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S Club 7 Bring it all Back Tour Live – Review

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Back in their hey day

There was a lot riding on S Club 7’s 2015 Bring it all Back reunion tour. A rather rusty and slack performance on Children in Need last year left the public all rather apprehensive on the reunion of the spectacular seven. “Can Jo no longer sing?” “I’m not sure Paul can get down on the floor anymore.” “Do they not have a stylist?” You get the drift. Still, there was an air of excitement and a consistent buzz on social media for weeks in the aftermath of S Club 7’s first performance as  a seven-piece in twelve long years. Since their break up in 2003, S Club 7 have long been affiliated with nostalgia. They were an integral part of many’s childhoods, more so than anything could be to children today. They had their own TV show(s), documentaries, albums, tours etc. They were huge. And rightly so. What they lacked in credibility they made up for in fun. Every song was a hit (usually co-written by pop genius Cathy Dennis) and guaranteed to leave a huge smile on your face (except the ballads which could admittedly result in the odd tear…) S Club 7 were all that was good about the 90’s and noughties. They were the soundtrack to people’s childhoods, a pure reflection of joy and elation. No wonder, then, that demand to see them was so high for their reunion tour.

Fans needn’t have been worried about that Children in Need performance. It was evident that much hard work and intense rehearsals had taken place prior to the tour. Dance routines were slick and polished, harmonies were tight (admittedly aided by a little pre-recorded playback) and most importantly lead-singer Jo O’Meara has DEFINITELY still got it. Critics were quick to comment upon her shaky and flat vocal performance during the CIN extravaganza which O’Meara dismissed as nerves. Over the course of the tour, she more than proved she’s still got her powerhouse vocal, the backbone of all S Club 7 recordings.

The show opened with pulsing techno beats, more smoke than a sauna and six dancers in fluorescent clothing ostentatiously bouncing around the stage. “This is not a drill”, an assertive voice resonated into each corner of the 02 arena. A countdown from seven to zero with clips of the S Club 7 from their heyday climaxed with each member rising one by one from the inner depths of the stage. “7” album track “Bring the House Down” was a brave choice to begin a reunion concert with, considering it was never a single release but it was a wise choice. A common favourite of fans with tonnes of energy, it truly got the party in swing. From then on in, the group powered through their hits with more gusto than an 80’s workout video, sending the audience wild. Aside from minor weight gain and a few wrinkles, it was like no time had passed. Tina still did her thing, Jon is still looking for romance, Paul could just about get down on the floor, okay, you get it. “S Club Party” sent a rapture through the entire arena whilst “You’re My Number One’ had a slight musical makeover which dragged it from the 90’s more into euro-pop territory. “Love Ain’t Gonna Wait for You” was accompanied by a highly polished dance routine which went down a treat.

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[Photo from Digital Spy].
Unfortunately, the show dangerously lost its focus for a while. Each member performed a solo number, an unnecessary move that to many, was an excuse to nip to the bar or have a quick loo break. Tina Barrett’s performance of ‘Stronger’ (an S Club 7 album track from ‘Sunshine’) would have been fine if she had been accompanied by the other six members. Hanna Spearitt lip-synched her way through Paula Abdul’s 1988 hit ‘Straight Up’ whilst Bradley McIntosh ‘DJ’ed’ a mixture of throwback S Club songs. They were far from bad performances, just rather baffling to fans. Other solos were more successful however. Paul Cattermole’s solo version of ‘Reach’ in which he accompanied himself with an acoustic guitar, began slightly apprehensively but soon won fans over and was a beautiful moment in the show. Jon Lee and Jo O’Meara, by far the strongest vocally in the group, performed old S Club 7 b-side ‘Hello Friend’. Their fantastic and incredibly underrated vocal abilities were really showcased and their voices blended effortlessly with each other. Rachel Stevens performed a mash-up of two of her massive solo hits – ‘Some Girls’ and ‘Sweet dreams my LA ex’, again, a welcome addition to the show. It does feel a little like the inclusion of all other members’ solos were squeezed in to justify Stevens’ solo segment, however. It’s most likely most S Club 7 fans would rather them have been replaced with other S Club material. There was a missed opportunity to perform “Show Me Your Colours”, an album track from ‘Sunshine’ and firm fan favourite. Even more disappointing when Stevens (soloist on the track) informed a fan it was originally on the setlist. Other material such as ‘Friday Night’, ‘Best Friend’, ‘Sunshine’, ‘Summertime Feeling’, ‘Let Me Sleep’ and ‘Gangsta Love’, the list of potential successes goes on.

