There are certain songs that never seem to lose their appeal, no matter how many years have passed, and The Lemonheads’ cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘Mrs Robinson’ is undoubtedly one of them. The track became one of the band’s biggest commercial successes, helping introduce Evan Dando and company to a much wider audience and ensuring their place in the soundtrack of the 1990s.
Formed in Boston in 1986, The Lemonheads enjoyed considerable success throughout the following decade, producing a healthy collection of singles and albums along the way. Their 1993 release, ‘Come on Feel the Lemonheads’, proved particularly popular in the UK, reaching number five in the album charts. Fast-forward to 2026, and, under the guidance of Creation Records founder Alan McGee, the band were back on the road and heading for Glasgow. With Dando remaining the sole original member of the touring line-up, one question sprang to mind: did The Lemonheads still have the pulling power to attract a decent-sized audience?
Arriving at the Classic Grand before doors opened, I was greeted by an orderly queue of exactly six people. Six! Hardly the heaving mass of expectant fans I had imagined. As I enjoyed my final breaths of fresh air outside, the conspicuous lack of punters heading towards the entrance did little to improve my confidence.
With my photopass collected from the box office, I prepared myself for the next challenge: the stairs to the main hall. There were only three flights, but they felt suspiciously like an ascent of Everest. Slightly out of breath, I eventually reached the venue floor and surveyed the scene. Twelve fans. Twelve!
A bit of photographer-to-photographer chat followed, accompanied by increasingly desperate hopes that the crowd would materialise before showtime. Unfortunately, as the support act took to the stage, the numbers remained underwhelming. Around 35 people occupied the hall, with another five or six browsing the merchandise. Things were not looking particularly promising.
Taking up my position in what must have be the smallest photo pits in Glasgow, I turned my attention to Willy Mason.
The American singer-songwriter had built a reputation through his blend of folk and country, initially attracting attention after his music received radio airplay before signing to Team Love Records. Subsequent performances around the world, including an appearance at the legendary Glastonbury Festival, had helped establish him as an artist well worth catching.
His music was new to me, but clearly not to everyone in attendance. As I faced the stage from the pit, the audience response suggested that several people had arrived specifically to see him. My earlier concerns began to drift away, and when Mason delivered his set alongside drums and bass, he found himself playing to a sizeable and appreciative crowd. There was plenty to enjoy, and the enthusiastic reception suggested that his reputation had been earned the hard way: through good songs and strong live performances.
By the time The Lemonheads were due on stage, the Classic Grand had filled considerably. So much for my earlier headcount! It turned out that Dando and his bandmates still had plenty of pulling power after all.
On stage, the crew busied themselves with the final preparations, including laying out what appeared to be the largest set list and collection of lyric sheets I had ever seen. These were not ordinary sheets of paper; they were enormous. One canvas-like document, measuring roughly six feet by two feet, contained lyrics and key changes for Dando. Had this been an outdoor festival, I suspected the set list could have been read from the International Space Station.
The band eventually took to the stage to a tremendous ovation, before settling into their business with a distinctly laid-back air. To be brutally honest, they looked as though they might rather have been somewhere else. Musically, however, there was little to complain about. The performances were tight, the songs sounded remarkably faithful to their recorded counterparts, and the Glasgow crowd did what Glasgow crowds do best: they made enough noise to lift the roof.
According to the mighty set list, we were in for around 28 songs. Yes, 28! Although, with Dando’s well-documented reputation for unpredictability, the final tally seemed to depend to some extent on which version of Evan had turned up that evening. His performances have occasionally been something of a lottery, with the mood capable of shifting from one moment to the next.
Fortunately, Glasgow appeared to get him on a good night. Interaction with the audience was kept to a minimum, and he spent much of the performance looking down towards his microphone stand rather than engaging with the room. It was hardly a masterclass in frontman theatrics, but it was very much his own style, and one that had served him well over the years.
The audience itself was a fascinating mixture of generations and styles. There were the original 1990s fans, perhaps joined by a few more akin to the 1980s, alongside younger listeners who had clearly inherited a taste for their parents’ record collections. Goths stood alongside baseball-cap-wearing lads in tracksuits, with just about every imaginable fashion choice represented somewhere in between.
Visually, the band remained largely rooted to their allotted positions, so this was never going to be the most animated show of the year. Yet the audience more than compensated. Gentle nodding heads gradually gave way to increasingly enthusiastic movement, with a few examples of full-blown dad dancing thrown into the mix for good measure. Glasgow had certainly found its feet by this point.
The Lemonheads delivered a decent performance that fell short of being spectacular but comfortably landed in the enjoyable category. The songs remained the main attraction, the crowd supplied the energy, and Dando’s understated approach was simply part of the package.
Was it a triumphant return to the glory days? Not quite. Was it an enjoyable evening with a band whose catalogue still held plenty of appeal? Absolutely. And judging by the packed room and the reception they received, The Lemonheads had proved that, even after all these years, there was still life in those old songs yet.
Review & Photographs by John Brown Photography
