Review Centre: Singers With Backing Tracks

"IT WAS billed as A Night At The Musicals, and it was certainly a title which attracted a packed house to the Howden Park Centre last Friday evening when Darren Shaw and three dancers took the stage and sang and danced their hearts out. Two for the price of one took on a whole new meaning in this show in which we, the audience, were encouraged to join in with some of the well known songs. If you looked around, all you could see was a sea of smiling faces having a great time reminiscing and sharing some of their favourite moments from the musicals. This was courtesy of one very talented young man sporting a George Clooney haircut and diamond earring, some nifty costume changes, an incredible voice range and an endearing smile. Using a variety of spectacular, if sometimes dazzling lighting effects, and the obligatory dry ice creating an atmosphere that makes the singer appear suspended in clouds, the show began with a spotlight into which sauntered Mr Shaw in top hat and tails singing On The Street Where You Live, from My Fair Lady. Once again the excellent acoustics of the Brian Duguid Theatre played host to emotive, full orchestral music courtesy of impeccably timed tapes. Maybe it was just a shade loud in the first half which saw something very unusual and totally original. Everyone is familiar with The Sound of Music and the recent Connie Fisher version of The Hills are alive. Enter Darren Shaw looking splendid in lederhosen, like a denizen of Austria and straight from the Alps. To everyone's amazement and some barely concealed audience mirth, he became a soprano and made the hills come alive in his own special way. As the show progressed, the format of two songs by Mr Shaw interspersed with dance routines by the hardworking dancers began to win us over. For the first time ever, the famous duet from Grease, You're The One That I Want, was sung by Mr Shaw who performed the male and female parts. Using his falsetto voice – an attribute which was once taught in Italy in the middle ages resulting in the singers being known as castratto (please, don't ask) – Shaw sang the SuBo hit from Les Miserables as he duetted with himself in I Know Him So Well. In The Phantom of the Opera sequence he once again sang the famous duet which takes Christine, the soprano and The Phantom to perform, all by himself. As for the three dancers, two glamorous blondes and a bonny brunette, they proved their versatility by dancing a variety of styles from musical comedy to modern with a brave attempt at Irish River Dancing which drew cheers from the audience. The finale saw Shaw resplendent in a mint green sparkling shirt and matching flares with the dancers in glittering jump suits so there was no doubt that we would hear something from Mamma Mia and we certainly did. This night at the theatre was indeed a feast of tunes from the musicals which at first, thanks to Mr Shaw's dual voice, seemed a little hard to digest but soon became an acquired taste."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Annelise Molloy performed at our WW1 Centenary Commemoration. She is an incredible singer and was the perfect booking. Her song choices were great and very fitting for the day. The crowds loved her and many enquired about booking her in the future. I would totally recommend! 5 stars"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"‘On behalf of myself, my husband and our family and friends, you were truly brilliant! The amount of people that complimented you throughout the day/evening, you really added a special touch to our wedding day. On behalf of everyone thank you so, so much, I will definitely be recommended you!’ "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I arrived at venue after someone else recommended Sandy as worth going to see. What an understatement. Sandy is a must see., or rather hear. The variety of her song choices is extensive, something for everyone. Her voice, goodness that's some range and the depth, warmth of the tone is inviting you as an individual to enjoy. Now add to that the party that explodes with her wit and seance of fun. Really great night out, so good I went back to see her show twice. (10 / 10)"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Hi Melissa, Apologies for the delay in sending a thank you for your wonderful singing at our Golden Wedding Anniversary ‘Do’. Everybody thoroughly enjoyed it and George and I had a fabulous time. The feedback we have received from our friends and family was truly amazing. Hope to see you soon. Thanks again."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Music&Soul ha creato un’atmosfera intima e raffinata, con un repertorio vario e mai scontato. Alcuni brani ci hanno piacevolmente sorpreso! Il quartetto con piano, batteria e sax ha dato un tocco di classe alla serata, mentre il violinista e il pianoforte hanno reso la cerimonia un momento indimenticabile. Il DJ set ha trasformato la festa in una serata memorabile! Bravissimi e consigliatissimi. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Gemma is not only a wonderfully talented singer but a true professional. She arranged my walk in music and was happy to edit the music perfectly to how I wanted. She is an expert at weddings so the way she arranged the music and the timing were perfect. I Don't think I could have done it without her. All of my guests were astounded at the sound of her voice and felt like they had experienced something truly special, which they certainly had. It was talked about all day and ever since. It was such a highlight of my day. Thank you so much."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Zaz is just incredible!!! Our guests were blown away by her talent. Her voice is just so good. And whilst we had lots of things to worry about on our Wedding day, Zaz was not one of them. She is such a nice person, super flexible and easy to work with to get the set we wanted just right. And on the big day she looked fantastic, and SHE worked the crowd, the lights, and music with ease, getting everyone up dancing and making sure the night reached a memorable crescendo - Would hire her again, a 100 times over!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Kida Ley is a great Performer! She made everyone dancing and singing especially with her 80s and 90s performance. Her costumes really get you in the mood and her energy is so powerful. Her voice is strong and has something special. She is very friendly and a real professional. I would totally recommend you to book her! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Tracy made sure that all her songs were what we wanted - even adding songs in and learning them for the evening - above and beyond. She instantly got our guests singing and dancing her empathy was outstanding. I have no hesitation in recommending her to get any party going - all you want in a live singer. Thank you so much Tracy."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Vintage Ruby was superb and everyone enjoyed her music, attitude, professionalism and overall demeanour. Great with kids and responded to all our needs. Highly recommended."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Mum had a wonderful afternoon and really enjoyed your performance. You helped make it a special day. Thanks very much"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Permission to rock was amazing at our wedding. Dave got everyone up dancing from the moment he started playing and I had so many of my guests say how incredible Dave was and how great he sounded. Dave has an excellent voice and his repertoire of songs were perfect for a party. He has a fantastic voice and is a very talented guitarist but he is also a showman who interacted with our guests and introduced our first dance and my father/ daughter dance. Dave was also kind enough to learn a song that was important to me and my husband and he performed it perfectly and I cannot thank him enough for making our day that bit more special and for getting the party started. "

Reply by Permission2Rock
Thank you Jennifer That party was a hoot. Once the tie's are around the heads of the groomsman, you know you've hit the sweet spot

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"SuSan is a true professional who sets up and checks her equipment well in advance of the start time of the event, starts on time, rarely takes any breaks during the performance and does everything possible to ensure that the music fits the occasion and the guests. Her repertoire is extensive, unique and covers pop, rock and country songs from the 1950s through current hits. She covers over 170 artist and performs them all very well. Additionally, SuSan markets her appearances extensively on Social Media with interesting videos, posters and event notices. She has hundreds of videos on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram that have been viewed by thousands of people.  When you book SuSan for your venue, event or private party you will love the results."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We ran into them at an outdoor event in my hometown, and honestly, I didn’t have high expectations because those events usually aren’t great—but these guys really surprised me. I even went up to congratulate them afterwards, they gave me a card and we chatted for a while. Such good vibes, I knew all the songs, the crowd was having a great time—in short, a total success. They asked if I could leave a review to support their project, so here it is—they truly deserve it."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: