From busking to the Hydro: Dylan Thomas achieves 'dream' with biggest gig yet

Dylan John Thomas is gearing up for the biggest gig of his life tonight as he gets ready to play his first headline show at the Hydro.

The Glaswegian singer, who released his self-titled debut album in February, won rave reviews for an incredible slot at TRNSMT and has been amassing fans around the country on his most recent tour.

He told What’s On Scotland: “Going from busking to King Tuts and working my way through the Glasgow venues – it has always been a dream to be able to play somewhere like this, but I didn’t think it would happen like this.

“It’s been a culmination of the first album and all the gigs that we’ve done. To get to this stage, it’s mental to be able to walk onto that stage and see thousands of people singing the tunes.”

And what tunes they are. If you haven’t heard them, check out the likes of Jenna, What I Need and the poignant Wake Up Ma. They are heartfelt and beautiful and show off Dylan’s skills as a musician perfectly.

At his heart, he is not only an incredible, talented songwriter but also a brilliant guitarist. He honed his skills by learning classics from Fleetwood Mac and Dire Straits from a young age.

“I grew up in a foster house and there was about ten boys playing the Playstation,” he said.

“Every ten minutes Ring of Fire would come on on Tony Hawke’s and I wanted to get a guitar from listening to that tune.

“I got a guitar aged ten. It was a mad thing from Argos with nylon strings but I played it till my fingers bled.”

Dylan admitted that growing up with ADHD, he found an outlet in the guitar. He could channel his energy into learning songs and writing about things he was going through.

Then, he discovered a music night run by Gerry Cinnamon. He used to sneak in and perform, probably when she was too young to be doing so, and Gerry took him under his wing and become something of a mentor to him.

Now, like Gerry, he’s playing to thousands and has built up an incredible army of fans.

A Christmas gig in his hometown, in the biggest venue around, is sure to be something quite special.

“It’s been a bit mental with the album TRNSMT and rounding the year off here. It’s been some year,” he said.