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Post by carol on Feb 23, 2014 0:12:44 GMT
Here is a write-up about the concert at the Apollo last night. The good news is we all get to see it on ITV2 27th March.  love Carol xxx 5th Story perform for first time at Big Reunion gig 5th Story performed for the very first time at 'The Big Reunion' concert last night (21.02.14). The newly-formed super-group roused fans at London's Hammersmith Apollo with a set comprised of songs made famous by each of the band members, including Another Level's Dane Bowers, Blazin' Squad's Kenzie, Gareth Gates, Kavana and Adam Rickitt. The group's set list featured Another Level's 'Freak Me', Blazin' Squad's 'Flip Reverse', Adam's 'I Breathe Again', Kavana's 'I Can Make You Feel Good' and finally, closing the show, Gareth's number one hit 'Spirit in the Sky'. Speaking to BANG Showbiz after the concert, Dane revealed it was ''difficult'' to gauge which songs fans would want to hear from the various band members' back catalogues but knew 'Freak Me' - which was a number one single for Another Level - had to be included. Reformed 1990s soul group Eternal surprised fans by introducing Bebe Winans onstage to sing their own number one hit, 'I Wanna Be the Only One', while former teen heartthrobs A1 entertained the crowd with songs such as 'Take On Me' and 'Caught in the Middle'. US band 3T paid an emotional tribute to their late uncle Michael Jackson by singing 'Why', their collaboration with the King of Pop, as family photos appeared on screens behind them. Former Spice Girl Emma Bunton was among the celebrity names at the gig to support her fiancé Jade Jones and his band Damage, who serenaded the crowd with songs such as 'Wonderful Tonight'. The gig also marked the culmination of a painful reunion for short-lived girl band Girl Thing, who were created by Simon Cowell but were unceremoniously dropped by their record label after two songs. The group performed their top 10 charting song 'Last One Standing', a cover of Katy Perry's 'Roar', and for the first time they performed 'Pure and Simple' - the song which has been a source of contention on the second series of 'The Big Reunion'. Girl Thing claim they wrote parts of the track, which was eventually released by 'Popstars' winners Hear'Say and topped the charts in 2001. The Hammersmith gig was attended by stars of 'The Big Reunion' 2013 including 911 and Atomic Kitten's Liz McClarnon, as well as Kenzie's pal Mark Wright, Keith Lemon, Mutya Buena and Laura Mvula. The concert will air on ITV2's 'The Big Reunion' on March 27. Attachments:
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Post by helpinghands on Feb 24, 2014 8:46:10 GMT
Although they said Gareth had "dabbled", one of the lads, I think it was Kavanagh commented that whilst he is doing holiday camp singing, there is Gareth on a top rated ITV ice show, and he felt embarrassed and couldn't match that. or words to that effect, so people can already see that Gareth is still in the public eye, but just not as a recording artiste. The best way we can all help Gareth IMO is to keep tweeting about his new album, my tweets also go onto my FB page, and when I have 5 minutes to spare, I intend to write a blog about it too. We need to help him get into the charts again, the CD is not expensive, so almost anyone can afford it I am sure, even if they buy it for a present for someone else. This album may well be a feeler to decide whether he releases an album of new songs, so he really needs all the fan support there is. love Carol xxx Yes let's hope that people buy it as an Easter present, or for Mother's Day when it's released. I think most of the diehard fans will have pre-ordered it. I will tweet your blog when you have done it Carol, thank you. love H xx |
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Post by carol on Feb 25, 2014 15:22:10 GMT
A nice review of the Hammersmith gig.
love Carol xxx
The Big Reunion was a surprise ratings hit last year, apparently. Quite how anyone was surprised that the combined might of B*Witched, Five and Honeyz, baring their souls and belting out their greatest hits was going to be anything other than ratings gold is unclear, but it's definitely no surprise that ITV have commissioned a second series and employed another round of 90s pop icons to entertain and delight us.
ITV have been a victim of their own good fortune in a way. Series one managed to reunite most of the biggest pop names of the decade in one fell swoop, with very few notable exceptions. When conversation turned to the second series, a few names cropped up; S Club 7 (obviously), A1 (surely not - they reunited three years ago and have released two albums since), Kavana (not a group, so technically not physically able to re-unite with himself), Deuce (er, what?) and Hear'Say (even they were bemused). For all the great pop that the late nineties and early noughties offered, the big hitters had already been covered or excused, with one big exception - massive girl group Eternal.
So it's with some trepidation that we head to Hammersmith Apollo to see the stars of series two of the Big Reunion. We're not going to pretend - we're emphatically here for Eternal, who have finally been coaxed out of retirement and we imagine the majority of the audience are too. Their pop soul stylings turned our heads in 1993 and we've not looked back since.
Also on the bill this evening: A1 (ITV worked their way round the whole not-actually-reuniting issue by putting their fingers in their ears and going *lalalalalalala*), 3T (Jackson brothers, best known for their swoonsome hit 'Anything' and nowt else), Damage (home to Mr Emma Bunton, purveyors of R&B jam 'Ghetto Romance'), Girl Thing (the first of many failed Jodie Albert vehicles) and Fifth Story. You've never heard of them because they're a new 'super' group who are an amalgamation of various male solo artists and former boybanders; Kavana (Take That's tea boy and M.F.E.O. hitmaker), Gareth Gates (Pop Idol runner up and former Mr Katie 'Jordan' Price), Dane Bowers (Another Level frontman and former Mr Katie 'Jordan' Price), Adam Rickett (a ghostly apparition of a lubed-up former Corrie star) and Kenzie (inflatable Blazin' Squadder and star of every single reality TV show of the last decade).
