LISA-SKYE & NICK CADDAYE - GENTLEMEN'S AGREEMENT

Gentlemen's Agreement

Mayall Room, Tuxedo Cat
11pm til Sat Feb 27

Melbourne stand-ups/comedians Nick Caddaye and Lisa-Skye are an odd couple. I mean, they are not a 'couple', but they are indeed odd. This two person sketch comedy show has some great juxtaposition between straight laced order of grumpy Caddaye and fluro haired Anarchy explosion Lisa-Skye's boundless enthusiasm. There is a bit of light audience participation (nothing to worry about) and a great line-in really well prepared sketches and ones where the wheels could fall off at any moment. I'm loathe to break down the particulars of any sketch shows performance but a trip over the River Styx and the fine products of Gary Gazebo, were highlights for me. Both performers are from Melbourne were their reputations are huge. Lisa-Skye is fast building a loyal fan-base in Adelaide and Caddaye is so fantastically likable despite his 'gruff' personae that he is doing the same. There is only a couple more shows, so do yourself a favour.  

LATE NIGHT NUMBERS & LETTERS

Late Night Numbers & Letters

The Science Exchange (Exchange Place, Adelaide)

9:30pm til Sat Feb 27

The SBS TV show Numbers and Letters was much loved and clearly is still missed. Based on the UK show Countdown which is currently in it's 73rd season, it's a game show where people have to find words in collections of randomly selected letters and do maths equations with similarly random numbers while racing against the clock. It's the geek/nerds perfect game show. Now add comedians (and often alcohol) and you have Late Night Numbers & Letters. Returning for it's third year, Late Night has found an eager audience of dictionary challenging wordsmiths and calculating mathematicians. Hosted by lovable Melbourne curmudgeon, Nick Caddaye with guest comedian dictionary guardians and contestants each night, Late Night Numbers & Letters manages to stay close to the originals format and intent, while being utterly hilarious at the same time. Unlike the TV show there are actual prizes to be won. The Science Exchange is tucked away in Exchange Place in the city (enter from Pirie Street). 

GREG FLEET - THESE THINGS HAPPEN

Greg Fleet
These Things Happen
Rhino Room Beer Garden
7:30pm til Sunday Feb 28

There is something special about seeing Fleety at the Rhino Room. People may know that Rhino, Adelaide and the Adelaide Comedy Family has played an important role for Greg Fleet in the last few years. An environment that has helped him cope with his demons, be a safe and nurturing home base  at times and help spur a jag of creative output from an incredibly talented man. In the last couple of years Fleet has written and performed an award winning play (This is Not a Love Song), appeared in a great Zombie Movie (Me & My Mates Vs The Zombie Apocalypse), created a great TV show about the Australian comedy scene (Die Standing Up) and released an amazing memoir (These Things Happen) and continued to do great work as a stand-up comedian. The show tonight (which shares it's name with the book), in the intimate Rhino beer garden, is a great example of his masterful story telling.  Not afraid to tango with uncomfortable truths (of which he has many), Greg Fleet is a funny bugger and takes us on a bumpy roller coaster ride of vignettes from his life, observation and self examination. It's structure is more theatrical than straight stand up, there is much that is hilarious, but it works as a complete piece with the audience enraptured til it's completion when they erupt with heartfelt ovation. A sterling slice of masterful comedic work. Highly recommended.   

DARLENE LOVE

An Evening With Darlene Love

Festival Theatre

June 20 2014

One show only.

You never know who you will be sitting next to at an event like this. I suspect the gentleman sitting next to me doesn't get out of the house much. On the stage one of the greatest singers of all time is singing, my neighbour is asking me "How old do you think she is?",  "This is a great song isn't?" and most annoyingly of all "I've never heard of this one. Do you know it? I've never heard of it.". After a while he tires of me not answering and gets back to his other favourite in concert pass time, singing along. This, he is determined to do, despite not know the right words.

Darlene Love is one of the great voices that define the 1960's. As part of the Phil Spector Wall of Sound.  She was the voice of The Crystals, Bob B Soxx & The Blue Jeans and the Blossoms and has sung with everybody from Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley (she is even on the '68 Comeback special) to Cheech & Chong (seriously! She does backing vocals on Basketball Jones). She also played Danny Glovers wife in the Lethal Weapon movies. As a solo artist she had some success but most people are here for the evergreen sounds of the 60's.

An impressive ten piece band and four backing vocalists, provide a suitable lush backing for powerhouse vocals of Ms Love, who at 72 can still sing people a fraction of her age under the table. Her voice is rich, full, it's powerful, soulful...brassy. Amazing pipes, and great legs, damn! Pipes and pins. And tonight seems to whiz by between doing most of those Spector era songs she is known for and some medleys by friends like Marvin Gaye and Roberta Flack. There are some good stories about people she has worked with.

Last year Darlene Love featured strongly in the amazing 20 feet From Fame, which won the Academy Award for best documentary. Love was the one that accepted the award on the night and one of  tonight's highlights is her take on the Bill Withers classic Lean on Me.         

The Phil Spector stories don't really go into too much detail of his famous mistreatment of his artists, but just the way she refers to him as 'Mr Spec-tor', tells a story of it's own. "Over the years, with Mr Spec-tor......I learned not to hate him or dislike him. Because I have places to go and people to meet and he is not here with us. He has been put away for life.". Like some other music greats, it is sometimes difficult to separate their crimes from their creative output. Do the child abuse allegations against Michael Jackson make Billie Jean any less of a brilliant song? Does Wesley Snipes going to jail for tax evasion make me like the Blade movies any less? And does Phil Spectors terrible treatment of his performers and ultimately the murder of a women in his home, make Be My Baby or Da Doo Ron Ron any less epic, timeless classic songs? The answer is no, It makes me have to do a little compartmentalizing in my brain when I hear those songs, I can love the song and loath the actions of the man. Spector was always eccentric and there are countless tales of him doing seemingly oddball or dangerous things (listening to the opening chord of Rock'n'Roll High School for 14 hours in a row, waving guns at people) that go from a bit weird to downright sinister in the light of his conviction. As Darlene says, he was a genius. He did incredible things and certainly gave her a career, but the implication is she is more than happy to never see him again, and that he will end his days in a prison cell. So when she does He's A Rebel, it's all about the glory of that song. The strident dismissal of negative feelings towards a teenage girls affection for her no-good-nik hoodlum boyfriend. She knows he is a rebel. She knows he's never, ever going be any good. She knows he's never, ever going do what he should. She knows, that just because he doesn't do what everybody else does, is no impediment to delivering to the aforementioned rebel, all of her not inconsiderable love. It was a glorious anthem of rebellion and teenage love when it was released in 1962 and fifty years later is still a cracker.

