Texas are set to perform at Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, Scotland’s world-famous New Year celebration held in the capital cityIt is one of the largest and most iconic New Year’s Eve festivals globally, known for its mix of traditional Scottish customs, modern festivities, and strong sense of community.

The Hogmanay celebration itself has a rich history as it is deeply rooted in Scotland’s cultural traditions, with influences from ancient Norse customs, Celtic rituals, and Scottish folk celebrations. “Hogmanay” itself is the Scottish word for New Year’s Eve, and it is traditionally marked by grand celebrations.

The Hogmanay was revitalised in the early 1990s and was turned into a larger-scale public festival that now attracts visitors from all over the world. Before this, the New Year celebrations were more intimate, but the city’s tourism board saw the potential for a large-scale event.

Key features of the celebration includes a torchlight procession through the streets of Edinburgh, as well as the centrepiece of Hogmanay; the street party held on December 31st. Taking place along Princes Street, one of the city’s main streets, the party attracts tens of thousands of people from around the world. There are multiple stages with live music performances, DJs, and entertainment, featuring both local and international artists.

Finally, there is the concert, headlined this year by Texas, which takes place in Princes Street Gardens, with the iconic Edinburgh Castle as a backdrop.

Texas, the Scottish alternative rock band formed in 1986 in Glasgow by Sharleen Spiteri (lead vocalist) and Johnny McElhone (bassist) are known widely for their hits, including Say What You Want, Summer Sun, and Inner Smile.

This will be the third time that the band are performing at Edinburgh’s famous New Year’s event, having first performed there back in 2000. They are the only band in the history of the event to play it three times.

Texas will be performing alongside the special guest, Edinburgh’s own singer-songwriter Callum Beattie, known for his emotive lyrics and powerful pop-rock sound. The event will be hosted by the returning comedian Susan McCabe.

As reported by NME, in response to their performance announcement, Spiteri stated: “We can’t wait to play here for a third time. So get on your glad rags and let’s party for the New Year.”

Directors of Unique Assembly, the creators and producers of Edinburgh Hogmanay, stated: “We are thrilled to welcome Texas back to headline Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, 25 years after their very first appearance at the festival. With a hit-packed show from Texas and the world-famous Midnight Moment from Edinburgh Castle, the Concert in the Gardens will kick-start 2025 with a bang, and give party-goers from around the world the perfect start to the year.”

Tickets will go on sale at 10am on Friday the 20th of September, and will be available for purchase here.

The tour promoting The Very Best Of 1989-2023 will be a six-date UK arena tour in September 2024. The band will begin the tour in Leeds at First Direct Arena, and end with a show in Texas‘ hometown of Glasgow, at the OVO Hydro.

The rock band fronted by Sharleen Spiteri gave an electric performance at this year’s Glastonbury festival, where they performed classic hits from their discography, as well as newer songs from their latest studio album, 2021’s Hi. You can watch the full video of their performance on the iconic Pyramid Stage below.

Since forming in 1986, Texas have gone on to produce 10 studio albums, including White On Blonde, their first UK number 1 album. Over the span of their career, the band have sold over 40 million records worldwide, and secured their legacy in Scotland, being one of the most successful bands Glasgow has ever produced.

Before Texas head out on their UK arena tour, the Glaswegians will perform at BBC Radio 2 In The Park this weekend in Leicester. The band will also feature on Magic Radio’s Magic Of Christmas, ready to get you into the Christmas spirit, alongside Emeli Sande, Rick Astley, Simply Red and more.

Tickets for the upcoming Texas “The Very Best Of” tour will go on general sale on Friday 22nd September. Tickets in the artist pre-sale will be available from Wednesday 20th September for those who are eligible. To gain access to the pre-sale, you must sign up for it by 5pm on Tuesday 19th September. To sign up for pre-sale, click here.

Texas The Very Best Of UK Arena Tour dates and locations announced Sign up for pre-sale before 5pm on Tuesday 19th at the link below. General tickets go on sale on Friday 22nd September at 10am. https://t.co/derxxfgFad pic.twitter.com/KhH5QxIlwC

— Texas (@texastheband) September 15, 2023

Tour dates:

16/09/2023 – BBC Radio 2 In The Park – Leicester, UK

25/11 – The London Palladium – London, UK

06/09/2024 – First Direct Arena – Leeds, UK

07/09 – M&S Bank Arena – Liverpool, UK

10/09 – Bournemouth International Centre – Bournemouth, UK

11/09 – Utilita Arena Cardiff – Cardiff, UK

13/09 – Utilita Arena Birmingham – Birmingham, UK

14/09 – OVO Hydro – Glasgow, UK

The legendary rock band have taken to their Instagram to announce the news to fans.