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The white costumes are out which can only mean one song… Never Had a Dream Come True! [Fan photo from Twitter].
That said, the solos are hardly worth of a complaint. The hits were all there and the running order worked well too. Fans went wild for biggest hits ‘S Club Party’, ‘Reach’, ‘Don’t Stop Movin’ and ‘Bring it all back’ and each of these songs were performed with as much energy and charisma as the first time around.  The ballads were some of the finest moments of the show, however. Of course, these too were more saccharine than a tub of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream but it’s easy to forget quite how beautiful they were. “Two in a Million” has to be one of the greatest and most underrated cheesy-pop love songs ever. “Say Goodbye” only served as a painful reminder to the group’s break up and was surprisingly rather poignant, resulting in the group standing on-stage to regain their composure and take-in the atmosphere for a couple of minutes before ploughing on. “Have You Ever”, easily one of the group’s best songs in their catalogue was a stunning moment in the show where O’Meara really showcased her incredible voice and the group’s harmonies formed a gorgeous wall of sound. “Never Had a Dream Come True”, the penultimate song, was also gorgeous but was gladly followed by the more up-tempo and less intense “Don’t Stop Movin’ to close the show.

Perhaps the most refreshing element of the show was the group’s genuine appreciation to be there. Of course, money is always a significant factor in groups reforming but with S Club 7, it was evident that they were overwhelmed by the response of their ever-loyal fans and were having a whale of a time onstage. This created an even more vibrant energy and atmosphere. There was also a much-valued acknowledgement of the fact their fanbase are all adults now, demonstrated in each member’s statement in the tour programme and enjoyable cover of ‘Uptown Funk’.

The only real fault in the show aside from the bizarre solos was the lack of a live band. Considering their past shows always featured a live band to accompany them, it felt a bit slap-dash, a bit Eurovision/X Factor, a shame when the production in general was so well constructed. Despite this, the show provided an evening of nostalgia, a time capsule back to the late 90’s where all of us twenty-somethings could become primary school children again. And if that doesn’t brighten up your life for just a moment or two, nothing will.

Rating: 4/5.

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The last date of the tour involved the other six band members joining Paul onstage for his acoustic rendition of ‘Reach’. [Image from entasia.net].

Circa Waves – Young Chasers Album Review

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CW_YCA_SLEEVE-1024x1024Every now and then, the release of a new album affirms the UK’s continuing affection of the indie scene. Liverpool’s Circa Waves are the latest act to do just this with their début album ‘Young Chasers’. It’s fun, it’s uplifting and a great album, one which will no doubt be the sound blaring from many teenagers’ tinny, portable speakers at the park this summer. A throwback to the indie scene a decade ago, it’s influenced by Arctic Monkeys, Razorlight and the Libertines; an album of youth, enthralling love and boozy Friday nights. Whilst most of the album documents the vertiginous, infinite moments of adolescence, occasionally, frontman Kieran Shudall’s contemplations capture the transition from adolescence to adulthood, professing trepidations such as “I’m a little too young with not enough time”. Refreshingly, producer Dan Grech-Marguerat avoids frolicking around with computer generated sounds and instead focusses on the recording of the band itself, their two guitars, bass and drums.

Part of the album’s success lies in its length. ‘Young Chasers’ avoids being presumptuous and clocks in at forty minutes in length with many of the tracks being just two minutes long. This keeps the album succinct in nature and avoids becoming monotonous.