She finishes with a song that should have been hers. She did the original demo of River Deep Mountain High, but Spector instead gave it to Tina Turner who turned it into it into a bona fide rock & soul classic. It's five decades later and it is clear that action still stings, Ms Love sings the heck out of it tonight and suddenly she is gone.

It was a brief show (just over an hour and no encore) and one suspects there are more songs to sing and stories to tell. I hope we have the opportunity for our paths to cross again.

Ian Bell

Setlist.

He's Sure the One I Love

Wait Til My Bobby Gets Home / Da Do Ron Ron

Today I Met The Boy I'm Gonna Marry

Marvin Gaye Medley : Ain't That Peculiar / You're All I Need to Get By / Ain't No           Mountain High Enough / What's Going On?

Roberta Flack Medley : Killing Me Softly / .....
A Fine, Fine Boy

Lean On Me

He's A Rebel

River Deep Mountain High

DAN FINNERTY & THE DAN BAND

DAN FINNERTY & THE DAN BAND

Dirty Men Sing Songs of Strong Women

Friday June 19

Festival Theatre

One Show Only

Dan Finnerty is married to Kathy Nijimy who was one of the big draws of this years festival. Their shows were pretty different.

After appearance in the movies The Hangover and Old School, The Dan Band have become cult favourites.
They are rude.
Sometimes filthy.
Offensive.
It says so right there in the Cabaret Festival guide. So I am surprised by some of the walkouts. Let's make it pretty clear, The Dan Band is a one joke act. However it is a pretty good joke. Men singing songs by women, not changing the gender of the lyrics, leads to some funny things.

It's a bit wrong.

It's a bit misogynistic.

But it is very funny.

They arrive on stage to the Wonder Woman theme and S&M by Rihanna. And before too long they are smashing through a breakneck Abba Medley. Then there's a Salt'n'Pepa medley, so you see where we are going with this. Some of the best 'wrong town' moments are the interactions with the audience.

Dan "Hey Shelley were you C or V? C-Section or vaginal? It's important."
Shelley "Who cares?"
Dan "Your mom cared!"
Shelley "Maybe she died!"
Dan "HAPPY CABARET FESTIVAL EVERYBODY".
 

Then they do a speeded up version of the disco hit Ring My Bell (complete bell ringing solo). When they do Shakira's Whenever Whenever Dan gets to sing the line "My breasts are small and humble", it's silly, it's a bit wrong, it's really funny.

Dan sings the songs and his two man 'band' is made up of two middle aged bespectacled guys who look like they should be work in the resources department of your office. They provide backing vocals sure, but it is their utterly hilarious choreography that is often the star of the show. They hula hoop, flounce, do hand stands, dance and all the time looking incongruous, like they shouldn't be there, but you are glad they are.

During the set there are songs by Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, TLC.

When they do Wilson Phillips Hold On it is a highlight and people go crazy, but it's nothing to the reaction for Bonnie Tyler's epic Total Eclipse of The Heart. Because folk be going loco for that one. There are a couple of false encores including a fully choreographed Single Ladies with Lady Bey on the screen behind them. Extremely funny.

The show stopper was Pink's Glitter in the Air complete with some of the dodgiest 'rope' work you'll ever see, hysterical, unco, brilliant.

As I said, kind of one joke band, but it's a great joke.

Ian Bell. 

HAIL TO THE KING Adelaide Cabaret Festival June 19-21 2014

HAIL TO THE KING

June 19 - 21

Space Theatre

In a strange bit of programming for me tonight I see Hail To The King, four women singing Elvis Presley songs and then go directly to The Dan Band three men singing hits made famous by women. Take that gender stereotypes!

Hail to the King, is a straightforward idea, girls singing songs by one of the manliest men in music history. Not impersonations exactly, but personalized homages. Each singer does a solo set with some duets and cross overs. Stella Angelico is up first and enters the stage in a cape and sequinned jump suit with hot pants affair, that we can be grateful the King never favoured himself. She starts with Fever, the Peggy Lee classic (Elvis does do my absolute favourite version of this song) and then it soon become apparent that this wouldn't just be a greatest hits collection. Angelico delvers all these numbers with a shimmy and an Amy Winehouse twang. There are certainly classic Elvis Hits, but the selection of 'road less travelled' Presley songs like Big Hunk o'Love and Too Much, immediately impresses and gives this show a point of difference above the obvious. I am especially impressed with the inclusion of Devil in Disguise, the song I made my public performing debut with, lip syncing it at a Sunday School concert in a crepe paper cape with a gold crown on the back and cellophane stuck to my black national health glasses when I was 9 years old. A duet with Mojo Juju on the excellent Crawfish from King Creole is a sterling cross over. Mojo is wearing a pink and black jacket and is evoking the early Elvis. Heartbreak Hotel, Love Me, Hound Dog and Blue Moon all delivered with Presley-esque quiver and sexuality. Local girl Simone Page-Jones takes the stage in a black vinyl jumpsuit and her mums knee high boots and playful energy. She starts with Animal Instinct, a pretty obscure song from the movie Harem Scarum and follows that with another soundtrack song, the smouldering All That I Am from Spinout. It's Over and a raucous Baby Let's Play House are excellent. Special mention of the band must be made here. A tight little combo to be sure but the wild and authentic 'licks' from guitar player Felix Pattier are splendid. Simone introduces the fourth and finale lady to the stage and it is a genuine surprise that it is Christa Hughes. Ex-Machine Gun Fellatio, Cab Fest regular and welcome last minute addition to this line up. Wearing a full body gold lame jumpsuit that I imagine she just had in her hand luggage 'just in case', she rips up Viva Las Vegas, with Page-Jones before a cracking Trouble (also from King Creole). In fact all but one of the Hughes songs are from Elvis movies Little Egypt (Roustabout), Edge of Reality and A Little Less Conversation (both from Live a Little Love a Little). The non-movie song Long Black Limousine. Hughes has a loud and infectious on stage personae she is clearly the most comfortable performer on the stage. Her voice is bold and brassy but there are some liberties taken with the lyrics (I say liberties, but they may just been mistakes), but in the spirit such a fun show, this is a minor and forgivable detail. Everybody is back for the rip roaring finale of Suspicious Minds.

It's a fun show and there are late shows this Friday and Saturday night at 10pm.

