DYLAN JOHN THOMAS BRINGS GLASGOW TO GLASGOW IN HIS MONUMENTAL HOMECOMING
LIVE REVIEW | DYLAN JOHN THOMAS | GLASGOW OVO HYDRO 20/12/2024 by Emma Carrington
As 2024 drew to an end, Glasgow welcomed its very own Dylan John Thomas to the city’s OVO Hydro Arena. A hugely successful feat having only just released his first studio album (self titled) last February.
Opening with single ‘Jenna‘, immediately the arena felt alive and bouncing with energy. Being a resident Glaswegian himself, it almost felt like Dylan John Thomas already had a long term relationship with the crowd. As though he was singing to the audience individually rather than part of a crowd, you could tell the boy was very grateful to be there as he was touching on the fact that he grew up in the East End of the city. This made his music feel relatable and you could see that reflected upon the predominantly young audience.
A proud Scotsman, there is no smoke screens or pretense with Thomas who remains humble despite his swiftly found fame. Multiple times throughout the show the music was stopped as people in the standing area of the crowd were fainting or needing medical attention yet Thomas handled this with grace, reminding the crowd to take care of one another which furthermore added to the sense of care and community within his show.
Musically, Dylan John Thomas is an obviously very talented artist; I particularly enjoyed his guitar styles which I felt drew heavy folk inspiration, infused with a Latino flair in some parts and I adored his heavily accentuated Scottish singing style, akin to the likes of The Proclaimers. Despite never listening to his music before the show, it still felt very sentimental and nostalgic as a fellow Scot, which is refreshing in the music scene here.
Thomas also dabbled in some live piano during ‘What I Need’, which I found beautifully touching. His vocals where soft on this which was contrasted with some of his other more upbeat works such as ‘Fever‘. Although it may not work in some instances of live performance, I felt as though Thomas performed this amazingly; it was extremely emotional and truly felt as though he was signing from the heart.
To sum up, Dylan John Thomas really brought Glasgow to Glasgow. An authentic performer in every meaning of the word with his sometimes shy and delicate stage presence only adding to his persona which I feel will only continue to grow as he consistently learns and plays to bigger crowds. It was such an honour to see this local legend preform in such a legendary venue as the OVO Hydro; a well deserved feat and I hope to see him again in the future. Until then I will be very much anticipating his next release!
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