HERE are December's Reviewer of the Month entries:
Winner:
Squeeze @ Apollo
Wayne Shields
TWO words have haunted Squeeze throughout their 30 year career - kitchen sink.
These critic-penned words demonstrate their failings as purveyors of songs that only deal with minor, insignificant issues. The truth is that if songwriters Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook were playwrights or screenwriters they would be lauded as modern day geniuses; witness Jimmy McGovern’s 'The Street' - hailed as a contemporary work that reflects modern society through ordinary people.
Squeeze songs are about love, betrayal, domestic abuse, crime, drink, drugs, poverty and a whole lot more through the eyes of ordinary people. That is why nearly 4,000 people packed the Apollo to witness their heroes return.
For their part the band, newly reformed after an eight-year break, lived up to the expectation. They performed the majority of their well-known material interspersed with a range of lesser known oldies to keep the die-hards happy.
Thus we had lyricist Difford singing the irresistibly bouncy 'Cool For Cats' and the virtually unknown but nevertheless excellent 'Love Circles' in his deep, flat, rich voice.
However, it was tunesmith Tilbrook who shone brightest. His vocals and guitar playing were superb throughout the crowd pleasing 'Up The Junction', 'Labelled With Love' and 'Hourglass' but it was on the virtually unknown 'Walk Away' where his voice became truly outstanding.
It wasn’t the perfect return that the faithful following had hoped for as the bands performance was badly let down by the one dimensional, brick wall sound mix and some poor lighting.
However, the night was perfectly summed up during old favourite 'Is That Love?' when Glenn Tilbrook sang one of the best opening lines of all time “You’ve left my ring by the soap, now is that love?”
The crowd left the theatre satisfied with their ample dose of wonderful kitchen sink drama.
And the rest....
Take That @ M.E.N. Arena
Stephanie Martin
THERE are no words to express the excitement and the build up to a concert of a band you have loved for so many years!
I had been to see Take that with friends in Birmingham and was so sad when it all ended. My friend Nicola who lives near Manchester said she had a spare ticket for Take That and did I want it…. Did I ever! I arranged time off work and travel to Manchester and we had the time of our lives dancing and singing until we and the band could do no more.
Again on returning home I felt that pang of wanting more. I often wonder if they realise they are like a drug!
Nicola and I then spent one evening “just looking” at eBay and came across some amazing tickets, we discussed it and decided our limit and set about bidding. To our complete astonishment we won.
I was jumping around the room with excitement. Not only were they AMAZING seats but also for the last night which we knew would be fab.
The 23rd came in a flash and I made the journey again with excitement in every bone of my body! Off we went again to the M.E.N. when we arrived and found our seats I nearly died. The boys danced sung and chatted like it was their 1st night not the last of 49! I do not know where the energy comes from.
They interact with the crowds, play on our excitement and give a very memorable show. The highlight for me was being about 4 feet away from them when they performed on the “B” stage.
Jason Orange smiling and pointing at my poster, I was over joyed.
Take That and the M.E.N. have made my Christmas and my year so thank you!
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Dick Whittington @ The Lowry
David Chadwick
HAVING paid an arm and a leg for prime tickets as Christmas presents for my sister, along with our four children, imagine our horror when we arrived on Sunday to an empty Lowry.
My 18-year-old niece, taking one look, pointed out that the tickets were for Saturday... we had missed the performance.
Gutted, we threw ourselves at the mercy of the box office staff and, to our surprise and delight, were offered box seats!
This was way beyond the call of duty and we cannot thank the staff enough for making sure that my memory blip did not ruin the event.
Ushered into our seats part way through the first half, we quickly picked up the plot. As ever, The Lowry production follows all the rules of panto, with Darren Day's King Rat villan, Sarah the rather butch mother of daft Jack, along with the attractive hero Dick and heroine Alice, whose love is thwarted at every turn.
There are plenty of topical jokes, renditions of recent chart hits, sparkly costumes and 'he's behind you' moments.
By far the most entertaining was comedian John Bishop as the ship's captain, whose down to earth ability to work an audience meant his performance stood out.
However, other performances were of a good standard, with only a few jokes that fell flat.
Although my teenage sons, who had been dragged kicking and screaming, shrugged that the show was 'alright' , I had sat behind them and knew they had happily laughed along with the show.
Dick Whittington is traditional entertainment that can be enjoyed by all the family.
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Cherry Ghost @ The Ritz
Rob Green
IS there a better new band out there than Cherry Ghost?
That`s a tough question.
Is there anyone around who has both written and performed more outstanding songs in the space of just one year than main man Simon Aldred?
That`s much easier - the answer is almost certainly no!
