MUSIC REVIEW: Radio Gaga - The Adelphi Theatre, London.

When I arrived at the Adelphi, I could not believe the queue outside, running almost the length of The Strand. What I had not expected was that there was a huge fan base for Radio Gaga already. They have been performing as Queen for a while now and are well known amongst the fans. This was not what I had anticipated and there was real frisson in the air of expectation. The auditorium was packed, not an empty seat in the house. There was a real buzz and excitement in the crowd which was infectious.

The stage was fairly bare, but the lighting was phenomenal so when the band arrived on stage it felt almost like being in a large stadium. Freddie (Mark Sanders) was larger than life and had all the moves and Freddie’s famous jackets. Carrying Freddie’s trademark microphone stand throughout the performance, as well. He is a well-practised imitator of the infamous lead singer. The band were good; in particular the drummer Tristan Snowden-Poole (Roger Taylor) needs a mention as he knows how to spin a drumstick! I was a little taken aback by Richard Ashford (Brian May) – his hair resembled more of a luxurious Samuel Pepys style wig than that of Brian. It looked so heavy there was no way he was able to really shake his hair like Brian can. It swamped him and I can only imagine how hot it must have been under it. The two guitarists Richard Ashton and Jon Caulton (John Deacon) were not as dominant as needs be and their guitars were not as loud. Also joined on stage by Ben Parkinson on keyboards. Freddie was and is the star and everyone else plays second fiddle.

The audience loved it, singing along, following Freddie’s lead, echoing his call and response. Mark Sanders is a good Freddie substitute although he doesn’t quite have the voice, but then who in the world could possibly fill Mr Mercury’s shoes and vocal range? This was about the performance, making the audience believe this was a concert, (albeit tied to our very tight seats). As with the real Freddie, the audience were eating out of his hand. Clapping along to 'We Will Rock You', swaying their arms to all of the old favourites, one of mine being 'Killer Queen'. We had phone lights on and waved those as well. The Adelphi is quite an old-fashioned theatre so there is no opportunity or space to stand up and dance, and being in these seats doesn’t really suit a live concert. The show is about to kick off a nationwide tour, so look out for a venue near you for a really great night. If you are a Queen fan – do not miss it. I’m sure there will be better venues suited to live music and Radio Gaga will be back in London to play the O2 in February.

It is a two-part gig, over two hours long in total and ending of course with 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. They did of course come back on stage for an encore. I think the renaissance of Queen’s music has been helped by the film Bohemian Rhapsody and has gained a newer and younger audience joining the original stalwarts. A good night was had by all and the buzz that filled the theatre at the beginning was still there as we filed out into a damp November night in London. This was definitely a ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’.

Reviewer - Penny Curran

on - 14.11.23