Ian Bell        

VANDEMONIAN LAGS Adelaide Cabaret Festival 18 June 2014

VANDEMONIAN LAGS

Festival Theatre
18 June 2014 (One night only)

Cabaret! The word conjures images of feather boas, cocktail glasses, slightly risqué content, Broadway and razzle dazzle. When looking through the Cabaret Festival guide this show, looked, well it didn't look very cabaret-ish. A collection of songs about petty criminals being transported to Tasmania as convicts in the 1800's? Sounds a bit...depressing. But wait a minute. These songs are written by former Weddings Parties Anything head honcho Mick Thomas and the cast includes Brian Nancurvis (Rockwiz), Darren Hanlon, Aussie blues legend Jeff Lang, You Am I front man Tim Rogers  and a stellar cast of other singers and musicians.

It is a half full Festival theatre this evening which is a damnable shame, because Vandemonian Lags is an amazing piece of work. Yes the content isn't always cheery (mostly un-cheery in actual fact), but all of the songs have incredible emotional impact. There is a connectivity, a sense of 'there but for the grace of God go I', a spirit of humanity and even hope, that is both melancholy and rare.

Nancurvis and Rogers mostly take roles as narrators in guises as upper class gentlemen or easily offended judges casting people to transportation to the colonies for stealing or larceny. Both are exceptional in these linking roles, and Rogers is such a natural in his various characterizations I wonder if we will be seeing him in Pirates of Penzance before too long. The 17 stories told see each 'convict' tell their sorry tale about how they come to being shipped off to Tasmania, considered the 'prison with no walls', or how they survived. Tales of love and loss, desperation, injustice and redemption. The songs range from sad laments, jaunty folk shanties to some rip roaring rock and roll.

Without going through each song and it's back story, they are mostly true stories and when the Lags was premiered in Tasmania last year, several descendants from the subjects of these songs were on hand to hear them. Favourites for me were the almost square dance jig of Martha Hayes, Van Diemans Land by Lang, and Jane Gilligan On The Town and an amazing The Book Thief. Special mention has to be made of Tim Rogers raucous take on a story of prostitutes being run out of the Launceston medical facility, the hilariously titled Sex Hospital. But the shining star in the programme is also the most hopeful story. After being transported for poaching and serving 20 years, Samuel tried his hand at prospecting and quickly hit it rich and returned to the UK bought the manner he formerly worked for and was reunited with his wife after two decades. The Wildest Dreams of Samuel is utterly beautiful, sad and glorious and the most hopeful tale in this programme. 

Mick Thomas has created a remarkable piece of work here. It is an powerful emotional journey, with fantastic songs and very strong performances. These are songs and performances that will have a resonance long after the curtain closes. I believe this to be a work that will have a long life and I can see it performed by an ever changing cast long into the future.

Ian Bell

COLIN HAY Adelaide Cabaret Festival 13 June 2014

COLIN HAY

Dunstan Playhouse

June 13-15

Colin Hay walks onto the stage to an instrumental version of Down Under. "That is my favourite version of that song, The South Australia Primary Schools Orchestra.". We are all on side immediately, before he's even played a note. He picks up a guitar and starts to play Wayfaring Sons. "My name is Colin Hay and I was born in a town on the south west coast of Scotland." and proceeds to tell a lovely story about his family's move to Australia, and when he gets the sentence "We arrived on the 13th of June 1967, 47 years ago to the day" everybody loves him, and he has not even started to sing.

When a band has the kind of mega-success that Men At Work had in the early 1980's it easy for them to be relegated to the musical junk bonds of 'one-hit wonder'. The reason that band and those songs were such a huge success the world over was there was more to them than Down Under. They had a great sound, fantastic songs (mostly penned by Hay) and at their peak Men at Work's debut album was number one on the US Billboard charts for FIFTEEN weeks. Think about that for a minute. Who has a number one album for three and a half months any more? That kind of fame is still fleeting though and Hay's excellent Cabaret Festival show is peppered with hilarious, well-told anecdotes about the highs and lows of being mistaken for the guy from A Flock of Seagulls, or people thinking your big hit was Turning Japanese. The stories are fantastic, like a self-deprecating stand up show, and punctuated by excellent songs. Who Can It Be Now has a lovely sing-a-long part for us to join in on, and the audience response is deafening. Beautiful World from his 2002 Company of Strangers album, is a wonderful song about simple pleasures of life, preceded by a hysterical story about shark attacks. That combo really sums up this show in many respects.

"Sometimes people still shout out 'play Down Under', and I always think '@#$% me I never thought of that, good idea pal'". He tells a quite long and laugh-filled story to introduce his biggest hit and the only mention of the controversial copyright case is right before he starts to sing: "Here's a song we wrote, no matter what you might read". As 'one hit wonder' or 'novelty' songs go, Down Under is still head and shoulders above the crowd. It is a celebration, it name checks Kombi's, vegemite sandwiches, the land of plenty and you have heard it a million times, but it still holds up as a solid timeless classic song.

While the iconic songs are the obvious crowd favourites, it's on lesser known gems like There's Water Over You and the as-yet unreleased Scattered In The Sand, that you see the true talent of the man. Hay's voice is rich and emotive, his guitar playing beautiful. When he introduces I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You, a heartbreaking tale of lost love, he can't resist pulling the rug out of his own song's emotional weight. "But you do though, get over people. One day you wake up and think, actually I feel pretty good".

Waiting For My Real life To Begin seems to be a pivotal song for Mr Hay. Not only about waiting for the highlife to come back to you, but the realization that waiting til the time is right is a false economy. The time to do things, any things, is now. This is your real life. Right here and right now. And tonight in this place Colin Hay is one of the great joys of our real lives.

He finishes with a great with an exhilarating version of Men At Work's Overkill (covered so brilliantly by Perfect Tripod only days earlier in their Cabaret festival show) and the beautiful A Simple Song.

Songwriter, singer, funny man, raconteur - Colin Hay was an exceptional inclusion to this festival. He has two remaining shows this weekend. Consider yourself recommended to go.

Ian Bell

Setlist      

Wayfaring Sons
Who Can It Be

Beautiful World
Down Under

There's Water Over You

Scattered In The Sand (unreleased)

I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You

Waiting For My Real Life To Begin

Overkill
A Simple Song

PERFECT TRIPOD, June 9 2014

PERFECT TRIPOD

Festival Theatre

9 June, one show only

It looked like it might be a bit too, y'know, serious, this meeting of two of Australia's greatest musical comedy acts. Tripod have been together for almost two decades and have been combining laser precision comedy, tight musical skills and mad harmonies for that entire time. Eddie Perfect has been together for ages too and through his shows like Shane Warne The Musical has demonstrated his own impressive vocal range. Combined together they complement and enhance each other and bring an incredible range and texture to their music. They had done a song together on the Tripod Christmas CD a few years ago and after another collaboration on Meet Me In The Middle of the Air for a project of cabaret artists doing Paul Kelly songs, started to hatch idea of a show that showcased their combined and considerable vocal talents. This is that show, Australian Songs.