What ‘Young Chasers’ lacks in innovation, it makes up for in charm and charisma. It’s a fun, festival fuelled album and a very enjoyable listen.

Rating: 4/5.

“Young Chasers” is available now on Universal/Virgin EMI.

 

Take That ‘III’ – Album Review

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It’s safe to say 2014 has been an incredible roller-coaster for Take That. Allegations of tax avoidance scams, the loss of a band member, the release of one of the fastest selling albums of all time and Amazon’s most pre-ordered album in history; it’s safe to say it’s been up and down for Britain’s most loved man-band.

This week, it emerged latest single ‘These Days’ had become their twelfth UK Number One single and on Monday, their brand new album – their first as a three piece – ‘III’ was released. An insight into each track is provided below.

1) These Days

A piece of pop perfection, it’s easy to see why this Nile Rodgers/Chic-style track with funky guitar riffs, punchy percussion and tight harmonies has well and truly established itself as one of Take That’s finest records. It’s a song of optimism and it’s irresistibly catchy. Barlow, Donald and Owen’s voices are all audible and fused to provide rich layers of harmonies. A killer opener.

2) Let In the Sun

Take That do Calvin Harris. Except better. It begins gently with Barlow’s rich vocals drizzled with Donald’s falsetto, both melting effortlessly into a symphony of synthesiser before developing into an up-tempo dance track with elements of Take That’s signature sound. If all the synthesisers were removed and the thumping percussion, it could have slotted in perfectly on ‘The Circus’ album with its optimistic lyrics. It never quite takes the plunge into full dance-pop territory, however, there’s definitely some Mumford & Sons in there but it’s still a powerful, feel-good track, a stand-out from ‘III’.

3) If You Want It

A return to Greg Kurstin-infused-pop here and it works beautifully. It’s unmistakeably Take That – catchy, verging on entering cheesy territory and utterly irresistible. In-keeping with all tracks so far, it’s bold, buoyant and a great, great pop track. Tight harmonies too – Howard and Mark’s vocals are both crystal clear and give the track an extra dimension.

4) Lovelife

Barlow generously hands over lead-vocal duties to Mark Owen on this catchy number. Painting the image of a group of Frenchmen performing the track on street corner in Paris with an accordion, it’s a little unconventional and seemingly draws upon European dance-pop music as its foundation. It’s well written and catchy but not quite as congenial as the previous tracks and therefore the album becomes slightly off-kilter with the addition of ‘Lovelife’.

5) Portrait

Stuart Price is back, frolicking with synthesisers and computer-generated sounds again, not dissimilar to much of the material on ‘Progress’. It’s not as intense, however, the first minute or so is gentle and tentative, allowing the listener some much needed rest from the intensity of the first four tracks. Barow’s falsetto flutters over soft guitar strums and timorous synthesisers before Donald and Owen join the fold in the rousing Barber-shop-styled chorus. It is 100% in the same vein as The Circus’ ‘Hold Up A Light’ but with increased vigour. The barber shop refrain is utterly irresistible and the driving drum beat maintains the song’s momentum. Price’s production really glistens on this beautifully created and performed track. Another stand-out moment.

6) Higher Than Higher

The closest to a classic Take That ballad you’re going to get in the first half of ‘III’. Precarious percussion and jittery synthesisers open the track before it stabilizes into a steady marching beat. The song is largely carried by the effortlessly cool and rather insane R&B-styled production provided by little-known American duo Mattman & Robin. Barlow delivers perfect, tender vocals whilst Donald and Owen provide gorgeous harmonies, reverberating into the spaced-out, meticulously programmed percussion. Their repeated ‘higher, higher than higher’ harmonies in the final part of the song somewhat bizarrely but beautifully emulate an African choir. It’s one of many lovely touches which contributes to its success. It’s a song full of meaning, passion and it’s utterly beautiful. Quite possibly one of Take That’s best songs of their career.

