Heaven 17 play the Jazz Café.

I have a confession to make.  I have seen Heaven 17 play live more than any other band. Their debut album, Penthouse and Pavement is in my personal top five of all albums ever.  That album is 35 years old this year and that’s a scary thought.  But Heaven 17 are one of those bands that you can never see enough of.  They are professional and funny, sometimes reminding me of Morcambe and Wise with their banter.  They can guarantee you a good night out.

So with all that in mind I headed off to the Jazz Café.  These tickets were supposed to have been for an event in May but the Jazz Café has undergone a fantastic refurbishment, so the gig was postponed until October.  Rule number one when you are only 5ft tall is to get there early to guarantee yourself the front row.  But I was in good company with all the Heaven 17 die-hards – some of whom go to every gig and follow them around the country.

The anticipation grows and soon enough we wait no more as some BEF electronic music plays and they walk on stage.  The first track is Circus of Death.  Not the most obvious opening track but of course for those who don’t know, Martyn Ware (along with previous founder member Ian Craig Marsh) founded The Human League and this a rare outing for this track.  The evening is pitted with THL tracks and we are lucky enough to hear Black Hit of Space, Loving Feeling and of course Being Boiled.  Fans of early Human League were in their element.

Our next track is a brand new track which they have never played live before.  EVER!.  It’s called ‘Captured’ and the single was only released the day before so when I say brand new…I really mean it.  They joke to the audience that they now have half an album of new songs so maybe by 2020 we will see an album release.  And then we are straight back to classic Heaven 17 with Fascist Groove Thang.  Glenn asks who would vote for Martyn as PM – everyone here would.  Fascist Groove Thang, or to use its full title for extra points (We don’t need this) Fascist Groove Thang, has lyrics that are still as relevant today as they were 35 years ago.  Indeed, it might be even more poignant with Brexit, a Tory Government and the USA having a possible President called Trump.  These lyrics are simply genius.

What makes the gigs at the Jazz Café with Heaven 17 extra special is they perform tracks we hardly ever hear them perform.  On this occasion we had Trouble and Contenders. Both these tracks have not had the recognition they deserve and are brilliant tracks.  Come Live With Me has the audience joining in so loudly that although Martyn told us it got to number 5 in the charts, it really should be a number one single with the love for it in this room.

One of my personal favourites is We’re Gonna Live For a Very Long Time.  It’s such an upbeat track and the electronics are so pure.  And when Glenn opens his arms it’s like he is preaching to the congregation. If you love Heaven 17, you will live for a very long time! More P&P tracks included Play to Win and Penthouse and Pavement. I couldn’t be singing more loudly if I wanted to. Glenn says his favourite early Human League track was the cover version of You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling. Martyn comes out from behind his keyboard and they sing together. It’s so lovely how they interact. They obviously enjoy each other’s company and have a good laugh on stage.

During Temptation, Glenn sings with me ’Love to love you baby’ (another advantage of being front row) and mouths to me ‘Happy Birthday’.  Of course this makes my day.  They go off for a well-deserved break and come back on for an encore.  It feels so right and proper that their encore should include two Bowie songs.  It feels like it was arranged just for me as both Glenn and Martyn know I am a huge Bowie fan. Glenn and Berenice cover Life on Mars and once again the audience is so loud joinin in singing, that Glenn asks for the piano to be louder to he can hear it.  I love Glenn singing Bowie.  He does it justice and I know he is a huge Bowie fan too. Martyn and Billie and Rachel all come back on stage for Boys Keep Swinging.  After this I show Glenn my tattoo.  Don’t worry – it’s on my wrist and is a tribute to Bowie.  He looks at it then tells everyone it’s my birthday and wishes me a happy birthday so the whole audience now know it’s my birthday.  I don’t mind. Its lovely to feel I have such a lovely Heaven 17 family around me.  It’s a double celebration as Keith and Chezzie celebrate their 50^th H17 gig.  They finish with Being Boiled.  The first song Martyn ever wrote.  It’s a fitting tribute that the last song is the first song.

And with that the gig is over – but the feeling of exhilaration continues long into the night.  Of course Martyn and Glenn come over and say hello and wish me a happy birthday in a more personal setting and sign the set list with ‘Happy b-day.’

So as I mentioned – I have seen Heaven 17 live more than any other band, but this isn’t the end. I do not have to wait long as they have an upcoming tour of 35 years of Penthouse & Pavement plus BEF. This is truly heaven!