Cherry Ghost at The Ritz came up with a true evening to remember with a tremendous set in which Simon Aldred`s remarkable talent and versatility was very much to the fore, to the delight of an enthusiastic and appreciative audience.
It was extraordinary to witness hundreds of people singing along to so many songs that they not could not possibly have known existed until just a few months ago. Mathematics, People Help The People, 4am, etc. , came and went and were shared as though we`d all known them for years.
Simon Aldred`s smoky baritone is unlike that of any performer around at the moment and his success is a perfect example of the fact that you don't just need a good voice to stand out from the crowd - you need a distinctive one. As the saying goes, you've either got it of you haven't. Simon Aldred has got it.
Of course, great credit must be given to Simon`s fine band of musicians. Cherry Ghost is not some X Factor boy band who have suddenly been catapulted to instant fame from nowhere.
Whilst they are clearly still young men, they have all worked for many years to hone their particular and now complimentary talents - and it shows.
The names of Ben Parsons (keyboards), Jim Rhodes (lead guitar), Phill Anderson (bass) and Grenville Harrop (drums) are all to be noted as Cherry Ghost continues its onward and upward climb to the stars.
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Patrick Wolf @ The Lowry
Lani Irving
MAGIC fills the air tonight. Glancing around the room, it’s amazing to see the diverse spectrum of people, from the over-excitable glittery teenage girls to the more collected senior members of the audience, with one thing in common – a love for Patrick Wolf’s unique and beautiful classically-influenced art-pop.
It’s a strange feeling, being seated amidst such suppressed excitement, impatiently anticipating an artist whose most upbeat songs would normally have audience members singing at the tops of their lungs and busting moves left, right and centre.
This atmosphere is something which is noticed by support act Lightspeed Champion (Dev Hynes), who remarks, “This is weird… It’s so civilised.”
The Champion then breezes through a charming set which seems to put a smile on every face in the theatre.
When the Wolf himself appears, to uproarious applause, somehow, at 6ft 4, he still gives the impression of a little boy lost on a big stage, but the power of his songs is immense.
Lacking a band and accompanied only by his choice of single instruments, these songs are still huge and are delivered with intense passion.
He steals the hearts of the audience with his enchanting eloquence, intelligence and humour. At times he seems slightly awkward, but this is an adorable awkwardness which serves to endear him further.
Once the stage is vacated, the wait for the encore drags on, but riotous applause continues throughout. Finally, he emerges - decorated with a myriad of glitter - and stands triumphantly on the piano stool. Seating himself, he leans towards the microphone, addressing Lightspeed Champion with an ironic reference to The Spice Girls, “Come on, Dev, let’s make the headlines, loud and true!”
As The Magic Position gloriously bursts out, filling the room, there is no doubt that they deserve exactly that.
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Scrooge @ Palace Theatre
Michael Nicholson
I AM not a fan of the musical genre, nor was I particularly interested in Shane Richie, I just took my kids to a Christmas show.
However after watching Messr Richie and cast perform this updated version of 'A Christmas Carol' I was blown away with the performances.
Mr Richie has proved himself to be an actor of the highest calibre with an exceptional performance as Scrooge, his all round talents of singing and dancing were also on display as he joined other cast members in some memorable routines.
The musical score was cleverley woven into the story and was both lively and upbeat which resulted in considerable handclapping from the audience.
The visual effects for a theatre production were well executed and timed to perfection resulting in plenty of gasps from the audience if not a few genuine jumps including my own!
Overall this was a delicious reworking of a timeless classic which was supported by a truly energetic and professional cast who served up a dish to remember.
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Ian Brown @ Manchester Central
Jacqui Christodoulou
FRIDAY, December 7 saw us waiting eagerly fro a night that would take us to see an icon of our misspent youth, Mr Ian Brown.
Older now, we considered the architecture of the refitted G-Mex which morphed into Manchester Central and as we entered the venue we marvelled maturely at the layout.
As we turned from purchasing conveniently placed beverages, Ian Brown, looking hardly older than his Stone Roses days, came on stage to a huge roar from the crowd. Newly infused with teenage bravado, we pushed our way through the crowd to a place where only die-hard fans would sing every word of every song, making up for the missed notes from Mr Brown himself.
As he strutted through his newer material, the crowd revved up to a crescendo as ‘I Am the Resurrection’ blasted out.
Looking around the arena, it was clear that this was a very emotional and life-defining moment for those of us who missed the Stone Roses playing live in their hey-day. Ian Brown and his band looked every bit as pleased as the audience as the song closed.
Following a short encore, a display of martial arts preceded an excellent ending to the show. ‘I Want To Be Adored’ and ‘FEAR’ were absolutely the right choice to resonate with an already appreciative audience.