I once saw an acapella outfit called The Nylons who, when asked what acapella meant replied, "It's Italian for how to save money on the band". There is something utterly fantastic about people making beautiful music with nothing but the sound of human voices. All cultures sing. Massed singing is a major part of most religions and tonight is almost a religious experience. I love doo-wop, I love acapella, I will even admit to having a soft spot for American Collegiate Choirs. It can be horrendous, cheesy and embarrassing, but when acapella is good it is heavenly. And make no mistake, heaven is exactly where Perfect Tripod is taking the close-to-sold-out Festival Theatre tonight.

They enter the stage and launch into Waltzing Matilda which then segues into Gotye's Heart's a Mess. And right from the start it's remarkable. Perfect's subsonic baritone gives the arrangements a deep and rich bottom end, and leaves The Podsters to do all the mids and highs. They mention early on that one review described this show as "Tripod with balls"; fair call. The song selection is genius. Yes, there are songs by Australian Crawl, Men at Work, The Bee Gees and (as Gatesy is keen to flag early in the show) Little River Band, but they have mostly not gone for obvious choices. So when they do Oz Crawl, they choose Errol over Beautiful People or Boys Light Up. It's followed up by Men At Work's Overkill, not their biggest hit, but a fantastic song nonetheless and a smashing arrangement.

Anybody worried about there not being enough 'funny' in the show was soon relieved at the between-song banter and in-song visual gags, changed lyrics, and hilarious choreography. Silverchair's Straight Lines, was written by Daniel Johns, we are reminded during the song in four part harmony. Kylie's Better The Devil You Know is reconfigured as a doo-wop number and Lanie Lane's Oh Well That's What You Get Falling in Love With a Cowboy is a highlight, with Perfect in a cowboy hat grinding suggestively at people in the front row. While introducing the heartbreakingly beautiful Claire Bowditch song The One, Yon says "Just because you are in a relationship, married or whatever, doesn't mean that one day you won't see somebody in a bar that you could totally go to town on. This song is about that". It's a gorgeous song about meeting somebody you know you could, but you know you can't.

Perfect then takes lead on Tripod's fantastic original The Blueprint and then Tripod take the driver's seat of a Perfect original, What Are You Going To Do To Me Next. Which brings us to Gatesys LRB number. Reminiscing is one of the most played songs in radio history, and the song Frank Sinatra called the most romantic song ever written. However, I suspect the version Frank heard wasn't peppered with the backing vocalists working in the phrase 'shut up' all the way through it.

Some of these songs are not on the CD for sale in the foyer afterwards (along with tea towels and stubbie holders), which leads one to be hopeful that Perfect Tripod maybe an on-going, if occasional, project in its own right. The Reels Quasimodo's Dream is a case in point, and as a fan of Dave Mason's work for several decades this is a 'reel' highpoint for me. It's magnificent. The Bee Gees How Deep is Your Love lets the Podsters go all falsetto on us before they break out the National anthem. Their version of You're The Voice is hilarious. Replacing big chunks of the musical backing with them singing "Johnny Farnham, Johnny Farnham" has everybody howling with laughter and yet they it hold together musically all the way through.

http://youtu.be/RAIG4Dy-3Ww

They return for Meet You In The Middle of the Air, which is incredible. You could hear a pin drop as the entire auditorium is enraptured with the dizzying beauty of the song and this astounding performance. The applause is deafening. They finish up by getting the audience to join in with three-part harmony on Archie Roach's Little By Little and remarkably it works really well. The standing ovation is richly deserved.       

Turns out to make a perfect tripod, you need eight legs.

Ian Bell

THE BOSWELL PROJECT - Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2014

The Boswell Project

Ballroom, Festival Theatre

June 8 & 9 only.

There are not masses of local acts in this years Cabaret Festival, but this one, is amazing. In the 1930's three musical sisters from New Orleans, created a unique form of three part close harmony jazz. They did their own arrangements, organized their own tour, traveled without chaperons, worked and influenced many people who are legends who legends 80 years later, so how come you've never heard of them?

The Boswell Project featuring the substantial talents of Louise Messenger, Kylie Ferreira and Valeska Laity as well as a crack combo of five of Adelaide finest jazz musicians, do an amazing job of recreating this unique sound and breath new life into the Boswell's music and story. Most people have heard of The Andrews Sisters, well they got their start as a Boswell cover band. Ella Fitzgerald's idol was Connie Boswell. But in the 1930's there was no TV, limited radio and so forth, so it was a lot harder to reach a mass audience. So unless you have hunting for them they have fallen through the cracks of musical history to some degree, and it looked like they were doomed to be forgotten.

Well not if these three plucky gals from Adelaide have anything to say about it. This show is put together with a lot of love, attention to detail and good humour. The vocals are nothing short of heavenly, the band is impeccable and the banter between songs is informative and often hilarious. There are unique versions of songs you should know already (It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't Got That Swing) and songs you really ought to (Coffee in The Morning and Kisses in the Night). There is some great shtick, special guests and some mean nose trumpet (trust me).

The reception is enthusiastic and by the shows conclusion thunderous.

They have been invited to perform in New Orleans at a Boswell themed event later in the year and are running a Pozible fundraising campaign to get them there. Details can be found at

http://www.pozible.com/project/181856

 www.theboswellproject.com

Terrific show and one that the performers and Adelaide should be extremely proud of.

Ian Bell.     

NAKED GIRLS READING (In the Garden).

NAKED GIRLS READING IN THE GARDEN

10:45pm Campanie

Garden of Unearthly Delights

Well here is a show that does exactly what it says on the box.

Four attractive and completely nude women sit on a chez lounge and read bits of books to us for an hour. The ladies in the undressed state are all obviously very comfortable being sans clothes in front of people (most are burlesque performers and so forth) and are clearly enjoying the juxtaposition of ideas at play here. On one level it's quite funny. There are nude ladies, they are reading books. Sections of the (mostly male) audience seem a little confused. As if the title of the show being so literal, has bamboozled them. A few late comers come in snickering and are soon glancing at each other seeming to say 'are they just going to read?'. People further back are having a little trouble seeing the nakedness and there is all manner of subtle (and unsubtle) head shifting in order to see the various nakedness on display.

