Showcall Showcase II - Monday, Afternoon Session

Published Thursday 15 February 2007 at 14:20 by Derek Smith

Always eagerly awaited, the variety of acts billed on Showcall Showcase II’s opening day promised to brighten the gloomiest of February days in Lancashire, the event’s three days certain to get agents and bookers reaching for their pens to scribble down plenty of acts’ details, whatever their needs.

After a brief intro from compere Tufty Gordon - and his phenomenal sax playing - and a quick hello from The Stage’s managing director Catherine Comerford, it was down to show openers the Funtime Frankies to get Park Hall rocking and everyone in the mood. That they did with style and complete ease, clearly being a tight, experienced band. Evidently they all the use the same hairdresser, sporting almost identical coiffeurs, but there’s never any short cuts to becoming good musicians, and they certainly qualify on that score. Being first on, it was far too early to expect hand clapping though, and they looked a tad disappointed throughout at the unwillingness of the trade audience to join in. Judging by the somewhat downbeat post-performance chat with Tufty, I’m not really sure they enjoyed their experience at Showcall, but the audience definitely appreciated them performing.

Quite how far vocalist Judy Shire expects to get in the business, I’m not sure, but on the evidence of her performance here, she is going to really struggle to make any kind of impact. Having started reasonably, it then all went horribly pear-shaped, Shire finishing with a version of Fever poor enough to get all music lovers breaking out in a cold sweat.

Crooner Gary Lane is a no-fuss, very competent singer, with a pleasant personality and nice, understated charm. That package made for a breath of fresh air as he rattled off a few highly enjoyable classics, opening with Michael Buble’s A Foggy Day (In London Town), used the band well, then launched into Engelbert Humperdinck’s fun Quando, Quando, Quando. Looking assured, even having some nice patter, this was a no-nonsense, entertaining set from a vocalist who can probably turn his vocal cords to most musical styles.

As I’m sure duo Hard 2 Beat could, the two ladies in question possessing enough combined talent and energy to entertain most audiences. They have been together for some ten years and that shows, each clearly enjoying each other’s company on stage, working seamlessly with one another and performing numbers from the likes of the Bay City Rollers, the one chosen here being the set’s highlight. Fun and entertaining, I wouldn’t put them in the sensational class, but they certainly are a solid, thoroughly professional duo.

Any act trying something different always gets my vote, even if it doesn’t necessarily come off - as here, with the somewhat bizarre opening performed in masks by girl vocal trio, Pure Ambition. It certainly grabbed the attention though, and in an industry currently awash with girl bands, making a unique impression is vital. Vocally, I found the group less impressive - though one member was particularly strong - but the whole set provided good entertainment and enough evidence that the group will find work. This was apparently the first time they had performed this act, so given the opening and their courage to go a cappella for one number, deserve a lot of praise.

Being somewhat quirky, I personally found Aberdeen duo Sian and Stephen quite hard work to watch, their mixture of music and comedy making for a most peculiar hybrid. There’s no doubt that each has talent, but the nature of their material - billed as self-parodying - will surely only appeal to niche audiences. It was only late on in the set, when they donned fezzes and performed Old Bazaar in Cairo, that I could raise a giggle - what had come before leaving me somewhat cold. Comedy, though, is a matter of personal taste, so I’m sure others will find them entertaining.

TV Puppets/The Puppet Party does what it says on the tin - provides great entertainment for kids, of both the big and little variety. There is more than a touch of the Muppets about them, but were the late, great Jim Henson looking on from above, he’d surely approve. Great looking puppets, some good gags and plenty of naughtiness made for a really fun set, ribs being tickled throughout, not least at the sight of a flatulent mouse, blowing off all over the place. Though it had been a bit slow to start, come the entrance of a well-endowed songstress, and her admirer, bouncing around to Aqua’s Barbie Girl, the laughter just kept coming. Total silliness, very slickly done.

The last time I saw the Illinois Blues Brothers, I was pretty sure they’re one of the best tributes around, and that still holds. Packed with energy, there’s a fizz to their act that is sometimes missing from others of their ilk and, vitally, they look every inch the part. Add some nifty footwork and good vocals, and you have everything any booker could surely want from a Blue Brothers tribute. Hopefully, they’ll always maintain the level each time I’ve seen them perform.

As colourful as an explosion in a paint factory, four-piece, boy/girl vocal-dance group Spin could inject life into the dourest of venues. When you perform with such energy though, the vocals inevitably suffer, and that was the case here on occasions, but it was still a thoroughly enjoyable set, which you could not help but like, if just for the sheer enthusiasm of the group’s members. The very glam rockers put everything into the performance, a cover of Ballroom Blitz being one of the better moments. Vocally, to use a Sweet reference, I wouldn’t class them as blockbusters, but they are great fun to watch, and whoever made their costumes deserves a pat on the back too.

Billed as a solo tribute, Monty Scott, a man with a big voice and even bigger hair, could charm any audience. He’s talented, a fine singer and clearly more than a little bit eccentric, and that all adds up to a fine, natural entertainer. Belting out Leo Sayer’s Thunder in My Heart, to open with real confidence, it’s just a shame the showcase format limited him to three songs. His after-set chat was almost another act in itself, and quite hilarious. “Dare you book him?” Tufty asked the audience. Bookers would be mad if they didn’t.

Since the industry sadly lost Snowdrop Creations, there’s perhaps been a gap in the market for his type of stylised, very personal performance. Enter then - and cue the James Bond movie theme - the Kingg of the Bonds Concert tribute act, performed in a unique manner by James Kingg. Unfortunately, events transpired against him while on stage and his act, which he genuinely described as a “labour of love” was cut short. Easy to ridicule perhaps, I personally wish him luck in his endeavours to find an audience for his material, but on this evidence, while he has a licence to kill, he doesn’t have one to thrill. Anyone from south of the border may also have trouble cutting through his strong accent. The Edinburgh fringe would therefore seem to be the ideal place to hone his act - all he needs now is a sponsor.

With Tufty signing off with What a Wonderful World, the first session of the showcase had come to a close. Despite a couple of no-shows, the bill had come up trumps, as indeed, on a number of occasions, had meet and greet card trickster Jack Bryce, mingling professionally throughout the day, along with the familiar faces of ventriloquist Chris Bylett, with his ever cheeky friend Charlie. It perhaps hadn’t been the strongest of showcase sessions, but still made for a good, varied afternoon’s entertainment.

EXPERT CHOICE

Bill O’Callagham, Fare Deal Entertainments chose Spin and Monty Scott