Bristol

 

Will Young

Colston Hall, Bristol

added: 1 Dec 2008 // release date: 2 Dec 2008 // label:

reviewer: Cammy Smith

 

Entering Colston Hall for the first time, I was slightly surprised by how small it was against my expectations. Finding my seat in the front stalls, I sat down and waited patiently for the lights to go down and for the fun to begin. Suddenly the crowd goes wild and everyone stands up clapping as the band arrives on stage. Will makes a big entrance sporting bright blue jeans and a black shirt and we kick off into the first song.

 

Two songs in, Will addresses the crowd making jokes and being the cheeky chappie he is. Throughout the night, Will takes breaks between songs to chat with his audience, giving one woman a hug for her dancing and telling stories about his life. He even makes a crack that this is a 'stand up show’ which makes the crowd laugh.

 

The audience itself is a spectacular mix of men, women, old and young. The atmosphere in the crowd was electric, with lots of laughter, singing and dancing making the night in whole unforgettable, with the energy flowing from both the crowd and Will Young himself.

 

In the space of an hour and a half, Will and his band play 15 tracks in total with a further 2 tracks for an energetic encore ending on his new single release 'Grace’. With a brilliant feedback from fans, this was definitely a night I will not be forgetting in a hurry. Although I personally am not a major fan of Will, I would recommend his gigs to anyone interested in listening. With an outstanding voice and brilliant energy on stage, Will Young has not let fame go to his head.

http://www.music-news.com/ShowReview.asp?n...mp;nType=2&

 

Will Young: Colston Hall

 

Tuesday 2nd December 2008

This is a Crackerjack review of Will Young. Do you agree? Rate and review this event.

Crackerjack rating: 7 / 10.

 

The recent news that Will Young has been invited to appear on Question Time came as something of a shock. He may have a degree in politics but whether the nation really needs to hear his views on cutting VAT in order to stimulate consumer spending, Barack Obama’s decision to appoint Hillary Clinton as secretary of state and the plan to slash greenhouse gas emissions by a fifth is open to debate.

What isn’t in question is him being the nicest man in pop, something that was reinforced at this sold-out Colston Hall show in front of an excitable, overwhelmingly female, crowd.

With a mile-wide grin all night, he was rarely still and had plenty of amusing stories to tell in between songs; taking in everything from dreams about Dolly Parton to being told off by his grandma for not keeping in touch.

Not quite so at ease in front of the big crowd were support act Honey Ryder. They may be named after the bikini-busting Bond girl played by Ursula Andress in Dr No but they were more Playschool than p*ssy Galore, with pleasant, folky songs and the ability to tap into the EU niceness reserves.

While there’s no questioning the niceness of Will Young, he isn’t always quite so well served by his songs. He does have some very good ones, with the gospel-tinged You & I, classy pop of Grace and Changes, and Friday’s Child, which went from wine bar chic to bass-driven weirdness and back again, among the highlights.

However, there were times when the tunes didn’t quite match the vast amounts of charm coming from the Pop Idol winner. Still, his cover of Joni Mitchell’s Help Me was excellent and the closing Leave Right Now remains his best song by some distance.

Perhaps he should sing it on Question Time – before going on to discuss whether the state should have a controlling interest in some of our biggest banks, of course.

Paul Dallison

 

 

 

Thanks for the Bristol reviews TT. Both good, but it is amazing how critics' perceptions differ. One says the "audience itself is a spectacular mix of men, women, old and young", whereas the other says the audience was "an excitable, overwhelmingly female crowd".

 

From what I saw at Newcastle I'd go with the mix of men and women (and children) of all ages, but I'd add excited, :yahoo: not excitable - they mean two different things.

Thanks to Suggy for this:

 

Will Young: An Ipswich legend at 28

 

 

http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/content/eveningstar/blogs/images/will-young-5.jpg

 

RAISE a large glass of Malibu, complete with a slice of pineapple, and toast the amazing musical cocktail that is one Will Young.

Pop Idol 2002 winner Will, 28, is a talisman to millions – and I watched as he showed all his singing prowess as he wowed a sell-out Ipswich crowd of more than 1,600 people.

Will sang and then chatted, teased and then joked, danced and then pranced, his was through a spellbinding 90-minute set, when he confessed of a distant love affair with the coconut liqueur that is Malibu.

He’s left those days behind now – but in six years at the top has delivered some of the classic songs of the first part of the 21st century.

Let’s celebrate the joys of songs like Friday’s Child, when pop almost tilts into rock, Who Am I, Grace and You and I, numbers which had the crowd singing and dancing, some of them in tears of the awesome scale and pitch of the Young voice.

This is entertainment at its highest level – and Will is adored by is fans who come in all shapes, sizes and ages.

Some trail their hero across the country – one set of women have travelled from all parts of the country to watch every one of the 14 shows to date – will they ever get home?

My favourite on the night was the classic number one, Leave Right Now, which beat the delightful Changes by a short quaver.

With dozens of mobile phones capturing video moments - Will even filmed himself for someone on the front row - this was a night to store in the memory banks for a long time to come.

I don’t know about Leave Right Now – it’s more like Come Back Soon!

