Going alone to a review a concert that promises a complimentary three-course meal with your ticket can go one of two ways: either finding yourself thoroughly stranded and friendless, or biting the bullet and talking to as many people as possible. This evening consisted of jumping from one side to the other, at times feeling very lonely, while at others enjoying the company of complete strangers.
While it is difficult to criticise the three-course meal provided, eating alone is never a pleasant experience, and could have been remedied by the band actually starting at the time initially advertised, rather than two hours later. However, the structure of the evening led to the bizarre feeling of being back at a school leavers’ ball, with the stark difference that everyone was about twenty years older.
This atmosphere was embellished by the band’s set list, which was a glorious mix of teen-rock, harking back to those school days of which we are all so fond. The band, The Black Ties, were brilliant, energetic and had a very good vocalist, and they rattled through classics such as ‘Save Tonight’, ‘Proud Mary’, ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ (which was better than the original) and ‘I Want To Break Free’, the latter of which is a huge song but one which was unique enough not to be just another Queen cover. There wasn’t a single unrecognisable song within the set, and this led to several audience members gathering on the dance floor and raving away, all the while screeching lyrics into each others’ faces.
These weekly Saturday evenings are well worth the inflated £25 ticket price, simply because of the quality of the food and the superb entertainment. Even if you don’t like the music, you will certainly enjoy the copious amounts of ‘Bad Dad Dancing’ gracing the dance floor until the early hours of Sunday morning.