7) I Like It

Take That go all Muse once more. It’s a return to the ‘Progress’ era and it’s absolutely bonkers. Imagine an amalgamation of ‘Shine’ and ‘Underground Machine’ and ‘I Like It’ is born. The synthesised bass, minimal instrumentation and buoyant percussion all contribute to the catchiness of the song and just when you think producer Stuart Price has exhausted all technical improvement tools, a mechanical middle-eight kicks in, in which Barlow’s vocals are lowered in pitch to create a robotic voice. A fun piece of pop.

8) Give You My Love

A song that could have easily slotted in on the ‘Everything Changes’ album, Barlow’s clearly been having a whale of a time frolicking around with his keyboards. This is the one time Thatters are able to enjoy Donald on lead vocals, a bizarre move when the loss of two band members surely presents the opportunity for more equal distribution of lead vocal duties. Still, Donald succeeds on this pure and simple fun track.

9) Freeze

Ice-like imagery, proficient production, slamming percussion and Barlow’s falsetto steer this song, resulting in a powerful 80’s-esque song. Likely to be one of a handful ballads written after Orange announced his intention to depart from the band, there is a sincerity in it’s lyrics. Personal, heartfelt and emotive.

10) Into The Wild

A dramatic and explosive moment, with tribal drums, Owen’s distinctive and intense vocals and a sing-song chorus, this is a powerful addition to ‘III’. Barlow, Donald and Owen have clearly taken great pleasure in imitating other bands on this album and ‘Into The Wild’ presents the opportunity for them to be The Killers. It’s an undoubtedly powerful song glimmering with brilliance.

11) Flaws

Ah, finally. A Barlow ballad! The chance of one of these appearing looked slimmer and slimmer by the song but here we are. ‘Flaws’ is a pretty, piano-based ballad which sounds like an out-take from Barlow’s ‘Since I Saw You Last’ album. In an attempt to capture the raw effect, it appears Barlow has positioned himself rather too closely to the microphone, resulting in distortion more than anything else. It’s well-written, although previous Take That ballads are far superior.

12) Get Ready For it

Another dramatic song in the same vein as ‘Freeze’ and ‘Into The Wild’. ‘Get Ready For It’ (rumoured to be the second single) is a pop-rock stomper that closes the standard version of the album perfectly. It’s powerful, euphoric and a complete stadium anthem.

13) Believe

‘Believe’ is an enjoyable piece of pop-rock, reminiscent of the material on Owen’s solo album ‘The Art of Doing Nothing’. It’s an enjoyable song with a big chorus but the boys made the right decision to leave this off the standard edition and put it on the deluxe instead.

14) Amazing

Take That do The Beatles! This couldn’t be any more different stylistically to the rest of the album and therefore it is understandable this has been demoted to a bonus track. It’s a gorgeous song nonetheless and it’s a shame this won’t take pride as a standard edition album track on a pop-rock Take That album. The harmonies are gorgeous, the instrumentation simplistic and the lyrics slushy. It’s unmistakeably Take That and very beautiful it is too.

15) Do it all for Love

A haunting closer to the deluxe version of the album. Mark Owen wails over guitar arpeggios and unmistakable Take That piano chords before the song climaxes into a dramatic power ballad. It’s a powerful, incredibly emotive track with a killer bridge. It’s reminiscent of ‘Nobody Else’ album closer ‘The Day After Tomorrow’ which Owen also performed lead vocals on.

Barlow perhaps put it best when he described ‘III’ as an amalgamation of Take That’s material from the second time around. As an album, it jumps around stylistically, therefore it lacks the cohesion of ‘Progress’. The choice of material on ‘III’ is far superior, however. The fusion of the ‘Beautiful World’, ‘The Circus’ and ‘Progress’ albums works wonderfully, amalgamating the sincere lyrical content with electro-pop and experimental instrumentation to create an incredible, roof-raising album.

Rating: 5/5.

‘III’ is available now on Polydor.

Congratulations, Gary Barlow.

