The Arkaba
Friday 4th November 2022
Presented by Markus Hamence
(Reviewed by John Glennie)
I think that if Freddie was looking down at this concert, he would have said “a big thank you for doing justice to my music”!
The show opened in style, and really set the scene for what was to come, with the band playing an immediately recognisable riff then Greg Gould entering the stage with We Will Rock You. He was closely followed by Jimi The Kween then Sarah C. It certainly was a rousing rendition that was followed up with I Want It All.
The rest of the set saw a rotation of superb individual performances. Greg led the way with a great version of Don’t Stop Me Now before Jimi graced the stage with a costume change for Fat Bottomed Girls, though his performance was a little lacking. Sarah then did an amazing rendition of one of my Queen favourites – Killer Queen. Jimi certainly redeemed himself with Love Of My Life before Greg gave a slow, stripped-back version of You’re My Best Friend which he dedicated to his partner. After Sarah gave us The Show Must Go On we were given time to top up our drinks before the second set.

This set also started off with an immediately recognisable riff, and all performers thumping out Radio Gaga. Onne thing that was done to perfection during the entire show, was their interaction with the audience and getting us all involved and frequent wandering through the aisles. Another One Bites The Dust had the customary foot stomping and hand clapping echoing around the venue. Jimi then drew laughs as he returned with another costume change to mirror Freddie’s video clip for I Want To Break Free – though with a broom instead of a vacuum cleaner!
Sarah and Greg hit the stage together again for a “wow” version of Somebody To Love. I also need to mention the marvellous band comprising Thom Mann on drums, Nick Sinclair on bass, Jonathan Skovron on guitar and Brenton Foster on piano. Really took my hat off to the latter when he did a couple of songs with just him and Greg. When Greg missed a cue or stuffed up one of the lyrics, he said “can we go back to …” and Brenton did so without missing a beat. This happened earlier and also in a moving ballad No One But You – though brilliantly sung, my partner and I both thought this song detracted from the mood and drive of the rest of the show. Thankfully that was rectified by all three singers joining together for We Are The Champions and again for the “no prizes for guessing what the encore is” … Bohemian Rhapsody.
I was sceptical about this show as Freddie provided some sensationally big shoes to fill – my partner is an even bigger fan, so was nervous! However, we were both talking about what a superb performance it was for some time after. If they come back – and hopefully they will – make a point of seeing them, even if you aren’t a Freddie fan!
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