Glenn Hughes: “The Voice of Rock” Masterclass in Glasgow
Glenn Hughes, “The Voice of Rock,” concluded his UK “The Chosen Years” tour at The Garage in Glasgow with an absolute masterclass in hard rock, funk, and soul.
At 74 years of age the former trapeze and Deep Purple vocalist / bass player has lost none of his vocal prowess with his range, power, and soulful screams remaining fully intact and delivered with a clear passion reminiscent of his heyday. His voice, easily changing from low growls to high falsettos, is truly unique.
Hughes (vocals/bass) led a three-piece band with Soren Andersen on guitar and Ash Sheehan on drums. Their rock funk style was well showcased with Andersen delivering both funky grooves and hard rock riffs and Sheehan providing a solid backbone to the sound.
The setlist chosen for the evening spanned Hughes full career from new tracks from his 2025 solo album, Chosen a deep dive into his Trapeze days with” Way Back To The Bone” and “Medusa” alongside powerful version of the Black Country Communion track ”Stay Free”.
The band finished their main set but soon returned for the inevitable encore, culminating in an extended jam of the Deep Purple classic, “Burn” featuring support act Sophie Lloyd.
The show was more than just a trip down memory lane for the crowd and was a powerful testament to an artist still performing at the peak of his powers.
Glenn Hughes remains a rock icon and his performance was an unmissable reminder of why he is considered to be that icon.
Sophie Lloyd Delivers Guitar Masterclass in Glasgow
Sophie Lloyd proved her reputation as a guitar virtuoso in an amazing support slot to Glen Hughes at The Garage in Glasgow.
The Machine Gun Kelly guitarist dazzled the audience from the very start of her set with technical mastery, precision, and clean tone. Kicking her set off with an impressive instrumental of the “Top Gun Intro / Battleground”, her stage presence was confident and engaging and the crowd took to this full frontal musical assault instantly.
Demonstrating remarkable ease as she moved between heavy riffs, melodic lines, and blistering shred solos. The Glasgow crowd, especially the younger contingent, showed undeniable enthusiasm for the rising rock star – and quite rightly so.
Sophie Lloyd’s setlist choices successfully blended original hard rock material with the cover songs that first propelled her to viral fame via Youtube.
Her originals from the album Imposter Syndrome, such as the title track and “Let It Hurt,” showcased strong songwriting and dynamic chemistry with powerhouse guest vocalist Marisa Rodriguez. These were perfectly juxtaposed with crowd-pleasing, instrumental covers like Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck,” or Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love A Bad Name,” which allowed her to inject her own shred-heavy flair into rock anthems.
Far more than a “YouTube guitarist,” Lloyd’s performance was a masterclass in modern rock guitar, backed by a tight and professional band. Her set was powerful and will assist in cementting her as a major talent in the rock world, leaving the tightly-packed audience in no doubt that her future in rock music is incredibly bright.
Review and Photographs by Gavin Ross