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This is a post I’ve meant to write for the last week or so but you know how hectic life can get!

Two weeks ago, Gary Barlow released his first solo studio album in 14 long years. A lot has happened in that time for him, for each individual member of Take That and Take That itself. Promising solo careers faded far into the horizon, the underdog proved victorious and bitter rivalry resulted in long-term rifts and years of anonymity.

600px-Since_I_Saw_You_Last_Album_CoverWe all know the story, Gary’s debut solo effort ‘Open Road’, whilst not perhaps the album he initially intended it to be due to record label input, flew straight into Number One in the UK album charts. Three top 10 singles later (including two Number Ones) and it was decided Gary was well and truly on the right track. Fast forward two years and the dance track ‘Stronger’ was released which reached Number 16. Whilst a respectable chart position, it was the beginning of rocky time. ‘For All that You Want’ charted at a disappointing #24 and Gary’s follow up album ‘Twelve Months Eleven Days’ limped in at an unfair #35. A range of factors have been attributed to the lack of commercial success of Gary’s sophomore solo album; the press, promotional decisions, Robbie Williams. Whatever it was, there’s no denying that such a great album should have fared far better in the charts.

‘Twelve Months…’ was far from a bad album. It showed a high level of musicality and diversity. ‘Stronger’ was more dance-pop orientated, ‘Wondering’ disco-pop along side all of Gary’s classic Barlow ballads. ‘Lie To Me’, which would have been the third single from the album, was considered by critics as one of Barlow’s best compositions at the time and I can’t help but agree. A dramatic, beautiful song, it showed that Gary’s creativity was far from gone.

But the press turned against him. Robbie had turned against him. The public followed. Gary was dropped from his record label and faded into anonymity, facing his humiliation in private. He turned his back on music and gained a significant amount of weight, turning to food for comfort. After a period of depression, Gary turned his life around. He formed a successful career as a songwriter with his friend Elliot Kennedy and the pair spent a successful few years writing for many pop artists.

Then in 2005, Take That returned. I don’t think any of Take That could have anticipated the high demand and high public appreciation for them when they returned. It was supposed to be ‘one last tour’ and a documentary. This transformed into a brand new studio album, the perfect ‘Beautiful World’ which performed fantastically in the charts and much praise was aimed in Barlow’s direction for his songwriting. That isn’t to undermine the other members of Take That’s songwriting ability, however. They all have a key and fundamental role. It’s simply that Barlow is the ringleader, perhaps the member that gets the ball rolling musically. Take That’s success was rebuilt and two more studio albums followed including the reconciliation with Robbie Williams.

During Take That’s hiatus, solo careers began again. Robbie released his best studio album in years with the defiant ‘Take The Crown’. Mark released the criminally underrated ‘The Art of Doing Nothing’. After a successful string of UK tour dates, Gary decided to follow suit and ‘Since I Saw You Last’ was born.

I have to be honest, on my first listens to previews, I wasn’t convinced. My first listen to ‘Let Me Go’ disappointed me hugely. Why? Because it sounds extremely like Mumford and Sons who are one of very few bands that really aren’t my cup of tea! But some songs really caught me even in the previews and I pre-ordered the box-set which arrived around a month later. Not liking the previews didn’t concern me. The ‘Beautiful World’ previews left me underwhelmed. Now it’s my favourite album ever released by any artist.

I loved the album on my first complete listen and I have only grown to love it more with every listen. It’s a beautifully created album. It doesn’t attempt anything drastically different. There’s no experimentation with different genres but that doesn’t matter at all. Instead, we hear lots of guitar driven songs with a hint of folk music. ‘Requiem’ is an awesome opener reminiscent of The Beatles and following the formula of ‘Shine’ a little.

Songs such as ‘Let Me Go’, ‘Small Town Girls’ and ‘This House’ are very ‘Mumford and Sons’ orientated and are perhaps my least favourite songs on the album. I still think they’re great tracks, don’t get me wrong, they’re just not my cup of tea.