What made this night so special? A combination of Ian Brown’s stage presence and the accuracy of the band already made for a spectacular evening. But Brown’s playful treatment of the crowd and his honest vocals confirmed his iconic status.
Brown’s promise to return to Manchester annually was feverously received by a crowd who savoured every minute of this extraordinary performance.
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Will Hambling
ANYONE who’s been to see Ian Brown live before knows what a hit and miss affair it can be.
'Sister Rose' was delivered with reasonable gusto but it all went downhill from there. Another new song followed; 'On Track'. It’s decent enough, but performed live it’s not exactly one to get the crowd going.
A couple of slow songs later and he started to delve into his back catalogue. 'Time Is My Everything' was received rapturously from the audience, so Brown promptly repaid them by getting his words wrong.
Rather than his singing being off key, it seemed like he just couldn’t be bothered. Whether it was because he was at the end of the tour or he’s just getting bored we’ll never know but it didn’t half show.
Andy Rourke came on and the crowd appreciated having another of Manchester’s sons on stage though and overlooked the fact that the bass seemed inaudible throughout.
There was a moment of respite from the drudgery. 'Longsight M13' was amazing, the highlight of the night.
The last song, a Roses classic, 'I Am The Resurrection' was played at double speed and seemed as though the whole band had had enough and were looking to get off stage and back onto the tour bus.
Back for the encore, Brown then paraded a few martial arts experts who performed kung-fu dancing to an instrumental instead of Ian bothering to sing.
A few songs later, the opening notes of 'Fool’s Gold' struck up. Delight ran through the crowd, only for it to be taken away from me by the lyrics from 'The World Is Yours' been sung over it.
£25 a ticket? The touts giving them away had the right idea.
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Marilyn Manson @ Manchester Central
Racheal Bloom
THERE'S not enough glamour in the world! Thursday night was an excuse to spend three hours getting ready, applying war paint and lace. Marilyn Manson was in town.
Manson was excellent, to use that all American expression he “rocked”. His voice was fantastic. The sound system at G-Mex was incredible, the set was a mix of old classics sprinkled with new tracks and I’m really surprised at how great a time we had.
The only smear on the horizon was the expletive deletive who threw a bottle that hit Rob Holliday the bass player. The band had to leave the stage to administer emergency first aid. To give credit 10 minutes later they came back. Thunderous, Manson bawled at the person and then proceeded to rock out the tunes even harder, from dizzying vantage points!
Getting there however was utterly surreal. I had decided to drive. Bad idea. Did someone move me to Wembley without mentioning it? It took 90 minutes to get across Manchester town. Why? Because Rihanna and her Umbrella were at the M.E.N on the same night as the Halle Orchestra were twiddling their trumpets and bows at the Bridgewater Hall and Manson’s black army was marching impervious to rain and traffic hell. Bumping into the bow-tied evening dressed Halle bunch in the same car was amusing even though they attempted to segregate the parking according to music taste.
A blistering gig by an awesome performer who has a truly original sound. And his image? Just don’t mention Alice Cooper!
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Kanye West @ M.E.N. Arena
Kaya Holder
RUMOURS circulated it wouldn’t happen, especially with the recent death of his mother and consequent breakdown on stage in Paris, but in a rare glimpse of professionalism by a major artist (take note Amy Winehouse) Kanye took to the stage, to a rapturous and welcoming crowd.
Opening the concert with a intergalactic landscape and star wars credits, the star takes to the stage like he’s never been away.
From the outset, the atmosphere is electric as he launches into tracks from his new album Graduation. His choice of costumes and new sound reflect his love for all things sci-fi, linked by the hook to Stronger throughout. From the Doctor who time travelling look complete with scarf, to the coat complete with flashing LED piano keys across the collar - Elton John would be proud.
Concept and costumes aside West proved he was here for the duration, and let the music do the talking. In fact, he has never been so good. From the globally successful Golddigger and All Falls Down, to lesser known tracks every song is performed with the usual Kanye swagger.
Highlights include Flashing lights, Spaceship and new single The Good Life. Undoubtedly the appearance by fellow Rocafella heavyweight Jay Z has to be commented on. Whether he was there as a fan or friend to Kanye, it was clear to see he is both. Encore, performed by Jay Z and produced by West definitely set the stage ablaze.
Showing his obvious heartache during the tribute song to his late mother Hey Mama he touched the audience, who appreciated the magnitude of what he had put aside to be there.
Stronger the closing track, defines the newly sombre and reflective West. Even when his mega confident façade showed intermitting glances of emotion, he truly set the stage alight.
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