ShareThe Sweet performing their Full Circle Tour at Rock City Nottingham on Wednesday 20th December 2023.
Images and Review by Kevin Cooper
The seventies returned to Rock City on Wednesday night as glam rockers, The Sweet took to the stage to deliver a blistering performance of pure nostalgia.
Accompanying Andy Scott, the only original surviving member and guitarist of the band was Tom Cory (from Scott’s produced band – The Novatines) on keyboards, Lee Small on bass, Bruce Bisland who has been behind the drums for over thirty years, and the undoubted star of the band, ex-Cats In Space vocalist Paul Manzi, who perfectly complimented the band’s sound as his strong vocals dominated.
Serving a notice of intent, the band began their set with an awesome rendition of their hit, Action and as they followed up with an amazing cover of Russ Ballard’s classic New York Groove, made famous by Ace Frehley of Kiss fame, which was fused with Alicia Keys’ Empire State Of Mind, the crowd knew that they were in for a real treat.
With the crowd held tightly in Manzi’s hand, The Sweet delivered pretty much every one of their hits. They turned up the power with the classic Hell Raiser and The Six Teens before following up with newer songs such as Don’t Bring Me Water, Changes and an exceptional version of their latest release, Everything.
The crowd jumped with enthusiasm for the anthemic Teenage Rampage, and the band had the crowd singing along as they paid homage to their ‘bubblegum’ era with a medley of Wig Wam Bam and Little Willy. Returning to their Ivor Novello nominated tour de force that is Love Is Like Oxygen, they finished the main set with Fox On The Run.
Before long the crowd were jumping around as the police sirens began to wail to introduce the inevitable double whammy of Blockbuster and Ballroom Blitz, the songs for which the band will always be remembered.
Delivering a ninety minute set of hard rock, classic hits and great music, the band left the stage leaving the crowd to muse as they walked home exactly what Minnehaha had whispered to Hiawatha down at that sliver stream.