Details of the tour can be found on their website: http://www.heaven17.com/

The Full Monty. Milton Keynes Theatre. 03.10.16

So before the film was released I am unsure how well-known this phrase was.  But now we all associate The Full Monty with going all the way.  And in this case it means stripping all the way.

The Full Monty tells the story of Gaz, Dave, Lomper, Horse and Gerald in the background of the closure of the steel industry.

Gaz and Dave are really good mates but broke.  They are trying to ‘Liberate’ some steel with Gaz’ son, Nathan. Of course this doesn’t exactly go as planned.  Further on they meet Lomper, who is so unhappy he is attempting to unsuccessfully kill himself.  Gaz and Dave offer suggestions on how to do it well as after all, that’s what mates do!

They are all broke but seeing how popular  The Chippendales are they consider stripping. Well Gaz does.  He has to work at his friends to talk them into it.  But of course they start to practice and get a bit better with Gerald’s help.  A classic moment is the job centre queue.

The story works well because the characters are well defined and their individual traumas give the play real heart.  You can empathise with their situations.  You can enjoy the dark sense of humour.  The play is almost identical to the script of the film so there are all your favourite moments.  And of course I know you are all wondering about…well the full Monty. They absolutely do it.

Gaz is played by Gary Lucy and he gives this role such a warm affection, despite being a bit of a prat and loser.  He obviously loves his son Nathan and this brings real heart to his role.  His best mate Dave, is played by Kai Owen and he is also a very affable character and Kai plays him perfectly.  He considers himself a fat bastard but the love of a good woman can do wonders and of course he does the full Monty!

Gerald is much posher and hides his financial difficulties from his wife.  It is such an emotional moment when she finds out.  Gerald is played by Andrew Dunn and gave the role that perfect line between a man on the edge and maintaining his pretence to those around him. Horse is another to perform the full Monty.  Horse is played by Louis Emerick and his moment in the play is absolutely his audition.  It had the audience cheering and clapping.

Lomper is played by Anthony Lewis and is a shy introvert, who is deeply unhappy and yet by the end of the play begins to accept he is gay and that is okay.  Anthony gives the role the room for Lomper to grow and it is wonderful to see.  He fancies the final member of the full Monty, Guy.  Guy is out and proud.  Guy is played by Chris Fountain and has the sort of body that should be in the Chippendales.  What did Robbie Williams say? ‘All the best men are gay’.

This is a play with a heart.  It is a play with real characters and makes you laugh and cry. And leaves you with such a feel good factor at the end.  Who doesn’t want that?  Well that and of course some fit naked men on stage!  

4 stars. 

Bay City Rollers at Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury. 02.10.16

So before I fell in love with David Bowie, I loved the Bay City Rollers. All these years later and I still own three Bay City Roller albums. So when I was asked if I wanted to review them, of course I jumped at the chance.

There had been some miscommunication about interviews and so they were not expecting me. But Les kindly offered to talk to me while he had a cigarette break. But I was taken aback when he said he had Googled me and knew I was a blogger. Les McKeown had Googled ME! It was just too much. I was a bit lost for words which doesn’t happen often so instead I showed him my three albums which he was happy to sign and pose for a photo. There were a few fans at the stage door, dressed head to toe in tartan, and they all wanted a photo or two so any interview went out of the window.

Instead I talked to the fans who had travelled from around the country to see him. One fan, Anne, told me that her husband had bought her tickets for a show and she was eight rows from the front. She told him it was unacceptable and he had to pay again for better tickets for her. These fans are absolutely die-hards. They adore Les and he adores them. He already uses social media to speak to them all and they tell him openly how much they love him. It is obvious that the tartan army are some of the most dedicated fans in the world.

We took our seats in the theatre and suddenly I was transported back to being a 10 year old.

B.A.Y.

B.A.Y.

B.A.Y. C.I.T.Y.

With an R.O. double L. E. R. S.

Bay City Rollers are the best!

The curtain went up and there was Les and his band in full tartan regalia. He welcomed us to his secret gig. It was less than half full but for every single person in that audience, they didn’t care. Les was singing to them personally. He really is funny and charming and absolutely everything I first fell in love with about the Bay City Rollers.

He sang a number of well-known songs, album tracks and also some new songs from his latest album called the lost songs. Summer Love Sensation, Shang-A-Lang, Saturday Night and of course Bye Bye Baby, Give A Little Love and Remember, had me remembering lyrics I hadn’t sung for 40 years. The new numbers were just as popular and in the same style as the well-known hits. A few album tracks were also given a rare airing such as You’re A Woman.

