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Hurts have come a long way since I first saw them live in 2010. Then they were merely a support act for Scissor Sisters; now they’re a fully-fledged pop duo with an impressive discography to back up the bravado.
I saw them in Glasgow at the 02 Academy on 11 February. The most surprising element of this gig? That it was sold out. I never knew Hurts were so popular!
After lacklustre support from Spector, who sounded like a poor-man’s Hurts and left little to be remembered, Theo Hutchcraft and and Adam Anderson strolled onstage after an introductory rendition of ‘Surrender’, and launched straight into their most upbeat track to date – ‘Some Kind of Heaven’. Theo has a sensational voice live – one which makes every penny spent worthwhile.
I think Theo relished the fact that the gig was sold out. He was barely without a smile, and it was very clear how much the crowd meant to him. After three albums in six years it’ll affirm his and Adam’s positions within the music world.
Theo lapped up the attention, in particular when the crowd started chanting his name. He couldn’t keep the grin off his face at that point.
Hurts took a journey through their entire discography, covering tracks such as ‘Blood Tears & Gold’, ‘Sunday’ and ‘Better Than Love’ off their debut Happiness; ‘Sandman’, ‘Miracle’ and ‘The Crow’ off their sophomore album Exile; and ‘Rolling Stone’, ‘Why’ and ‘Wings’ off their latest cut Surrender.
The highlights? A truly gorgeous take on ‘Somebody to Die For’ that honestly drew goosebumps, the awe-inspiring ‘Illuminated’ in which the audience sang most of the song, and a funky remix of ‘Lights’.
Theo played upon the notion of it almost being Valentines Day as he frequently tossed roses into the crowd, which helped to vamp up their thrilling energy throughout the gig. The roses became so synonymous with an uplifting or falsetto vocal that whenever they appeared on stage the crowd would go wild.
The encore consisted of ‘Nothing Will Be Bigger Than Us’ and ‘Stay’. The latter is perhaps Hurts’ most well-known track, and the audience singing along was deafening.
The only letdown of this gig was that they didn’t perform their feature on Calvin Harris’ ‘Under Control’, but that can be forgiven, I guess, after the surprisingly impressive concert.
It’s sold out now, so if you don’t manage to get hold of last minute tickets, make sure to book up for their next tour. You won’t regret it.
