The Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow on Wednesday, September 30th, was a sight to behold. A few thousand rock fans clad in denim, heading to the west of the city, discovered that they had arrived amidst the onset of a pink apocalypse. Bootleg merch sellers plying their trade with one-wash-and-they’ll-disintegrate “tour” T-shirts alongside a hastily arranged display of pink cowboy hats, feather boas, and mercury-filled light sticks guaranteed to keep you glowing in the dark for weeks on end, as well as making your hair fall out. Yes, Irish man-band Westlife are in town at the OVO Hydro, and the surrounding areas (which include The Armadillo) are not for the faint of heart, as an army of Westlife fans are downing the equivalent of a well-stocked wine cellar before heading inside to scream at three fellas not to be confused with Boyzone or Take That.

The reason for the blue army snaking around The Armadillo (the venue has given up calling it the Clyde Auditorium) is that Scandinavian rock legends Europe are in town to launch The Final Countdown 40th Anniversary Tour with an insanely good value-for-money triple-bill.

It’s a speedy return to the UK for Montreal quartet The Damn Truth, having only left these shores four weeks ago after performing at Stonedead Festival as well as select regional headline shows.

It’s less than a year since they headlined a stunning gig a few miles up the road, and considering how far they have to travel and the costs involved, they are regular visitors to these shores, having built up quite the following through emotional, sweaty, livewire performances. And great songs. Songs like set opener “Be Somebody”, which is performed with the house lights still up, as the early start seems to have caught somebody out. It’s bizarre watching the band try to shake off the jet lag and wake up a seated audience with every light in the building on.

With 30 minutes to impress, there isn’t much time for chat from the hurricane known as TDT vocalist Lee-La Baum. Instead, it’s a fast-paced race through material like “Love Outta Luck” (lead guitarist Tom Schemer is in fine form with one gorgeous guitar lick after another); a balls-heavy, Zeppelin-sized feel on “The Willow” where bassist PY Letellier and drummer Dave Traina combine to stunning effect; and huge hooky moments like “This Is Who We Are Now” and “Tomorrow”.

Sadly, no time for “Lonely” or “Look Innocent”, which have to be witnessed live to fully appreciate how strong this band are. As with most gigs by The Damn Truth, the band are at the merch stand later on, signing, hugging, high-fiving, and posing for selfies with a throng of people patiently waiting their turn. One of the best live acts around today; don’t miss them on their next headlining tour.

It’s a ballsy move adding GUN as a support act for a run of dates that includes a show in Glasgow, so full marks to the headliners for adding an act that will light a fire under them and make them work for every note of applause.

It’s been a strangely quiet year for the Scottish hard rock outfit, and as frontman Dante Gizzi alludes to at one point, this is the first time that GUN have performed live since last year at their annual Christmas knees-up at the legendary Barrowland Ballroom. Watching them, though, you would never have thought it’s been nine months since they last played live. Veterans at what they do, and what they do is make it look effortless.

As you would expect for a hometown gig, GUN have brought their own cheerleading section with them tonight, and they are making themselves known by standing up. Actually standing up at a rock show? Whatever next.

It’s been over two years since the band released their last album, Hombres, and it is obvious that they are still proud of it, as rather than just going with the hits, the band turns to the Top 10 album for “Lucky Guy”, “All Fired Up”, “Take Me Back Homer” and “Falling”. The latter is one of the strongest songs that GUN have written in decades, and with the news that they are recording the follow-up album, hopefully that hot streak will continue in 2027.

The remainder of the set is back-to-back bangers, with “Don’t Say It’s Over” still slapping as it did in 1994, and how about “Better Days”, “Shame On You”, and a roof-raising “Steal Your Fire” from even further back? With forthcoming reissues of Taking On The World (1989) & Gallus (1992) looking rather sexy, and that new album on the way, GUN are not slowing down, and on this form, why should they?

Although billed as The Final Countdown 40th Anniversary Tour, Europe come bearing gifts in the guise of the stunning new album Come This Madness, their strongest in a long line of recent albums that shun the notion that the Swedes are simply a nostalgia act. And although The Final Countdown (triple platinum in the USA, if anyone is counting) is aired in its entirety, the first 40 minutes of this well-paced set are all about Europe in this century, with six of the opening nine numbers all coming from 2009 onward.