The audience, and when I say this I mean mostly women, were cheering and waving their scarves and singing along. Once or twice I felt he was singing especially to me. This is absolutely his charisma working the audience so that every member feels special. He also has a great camaraderie with his band and talked a lot to Phil Hendricks, the guitarist, who seems to know so many pop facts about the BCR that he could write questions for Pointless! It was an exceptional concert and for each person that was there, it will live in their hearts forever.

I came home not really wanting to grow back up. But I can say it proudly that I genuinely enjoyed this gig. Next time they are in your area…bye bye bye a ticket.

You can find out more about Les’ forthcoming album from his website here: http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/les-mckeown-the-lost-songs

The current line up is:

Les McKeown – Vocals

Phil lHendricks – Lead Guitar

Scott McGowan – Keyboards/Bass/ Guitar

Dan Guest - Drummer

Sister Act is just heavenly. Milton Keynes Theatre.

Sister Act the Musical has all the bits from the film you love plus a whole load of new songs that make this musical truly heavenly.  It follows the story of the first film, Sister Act but with the new songs that gives it a whole new feel to the show.

Alexandra Burke plays Dolores and she really stretches her acting talent in this role.  We all know that Alexandra is a fantastic singer and this show gives her a chance to show a range of vocals including gospel and disco.  And there were definitely glimpses of Whoopie Goldberg in her performance but of course this role belonged to Whoopie so that is expected.

The young shy postulate sister Mary Robert is played by Sarah Goggin and she is absolutely outstanding – keeping her shy demeanour for most of the show but wow what a voice that shy nun has.  And everyone’s knows these nuns can’t sing, well until of course Dolores comes along.  Poor Mother Superior, played by Karen Mann.  She has a job on her hands to try to keep things running smoothly but Dolores is someone who isn’t exactly quiet.

This show has some fantastic show tunes.  This includes Take Me To Heaven which is performed at the beginning and end of the show.  When I Find My Baby is a great soul classic which sounds like a love song until you listen to the lyrics and realise Curtis is singing about killing Dolores.  I Could Be That Guy is a great number about how Eddie wants to be the man Dolores might fancy.

Curtis Shank is the bad boyfriend who is trying to kill Dolores after she witnessed a murder. Arron Lee Lambert plays the low life but it’s difficult to really hate him as he is likeable and can sing beautifully.  He has three henchmen who support him in trying to find Dolores. Pablo (Ricky Rojas), Joey (Samuel Morgan-Grahame) and TJ (Sandy Grigelis) who are funny and brilliant in their own song during the second half.

To stop them a policeman called Eddie, who was at school with Dolores, is trying to protect her. Eddie badly wants to be ‘that guy’ who Dolores would go for as he is secretly (or perhaps not so secretly) in love with her.  You cannot help but like Eddie who is played by Jon Robyns.  Jon makes the character not only likeable but you actually find yourself willing him to get his girl.

Many of the cast played instruments in the show rather than have a separate band or orchestra. This is becoming quite a common feature in recent years and for some shows this works perfectly (such as Calamity Jane).  I am not convinced that Sister Act is a show that should adopt this stance as it can detract from the actual acting and singing and moving the story along.  That said, all the performers who did play instruments did so at an excellent standard.

This is a feel good show and had the audience up on its feet.  If you want to feel good…go and see this show.

4 stars.

Bridget Jones's Baby

I made an educated guess that the first time I encountered Bridget was 15 years ago.  I Googled (cause nowadays my memory isn’t all that being 40-something and why try to remember when you have Google at your fingertips).  And sure enough it was exactly 15 years ago. (just call me a genius!)

All women everywhere can recognise their inner Bridget.  We have all worn a dreadful Christmas present to not hurt our relatives, we have all worried about our weight and we have all (most definitely) worried if we would ever find love.

The first and second films tell of the two loves of Bridget’s life.  Daniel Cleaver and Mark Darcy.  At the end of film two we think Bridget has found her happy ending.   But there is no money in a happy ending so here is film three.

I am not giving any spoilers away to say that Daniel Cleaver does not feature in this film.  This is a good thing as we want to move away from the same old story.  Bridget still has two love interests. The original Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) but also Jack (Patrick Dempsey).  Bridget finds herself in a music festival and literally falls for Jack (in the mud) while her friend Miranda (Sarah Solemani) flirts with Ed Sheeran (played by Ed Sheeran!).  Bridget finds herself pregnant and is not sure who the father is and this is basically the premise of the story.