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A post shared by Manic Street Preachers (@manics)

The broadcasting conglobate have planned a series of concerts for this year featuring various artists, the iconic welsh band are the third act announced to perform. Due to the limited sized audience available at the concert, from 11th September 2021, the performance will be available to view on BBC iPlayer and on BBC Sounds. The special gig’s highlights will also be broadcasted on BBC Radio 2 the next evening from 7 pm-9 pm.

The Brit award winners will perform at Cardiff’s famed venue, St David’s Hall, home to the annual concert Welsh Proms Cardiff. James Dean Bradfield, frontman of the ‘A Design For Life’ rockers, has spoken on the importance and symbolisation of the group’s performance at St David’s Hall. “We are really excited to be playing St David’s Hall in Cardiff on August 12th for Radio 2 Live. I’ve seen bands and artists including The Waterboys, Echo and the Bunnymen, John Grant and Gary Numan perform on stage there, and myself and Nicky Wire busked outside of it in the mid 80s. Hopefully we can add to the musical memories we have experienced there.”

Head of Radio 2, Helen Thomas has also expressed the station’s excitement for the new concert series. Thomas states the purpose of the new series, Radio 2 Live, whilst confirming the other two acts included within the station’s productions. “New for 2021 and beyond, Radio 2 Live will take the spirit of our very special radio station around the UK. Manic Street Preachers delivered an incredible performance for Radio 2 Live at Hyde Park in 2018, so we’re thrilled to be bringing them to Cardiff to perform an intimate set for their fans in Wales. Listeners and viewers can watch these exclusive performances from the Manic Street Preachers, Texas and Steps on BBC Sounds and BBC iPlayer in September.”

Other acts included within the exciting new series are 90’s pop band Steps and Glasgow rock band Texas, the Scottish group known for their long-standing music career and multiple hit songs. Steps are set to perform in Manchester on 10th August 2021, famed for their ‘5,6,7,8’ hit, the group have released the following statement expressing their excitement and stating what ticket-holders can expect from their performance. “We are beyond excited to be performing for Radio 2 Live in Manchester. It will be our first live performance in front of an audience in over three years and we cannot wait. It’ll be a great chance to play some of our latest singles and Steps classics and get warmed up ahead of our UK arena tour this November.”

BBC radio presenter Zoe Ball announced via her breakfast show the date and venue for Texas’ performance in partnership with BBC’s concert series, Radio 2 Live. Texas is confirmed to perform at St Luke’s on 4th August 2021, located within the band’s hometown. The front-woman of Texas, Sharleen Spiteri, has conveyed her thoughts concerning the group’s hometown show. “I’m always excited to play in Glasgow, our hometown! And I’m thrilled to be performing for the first time at St. Luke’s for Radio 2 Live.”

The head of Music for Radio 2, Jeff Smith, has provided the following statement concerning the new concert series’ mission statement whilst expressing his joy to be organising live performances once again. “Radio 2 is committed to bringing live music performance to its listeners as we know how much they love to listen and watch their favourite artists perform the songs they adore. Over the past year, Radio 2 House Music has done a brilliant job with performances from Joan Armatrading, Kelly Clarkson, Rag’n’Bone Man and many more, but now it’s time to get back to live performance in front of an audience. Radio 2 Live is going to feature incredible sets from major artists, in front of what I’m sure will be a very excited audience of Radio 2 listeners.”

In order to attend the event, fans are invited to register by the BBC’s website, the lucky ticket holders will then be chosen via a ballot. Click here to register and be in the running to see Manic Street Preachers, Steps and Texas live.

