicious Minds’, perhaps the way it was rehearsed at Chips Moman’s American Sound Studio in Memphis when it was cut there in ‘68.

Spiteri threatens us - “If you don’t know who this is after the first few chords, fuck off home, literally, fuck off home.” No fear. It’s the perfect end to a boss gig. The band march off triumphant. It’s been a good month in Texas town, someone buy them a proper jar.

Texas at Trinity College. Monday 26th of June 2023. Copyright MIguel Ruiz.