ShareKylie Minogue performing her Kiss Me Once Tour at the Capital FM Arena Nottingham on Saturday 4th October 2014.
Review and Images by Kevin Cooper
Catching Kylie Minogue live in Nottingham? I should be so lucky and in fact I was! Tonight the iconic pop diva discoed into Nottingham for the first of two headlining nights at the Capital FM Arena on her Kiss Me Once Tour.
As Kylie takes to the stage 26 years after her first single for this 14th World Tour, she performed with all the zest and oomph of someone still in their early 20’s. She has always capitalised on her sexual energy and tonight was no exception. Warming up the crowd with Sexy Love from her new album, she rose from the stage on a giant pair of red lips, surrounded by dancers with long tassels for nipples. As she finished her first three songs; In My Arms and Timebomb, it was clear that she doesn’t want the audience to forget that she still has it, not that she need worry.
Compared to the grand Grecian architecture of the Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour, or the futuristic flashing screens of KylieX2008, this Kiss Me Once Tour is a vastly stripped down affair in comparison. The stage consisted of a single series of structural beams which stay stationary the entire time. But it was Kylie that this packed crowd had come to see, and tonight wearing what could be her sauciest tour wardrobe yet, she showed just how good an entertainer she is.
Step Back In Time and Spinning Around truly woke the audience up as they all leapt to their feet. Then it really took off with the dancers fabulously marching and strutting around the catwalk as Kylie unleashed Your Disco Needs You, with those pitch perfect notes at the end.
After Slow, it was time for another costume change; the third of the evening so far, and Kylie appeared in a pink number to sing her 80’s classics, complete with clips from her old videos blown up on the screen behind her. This segment included Hand On Your Heart and Never Too Late, whilst Got To Be Certain was so unapologetically camp as the male dancers were stripped down and run off the stage boasting only six packs and Y-fronts. This whole section was brought to a close as only Kylie can; performing I Should Be So Lucky in a bubble bath as she burst out in sequinned hot pants and a heart shaped bodice.
Another costume change saw Kylie playing with the industrial metallic look of the stage to provide an excellent cover of Inxs’s Need You Tonight in a leather coat, over a black leotard. She followed this with the sensual bounce of Sexercise complete with ball routine and a slightly toothier crunchy mix of the old classic, Can’t Get You Out Of My Head, with encouragement from the crowd to indulge in a mass sing-a-long.
After the ballads and another costume change, she stepped up with the up tempo numbers almost immediately; kicking into her Aphrodite album, Get Outta My Way, a funky electro remix of Love At First Sight and a blissful send off with the always lush, All The Lovers.
Finishing the night with Into The Blue, it was clear that whilst this tour was lacking somewhat in visual spectacle, the Kiss Me Once Tour really proves that Kylie doesn’t need the bells, whistles and glitter to get the crowd worked into a frenzy. At this point in her career she does not need to prove anything at all really; her mere presence alone inspires enough glee to carry an entire show. Her stage presence is warm and her smile throughout seems genuine. Kylie looks like she’s having fun, which has always been part of her broad appeal.
To have survived this long in the music industry in no small feat. Kylie’s voice is pleasant but not outstanding; her dancing is good but not breath-taking and yet she does not rely upon her set to carry her. Her shinning stage presence sees her through and is likely to keep her going for another decade.