Belinda Carlisle, with special guests The Christians, performing her Decades Tour at The Royal Concert Hall Nottingham on Saturday 11th February 2023.

Images and Review by Kevin Cooper

To celebrate her illustrious career, Belinda Carlisle was at the Royal Concert Hall on Saturday night to take a sold out crowd on a trip down memory lane.

Warmly received first were The Christians who entertained in fine style with their wonderful vocals and harmonies being as smooth as ever on the likes of Forgotten Town and Ideal World.

With front man Gary Christian’s voice taking centre stage on Happy In Hell before their short set was brought to a close with Hooverville and the song that sets The Christians apart from others, The Isley Brothers Harvest For The World.

With a set that focused on her solo work, barefooted Carlisle danced, hopped and skipped across the stage. Setting the bar early with (We Want) The Same Thing, the crowd were immediately on their feet where they stayed for the ninety minute set, which was only interrupted with Carlisle’s tales of her years in the business.

Her albums Runaway Horses and Heaven On Earth released a couple of years apart in the late 80’s figured dominantly as the crowd sang along to Fool For Love and La Luna and when the first notes of In Too Deep were heard, the crowd upped their appreciation.

I Get Weak was followed by Circle In The Sand and her own favourite, Summer Rain was a real treat, evoking a spirit of warm nostalgia. Even the excellent Go Go’s Our Lips Are Sealed was a real crowd pleaser and served to remind the crowd of her past.

With a very impressive five piece band and a voice that really was on point, when the stage lights exploded into a rainbow of colours, the crowd raucously roared to the chorus of Heaven Is A Place On Earth.

For the encore there was Runaway Horses, Big Scary Animal, and the excellent Live Your Life Be Free that brought an end to an evening that this Nottingham crowd thought ended too early.

Jools Holland And His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, The Christians, Ronan Keating, The Staks Band and Geno Washington performing at The Cornbury Music Festival on Sunday 10th July 2022.

Images and Review by Kevin Cooper

Sunday was bound to be an emotional day for both the crowd and the organisers of the Cornbury Music Festival with it being the final day of the last ever Cornbury, so it was a day tinged with sadness but with many musical memories made.

With the first Festival having taken place in 2004, it was all meant to end in 2017. However, promoter and director Hugh Phillimore was persuaded to reverse the decision. It was last held in 2019 before being postponed twice because of the pandemic and it is believed that this had a huge impact upon the Festival’s financial security.

With a forecast that the day would be one of the hottest of the year, the water stands were doing brisk business as were the bars, but there was a huge crowd to witness Geno Washington possibly perform live for the very last time, having indicated that at the age of 78, he will be hanging up his mic.

Washington excelled on the Songbird Stage along with his three piece band, showing that he still has all the banter, gentle humour and professionalism that he has maintained throughout his musical career. He stated that because this was the last Cornbury he was going to sing to the beautiful people in the crowd, but added that the ugly ones could listen in too, and the crowd immediately loved him.

Showcasing his smokey blues voice and his big grin, his performance never stopped giving. The legendary soul man belted out Road Runner, a great version of Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, and Jumpin’ Jack Flash that had the crowd doing just that despite the heat, and his version of I Feel Good which was a real highlight. And when he let rip with a stunning Mojo Ain’t Working, he personified the Blues.

To the sound of the crowd shouting “Geno, Geno”, he left the stage and like the Cornbury Festival, he will be leaving a massive hole to fill.

The Staks Band has been a staple of the Cornbury Festival line-up for many years and so it was fitting that they played the Pleasant Valley Stage on the final day of the Festival. With so many band members on stage, it was impossible to count them all especially since they refused to stand still.

They were a perfect fit for a hot sunny afternoon as the top notch set of musicians including drummer Mike Sturgis, ran the gambit of their soul and R & B classics which had the crowd on side from the off. But the whole thing about The Staks band is that they know how to greatly enhance their set by inviting guests to join them on stage. And this year was no exception.

The lovely Madeline Bell came forward to deliver a fantastic version of You Keep Me Hangin’ On, much to the delight of the crowd, before she introduced Steve Winwood, a real musical legend. Delivering a modest outing of a few songs that enthralled, he also managed to squeeze in the likes of a splendid Higher Love and a clearly emotional Whiter Shade Of Pale in a moving tribute to the late Gary Brooker. Winwood still has his incredible vocals, enhanced by the outstanding musicianship of The Staks Band and when the distinctive organ notes ushered in Gimme’ Some Lovin’, the crowd knew that they were in the presence of a genius.

Staying exactly where they were, the crowd were happy that in the scorching heat they did not have to walk up the hill to the Songbird Stage for the next act. Instead they were allowed to take a breather and wait for what the younger members of the crowd had been anticipating, the front man of boy band Boyzone, Ronan Keating.

With the Dublin singer promising to deliver all the hits, he opened with new song Heyday, but after that he certainly delivered. Having been booked for the 2020 Cornbury Festival he took the time out to commiserate with the crowd and agree that the pandemic had certainly been an uncertain time for everyone.

