This unofficial site features his current and recent events and tours
Review of Tony Hadley vs Martin Fry and ABC -
Jersey -
5th March 2005 by Jill
Just got back from Jersey, Fort Regent. Flew over to the Channel Islands yesterday afternoon (5th March) from Gatwick. It was a semi Mother's Day/quality time present from my hubby, Andy, and indirectly the Kids - they didn't come! No way. Seeing as I'm in the airline business, the air fares, weren't a problem, the show tickets - once I'd established that - despite my late decision to check this one out - I was able to secure two front row seats: well that was the decider. The Hotel? Which one would be nearest and convenient to the venue? The Pomme d'Or on the harbour front. It is undergoing a major refurb. and while we were offered a deluxe sea front room with a view, the scaffolding and tarpaulines prevented us from seeing the spectacular St. Helier coastline and surrounding views. It just meant we got the room at a cheaper rate, but who cared, we weren't there for the view really. (Pomme d'Or was the hotel occupied by the Nazis as their headquarters - has a lot of history.)
Anyway, on with the show. It was raining, so we got the taxi to the venue; up the winding road right to the top. Couldn't have walked it - had to save my dancing feet! The ancient fort sits proudly to the east of the sweeping St. Aubins Bay. It protected the Islands for years and is very imposing. The new leisure centre has been built up over the last 20 years within the fort walls and is massive. The concert was in a big sports hall, with a very high dome. It must have been a major achievement for the sound team to get the sound right, but disappoint us, they did not. The strobe lighting started and the usual classical overtures played while Phil T, Richard B, Matt, Phil W. Richie and the brass players all took their positions, ready for Tony and Martin to come on from their sides of the stage. It was electric.
In my front row AA28 29 seats , a bit miffed it was at the end of the row over on Martin's side, but had a good view of Phil doing his thing. (He does pull some wonderful ecstatic faces when he's into his piano playing!!) Normally I like to be on Tony's side(like joined at the hip, preferably!), it's just what I'm used to. Despite the speakers being too close - but that's a pre-occupation with the show and you soon forget that - well I do anyway, we started to rock with Up, Up and Away. The crowd were largely shy, although a few pockets of ardent ABC and Spandau Fans were evident behind somewhere. The front row was a bit sedentary, except for me. I was into it right from the off. The words just slipped right out of my mouth from playing the cd in the car every day. The first three or four songs as per the usual set list were played. TH did his usual banter and asked how Jersey was and had they missed him as it had been 18 years since he was last there - and apparently Tom took his first steps on Jersey. Memories of a long-ago family holiday.
He was on good form. 'True' with the lovely Sax-y-Simon, fantastic, the lads were on good form too, all of them. They played four different songs that have not been heard (by me anyway) this tour. Martin sang Thunderball (James Bond theme) for the first time. It was a little bit lukewarm, but I think he will get better at it. Tony sang a new jazzy swing number. I recognised it but couldn't remember the title; he also re-sang walking in Memphis and one other that slips my mind at the moment. Hoobastank's The Reason, She's Gone, Drops of Jupiter (I've not heard that since The Stables recording!) sadly absent but Time in the Bottle remained He asked if people wanted to hear any other old SB songs - like Muscleboud. Some people said yes. He said they must be having a 'larf'... all the ones he hates he made sure they wouldn't be hearing. So he sang Barricades. The hall was pin droppingly silent until we all had to sing. There were a lot of blokes in the audience and some idiot two rows back from me was always shouting out. His favourite phrase was: 'you got the power to knoooooo - Tony!'
Martin has got more confident, but I think he just has a more twitchier misdemeanor anyway but once he 's singing those old songs, he's away and very good. I'm appreciating him more each time I see him. The first half was over in a flash. My favourite Soul Love starts off the second half - I can't leave the room, the car, the venue until I have heard it. Dying for a loo break, I had to keep my legs crossed until a bit later on. Tony made reference to their bar being better than ours. I was looking at him and he seemed to talk directly to me about it as if I knew what the bar was like.... it was the recognition bit. Came back from the loo break, the front row were still sedentary at this point. Due to the shape of the seating there were two large empty areas were people from the back were dancing on either side of the hall. Martin made a joke about doing an east and west dancing competition. I thought what about the usual front row squad? No one seemed to want to get things going. So I took it in my own hands (FEET) and when Martin broke into When Smokey Sings, that was it. I was off. To the middle - and another side-dancing girl came with me which meant the others who were up dancing at the side followed her. Martin laughed as we broke away and did this, he appreciated it. The crowd had found their feet. Then Gold, Delilah, Let Stick Together, the encore of You've Lost That Loving Feeling and Suffragette City. The reticent crowd were finally ecstatic and it was difficult to stay at the front all the time (had to go back to hubby at one point - his suspicions of a crazy wife had just been confirmed!) but towards the end, just after the Suffragette I got Tony to come forward to give me a handshake of the grabbing hands sort, which pleased me no end.
And so it was. The End. Over far too quickly and we could have gone on longer. My ears.... perhaps no.
I love Jersey, and seeing Tony and the guys on it made my weekend/Mother's Day! Won't forget it in a hurry.
Thanks Jill for submitting this review - if you have been to one of the shows and would like to send me a review, then I will be pleased to receive it and post it on the site. Denise.