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PLAYING OUT LOUD!
REVIEWS
Gig Reviews -
CD Reviews
The Merry Widow, LOpSoc, Nuffield
Theatre, Southampton - 9/3/05
I don’t often cover amateur productions, still less light opera, but I enjoyed
this production. It was the first of a four-night run by Southampton
University’s light opera group to celebrate the centenary of Franz Lehar's comic
operetta. First nights can be nightmares, but this one went like a dream. A lot
of work had obviously gone into this production - lavish costumes, complicated
dance routines, ensemble and solo singing, even an amusing and innovative video
short in Act 2. I understand that the group had been rehearsing regularly since
last October, and whilst never achieving the slickness of a professional
production, this was as good an amateur production as I have seen. And anyway,
who needs slickness all the time - there’s far too much prepackaged stuff on
television - part of the charm of amateur productions is the feeling that things
could go horribly wrong at any moment. But not tonight it didn’t.
A dozen musicians also played their part in making this show such a success.
Although everybody played their part, it's obviously the leading roles which
attracted attention: Richard Jackson as Baron Zeta was fluent, humorous and
expressive in a key role, Roma Loukes as Anna, the "Merry Widow" herself,
combined a beautiful voice with coquettish charm, while Scott Ellis gave an
assured performance as Count Danilo.
The final sequence featuring the all-singing, all-dancing Grisettes was an
amusing conclusion to a very enjoyable show as the girls displayed their
posteriors to announce “THE END.”
Gig Reviews
(top)
Erasure, Portsmouth Guildhall, 13/4/03.
 The
air of anticipation before the show was palpable, and the sell-out crowd were
not disappointed as the curtains parted to reveal an incredible stage set. And
there in front of an enchanted forest lit in shades of blue and purple was Andy
Bell dressed in white with huge angel wings. Beside him were two female backing
singers dressed as fairies, while across stage behind the keyboards was Vince as
they launched into "No Doubt." "Hideaway" and "Brothers & Sisters" followed,
then came the biggest cheers so far for "Drama."
Costume changes for Andy and the girls and imaginative lighting effects were a
running feature throughout a spectacular show. There were gasps when Andy
reappeared later wearing just a pair of blue shorts, twirling two huge pink
ostrich feather fans. The crowd loved it all, jumping around and clapping to a
parade of hits including”A Little Respect,” “Chains of Love” and the sultry
“Love To Hate You.”. By the time Erasure closed with "Sometimes" the crowd were
ecstatic. This show was perfect on all counts - a highly atmospheric stage set,
great vocals by Andy who had a great rapport with the audience, immaculate sound
balance, plus a highly responsive crowd. And I have to admit that I wasn’t
previously a fan of Erasure - I am now!
Photo copyright of Claire Edwards.
The Quireboys, The Brook - February 22
 The name of this website encapsulates the philosophy of this band - Playing Out
Loud! - that’s just what The Quireboys do. So loud in fact that I had to
position myself in a spot where damage to my eardrums was as minimal as
possible. And it was still loud, but highly enjoyable. Ebullient lead singer
Spike bounded on stage to announce: “We’re The Quireboys, and this is rock and
roll! From then on it was a non-stop barrage of sound with the charismatic Spike
rasping out the vocals, guitarists Guy, Luke and Nigel, assuming classic rock
stances alongside him with the bare-chested Martin bashing away on the drums
behind.
This was timless, riffy rock which reminded me of a combination of The Faces and
bands like AC/DC and Guns & Roses. Like The Faces this band like a drink or two,
and the lagers supplied on stage were soon supplemented by brandy handed up from
the audience. Meanwhile Spike smoked, swore, enjoyed a bit of banter with the
crowd and performed a constant juggling act with the mic stand which nearly hit
the roof several times. Song titles and lyrics are pretty superfluous in
reviewing a band like The Quireboys, but I gather that most of the songs were
about drinking, girls and cars - three standard rock components.
I think they sang “Show Me What You Got,” “Lorraine” and “C’mon” during their
set, but this gig was all about atmosphere and noise and we got plenty of that.
I’m told that The Quireboys were a hard act to follow when playing support on
the recent Whitesnake tour, and Im not surprised. They may not be the most
original band on the planet but their rock attitude and aggressive
down-and-dirty brand of rock and roll went down a treat.
Photo copyright of Claire Edwards.