A1
There's already talk of it being a flop - it took a week to sell out, rather than the ten minutes of the first series and, let's be honest, Girl Thing are not exactly a top drawer pop prospect. However, there's a genuine buzz in the auditorium and, while the line up itself is not exactly all killer, no filler, there are enough fans of the individual acts to ensure that audience is packed with 20-somethings as giddy as they were when the Smash Hits Roadshow first rolled into town in 1996.
A1 kick off proceedings with a high energy rendition of their number one hit, 'Take on Me', before near hysteria breaks out as Easther Bennett belts out the opening lines of Eternal's début single 'Stay'. Despite an absence of 15 years, the group execute their trademark harmonies and slick choreography flawlessly, genuinely looking like they've never been away. When they return later to perform a medley of socio-nonsense anthem 'Don't You Love Me' and their iconic 1996 hit 'Power of a Woman', the room goes into meltdown.
Hybrid boyband Fifth Story pull off a surprisingly convincing rendition of Another Level's perve-some 'Freak Me' - even Adam Rickett doesn't look out of place performing the silky R&B hit and their harmonies are surprisingly polished. A later performance of Kavana's ' I Can Make You Feel Good' is great fun and Adam's duet with Blazin' Squad's Kenzie on the frankly ridiculous 'I Breathe Again' provides a bizarre, if surprisingly enjoyable highlight.
DamageFor a group that seemed a little like boyband also-rans at the time, Damage's fanbase don't seem to have ever deserted them. The reaction to their slick performance of 'Ghetto Romance' was one of the loudest of the evening and their gorgeous harmonies during the breakdown in 'Wonderful Tonight' proved that they deserve more respect than their more successful boyband peers.
Poor old Girl Thing provide an early bar break as a mass exodus greets their truly awful second single 'Girls On Top'. The group do their best with the lacklustre material but they really are here to provide a unique perspective on the fame game for the TV show and not because the Big Reunion's live show was crying out for a delve into their back catalogue. Their performance of 'Last One Standing' is more effective and set-list padding cover of Katy Perry's 'Roar' proved that with the right material, Girl Thing may have had a career after all, transforming the track from a brattish annoyance to a rebel rousing anthem.
Completing the line up are 3T, who do a sweetly soulful rendition of their 1996 hit 'Anything' before returning to the stage to treat us to not one, but two duets with their Uncle. His uncredited ad-libs on their Disney-esque ballad 'I Need You' provoke some of the biggest screams of the evening and the King of Pop later appears on video screens to duet with the trio on their uninspiring single 'Why'.
Eternal round off the show with a rendition of their über ballad 'Someday', conclusively proving that in Easther Bennett they have one of the most accomplished vocalists in the country. It's a true crime that she's spent the last decade with that fantastic gob of hers clamped firmly shut. The unquestionable highlight comes in the form of Eternal's iconic number one hit, 'I Wanna Be The Only One', where they are joined by American gospel legend Bebe Winans. 'I Wanna Be The Only One' is, let's be honest, one of the greatest songs of the 90s and this perfect slice of pure joy has the entire theatre on their feet. The harmonies are slick, the key changes (all of 'em) are in place and the roof is well and truly raised. It's one of those moments of pure, unabashed happiness that you always hope for when you buy a concert ticket and Kelle, Vernie and Easther take entire thing in their stride - their history together is less than harmonious but when their three voices blend, there's nothing like it.
Fifth Story There are audible fireworks, you can envision the confetti... but all is not over - Fifth Story appear to close the show with Gareth Gates's sitar wielding Comic Relief cover 'Spirit in the Sky'. It's fun, but it's a somewhat anticlimactic end to a gig that has surpassed expectations for the pop pickers in the audience. When you have a universally loved nugget of pure happiness like 'I Wanna Be The Only One' why end things with a bizarre novelty track that featured The Kumars?
We entered Hammersmith Apollo expecting to be twiddling our thumbs between the Big Songs and found ourselves enjoying every moment. There's no reason why, with a couple of tweaks here and there, that this line up of the Big Reunion can't surprise and delight arenas round the country. But we know this - if this is really the last we see of Eternal, it's an utter crime, but we're delighted that one of Britain's greatest girl groups were able to take a final, trium
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Post by helpinghands on Feb 28, 2014 12:04:00 GMT
That is a nice review of the show Carol, many thanks for posting
love H xx.
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Post by carol on Mar 8, 2014 15:28:30 GMT
In the Big Re-union this week I thought Gareth looked the most calm about it all, and seemed to be having fun. When they tried out their voices, Gareth's was effortless, he sounded superb.
love Carol xxx
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Post by GPG MY IDOL on Mar 8, 2014 18:16:04 GMT
I was surprised when he said he didn't want to sing first, surely he wasn't worried what he would sound like, with his amazing voice. I liked it when Gareth had recorded his track, took of his headphones and said ... "one take done"  I got the feeling the others took a bit more doing. Is it just me or is Gareth a cut above the rest, or I am a bit biased They are all lovely guys and sound great but they don't have what Gareth has ...do they? Love June x |
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Post by helpinghands on Mar 8, 2014 20:58:35 GMT
I like the fact that Gareth doesn't seem to be worried at all,. the others clearly are. His voice is far superior, he's had 12 years of keeping his hand in, the others are coming back to it again.
love H xx
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Post by carol on Mar 14, 2014 9:35:25 GMT
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I got the feeling the others took a bit more doing. Is it just me or is Gareth a cut above the rest, or I am a bit biased 