Mr Haze follows in the footsteps of the album’s catchy lead single and title track Hi, a stripped-back number accompanied by an atmospheric spaghetti-western riff. The group’s multi-talented frontwoman Sharleen Spiteri told The List that the big-screen feel of that song – and its allusions to Ennio Morricone’s legendary scores for a plethora of classic Sergio Leone films – were wholly deliberate. She said “All our albums have cinematic songs. Morricone in particular is still a huge influence. We’re referencing our past but also writing from the position we’re in now. Being able to stand back from what you’ve achieved gives you a different perspective. Our aim has only ever been to make great music.”

A previous incarnation of Hi – featuring the group’s unlikely long-term collaborative partners Wu-Tang Clan – had been drip-fed to fans in December. Both versions of the song are set to feature on the deluxe version of the new LP of the same name, which hits the shelves on May 28th. The record will also include a duet with Altered Images singer Clare Grogan (Look What You’ve Done) and a track co-written with dulcet-toned Yorkshire troubadour Richard Hawley (Dark Fire).

Hi (the album) is Texas’ first LP since 2017’s Jump On Board, a chart-topper in their native Scotland which reached number #6 on the Official UK Albums Chart. Reviews for that record were broadly positive, with Albumism hailing “a sound cultivated over 27 years that has finally reached the full peak of its flavour“.

Texas are still waiting to take their debut record, 1989’s Southside, out on the road for a belated 30th birthday encore. The British and Irish anniversary tour for the record – which spawned the group’s first hit single in country-rock corker I Don’t Want A Lover – had been scheduled to take place in May and June this year, but has now been pushed back to February and March 2022 on public health grounds. The band unveiled the new dates for the 28-gig tour earlier this month.

As you’ve probably been expecting we have to reschedule our Southside UK & Ireland dates. We really appreciate your patience & know this will come as a disappointment but the safety of our fans & crew is the most important thing for us. We can’t wait to get on the road & see you. pic.twitter.com/caa7uN5kz0

— Texas (@texastheband) March 4, 2021

The track listing for the deluxe edition of Hi, which is released via BMG on May 28th, is as follows:

Mr Haze
Hi (with Wu-Tang Clan)
Just Want To Be Liked
Unbelievable
Moonstar
Dark Fire
Look What You’ve Done (with Clare Grogan)
Heaven Knows
You Can Call Me
Sound of My Voice
Falling
Hi (Single Mix)
Had A Hard Day 
Had to Leave

The new release of Hi is not the first incarnation of the hummable track to enter the public domain. In December the band released an edit of the song featuring RZA and Ghostface Killah of legendary New York hip-hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, who had previously worked with Texas on a remix of their biggest hit – Say What You Want – back in 1998. Texas frontwoman Sharleen Spiteri told The Guardian that the two acts, whilst seeming unlikely collaborators, had found shared ground in their upbringing.  She said “RZA had been to Glasgow, and we knew Staten Island where the Wu are from. There’s a determination that comes with being from those places, a drive we shared.”

Meanwhile RZA (real name Robert Fitzgerald Diggs) spoke of his fondness for the new track, saying that Spiteri had asked him to “twist and reinvent it.” He said “…it had this vibe already, and I was in a lyrical phase, so instead I added vocal roughness this time. My verse is about the rise and fall of love. Like, Sharl sings, ‘We got high, high, high,’ and it’s about being high on love, not just drugs. But even then, there’s a comedown.”

Hi (the album) will be Texas’ first LP since 2017’s Jump On Board, which topped the Scottish Albums chart and reached sixth spot in the UK chart. Reviews for that record were broadly positive, with Albumism declaring that it provided “a sound cultivated over 27 years that has finally reached the full peak of its flavour“; adding that Jump On Board “…maps what Texas does best, a glossy-to-organic pop composite, replete with insistent melodies and imaginative arrangements, all of it powered by Sharleen Spiteri’s breathtaking voice.”

Spiteri recently featured on a BBC Alba documentary on the pressures facing women in the music industry; appearing alongside fellow Caledonian vocalists includes Annie Lennox, Amy Macdonald, KT Tunstall, Altered Images vocalist Clare Grogan and Chvrches star Lauren Mayberry. In the programme, God Save The Quine, Spiteri says “The lack of females in top bills not just in Scotland but worldwide is always a bit of a joke. There is a big boys’ club out there.” The documentary is available to view on watch on iPlayer until January 21st here.