Nazareth, The Brook - February 23
 Eagerly awaited by me and hundreds of other rock fans, and I’m glad to report
that none of the hundreds who packed the venue could have left disappointed. Not
only one of the best gigs I’ve seen at The Brook, but one of the best gigs I’ve
ever seen. The sound of Nazareth centres on tight musicianship and the amazing
voice of vocalist Dan Macafferty. That mop of hair may have gone grey, but the
diminutive Scotsman just blew the crowd away from the opening “Hit The Fan” and
“Open Up Woman.” How this throat stands up to the punishment I don’t know - in
the words of an old Nazareth album he showed it “No Mercy” throughout the gig.
Between 350-400 people bounced around The Brook many of them word-perfect on all
the lyrics. On this showing, Nazareth must be the most underrated British rock
band of all time - their back catalogue is simply tremendous - “Razamanaz,” “Bad
Bad Boy,” “My White Bicycle” and “Shanghai’d in Shanghai” are rock anthems to
compare with the best of The Stones, The Who or whoever else you care to
mention. And what a bunch of musicians playing alongside Dan - the superb Pete
Agnew on bass whose joyful playing was exhilerating, the introverted Jimmy
Murrison on lead guitar who came into his own on his solos and the most recent
addition to the band, spot-on drummer Lee Agnew.
Nazareth’s set contained some nice variations in pace with the moody “Love Leads
To Madness” and the soulful “Hearts Grown Cold” and “Love Hurts” interspersing
some of the more upbeat songs. All went down well with an enthusiastic crowd as
Dan growled JJ Cales’s “Cocaine” and encouraged the audience to sing along with
the official closer “Broken Down Angel.” But Nazareth were called back to do
three encores, “Night Woman,” “Teenage Nervous Breakdown” and their classic
version of Joni Mitchell’s “This Flight Tonight.”
By the end of this gig the crowd were ecstatic and the famous “Brook roar” was
much in evidence. A brilliant gig - book em’ back please Bryn and Richard!
Photo copyright of Keith Curtis
CD Reviews
(top)
ROGER CHAPMAN & THE SHORT LIST. MAIL ORDER MAGIC.
 MYS CD 188.
Running time: 65:50
This is a reissue of Roger’s second studio album by Mystic Records. It was
his first fully-penned effort and apparently Roger wasn’t totally happy with it
at the time of its’ original release. But 24 years later it sounds pretty
good to me. The power and unique sound of Chappo’s voice roar out on the
opening “Unknown Soldier” to set the template for the whole album. Unfortunately
the individual musicians are not credited on the sleeve notes, apart from
guitarist Geoff Whitehorn, but the standard his high throughout. The lyrics are
full of typical Chappo irony, particularly on the standout “He Was She Was”
and the musical styles take in blues, soul and rock over the 15 trackes. Other
standouts include the soulful “Right To Go” and a bonus track, a cover of the
old Coasters classic “Fortune Teller.” Roger and the current incarnation of
The Shortlist will be at The Brook in Southampton on Thursday May 5 - don’t
miss them!
BAILEY. IAN BAILEY.
 NORTHERN SUN RECORDINGS. Running time: 56:01
A mixture of ballads and soft rock, well recorded with some pleasant
orchestral arrangements, but that’s about all you can say really. The wistful
feel of
many of the songs and Bailey’s rather insipid voice gradually get rather
irritating. Opener Reach Out For Today sets the tone and apart from the more
upbeat Suicide Bullet Train it’s all rather one-paced, despite the obvious
desire
to create lush soundscapes. If this was playing in the background you would
be unoffended and keep talking over it, which is really the worse thing you can
say about any attempt to make music. I know two years work went into making
this debut album, but there’s just nothing particularly new or exciting here.
JULIE DUNN. STRANGE BUT TRUE.
 Running
time: 56:59
Let me say straight away that I’m not a particular fan of jazz - why does it
always sound better late at night? This album comes within the more accessible
parameters of the genre, and the best thing about it is Julie Dunn’s pure,
unforced voice. Standout songs for me are “Freedom Song” which also gets a bonus
remix at the end of the album, and the plaintive “Every December Sky,” a
beautiful ballad. Julie has gathered together some talented musicians - Ray
Butcher’s brass arrangements are particularly pleasing - for an album which
should appeal to a wide audience. I’ve always enjoyed jazz live rather than on
CD, and I look forward to catching Julie at one of her gigs in the South soon.
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