Louis Tomlinson, Glasgow review: 'underwhelming'
Louis Tomlinson brought this Glasgow show to a high-octane finish - if only he’d been as energetic for the rest of the evening, writes Fiona Shepherd
Louis Tomlinson, Hydro, Glasgow ★★
Louis Tomlinson was the dark horse of One Direction, not quite the bad boy but the one you sensed would rather have been at an Oasis concert than singing some of their more mawkish ballads. As a still remarkably boyish solo artist, he tends to indie-lite, performing in somewhat lacklustre fashion with full band, strolling onstage with little fanfare to assume the indie frontman position - clutching the mic stand with both hands, eyes shut, a study in diffident concentration.
His solo career is far overshadowed by his more charismatic bandmate Harry Styles, yet he generated enough heat among the fans and attracted a respectable crowd who kept up the excitement when Tomlinson didn’t. He remains well tutored in boy band gratitude but failed to engage much more fully with an audience who were born ready for this show, starting up chants which went unacknowledged.
Presumably, Tomlinson wanted the music to do the talking. It was a pleasant, at times underwhelming conversation, from the catchy Lemonade through the mellow pop of On Fire to Written All Over Your Face, which was as engaging as anything in Styles’ over-rated armoury.
Tomlinson is thin-voiced but smartly stuck to his undemanding lane, allowing the band to provide the Coldplay-style bombast and martial drumming on the likes of Bigger Than Me, but he was suitably exposed on the acoustic Defenceless.
By way of much needed dynamics, the group crammed onto a b-stage for a dreamy indie set before returning to the well-appointed main stage for a couple of numbers, Jump the Gun and Imposter, with a bit of life. He shared a birthday shot with a fan which felt more dutiful than spontaneous and warned the crowd not to expect any reprise of his One Direction co-write No Control, performed earlier in the tour. Instead, he ended with pacey recent single Palaces, running up to the front row with an energy he should have deployed earlier.
The Scotsman’s arts newsletter is now sent twice a week - subscribe today
Want the latest Scottish headlines sent directly to your phone? Sign up to our new WhatsApp channel here
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.