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Meltdown Festival
Eurythmics Songbook
Royal Festival Hall
★★★★
CURATING Meltdown as a celebration of song and songwriters, Chic legend Nile Rodgers tasked David A Stewart of Eurythmics with pulling together not just an all star band but a selection of great singers to perform the synthpop duo’s many hits.
Featuring Emilie Sande, Iris Gold, Beverley Knight, Folami and Kimberly Davis from Chic, and more on stage, Stewart ably met that call.
With a canon second to none — Eurythmics sold some 75 million records — track after track is greeted with not just a warm welcome but like an old, revitalised friend.
Early in the set Ryan Molloy takes Love Is A Stranger to the heights of obsession, Emile Sande’s voice fills every corner of the room and her take on There Must Be An Angel is heavenly to behold, as is the harmonica by Indiana Sfair, after which one singer comments simply “how do you follow that?” By celebrating good music and great musicianship.
The stage is packed with some 15 musicians, at times joined by The London Community Gospel Choir bringing extra energy to proceedings.
There’s also a bit of a family affair about things with I Need A Man ably performed by Stewart’s son Django early on while daughter Kaya Stewart sings two tracks mid set.
A shout out must also go to Rahh and Roo Savill who not only take the lead on key tracks but keep the flow providing backing vocals throughout the show.
Rounding off the night the big guns come out, Folami and Rodgers help bang out a belting version of It’s Alright (Baby’s Coming Back) and Knight owns the stage during Would I Lie To You, while Gold is back with Knight to perform a superb and rousing Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves.
The night ends in explosive fashion — ticker tape rains down — with a mass sing-along to Sweet Dreams where the synth driven beat sees the room rock out.
Centre stage are six powerful women flanked by Rodgers and Stewart on guitar, all singing and playing their hearts out, no one individual takes up the limelight, instead it’s shared, leaving the music to do the talking — and that sums up the night, sweet dreams indeed are made of this, and no one disagrees...
