FROM TEXAS TO TUT'S: SOLYA MAKES EAGERLY AWAITED GLASGOW DEBUT |

LIVE REVIEW | SOLYA w/ Honey Gentry | KING TUTS WAH WAH HUT, GLASGOW | 3rd August 2026 by Anne Kelly

On Monday night, Texas native Solya made her Glasgow debut to a sold-out King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut. Having previously toured the UK alongside close friend Baby Bugs in 2024, Solya has returned on a larger scale for her first headline run – this time backed by a full live band promising an expansive sound to match her growing ambition.

Since her last visit, the singer’s rise has accelerated. March saw the release of her much-anticipated debut album, Queen of Texas. Despite a setback earlier this year when a hospitalisation forced the postponement of her US tour, Solya has bounced back resiliently – ticking off her UK festival debut at Latitude, launching a European run, and now powering through the UK leg of her six-date UK tour.

Solya (Ainsley Taylor/Northern Exposure)

Down on St Vincent Street, the excitement was building well before doors opened at 7:30pm. A queue snaked down the street, dominated by teenage fans mirroring the artist’s signature aesthetic – a blend of whimsical goth and evangelical romanticism -many accompanied by dutiful parental chaperones. Inside, King Tut’s was packed wall-to-wall before the opener even took the mic.

Honey Gentry

Stepping onto the stage solo just after 8pm, Honey Gentry delivered one of the best opening sets I’ve seen all year. Soft-spoken and almost timid between songs, her vocal performance was striking from the first note. Gentry possessed a gentle, captivating presence that held the room in total silence – a rare feat for any support act, and a level of respect that persisted throughout the entire evening.

Gentry had the audience hanging on every lyric as she painted the story with her words. Expressing warm gratitude to Solya for the slot, she shared her excitement at playing the iconic venue. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw this venue on the tour schedule” she beamed before revealing “I’m playing a stage where my absolute favourite band has played – My Chemical Romance“. The crowd answered with an enthusiastic roar before she launched into a haunting cover of Queens of the Stone Age’s ‘Go With The Flow’, which had even the older chaperones singing along. Closing her brief set, Gentry brought out guest Ocean LeClair for ‘Sirens of St Tropez’, delivering goosebump-inducing harmonies that proved while she commands a stage gracefully on her own, a full band could make her sound transcendent.

Honey Gentry (Anne Kelly/Northern Exposure)

Solya

At 9pm prompt, Solya took the stage alongside bandmates Maddy and James, launching straight into ‘Tell Me It’s Over’. Followed by fan-favourites ‘Roadkill’ and ‘Heaven’, it was a powerful opening sequence. Tears were shed as fans passionately sang every word back to the Texan, marking a moment that was long overdue for her Scottish fans.

“Hello Glasgow!” Solya finally chimed after the three-song run. “I’m so happy to be here.” She charmed the crowd with tales of exploring a local farmers’ market earlier in the day, enjoying a lemon meringue muffin before lightheartedly showing off the cheap “trap phone” she bought at a vape shop after breaking her phone in London, using it to snap a crowd selfie.

At just 20 years old, Solya is an artist still actively shaping her stage persona. Possessing a voice laced with ’60s girl-group nostalgia, her raw talent is undeniable. She carries herself with a quiet confidence, though her presence leans reserved. Her solemn expression fits the “sad-girl” Lana Del Rey indie aesthetic she channels, but the night’s true highlights occurred when that brooding exterior broke – revealing genuine, beaming smiles sparked by the room’s intimacy.

Standout moments included ‘Butterfly’, ‘Moviestar’, and the triumphant album title track, ‘Queen of Texas’. The penultimate song, ‘We Say Goodbye’, offered a sweet moment of connection as Solya invited the crowd to finish her lines. But after closing with ‘Is This Love??‘, the singer exited with no encore or fuss – a mere 45 minutes after stepping on to the stage.

The sudden exit felt like a slight anti-climax for a show that seemed to be finding its groove. While musically flawless, the headline set felt play-it-safe at times: stage movement was minimal, crowd banter was sparse, and tracks occasionally bled into one another dynamically. Yet this comes with no malice – Solya is a remarkably gifted young songsmith with all the raw materials for stardom. With a little more theatrical risk and stage command, she will evolve from somebody performing on these stages to somebody who owns them.

Solya will conclude her UK tour run with two sold out nights in London this week. Not bagged a ticket yet? Check for resale tickets here.