Texas had been due to hit the road last year for a belated 30th anniversary tour for their 1989 debut Southside; a record which spawned one of their signature tunes in the country rock slammer I Don’t Want A Lover. As a result of the pandemic, the shows have now been rescheduled for May, June and September this year. The full list of gigs is as follows:

12/05/21 – Douglas, Isle of Man –  Villa Marina
14/05 – Newcastle-upon-Tyne – O2 City Hall
15/05 – Harrogate – Harrogate Convention Centre
17/05 – Liverpool – Philharmonic Hall
18/05 – Cardiff – St Davids Hall
19/05 – Leicester – De Montfort Hall
21/05 – Halifax – Victoria Theatre
22/05 – Nottingham – Royal Concert Hall
24/05 – Manchester – Bridgewater Hall
25/05 – Llandudno – Venue Cymru Theatre
26/05 – Sheffield – City Hall
28/05 – Birmingham – Symphony Hall
29/05 – Hull – Bonus Arena
30/05 – Glasgow – SSE Hydro
01/06 – London – London Palladium
02/06 – Bath – Bath Forum
04/06 – Guildford – G Live
05/06 – Stoke – Victoria Hall
07/06 – Oxford – New Theatre
08/06 – Margate – Margate Winter Gardens
09/06 – Northampton – Derngate Theatre
11/06 – Bournemouth – Bournemouth International Centre
12/06 – Brighton – Brighton Centre
13/06 – Southend – Cliffs Pavilion
20/09 – Belfast – Waterfront Hall

Big winners at the event were Lewis Capaldi, who won The Best UK Artist Award and Biffy Clyro who picked up the Best Album Award for their album A Celebration Of Endings that came out in August of this year. They shared a video acceptance speech saying; “Thank you so much for the Scottish Music Award Album of the Year, it means a lot to us. When we started recording this record last year, I guess like everyone else, we had no idea what 2020 held in store, but you know what, the power of music and art feels more important than ever this year.”

Scottish band, Texas were honoured with The Icon Award. Frontwoman Sharleen Spiteri said in their acceptance speech that the award was “very, very special, especially after the amount of years as a band that we’ve been together.” She added: “To be given this and for everybody to think that we deserve it, it means a lot. To be relevant, still making records and be successful this far down the line, for over 30 years, we feel very very lucky.”

A very special acoustic performance from @LewisCapaldi was exactly what we needed this year

A longtime supporter of our music therapy work, Lewis wins the Best UK Award sponsored by @yourSSE #ScottishMusicAwards

Watch live https://t.co/GYIQc0PDUd pic.twitter.com/hnn978hiSz

— Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy (@NordoffRobbins1) November 28, 2020

Lewis Capaldi also shared a special at-home acoustic performance. There were also socially distanced performances from Amy Macdonald, Texas, Wet Wet Wet, Dougie Maclean, Luke La Volpe, HYYTS and more, they all also picked up awards on the night.

The awards show aim is for Scottish Artists to come together to raise money for Nordoff Robins, which is the UK’s largest independent music therapy charity, they use music to enrich the lives of people with life-limiting illnesses, disabilities and feelings of isolation. The charity expects to lose 50% of its income in 2020 due to the coronavirus.

Speaking on the event, Donald C MacLeod, chairman of the Nordoff Robbins Fundraising Committee Scotland said; “Like so many charities, Nordoff Robbins have been severely impacted by COVID-19 and we truly can’t thank everybody who came together to make this event happen enough. From Scottish music legends like Dougie MacLean and Wet Wet Wet, superstars like Lewis Capaldi and Biffy Clyro, and not to mention rising stars like Stephanie Cheape and Luke La Volpe – music has been a lifeline for so many of us during these unprecedented times and their support is so appreciated.”

A list of the winners is below.

Best UK Artist Award - Lewis Capaldi
Best Album Award – Biffy Clyro – A Celebration Of Endings
Icon Award – Texas
Women In Music Award – Amy Macdonald
Outstanding Contribution Award – Wet Wet Wet
Best Male Breakthrough Award – Luke La Volpe
Best Female Breakthrough Award – Kitti
Best Pop Act Award – HYYTS
Special Recognition Award – Dougie MacLean
Ambassadors of Rock Award – Gun
Nordoff Robbins Legends Award – George Bowie
Innovation Award – Graeme Park
Song Writing Award – Young Fathers