The girls themselves Frankie Valentine, Vesper White, Strawberry Siren and Emma May, look like they are having a ball. Valentine and Vesper are the regulars and the rest of the couch is a changing line-up. The theme of the readings changes each show and we have wisely picked the theme of  'The Rude Bits'. The first literary masterpiece to be read tonight - Gene Simmons, Kiss & Make Up. It's a passage I remember well in which Mr Simmons tells the story of finding a new use for his famously long tongue. It's a pretty icky piece of rock star self myth building but when read out loud by a naked girl, surprisingly funny. Next is a piece by Anne Rice, well known saucy vampire writing person and an excerpt from Tipping The Velvet by Sarah Waters. The stories range from the Marquis De Sade to...well I'll get to that in a minute, but each is read in an amusing salacious tone, that has the other naked girls, laughing like schoolgirls finding rude words in the dictionary. I have two favourite reads tonight. One is a piece about legendary sex therapist/performance artist Annie Sprinkle. A one time Adelaide Fringe guest herself Ms Sprinkle had a unique finale to her show which is described (but not reconstructed) this evening with enthusiasm and good humour. Yes there are bad words, but if you are worried about bad language why would you be going to a show called Naked Women Reading in the first place.

My favourite tonight though, is Harry Potter. Yep a naked girl reading JK Rawlings story of the gifted wizard Harry Potter. It's from The Goblet of Fire and the chapter is The Weighing of the Wands.
"Hmm…" he said. He twirled the wand between his long fingers like a baton and it emitted a number of pink and gold sparks. Then he held it close to his eyes and examined it carefully. "Yes," he said quietly, "nine and a half inches… inflexible… rosewood… and containing… dear me…" … "Mr Ollivander ran his fingers along the wand, apparently checking for scratches or bumps… 

Yes it makes the pre-Triwizzard tournament preparation sound FILTHY. It's childish, puerile and pretty bloomin' funny. Especially as all the naked ladies on the couch are jiggling with laughter. The longer the piece goes on the funnier it becomes.

"Rather thicker than one usually sees… quite rigid… ten and a quarter inches… Avis!" The hornbeam wand let off a blast like a gun…"

This late night show in the Garden has a tag line of  'You can't have literature without T & A' and there is plenty of all three.  

Titillation? Titty alliteration? Clitariture? It's an interesting night. There are shows right through til the end of the Fringe, I'm going to try and get back for the one that has the theme 'Smut'. See you there!

Ian Bell.

IT'S FRINGE TIME AGAIN

Hi There,

I've been somewhat remiss in keeping this pet project up to my usual exhaustive pace this year, but I have an eleven month old daughter in the house so my annual craziness of going to see four shows a night during the Festival Season is a much more moderate mode this year. That said, I've been going to some things (as should you be) and I'll attempt to get these reviews up quickly as well as some recommendations for the second two weeks of Fringe and the Adelaide Festival.

Have a great Festival Season everybody!

xxx Ian

ADELAIDE FRINGE 2013 RECOMMENDATIONS AND HEADS UPS

Well kids - it's here again. The reason I started this blog in the first place. Adelaide Fringe. Freaky February and Mad March. Four weeks, where unlike other more sensible cities all over the world, Adelaide decides to stage every comedy, burlesque, arts, film, writers, car race and cultural festival, ALL AT THE SAME TIME. I sometimes wonder what was going on in the brain of whoever was in charge of that decision. let's fill the city up with lovely people who are interested in art, culture, humour, wit and put them in exactly place and time as tens of thousands of people who want to drink beer and watch cars go round.

I started this blog to collect my reviews of Fringe shows and to make recommend things that you should consider getting along to see. And this is my pre-Fringe suggestion list. It's pretty epic. But so are you and you deserve it.

I'm going to break this up into sections.

COMEDY

This years Fringe is missing some of the comedy acts that have become my favourite regular visitors for fringe, so this year there is no Felicity Ward, Axis of Awesome, Dead Cat Bounce, etc but we are not left wanting with masses of top notch comedy heading our way, with not only international and national acts appearing, but one of the most exciting line-up's of home grown shows in years.

ANDREW McCLELLAND feat DJ IAN BELL

HANG THE DJ

The Deluxe , Garden of Unearthly Delights

Mar 8 & 9, 15 & 16

Okay I admit, recommending my own show first may seem a little...forward. But there is a lot of shows for you to read about in this post and I'd hate for you to lose interest before I suggest you come to ours. HANG THE DJ is a late night comedy show about music, DJ's and DJing. You are in good hands with myself and Melbourne's Andy McClelland AND then it turns into an funtastic dance party til extremely late. Last two Friday and Saturday nights. Thanks for your indulgence.

ADELAIDE COMEDY 360 GALA

Arkaba - MON FEB 18 7:30pm

Debuted at last years Fringe the Adelaide Comedy 360 Gala was a massive success. Essentially a taster plate for some of the best acts in the Fringe and a great way to get an idea of show's you'd like to see. The format is unusual as the stage is in the centre of the room with audience on all sides. Acts announced on www.adelaidecomedy.com very soon.

ADELAIDECOMEDY.COM INAUGURAL ROAST : GREG FLEET

ARKABA

Mon Feb 25

Greg Fleet loves Adelaide. Adelaide loves Fleety. This may well all change after Mr Fleet is popped on the comedy rotisserie and given a flaming by a gathering of top comedians. Another first for Adelaide Comedy.

JAMES McCANN

NUNOPOLY : HOW TO PLAY WINNING MONOPOLY & LIVE A FORFILLING LIFE IN CHRIST

Rhino Room - Beer Garden

Mar 5 - Mar 16

There is a position vacant in the Vatican and there are many people making suggestion for who would be a good decision for the top papal gig. I think it's time for a woman. Or at least a male comedian dressed as a nun to be Pope. One who knows how to win at Monopoly. James McCann is the nun for the job.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E6Pq-O0zfY

ANGUS HODGE

ANGUS HODGE HAS PENT UP REGRESSION

The Runt - Gluttony

Feb 15 - Mar 1

I saw an early preview of this show and it's pretty damn good. Young Master Hodge has developed into a sterling stand-up and this show has some crackers!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0CYHJLd3QU

CHRIS KNIGHT

FUNCOMFORTABLE

The Runt - Gluttony

Mar 2 - Mar 17

He is a strange fellow this Chris Knight chap whose full and manly beard can sometimes make him look like a Xmas tree decoration of Santa. His brain and his humour weave a hypnotic, sometimes confusing, but extremely rewarding path paved with comedy gold. 

