Saturday night saw 5 of the biggest British pop acts from the late 90s / early 00s gracing the stage in Sydney's iconic Luna Park. And what a line up, B Witched, Atomic Kitten, S Club, East 17 and Liberty X. It was a great night of retro hits and fun sets.
The thing is with these retro gigs is that they can be amazing, or really tragic. Last year I experienced the good and the bad. The 80s gig with Martika, Berlin and company was amazing, another line up of retro stars last year was not as strong. So I always go to these gigs with a little trepidation - especially when you know none of the groups have all their original line ups present. But to my great surprise and delight, this line up of brilliant British pop was the perfect night out.
Liberty X were up first. We got the three ladies from the group, but not the gents. They performed four songs for us, including their two massive hits, "Just a Little" and "Being Nobody". They also gave us, "Got To Have Your Love", a track I've always loved. Would have loved to have heard, "Song For Lovers", but enjoyed their brief but fun set. The ladies sounded great and had a friendly chemistry on stage. It was a great start to the night. You could feel from the start that this was going to be a fun evening with hits we all remember and love.
Up next were East 17. Now there were only two original members left. The original front men, Brian and Tony are gone. Terry and John remain, with new front man, Robbie. They opened with the explosive "House of Love" and the crowd went crazy. "It's Alright" was also a massive crowd pleaser with everyone joining in and bouncing like crazy. But if I'm honest, this was probably the weakest set of the night. It hurt not having the original lads there and the ballads fell flat. "Steam" and "Around the World" are great on record, but didn't translate as well to the stage. Don't get me wrong, it was fun, but the rest of the night was stronger.
Next on the schedule was S Club 3. We knew 4 were missing, but what a surprise when only 2 came out for "S Club Party". You could feel the disappointment in the room, especially when front woman Jo was missing - she was the S Club glue. So when the song finished, Tina and Bradley, explained that Jo was in hospital and was really upset about not being able to perform. You could see the genuine disappointment in the pair and as they were so open and honest, the crowd threw their full support behind them. The dance songs were epic, Jo's voice was still played and Tina and Bradley performed their hearts out. Bradley did a lot in the group, especially in songs like, "Don't Stop Moving" - so it was great to hear him belt it out. My highlight of the whole night came when Bradley went in the audience to ask people to sing along with "Never Had a Dream Come True", my favourite S Club song. The lady next to me didn't want to join in, so Bradley put the mic in my face and I got to sing. Then got a big hug, and Tina said, "Boys can sing this song too". While only having the two wasn't the ideal performance, their energy, commitment and talent made it a brilliant set and had me so pumped for the next two groups.
Up next were Atomic Kitten, who were the group I was most excited about seeing. I am a massive fan and have wanted to see them for years, and I was not let down. Of course it was a shame that Liz didn't make the trip, but Michelle from Liberty X filled in perfectly. And how great to see Kerry back in the group, and Natasha was sounding as strong as ever. If there was one complaint about Atomic Kitten's set, it wasn't long enough! They performed amazing songs, but I wanted more. I wanted to hear, "Someone Like Me", If You Come To Me" and my favourite of their tracks, "The Last Goodbye". But other hits we did get, "The Tide Is High", "Ladies Night", "Be With You" and of course, the iconic, "Whole Again". The vocals were strong and they were engaging with their banter. Kerry is hilarious, she was full of jokes - some better than others (but the bad jokes just made her more endearing). She made light of not being able to keep up with the choreography and took a break during "Ladies Night", cause the song just keeps going on. Watching the Atomic Kitten set was like catching up with some old friends you haven't seen in years, and you remember just why they make you smile.
At the finish was B Witched, and they were hands down the most polished and impressive act of the night. Even though we only had three of the ladies, they were incredible. Beautiful harmonises and the best choreography and dancing of the night. They also had the longest set of the night, even featuring 3 new songs from their new EP. These were great songs, I'm definitely gonna try out their new music. They opened with the infectious, "Jesse Hold On" and followed it up with the Australian number one, "Rollercoaster". The crowd was going insane by this stage. In between the new songs we got to hear old favourites like, "To You I Belong" and my favourite song of theirs, "Blame It On the Weatherman". Of course they finished the night with their debut smash, the iconic, "C'est La Vie". It blew the roof off. The girls seemed to be having the best night, they were warm and inviting with the audience. It was the perfect finish for the night. And what a night, a great line up that made us look back and remember some of the best days of our lives.
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