Saturday, 1 November 2014

In Concert: Sixties Gold, 2014, St David's Hall, Cardiff

As I was born in 1968 the music of the 1960s has always been close to me and for that matter has had a particular part to play in forming my own life's soundtrack. As new styles come,become stale or boring, the endless genres of sixties, pop, rhythm and blues, rock and even ballads still endure.

It's never a surprise to me therefore when attending sixties package shows that there is always a strong demand to hear classic cuts performed live and if you're lucky, maybe even get to see an original singer or musician from the era perform them. Despite Gerry Marsden and Brian Poole not appearing due to serious illness, Wednesday evening's Sixties Gold show still had music legends aplenty.

Original sixties chart stars Spencer Davis (pictured), PJ Proby, Tremeloes star Chip Hawkes and Searchers John McNally and Frank Allen were all there performing alongside slick (and in many cases) time served newer members of The Searchers, The Fortunes and The Pacemakers.

Among the many highlights, was The Fortunes keyboardist Bob Jackson recalling his time with Welsh band Badfinger and paying tribute to songwriter Pete Ham with a version of Without You, Spencer Davis giving an electrifying rendition of his 1967 hit I'm a Man and PJ Proby proving he still had a fine voice with a powerful rendition of Somewhere.

There were also pop classics from Chip Hawkes, looking and sounding great performing Silence is Golden, The Pacemakers with a selection of Gerry’s hits and The Searchers topping the bill with a memorable set including Needles and Pins and Everytime You Walk in the Room.

Sixties Gold? Definitely!

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