Reviewed on Tuesday November 25
A show like this can remind you, or in my case, educate you regarding a bygone era of pop music. An era when pop music was unashamedly joyful. Wah Wah Nee take to the stage with an enthusiasm that many modern-day acts would find hard to match. Back-to-back hits ‘Sugar Free’ and ‘Stimulation’ inject an energy into the audience not often seen during a support slot, and they play to the crowd with popular covers from their heyday, including a well-executed version of Van Halen’s ‘Jump’. The crowd has been well and truly warmed up for the main attraction.
After a short intermission, a seated affair is quickly transformed as Rick Astley enters the stage, backed by Wah Wah Nee just like the old days, apparently (this was all before my time), opening proceedings with ‘Together Forever’. A couple of rows in front of me, a lady wearing what can only be described as glitter overalls boogies on down.
Astley lives up, in every respect, to the ladies’ man he is alleged to be. His cocky Northern English charm seems to bring out the wilder side of women in the crowd, most of whom are well into their 40s. During ‘She Wants To Dance With Me’ an almost comically large pair of panties is thrown onto the stage, Astley graciously hanging them on the drum kit.
Musically, the performance – both Astley’s and Wah Wah Nee’s – is flawless. Astley’s vocal is assured as it was 20 years prior, and the backing vocals provided by the band are similarly solid. The music is not thought-provoking, nor especially emotionally engaging, but the atmosphere is such that its lightness drives an energy within the room. Astley appears nonplussed by his status as somewhat of a one-hit wonder, prefacing one song by saying, “You probably don’t know this one, but frankly, I don’t give a shit.”
His onstage banter is a highlight throughout, equal parts quirky, cheeky and creepy. While he may not be exactly relevant in today’s music scene, he has kept up ably with pop trends, meandering capably through covers of Pharrell’s ‘Happy’ and Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’.
Astley leaves ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’, the song everyone has been waiting for, until the encore. It is a worthy high to finish an evening that has played on about every pop music cliché. However, in the circumstances, they are well-placed.
