REVIEW
funky track nonetheless. The
backing singers were mediocre for
their part. An opportunity missed
I reckon.
GOLDIE AT
RONNIE
SCOTT'S
It started on time and with a typically
chilled atmosphere synonymous with
live gigs at Ronnie’s. Goldie himself
seemed present for a jazz audience,
very calm and, dare I say, mature!
All that changed as the music
started. The trio of singers, including
Vanessa Hayes and Sally Ann, though
very talented, couldn’t quite redress
the disappointment caused by them
singing on top of a PA. This was
only compounded by the spectacle
of Goldie jumping about doing his
unnecessary version of conducting. I
really wasn’t expecting that. Maybe
I’m naïve.
Natalie Duncan stepped out for the
second number causing unnerving
fl ashbacks of 80’s legend Sade, both
in appearance and performance.
Goldie, by this point playing air
drums, continued to fi ll up the small
stage. The singing and music…
pleasant. It won't break hearts, but
it won’t have you reaching for the
remote either.
Tyler Lee-Daley raised the tempo as
the contributor on this next number.
Goldie danced. I laughed. A very
Goldie wrote for David Bowie?
I’m impressed. Bring on the cello
and give me a razor blade. In
fairness, Natalie and the cellist
performed well, just a little
melancholy for Goldie tonight.
She does have a beautiful voice
nonetheless.
Another abrupt change of tempo
and WOW! Someone lit a spark.
I felt a baseline and loved it.
Needless to say, more arm waving
followed, the crowd fi nally woke
up and the drummer appeared a
mere ten beats from an RSI injury.
The Three Degrees returned to
the stage with London grit, deep
bass and the man, miming and....
I’m not quite sure. A bit like
what I do in the club when there’s
nobody worth trying to impress.
Meanwhile, the singer is belting
it out while her partners watch,
seemingly incredulous. Oh well.
Tyler and Natalie returned. A
bit of piano, a bit of bass,
although not a real bass guitar
I’m disappointed to note. “This
is Not a Love Song” is not a
bad song. They’re all talented
singers, backing included, very
apt for Ronnie’s. The up and
down in tempo, to be blunt, didn’t
work for me. But the music and
each song overall, well, I wasn’t
disappointed.
Tyler then tried to sing “Are You
Going With Me”, with Goldie over
his shoulder making his presence
felt. Maybe I’m just not used to
this sort of performance. Pick
up a mic or pull up a chair Goldie!
Meanwhile, Tyler’s accompanying
keyboard player discretely showed
his worth. There was a 70’s feel to
his playing, very emotive.
“Tomorrow’s Not Today”: great
singing. It sounded like an old skool
junglist beat forced on top of a
lovely ballad, but the piano section
seemed inspired by a trip to catch
the chemist. Very nearly a very
good track all the same. Incidentally
the pianist was also the bass synth
player. You’ve got to respect talent.
Natalie returned to sing
“Redemption”. I was bored by the
fi rst line. Help! I do love her voice
though. But by the fi rst minute, I
take it back. There’s something to
bop to and the drummer is back on
point…or steroids!
Speaking of which, the crowd
literally went mad! Everybody was
jumping! I felt as though I was at
a rave. Goldie was fi nally using a
mic. This is what you expect from a
night out with Goldie. The fl oor was
shaking and we were on the ground
fl oor!
The fi nale was a spectacle of Goldie
jumping about for laughs, but the
second fi nale brought out the bass
guitar! About time and about right.
There was still a lot of synth, but
this crowd expects nothing less and
they’re loving it.
Judging by crowd reaction, it was
a good night out. A full house,
very happy. For me however, either
an odd mix of genres, or a badly
ordered playlist dampened my
enjoyment slightly. But I’ll still give
Goldie the round of applause he
earned, in spite of the theatrics.
Kema, out!
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