 

 

What a brilliant review thanks suggy and munchkin

Brilliant, just brilliant. :cheer:

 

 

 

http://www.eadt.co.uk/content/eadt/f...A01%3A50%3A303

 

 

 

Gallery: Will Young lights up Ipswich

 

04 December 2008 | 16:01

 

WEARING his electric blue 'Asda' jeans, Will Young arrived on stage at The Ipswich Regent to a ripple of applause and a bevvy of screams as a full house welcomed the star to the county.

 

Will, who beat rival Gareth Gates to the post by winning Pop Idol in 2002, has come a long way, becoming one of the most popular and critically acclaimed male vocalists in the country.

 

On stage the star had a real presence and charisma, and bounded with energy as he rattled through a catalogue of hits that included new material from his latest album Let it Go, as well as old favourites such as Friday's Child and Leave Right Now.

 

Shaking his snake hips and flashing that beaming smile, suave Will had the audience in his grip, with some members even shouting out requests for the singer to take of his shirt - all of which, of course, he took in his stride with banter and quirky quips.

 

New material included in the show combined a mixture of funk and soul-vibed tunes and hauntingly beautiful melodies.

 

And he even threw in a ska-inspired track at the end for good measure.

 

All in all it was a mesmerising performance that charmed from beginning to end, and we all left with smiles on our faces.

 

CHARLOTTE SMITH-JARVIS

Thanks sunday. I can definitely feel the love in Ipswich. :heart:

Thanks BYM+M's. Yet another brilliant review. Can't quite believe all these brilliant reviews he's getting this tour. The critics seem to be tripping over themselves in admiration, and to report what we've been seeing for years. :yahoo: Long may it last. :D

Edited December 4, 200816 yr by chrysalis

Portsmouth

 

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb152/gillwill_photos/PortsmouthNews.jpg :D :D

 

Portsmouth

 

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb152/gillwill_photos/PortsmouthNews.jpg :D :D

 

 

WOW :yahoo: :w00t: :cheer: http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/happy080.gif

Such fantastic reviews coming in from this tour, :cheer: Will's in his element and so are we in these more intimate venues, I do love the arena's, but I much prefer theatres. :wub:

Brighton

 

Review from The Argus (Brighton) published 5th Dec on Will Young's performance at the Brighton Dome on Thu 4th December 08

 

"Arguably the most credible of TV talent show winners, Will Young performed a sell-out gig at the Brighton Dome.

 

Part of Young’s appeal has to be his humble persona and original song writing, which ensured he broke free from the traditional talent show stigma which befell the likes of Gareth Gates.

 

His classic good looks and stylish dress sense haven’t done him any harm either.

 

He started the gig by calling Brighton his new home town as he has now moved here, and continued his good-mannered banter with the audience throughout.

 

Unsurprisingly, for such a well-spoken gent, the audience consisted of mostly middle-aged couples – he’s the type of person anyone would be proud to introduce to their Mum and Dad.

 

Young’s soulful voice was flawless throughout, with a mixture of haunting ballads, such as Who Am I, and energetic up-tempo hits, such as the infectious Your Game.

 

He also performed his new single, Grace, along with a cover of Joni Mitchell’s Help Me, both of which had the audience up and dancing.

 

Visually, the show could have been better. For example, showing some of his quirky music videos as he performed might have added to the already excellent show.

 

That said, he performed with a group of very talented musicians and backing singers who seemed to enjoy the show just as much as he did.

 

As Young treated the audience to an encore of Leave Right Now, there was a definite feeling nobody wanted him to. What a feel-good night".

 

Another good'un.

Thanks for the new reviews TT - such a great feeling around him :heart:

 

Visually, the show could have been better. For example, showing some of his quirky music videos as he performed might have added to the already excellent show.

 

I think it would have just detracted from the performance and intimacy. He planned this to be stripped back.

Edited December 5, 200816 yr by munchkin

Thanks for the new reviews TT - such a great feeling around him :heart:

I think it would have just detracted from the performance and intimacy. He planned this to be stripped back.

 

I agree but we'll forgive the reviewer with all the other excellent comments. :)

 

I also agree with the "less is more" theme of this tour, Will, that voice and the band are all that's needed, who the hell would

be watching the video's when Will's on stage? :wacko: :lol:

the Brighton show was excellent :D I think the crowd wanted a second encore after Leave Right Now, they took a while to put the lights back on :heehee:

 

my favourite performance was You & I, very emotional

the Brighton show was excellent :D I think the crowd wanted a second encore after Leave Right Now, they took a while to put the lights back on :heehee:

 

my favourite performance was You & I, very emotional

 

I'm glad you enjoyed the night goooddelta, :D my favourites are You Don't Know, Friday's Child and Love, I'm seeing him at the Roundhouse next Friday.http://www.kolobok.us/smiles/artists/just_cuz/JC_hurrah.gif

the Brighton show was excellent :D I think the crowd wanted a second encore after Leave Right Now, they took a while to put the lights back on :heehee:

 

my favourite performance was You & I, very emotional

 

Thanks for taking the time to post your comments gooddelta. Glad you enjoyed the gig. :D

no worries, he's a great performer, fantastic live voice and a brilliant sense of humour :D

So pleased you enjoyed the gig gooddelta. It's good to hear comments from peeps outside the bubble. :D