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Smokey Robinson |
Let’s hand it to Smokey and Shirley
REVIEW: ELECTRIC PROMS
SHIRLEY shimmied, Smokey soothed, Dizzee went grunge and Robbie continued his rehab live onstage - this year’s BBC Electric Proms was all about the professionals.
There’s some truth in suggestions the Proms is becoming complacent: throw headline act with choir or orchestra, come up with a couple of new arrangements and put your feet up...
So while the promise of making “new moments in music” is strictly true, the format became a little too comfortable.
Not to detract from this year’s acts, who, individually were the ultimate showstoppers but collectively left the Proms missing something.
Memorable moments included the flood of darlings - The Pet Shop Boys, Manic Street Preachers’ James Dean Bradfield, Julien Macdonald, Jarvis Cocker - swarming up the Roundhouse stairs to witness glorious diva Dame Shirley Bassey dazzle and flirt her way through the oldies.
There was a fittingly camp atmosphere as the mostly gay crowd cooed over their icon, and she obliged with coquettish behaviour befitting a much younger model. Aside from the slightly sensible silver heels - you could be forgiven for believing the silver-clad bombshell poured into the glitter dress was 20 years younger.
Big Spender, I Am What I Am and Goldfinger may have won the biggest applause but it was the understated Girl From Tiger Bay, written for her new album by Bradfield, who joined Dame Shirley onstage, which was most unforgettable.
Support from Richard Hawley, who also wrote for the diva’s new album, was tranquil magic.
Strictly speaking N-Dubz didn’t play a public show - they were at the Roundhouse to record for Radio 1Xtra - but a brief glimpse of them trying out new single I Need You, with references to searching for a girl on Facebook, confirmed they are still current, witty, and can perform with an infectious enthusiasm - even first thing in the morning they had the entire crew smiling. See for yourself on the Proms website.
There was no doubt Dizzee Rascal would make the most of every last possible addition to his entourage, his forays into grunge/rock, with riff-laden backing from Nirvana and Rage Against the Machine, giving him a slight Jay-Z quality while the decision to replace Calvin Harris with a male voice choir was inspired. And bluegrass guitar ripping the bass for Bonkers turned everything on its head.
Post-punks Magazine opened a Manchester double-bill on Thursday with a 45-minute set mirroring their 1970s career – short and bright.
They launched fearlessly into their best-known song, Shot By Both Sides, then a string of A and B sides. So far, so nostalgia rock – except the re-formed Magazine sound as unpredictable and revolutionary as they did 30 years ago.
The Light Pours Out Of Me, Twenty Years Ago and brilliant Song From Under The Floorboards all oozed with restless, nervous musical energy.
At one stage the music stopped altogether while two roadies in cloth caps brought on a lectern, so spoken word track The Book could be read aloud. Brilliant – spiritual English cousins to Talking Heads.
Doves, the second Mancunian act of the night, performed with the London Bulgarian Choir.
Arcing like a rainbow at the back of the stage, the red-clad choir brought colour and a rolling musical thunder to the band’s happy-sad anthems.
At least, some of the time. Doves played quite a few songs unaccompanied and on others somewhat overwhelmed the choir with their own sound.
But when it worked, the brave experiment added a new panoramic depth to Doves’ sometimes slightly dreary sound and suggested the band might seriously consider hiring 40 new singers.
Happily it all came together best at the end for the rarely-performed Catch The Sun, acoustic encore Birds Flew Backwards, The Cedar Room and a magically joyous Here Comes The Fear.
The choir themselves were fantastic and Doves deserve huge credit for letting them sing the last song of the night alone.
Over at the Roundhouse studio, things took a more humble direction - who needs electricity anyway? Amid romantic lighting, Florence and the Machine inverted the Electric Proms concept by relinquishing wires in favour of playing acoustic all night.
“It’s always the really electronic ones that are the most fun to do acoustic,” noted the flame-haired siren between thumping a tambourine to keep the beat in anthemic Blinding and mellowing out in I’m Not Calling You A Liar.
A typically passionate performance from Florence’s album Lungs, this was a reminder of her marvellous talent.
Metronomy delivered their usual schtick - a humorous mix of downbeat indie vocals, twangy electronic music and lyrical intelligence - brought to life in comedic fashion by Ninian Doff’s video for On Dancefloors.
The Proms ended on Saturday night with Smokey Robinson. His blinging earring dazzled, blinding even from the seats in the Gods.
At 69, his satin tones have hardly weathered, although some of the more sexy dance moves were a little uncomfortable to watch. The Motown anecdotes, namechecking the likes of Stevie Wonder and The Temptations gave a tiny, priviledged insight into a world that no longer exists.
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