Texas lead singer Sharleen Spiteri seemed hell bent on reaffirming she has lost none of her spikiness as the band brilliantly opened its current tour in Brighton.

Spiteri’s idea of a more intimate first half was to splatter her chat with the F-word with all the enthusiasm of a 14-year-old who had just discovered swearing. Still, it raised a few laughs and she had a good rapport with fans.

Yet Spiteri can do showbiz smooth as well as salty, walking into the crowd to help a girl with a successful marriage proposal.

A warm-up first half blistered into dance mode in the second half when a funky brass sound gave the old numbers like Black Eyed Boy exciting new life.

Spiteri, direct as ever, challenged the crowd: “You are going to party, so get your asses off your seats.” And they did.

Spiteri’s rasping yet melodic voice is now the best it has ever been, powerful and edgy yet impressively sensitive on new songs like Start A Family.

Searing versions of the country hit Jackson and a soul-drenched Tired Of Being Alone confirmed Spiteri is among the world’s best lead singers. The band was hot, too.