There was a mass sing along for the likes of Loving Each Day, Breathe and Isn’t It A Wonder before he slowed things right down for a cover of Tracey Chapman’s Baby Can I Hold You, the Bee Gee’s Words and Anne Murray’s You Needed Me, that had the crowd swaying, arms aloft as they sung every word.

With his charismatic between song banter, he really engaged with the crowd. And when he delivered a fantastic cover of Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl, the crowd forgot that they were in a field, under the blazing sun as they belted out the words.

There was not a single complaint when he announced that he was going to extend his set and as he melted into Boyzone’s No Matter What, magnificently coloured hot air balloons ascended above the stage, filling the sky with a cacophony of colour, undoubtedly saying goodbye to what has been an incredible run of Festivals.

Love Me For a Reason and When You Say Nothing At All are highlights on a Keating set list and Sunday night was no exception. Love Me For A Reason filled the Festival arena before Billy Ocean’s When The Going Gets Tough and Life Is A Rollercoaster brought a set that this crowd had been waiting too long for, to a too soon end.

Up the hill to the Songbird Stage to hear the band whose set was half an hour later than planned because of Keating’s extended set. It was The Christians who had been selected to close the Songbird Stage for the final time, and what an incredible choice that turned out to be.

With their vocals and harmonies as smooth as ever, songs like Ideal World, Forgotten Town and When The Fingers Point had all stood the test of time. A funky break-out into Papa Was A Rolling Stone was exceptional and when front man and original founder member, Gary Christian dedicated The Beatles classic, Here Comes The Sun to George Harrison, the hot and sweaty crowd showed their appreciation.

With a set that was all too short, The Christians had bowled over this Cornbury crowd and had made that walk up the hill well worth the effort. Closing the set with Hooverville and The Isley Brothers cover, Harvest For The World, the Songbird Stage was finally and reluctantly retired.

Following a speech from Hugh Phillimore who thanked the fans for their support, it was the boogie woogie supremo that is Jools Holland who was given the task of bringing the Cornbury party to an end. Delivering a master class in how to tickle the ivories, he launched into a couple of numbers that served as a rigorous warm up for his eighteen piece band who exuded talent from every pore.

One of his backing singers, Louise Marshall was given a solo spot and her soulful take on Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Proud Mary really entertained the crowd. Up next was Eddie Reader who delighted with her 1988 Fairground Attraction number one hit, Perfect, which is exactly what it was.

Jools Holland was a former member of punk pop band, Squeeze, and so it was a pleasant surprise that current member, Chris Difford was invited on to the stage where he got the crowd singing with their hits Take Me I’m Yours and Cool For Cats, which was stupendously given the orchestral treatment.

But it was when Holland’s long time friend Ruby Turner stepped onto the stage that the crowd knew that they were in for a fabulous climax to a set that will go into the Cornbury history books. With a voice that is so powerful that it could be heard in another county, the evening was brought to an end with her version of Peace In The Valley.

With a firework display and the playing of The Walker Brothers melancholic No Regrets, the flags at Cornbury were lowered and the fairy lights were switched off for the very last time, leaving the crowd to walk back to their tents with the memories of what has always been a great music festival.

It will be sorely missed.

Midge Ure, The Christians and Altered Images featuring Clare Grogan performing their Together In Concert Tour at the Royal Concert Hall Nottingham on Tuesday 14th November 2017.

Images and Review by Kevin Cooper

A trio of musical heavyweights arrived in Nottingham for an evening of retro pop at the Royal Concert Hall last night. The show, which was simply branded Together In Concert featured 80s stars, Midge Ure and his Electronica Band, The Christians and Altered Images featuring Clare Grogan.

Throughout the course of the evening, these talented artists turned back the clocks and walked their loyal fan base down memory lane. Up first were Altered Images who are still led by 55 year old Clare Grogan, who looked great. She danced, jumped around and started the party as she always did. Throughout their 30 minute set she took the audience through the likes of Change Of Heart, the punky Dead Pop Stars and the unmistakable Happy Birthday which definitely got the crowd in the right mood.

The Christians are currently celebrating their 30^th anniversary and during the course of their set, they brought a distinctively calmer, soulful sound to the proceedings. Hanging on to every word, the audience sang along to the likes of Forgotten Town and Ideal World. Front man Gary Christian really struck a chord with the audience with his engaging witty banter before closing their set with a pair of fans favourites in the shape of Hooverville and their take on The Isley Brothers classic, Harvest For The World.

After a short interval, there was the opportunity to plug Midge Ure’s forthcoming studio album, Orchestrated, before the real brains behind Live Aid, lead singer with Ultravox and a great solo performer came onto the stage with his two keyboardists and drummer. Having put his acoustic set to one side he was reunited once more with both his synthesisers and electric guitars as he delivered a set which was predominantly filled with Ultravox classics. There were new wave favourites like the synth heavy Fade To Grey, the anthemic Dancing With Tears In My Eyes and Ultravox’s classic hit, Vienna, which completely captivated the Concert Hall audience.

These 80s artists had provided three powerful reasons why the decade was sensational for music, and one in which this audience were more than keen to show their appreciation for.