Then we reach my favourites. ‘Jump’ is an inspiring and beautiful composition written with Keane’s Tim Rice-Oxley. It’s interesting on this album how many songs borrow elements from Take That’s previous work. The middle eight uses a chord structure extremely similar to Take That’s ‘You’ from The Circus album. Similarly the incredible title track sounds a little like ‘How did it come to this’, also from The Circus. ‘Since I Saw You Last’ is a powerful, energetic song that’s bound to be an epic moment when performed live. You can tell it contains what Gary’s been longing to write for the last fourteen years – “For those who stood and watched, go f**k yourself”, he declares. It’s definitely a highlight of the album and arguably one of Gary Barlow’s best compositions.The repetition of “I know you heard” at the end of the song always hits me emotionally. ‘6th Avenue’ is a sweet song which is rhythmically simple to the sweeping, stunning ‘Like I Never Loved You at all’ from Take That’s Beautiful World album. That’s not to say that these songs rip off existing Take That songs – far from it. They just use a formula that Gary obviously knows works.

‘God’ is another highlight for me. With a haunting introduction and stunning piano runs, it’s an utterly enchanting song. Inquisitive, meaningful lyrics really make this track and it’s a beautiful moment on the album. ‘Face to Face’ is the catchiest song to hit the UK for months. With a little help from Elton John, this is an incredible song sure to stay in your mind for days to come. It’s great to see Gary writing with John Shanks again (responsible for co-writing and producing much of the Beautiful World and The Circus albums) and I really hope they team up again with the other members of Take That when they create Take That’s next album.

Then we reach more tender songs. ‘We Like to Love’ sounds like a hybrid of jazz/easy listening music and something Coldplay would release. It’s an absolutely beautiful song and it’s gorgeous to be able to hear Gary sing in his lower range again which I don’t feel we’ve heard properly since the title track from ‘The Circus’. Then we reach the heartbreaking ‘Dying Inside’. A raw, simplistic song which features just a piano, cello and Gary’s voice, it’s a haunting, gorgeous song. It’s obvious what this song is about, so much so it doesn’t need to be discussed. It’s hard to listen to but at the same time, it’s Gary at his best.

Two songs I also love are only featured on the deluxe version of the album. ‘Mr Everything’ features beautiful piano instrumentation and is just a great track. I particularly love the lyrical content on this one, especially “Ain’t life so cruel when you’re just not good enough?”. And finally, ‘Actress’. I believe Actress is one of Gary’s best songs ever. It’s remarkably catchy and the lyrical content is quirky but extremely clever. It’s just an incredible song.

I think it’s heartbreaking to read so many dismal press reviews of this album. Many called it ‘durgy’ and ‘boring’ but it’s far from that. It’s an honest, fantastically written album. Gary sticks to what he loves and does best – pop-rock songs and beautiful ballads. So what if it doesn’t push boundaries? So what if it doesn’t cause controversy? It’s been created lovingly and that’s perhaps the most important thing in music. Gary didn’t need to create this album. He created it because he felt he had something to give as a solo artist and because he WANTED to.

‘Since I Saw You Last’ reached an amazing Number Two position in the UK album charts on its release. Why am I so proud? For many reasons. It was a tough week in the album charts as Gary faced fierce competition from those such as One Direction (who were always undoubtedly going to reach the Number One spot). Also it takes a lot of guts to face the world as a solo artist again when things ended so sourly before. Jason Orange once said in an interview “Gary didn’t fail” (regarding his solo career). I couldn’t put it better myself. Gary didn’t fail the first time around, it was due to circumstances beyond his control. No matter how good his second album was, it was never going to be successful due to the press and public perceptions at that time.

I’m proud of Gary Barlow for having the guts to release another solo album. For getting back up from that dark place he was fourteen years ago. For creating such a beautiful piece of art. And for getting to Number Two in the album charts when it’s extremely difficult to do so in this day and age.

Proud member of the GB Army right here.