Wednesday 8 May 2024

All the right junk in all the right places


[photo above: Shane Benson. The rest: Madam Arcati]

Madam Arcati and I had a real treat in store on Sunday night, when we trolled up at The London Palladium for the 1000th concert performance by our fantabulosa "house band" Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox!

Even though the lovely Mr Bradlee wasn't there in person, this was a superbly-crafted, slick and professional show from beginning to end. With the most stunning set backdrop!

The evening was hosted by Mr Rogelio Douglas Jr., one of the more recent Jukebox-ees. Despite his patter and the audience-warming, however, it soon emerged that not only was he "Master of Ceremonies", but he also possesses one of the most powerful voices we've heard in a while - as this cover of Use Somebody (originally by Kings of Leon) serves to prove:

Of course, it wasn't him we came to see - it was the ladies...

And, heavens, they'd brought out the "big guns" - former Puppini Sister Emma Smith, Glen Campbell's little girl Ashley Campbell, Tatum Langley, original PMJ member Ariana Savalas, and our favourite Sarah Potenza, to boot!

Here's Miss Langley giving it full throttle on Die for You (originally by The Weeknd)...

...Miss Savalas with a much improved cover of GaGa's Bad Romance...

...and Miss Smith with her version of the Barenaked Ladies' One Week:

However, the combination of Miss Smith, Miss Langley and Miss Potenza (on All About That Bass) was (of course) a show-stopper!

There was a huge variety (as is to be expected) in the ensemble's repertoire for the evening. There were also some funny interludes, including percussionist Jack Amblin playing his washboard-cum-one-man-band device (on Tom Jones' It's Not Unusual), and frequent frenetic interludes by the brilliant tap-dancer Demi Remick.

Here's the set-list we were treated to:

  • Thriller (Michael Jackson cover)
  • Lovesong (The Cure cover)
  • Basket Case (Green Day cover)
  • 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
  • The Power of Love (Huey Lewis and the News cover)
  • Radioactive (Imagine Dragons cover)
  • Say You'll Be There (Spice Girls cover)
  • No Diggity (Blackstreet cover)
  • There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (Smiths Cover)
  • Die for You (The Weeknd cover)
  • It’s Not Unusual (Tom Jones cover)
  • Burn (Ellie Goulding cover)
  • One Week (Barenaked Ladies cover)
  • Use Somebody (Kings of Leon cover)
  • Bad Romance (Lady Gaga cover)
  • All About That Bass (Meghan Trainor cover)
  • Encore: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (U2 cover)

It was at that point that I "upped sticks" soon after the Madam, who had already departed for the loo and a fag. I existed the theatre, but he was nowhere to be seen - for he had (wisely) gone back into the auditorium instead of for nicotine, where a second encore was taking place. I missed it, he got no video of it - but [and I make no apologies for featuring it again] Miss Potenza closed the show with this one...

A phenomenal evening!

All hail Postmodern Jukebox...

6 comments:

  1. They would be awesome to see!!! I too love Sarah Potenza...she can belt it. I can only imagine you two lads were in 7th heaven after that concert set. So glad you enjoyed it.

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    1. We were most definitely in awe - it was utterly brilliant! Jx

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  2. Oh, Sarah Potenza!!! And all the brilliant talent. I wish I could have experienced that!

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    1. They're coming to Spain in October! If you can get to Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia or Galicia, that is... Jx

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  3. phenomenal and Awesome !
    A fabulous evening and I loved every second of it.

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    Replies
    1. It was a feast for the senses - and one we'd been hoping to catch for a long time! Jx

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