LORI BELL

A GOOD RED

Crown & Anchor

Feb 25 - Mar 2

She's a legend. She wins awards for doing this stuff. She's my favourite lesbian. Five shows only.

RUBY WAX

OUT OF HER MIND

The Deluxe- Garden of Unearthly Delights

Mar 5 - Mar 17

Ruby Wax is American but was part of the 'New Wave' of alternative comedy in 1980's UK. She has made great TV, appeared in movies, been a stand-up forever and this is her first tour of Australia.

WOLF CREEK THE MUSICAL

FORMAT

Mar 4 - Mar 17

There has been several previews of this show and I missed every single one of them. At one of these previews the guy who made the real Wolf Creek movie secretly turned up and gave them his nod of approval. Great cast, great idea - I will see this.

DAVID QUIRK

SHAKING HANDS WITH DANGER

Rhino Room - The Howling Owl

It's no secret that I am a big fan of David Quirk's work. He goes to some seriously dark corners of comedy but it's always worth the journey. In the guide it says 'a good show by a bad person'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1LK68AS3Qo

DAVE CAMPBELL

BIPOLAR BEAR

Rhino Room Beer garden

Feb 16 - Mar 2

He dresses like Slash with ADD and he is a bit of an oddball, but in the best way possible. One of the stalwarts of Adelaide Comedy who keeps getting better and better.

GEORGIE CARROLL

NURSE CASE SCENARIO

The Maid (Stepney)

Feb 15 - Feb 28

With good reason Georgie Carroll was the recent winner of Adelaide Comedian of the Year and a national finalist in Raw last year. Her natural stage presence, A1 material and impeccable timing has fast made her one of the most loved stand-up's in Adelaide. She is a nurse so if anybody dies laughing she'll be able to revive them without too much trouble.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkaCV8qY4Aw

FRISKY & MANNISH

The Deluxe - The Garden of Unearthly Delights

EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Feb 15 - Mar 17

Frisky & Mannish are like a two person comedic Scissor Sisters. It's glitz and glamour and mad humour, pop music parodies and buckets of fun. Totally pumped to be sharing a venue with these guys.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-15C5WkWOc

DUNGEON CRAWL

Gluttony - Pig Tales

I can't begin to tell you how excited I am that Dungeon Crawl is coming to Adelaide. It's a monthly event in Melbourne that see a cast of comedians improvise their way through a Dungeons & Dragons style story, but always with a twist. Sometimes it's a musical, sometime Star Wars themed. The brain child of excellent Melbourne folks Ben and Richard McKenzie Dungeon Crawl will quickly be a word of mouth smash. Consider this your heads up!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7MFJClhl7U

LINDSAY WEBB

CHITTY CHATTY BULLSHIT

Rhino Room - Howling Owl

Mar 5 - Mar 16

The hardest working man in Ho Ho Business returns to his adoptive second home. Webb is the consummate stand-up. Lightning quick wit, smart, delightful stage presence, great material, great face that can deliver a punch line with the rise of a solo eyebrow. Lindsay always pulls a big crowd in Adelaide and is a firm Fringe Festival - book early. Mr Webb is also hosting Adelaide Comedies Sunday Sessions at the Marion each Sunday afternoon.

GOLDEN PHUNG

GOLDEN PHUNG SELL OUT

Harrys Bar

Feb 20 - Mar 16

Fantastic collection of local talent doing live sketch comedy - It's fast and furious and fucking funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUL0XbXH_wc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TYFWCAHC9Q

EUROWISION ADELAIDE 2013

Gluttony - Pig Tales

Mar 9 ONLY

It breaks my heart to know I am going to miss this years EUROWISION as it clashes with my own show. Comedians from around the world come together to battle it out for the title, complete with crazy European-ish hosts. Last year was fantastic.

DEANNE SMITH

LETS DO THIS

Tuxedo Cat - Cat Bowl

Laser precision comedy from a smart cookie. She's Canadian. They are like us except they have more Mooses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvP3JuiYKHo

GORDON SOUTHERN

THE KERFUFFLE

Rhino Room - Howling Owl

Feb 15 - Mar 2

Last year the irresistible Southern thrilled sold out houses with his show A Brief History of History (which he is also doing two shows only of at Rhino Sat 16 & Sat 23 Feb) which included some of the some of the most enjoyable stage time of the entire Fringe. I like him - go see him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onVPaLly5hE

BRYN ADAMS & DEMI LARDNER

The Runt - Gluttony

Mar 2 - Mar 17

Demi Lardner is going to be a big star. She looks like a 12 year old boy. Her material is sophisticated, polished and extremely funny and she is a natural on stage. Bryn Adams likewise is set for a big future is extremely likeable on stage. Both specialize in wonderful awkwardness and you should while you still can. Opening night sold out already so get on it!

DAVE CALLAN

A LITTLE LESS CONVERSATION

Rhino Room Upstairs

Feb 15 - Mar 2 (No Sun/Mon)

One of the highlights of Dave Callans excellent show last year was him perfectly busting out the Single Ladies dance at the end of each show. The site of the large beardy Irishman getting all Bootylicious on yo ass was a festival highlight. In his new show he promises 'A Little Less Conversation' and more utterly hysterical dance moves. DO NOT MISS THIS SHOW - WILL SELL OUT!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SZMvZvrLtI

CELIA PACQUOLA

DELAYED

Rhino Room Upstairs

Feb 15 - Mar 2

Without wanting to sound too overly dramatic here. This show is NOT TO BE MISSED AT ANY COST! Celia Pacquola, from Melbourne (and part of the excellent Anarchists Guild sketch comedy group) has been living in the UK for the past few years and we are on the verge of losing her to mother Britain permanently at any moment. I saw this show at MICF last year after trying to get tickets eight days in a sold-out row, and finally lucked out with a last minute cancellation - it is fantastic. A great comedienne, fantastic material, awesome storyteller, magnificent stage presence. I have a comedy crush. Ten shows only.

DENISE SCOTT & JUDITH LUCY

THE SPIRAL

The Vagabond - The Garden of Unearthly Delights

Mar 9-11 Three shows only.

Two of the countries best and legendary stand up's together for the first time. Only three shows.