Now I am not for a minute suggesting that we have all found ourselves in this position but it is the way she is inept at saying something (stop talking Bridget!) that makes us love her.  Renee Zellweger brings such a warmth to the role – who doesn’t love Bridget?

I am an intelligent woman with a very serious job but those close to me know me as quirky and weird.  This is because secretly I am Bridget Jones.  I do say silly words that come out of my mouth without thinking. (I once said frozy when I was thinking both icy and frozen and I am famous for saying trilology rather than trilogy…hmmm maybe I should write a dictionary?)

I understand Bridget, her heartfelt attempts to live the perfect life when life is far from perfect and especially often blurting out feelings without taking a measured approach.  

Life isn’t perfect.  Life is bloody difficult at times.  But I wouldn’t have it any other way. Let’s stumble through life and appreciate what we have.  Enjoy your friends, family and good times, lord knows that 2016 has taught us life is short – so celebrate your inner Bridget and go see this film. Its like putting on that comfortable pair of shoes - hello old friends. 

Keep Dancing - Milton Keynes Theatre

They couldn’t have timed it better.  As Strictly Come Dancing is back on our screens this week, Keep Dancing hits Milton Keynes Theatre and takes us on a journey of dance.  If you like Strictly you will love this.  It has all the sparkle, glamour and grace that you have grown to expect.

The show opens with You Should Be Dancing which is just spectacular!  Yes, we should be dancing but it is rather hard to do in your seat so just sit back and enjoy the professionals.

Robin Windsor is a big name from Strictly and he does not disappoint.  He moves so well and every part of his body works with the music to whatever piece of music he is dancing to. And I mean every piece.  Every hand movement finished to perfection.  Every bicep.  And yes he does wear an almost see-through shirt.  He is extremely sexy and perhaps this show should carry a warning as many men and women could get a bit hot under the collar.

Robin’s partner in crime is Anya Garnis, another Strictly professional who partners Robin for many of the numbers.  They are fantastic together and she is at ease with ballroom as she is with the tango; a very sexy number that cannot fail to impress.

The other famous duo are the winners of Strictly 2015, Jay and Aliona who left audiences amazed at their Pulp Fiction dance last year.  Alas they don’t perform that dance in this show, which is a bit of a disappointment, but it is great to be this close and see them dance live.  There are moments when you forget that Jay is not a professional dancer as he can move very well to some very fast numbers.  As for Aliona, she is just perfect.  Every step, every finish is complete.  Forget a 7; they get a 10 from me!

The ‘ballroom’ section was very emotional.  It was just like watching an MGM film.  With numbers such as There’s No Business Like Show Business and New York New York you really felt transported back to those golden days.  The elegance and grace as they moved around the stage was breath-taking.

There was a jive section where we travelled back in time to the 1940’s.  This had some humour in it as Robin tried to dance with each female dancer in turn and even sneaked a kiss from one or two.  It really told a story through dance.  The Charleston captured the feel of the 1920’s and gave some elegance and drama to the show. With wonderful outfits to match once again you were transported back in time.

The singers often came to sing a song while the dancers were getting changed. Stormy Weather and Why Don’t You Do Right? were outstanding.  It was disappointing that there were no dancers on the stage during this time; just one or two would have been enough to compliment the singing.  After all the show is called Keep Dancing. A mention is well deserved for the musicians who were fantastic offering us Spanish guitar and amazing percussion.

There was a range of dance styles including a contemporary number from Robin with some other male dancers.  It was captivating to watch and you could be forgiven for holding your breath.

The finale included a disco medley which got the audience dancing and on its feet.  Who doesn’t love a bit of disco?  It included Play That Funky Music, Boogie Wonderland, Boogie Nights and Le Freak.  And to finish there was a Gloria Estefan Medley which was very Salsa friendly.  The outfits were very bright and vibrant but did look a bit like a car wash when they spun around.

This is an energetic and lively show with some amazing dance routines.  There is not a story or flow to the show but instead offers a variety of different dancing styles and a fantastic array of costumes.  If you love sparkly, glamour, elegance and everything that is Strictly, then you will love Keep Dancing. Its FAB-U-LOUS darling!!

Keep Dancing is at Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday 10 September 2016. 

4 stars.

Sunny Afternoon - Kinks Musical

The Kinks. I bet you can name one or two of their hits!  Well Sunny Afternoon is a brand new musical featuring the music of The Kinks and this show has really got me!

Read more of my review on 'About Milton Keynes' website. 

http://aboutmiltonkeynes.co.uk/review-sunny-afternoon-milton-keynes-theatre/