A new track, “Scandinavian Eyes”, is first out of the traps. Deep Purple-esque in its execution, thanks to the to-and-fro from Mic Michaeli on keys and guitarist John Norum. All eyes are on vocalist Joey Tempest, who, it has to be said, has found the fountain of youth and kept the location to himself. He looks in great shape, but more importantly, sounds amazing (as proven when his vocals take centre stage for a gorgeous stripped-back intro to “Prisoners in Paradise”). There is very little pause before the powerhouse drumming of Ian Haugland brings in “Walk the Earth” with a thick, heavy, stomping Zeppelin-esque feel.

Two tracks from the last two studio albums, so by the powers of deduction, an oldie should be up next, and those crystal-clear vocal harmonies that launched “Superstitious” back in 1988 come roaring out of the PA, sounding fantastic. Anyone who was still sitting down is up out of their seats for this beauty, with the mega-melodic chorus bellowed out by all.

Fuelled by John Levén’s thick basslicks, “One on One” is another new one that impresses, and along with “The Cult of Ignorance”, which lands a little later, highlights how difficult it must be to put a setlist together, as so many from the new album deserve a place in the set (the crushing title track, for one, is a strange omission). But what tracks do Europe leave out? Not the sweeping, cinematic “Last Look at Eden”, one of Europe’s strongest tracks, not just from the last few decades, but, period. Absolutely stunning live, as is “War of Kings”, which has Norum moving to a Strat.

40 Minutes in, with very little fanfare, Tempest and Haugland get the crowd involved with some audience participation that starts “Rock the Night” and begins The Final Countdown in order (excluding the title track, which opens the album).

Tempest is up for it and is off the low stage and into the crowd, shaking hands and smiling away. But after a few moments, there is a bizarre moment when someone runs from the back of the auditorium and rushes Tempest. It’s hard to see what happens next as everyone is standing, and cameras are up in the air, but after maybe 30 seconds, the punter runs back the way he came, and Tempest is back, sitting on the lip of the stage, smiling, “Hey, that was fun!”

Known for its major hits, The Final Countdown has great depth to it, and that’s what impresses the most this evening. “Rock the Night”, of course, leads into “Carrie”, and then into “Danger on the Track”, which is introduced by Tempest talking about the early days in rehearsal rooms with mattresses on the wall to keep the sound in, no crew, his Dad driving them everywhere. Now they have had most of the same crew for 30 years, and he takes time out to thank them before several of them appear onstage, mucking about as if the band was rehearsing. Chairs are brought out for Joey, the drum tech comes out and sits on the riser to polish a crash cymbal; that kind of thing. It’s a fun way to reinforce the notion that this is a family affair.

This part of the evening is more relaxed and chilled, with any perceived pressure from playing new songs gone. Tempest is in great form, joking around with Haugland: “What are we doing? On The Loose? Fucking hell!” – one of the faster, more metal-sounding Europe tracks, with John Norum ripping the roof off with his solo; it is a buzz to hear it again. Likewise with “Love Chaser”, which still is such great fun.

Only one way to end the show: the title track, which gets the place jumping. And then it’s time for thank-yous, bows, and the all-important crowd photo. No encore. None required after a masterclass set as perfect as that. Send them home with a smile on their face. Photographer Callum makes an interesting observation on the way out: except for a few moments at the drum riser, Joey Tempest is onstage, front and centre for the entire 90-minute set. How many 63-year-old frontmen can do that?

Remaining tour dates:

2026 Dates:

5 Oct – Musis Arnhem, Arnhem (NL)* – SOLD OUT

6 Oct – Olympia, Paris (FR)* – SOLD OUT

8 Oct – Poble Espanyol, Barcelona (ES)*

9 Oct – Bilbao Arena Mirabilla, Bilbao (ES)* – VERY LOW TICKETS

10 Oct – La Cubierta, Madrid (ES)* – VERY LOW TICKETS

12 Oct – Salle Métropole, Lausanne (CH)*

13 Oct – Volkshaus, Zürich (CH)*

14 Oct – Alcatraz, Milan (IT)*

16 Oct – Liederhalle, Stuttgart (DE)* – SOLD OUT

17 Oct – Gasometer, Wien (AT)* – SOLD OUT