RANDY

RANDY IS SOBER

The Vagabond - The Garden of Unearthly Delights

Mar 15 - Mar 17

The purple headed one did one performance of this excellent show last year and those lucky enough to have caught it raved about it. I was one of them. It's a show about giving up drinking amongst other things and you'll be amazed at the emotional depth of what is essentially a glove puppet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCsU4BmFz-U

SAMMY J

POTENTIALLY

Umbrella Revolution - The Garden of Unearthly Delights

Feb 15 - Mar 1

The skinny non-puppet one from Sammy J & Randy also returns with a new solo show. I'm not sure why the dynamic duo are not doing a show together this year, but solo shows from each is still a bonus. He released a splendid CD last year and I never leave a Sammy gig without being astounded how anybody can remember and deliver so many lyrics in such machine gun perfection. The loveliest many in comedy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfahRnzvrLo&list=PL33303F68D2DC9C6F&index=1

MARK TRENWITH

AFTER DARK

Rhino Room - Howling Owl

Mar 5 - Mar 16

Now living in Melbourne one of Adelaide's favourite comedy sons returns with a show called After Dark which will start in daylight hours (6:15pm - see even the timing of his show is funny). He really is a smashing performer - I love his material and I'm really looking forward to this show.

ARJ BARKER

GO TIME

Feb 15 - Mar 15

Arj Barker should just move to Australia and be done with it. Always fantastic, world standard, brilliantly funny and unmissable.

MORGAN & WEST

CLOCKWORK MIRACLES

Le Cascadeur

Feb 15 - Mar 17

One of my absolute favourite discoveries at last years Fringe were Morgan & West. I'm not really one for 'magic' shows or the many 'slight of hand' performers that swarm over the town at this time of year. But after going to see these Victorian (era not state) raconteurs on a whim last year they were INCREDIBLE. They do things that are impossible. Things you will not believe and things that do your head in a bit. Astounding.

SAM SIMMONS

SHITTY TRIVIA

Romantiek - Garden of Unearthly Delights

Feb 15 - Mar 17

Fresh from the success of his first TV series 'Problems', the master of the surreal Sam Simmons. Always a favourite of mine, last show (and inspiration for some of the TV show) was a 10/10 show, with possibly the best pay-off joke of any Fringe show I have ever seen. He's loud, he's an oddball, he back.

TOM GLEESON

HELLO BITCHES!

Umbrella Revolution - Garden of Unearthly Delights

Feb 15 - Mar 17

After many years of doing shows at the Rhino Tom Gleeson fever went through the roof last year, with a sold out run and extra shows added all over the joint. This season he's moved to the Garden and is in the gi-normous Umbrella Revolution for the entire run of the Fringe. Never fails to deliver a brilliant show (and I'm sure he'll be turning up at Rhino's late show at some stage).

JASON PESTELL

LET'S GO
Rhino Room Upstairs

Mar 5 - Mar 16

It's been a big year for Jason Pestell. He saved a mans life with his iPhone. He faced a comedians worst nightmare the possible loss of his voice before going under the knife. Now he's back, with a great new show. He's a lovely man (who is a bit obsessed with U2) go and see his show.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151288000163407

GRAVITY BOOTS

Holden Street Theatre - The Arch

Mon 2 - Mar 16

These newcomers are set to become huge. Some of the smartest, well written, seriously hilarious comedy for ages.

CHRIS TAYLOR

THE TAYLOR LECTURE

Paradiso - The Garden of Unearthly delights

Mar 9 - Mar 11 (three shows only)

That Chaser boy, Taylor delivers a lecture on the state of Modern World. Expect feathers to be ruffled.

HANNAH GADSBY

HAPPINESS IS A BEDSIDE TABLE

The Deluxe - The garden of Unearthly Delights

Feb 15 - Mar 2

Hannah Gadsby is right up there with my favourite comedians from anywhere. A gifted story teller whose last three shows have all been utterly brilliant. You might have seen her on the telly, you should go and see her in the really life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwchUNbdW-8

PAUL McDERMOTT

PAUL SINGS

Arts Theatre

Mar 5 - Mar 16

The man, the legend, the God. I spent many nights engulfed in the bosom of the glory that was the Doug Anthony All Stars. I loved seeing Gud. Good News Week in all it's permutations and the Sideshow. And now McDermott (this years Fringe Ambassador) brings his first solo show to the Arts theatre for ten shows. Welcome back you sexy man.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUpioV2I-8U

MARCEL LUCONT

GALLIC SYMBOL

Tuxedo Cat - Yellow Room

Feb 15 - Mar 17

Sadly missed last year, say Oo La La, at the return of the most fabulous Frenchman you could wish to be mocked by. Amazing improviser with magic timing. Marcel Lucont is Tres Bon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_8KGSMBnE4

DAVE THORNTON

TALL & POINTY

Le Cascadeur - The Garden of Unearthly Delights

Feb 15 - Mar 3

Another former Adelaide boy made good Thornton is now one of the best stand-ups in the country. Supreme confidence, great material

BARRY MORGAN

ORGAN IS NOT A DIRTY WORD

The Campanile - Garden of Unearthly Delights

Feb 15 - Mar 17

I love Barry and his organ and the promise that he will tackle both Lady Gaga and Skyhooks this time round should really be all I have to say.

DAVE BLOUSTIEN

GRAND GUIGNOL

The Piglet - Gluttony

Feb 15 - Mar 1

also

SOCIAL CONTRACT REDUX

The Piglet - Gluttony

Feb 15 - Mar 1

The Popeye

Feb 15 - Mar 1

Ex-Adelaide stand-up Bloustien brings two shows to the Fringe this year and one of them is on the Popeye - seriously. Grand Guignol is "five rib-tickling tales of terror told by grotesques in outrageous hats". Social Contract Redux takes place on our most beloved South Australia vessel - so you don't want to be late for this show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWBBIjim0NU&feature=share

ABANDOMAN

THE LIFE & RHYMES OF ABANDOMAN

The Cupola, Garden of unearthly Delights

Feb 15 - Mar 17

improvised comedy rapping by genius Irishman. Has been described as Flight of the Conchords meets 8 Mile.

PAUL FOOT

KENNY LARCH IS DEAD

Cinema Nova

Mar 13 - Mar 17 five shows only

In a festival where there are all kinds of weirdos, they all should all bow down and worship their new weirdo King. Paul Foot's over the top show last year had him doing a pre-amble explaining what the show would be from behind a curtain for ten minutes and escalated to him climbing over the audience and more.

COMEDY ACTION RANGERS

Harrys Bar (12 grenfell Street)

Mar 6 - Mar 16

Four of Adelaide's most promising young comedians bring their absurdist "silly, high and low brow" show to an exciting new venue.

