Simply Red: Live in London

Review by James Anthony

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Even if you don't happen to be a huge fan, you have to admit that Simply Red's main man, Mick Hucknall, has a terrific voice.

It's distinctive, clear and takes you on a within-song journey that is carried along by a cruisy 12-man backing outfit filled bursting with sax, bass and brass.

Filmed at the Lyceum Theatre in London, Hucknall's style makes this large concert feel more like an evening in a smoke-filled cabaret club.

The sound produced on the DVD is crystal-clear and if there were problems they would certainly be shown up by the fantastic vocals of Hucknall, particularly on an unplugged version of Holding Back the Years, where he plays acoustic guitar to a silently rapt audience.

Aside from the excellent audio quality, Live in London is expertly covered by a huge range of camera views that give you close-ups, floating high, rear view and drawback shots.

The imagery moves fairly quickly between the different angles but it adds a liveliness to the proceedings while not being so distracting it detracts from the performance.

The lighting is top-notch and the image quality is sensational. Outstanding tracks are Stars, Infidelity, The Right Thing, Money's Too Tight (To Mention), Holding Back the Years, Something Got Me Started.

You can turn the lyrics on for each song and that turns the DVD into a sort of Simply Red karaoke-practice session. Pretty good for cover bands to learn the words, as well.

Most of the old favourites come towards the end of the DVD but they certainly provide the performance with a foot-tapping, hand-clapping finale and the rip-snorting version of Fairground sends the theatre into raptures.

If you are a Simply Red fan, then Live in London will be a must. Even if you just like a few of the singles Hucknall has put out then it may well be worth your while as this is a very fine concert.

Conclusion: Rating: 85%

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