It was an evening to remember at The Hydro in Glasgow, with not one but three top turns on show to warm us all up on a cold, wintery day north of the border.
Openers tonight were Kelsy Karter & The Heroines. With a mix of rock n’ roll music and punk rock attitude, they took to the stage at the Hydro and for the next 30 minutes or so showed the ever-growing audience what they were all about. Lead singer Kelsy has a swagger and oozes confidence like a young Debbie Harry did back in another life, which makes her ‘onstage music’ Call Me by Blondie quite fitting. Prowling the stage like a panther ready to pounce on her prey at any second, Kelsy struts provocatively from one guitarist to another, stage left to stage right, on her knees one minute, on her toes the next. God Knows I’ve Tried introduces her to the masses firstly minus the band to back her, before Laser to the Heart sees the loud guitars finally plugged in and racked up to maximum! A cover of Aerosmith’s Cryin’ demonstrates the vocal talents of the singer, who did a difficult song justice. Devil on my Shoulder and Liquor Store on Mars brings their set to a close, and they leave to a warm applause. It won’t be the last we hear of Kelsy Karter for sure.
Next to keep the eardrums rattling are New Delhi’s Indian metalists Bloodywood. Described as Nu Metal, their music comprises folk and metal, with more than a hint of the classic Bhangra sound we are more familiar with. Interesting to hear the mix of both styles, but it kind of works, well certainly if the front row of the Hydro is anything to go by! They have the standard loud guitars and bass supplied by Karan Katiyar and Roshan Roy, add to that the growling vocals of Jayant Bhadula and rapper Raoul Kerr plus Vishesh Singh on drums and Sarthak Pahwa on the dhol. Tracks such as Gaddaar, Aaj, Nu Delhi and Machi Bhasad certainly entertained the Glasgow crowd and keyed them up perfectly for the headliners soon to follow.
Now finally Halestorm are ready. Appearing as silhouettes behind a massive white backdrop, the curtain soon falls and the band bursts onto the stage, the opening bars of new song Fallen Star are just what the crowd have waited for. From the first notes you can sense Lzzy and the band are on it. 15 years on from their first visit to Glasgow as support to Papa Roach in the big red shed (Secc), they are now a headliner, and it’s a description which fits the Lzzy and Halestorm perfectly.
Of the scheduled 20 song setlist, no less than 9 would be from Halestorm’s most release record, Everest, virtually the whole album bar 3 tracks. I Miss the Misery and the fabulous Love Bites (So Do I) and we were off! Another one from the new album, WATCH OUT! before the now somewhat obligatory tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne, and a cover of his 1995 single Perry Mason which the band performed at the farewell show from Ozzy and Black Sabbath earlier in 2025. A great cover which the crowd appreciated.
The set carried on with more new material Like a Woman Can, How Will You Remember Me, the punch the air, singalong Freak Like Me and Mz Hyde brought some familiar tunes back to the proceedings before K-I-L-L-I-N-G and I Gave You Everything closed the first act. A three-song encore rounded things off perfectly with I Am the Fire, Here’s to Us and title track Everest and the evening was complete.
Halestorm know how to put on a show, with the diminutive figure of Lzzy Hale owning the stage. The only possible gripe tonight was perhaps too many new tracks which made way for the classic tracks we know and love, however tours are scheduled to promote new material and the running order overed most bases which would keep the most ardent of fans satisfied. 3 great bands, confetti cannons, pyrotechnics and over 3 hours of top music, whats not to like?
Review & Photographs by Stephen Wilson Photography