AMOS GILL

YOU'VE CHANGED

Rhino Room

Feb 15 - Mar 2

Amos Gill is one of the brightest young comedians in Adelaide. Narrowly missing the top prize in last year Raw. He has great material and stage presence. This show is about growing up, which coming from a stand-up comedian is pretty rich. Really looking forward to this.

I'll do a quick round up of stuff other than comedy in the next day or so but this turned into a bit more of an epic than I had intended.

MICHAEL BOLTON Adelaide Thursday 19 April 2012

MICHAEL BOLTON

Adelaide Festival Theatre

Thursday April 19th 2012.

In the spirit full disclosure it must be said that Michael Bolton and I have had our issues in the past. When he was super popular in the 1980's and 90's he was the antithesis of anything I considered good in music. I found him to be pompous, overblown and over rated and could not for the life of me work out why he was more popular than The Smiths or Pulp. Then there was an incident I witnessed when he toured in the 90's and stayed at the same hotel as Depeche Mode involving Dave Gahan having an argument with Bolton and his minders because MB wouldn't sign a poor lady's programme. And there was the hair.

However there have been four things happen since that have made me put a few ticks in the Yes Bolton column in my ledger of rock. 1) Some years back I was watching Letterman and he introduced Luciano Pavarotti and Michael Bolton duetting on Pav's signature aria Nessun Dorma. This, I thought, should be hilarious. I mean he's Pavarotti, and Michael Bolton is well...Michael Bolton. Bolton DESTROYED Pavarotti, simply and un-arguably sang him under the table. His voice was astounding and the performance was spellbinding. 2) Last year he showed he had a great sense of humour by recording the hysterical Jack Sparrow with the Lonely Island comedy rock band. The video of which saw him kissing seagulls and being dressed as Johnny Depp, Forrest Gump, Scarface, and most disturbingly Erin Brockovich. 3) Adelaide's most hirsute band The Beards have a Michael Bolton cover band side project called Bolty Bolt & The Bolton's and watching them I discovered how many of his songs were in my brain already. And lastly - he cut that hair!

The Festival Theatre is packed to the brim with Bolt-Heads (I swear this is what fans are called) and the presence of the excellent Adelaide Symphony Orchestra mean we can expect a lush sound this evening. As the band and Orchestra vamps on Soul Provider, Bolton arrives on stage to a rapturous welcome. He is very charismatic and works the stage. In between songs he fields people yelling out well wishes like a stand up comedian. "We have people strategically placed around the auditorium to shout things during the show." he deadpans.  His voice is absolute dynamite, strong and powerful and perfect for the sort of power ballads that made him the King of that oeuvre in the 80's. He does a great version of the Bee Gees To Love Somebody, before doing a stripped back rendition of his 1993 hit Said I Loved You..But I Lied. You Don't Know Me from the Vintage album has people behind me coo-ing and ahh-ing all the way through. He introduced one of his many special guests to the stage and it home grown rock guitar chick Orianthi. He name checks her mum and her dad, her sister, in fact her whole family, which impresses everybody. They crank up the volume for a smouldering Sweet Home Chicago, with Michael and Orianthi trading blues licks at the front of the stage. They are powering along and Bolton's saxophone player and backing singer/clarinet/trumpet player are wailing away. However there is a full horn section sitting at the rear of the stage doing nothing and it could have been cranked up to a whole new level by utilizing them. It is often a problem when a 'rock' band does stuff with an orchestra, getting the balance right. You don't want to over use a symphony orchestra, but the opposite is also true.

The band and ASO do They Can't Take That Away From Me while Michael goes off for a change of clothing for the Swing section of the show. In 2006 he released the Bolton Swings Sinatra album and his voice really suits the style. Fly Me To The Moon is excellent, and he introduces guest vocalist Kelly Levesque to duet on the next few numbers. A great take of Over The Rainbow and his massive hit How Am I Supposed to Live Without You lead to the classic David Foster song The Prayer.

He tells a lovely story about working with Luciano Pavarotti and dedicates Nessun Dorma to "The Greatest Tenor the world has ever known". It is a show stopper. His delivery and the grandeur of the Orchestra is spine-tingling. Incredible. He has probably earned a little break so he excuses himself while the stunning Ms Levesque does a medley of songs Michael has hits with for other people. We're Not Making Love Anymore, I Found Someone and Forever where hits for Barbra Streisand, Cher and Kiss respectively. As a long time Kiss fan I would have preferred Bolton to sing Forever himself, but it was still pretty great. He returns to the stage to introduce his saxophone player Michael Lington to play his top ten jazz hit You and I. It's pretty good in a 1980's saxophone player way, and I did wonder if there is a dorm hose in LA somewhere full of tight shiny suit wearing sax men sitting around waiting for Bolton or Sade to announce a tour.

The band starts playing When A Man Loves a Woman and Bolton appears out in the crowd belting out the soul classic only centimetres from the fans, who are all desperately whipping out their camera phones to snap their hero. Back on stage and straight into How Can We Be Lovers. Even I have to grudgingly admit this is a pretty good song, although I'm sure there would be plenty of chaps willing to explain to Michael exactly how you can actually be lovers without being friends, but there is no time for that now. He finishes the set with two songs from 1991 Steel Bars and Time, Love & Tenderness.

There is little doubt he will return (bit obvious when the orchestra doesn't budge), and when he does it's to perform an impressive Go The Distance from Disney's animated Hercules movie. They finish with a powerful version of U2's anthem Pride (In The Name Love). Everybody is back on stage, Orianthi, Kelly and it's sounding great. There are however 60 members of the ASO sitting round doing nothing. While Bolton with his band do sound epic I was longing for the orchestra to kick in and make it the super epic it could have been. The slight under use of the ASO aside, Michael Bolton turned on a fantastically entertaining night and truly deserved the several standing ovations he received throughout the night.

So I think Mr Bolton and I are all cool now. Unless he regrow's the mullet again, then we'll have to re-access.

Ian Bell

SET LIST 19 April 2012

Soul Provider

To Love Somebody

I Said I Loved You

You Don't Know Me

Sweet Home Chicago

They Can't Take That Away From Me

Fly Me To The Moon

That's Life

To Make You Feel My Love

Over The Rainbow

How Am I Supposed to Live Without You

The Prayer

Nessun Dorma

Medley : We're Not Making Love Anymore / I Found Someone / Forever

You & I (Michael Lington)

When A Man Loves A Woman

How Can We Be Lovers

Steel Bars

Time Love & Tenderness

Go The Distance

Pride (In The Name of Love)