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ONE stage, eight men, plenty of Good Vibrations and not an ego in sight.
Last night Newcastle City Hall played host to the latest line-up of one of the world’s most famous bands, as The Beach Boys surfed their way into Toon.
Lead singer Mike Love and touring partner Bruce Johnston have been joined on the UK leg of the tour by another former Beach Boy, David Marks, and a bunch of amazingly talented musicians to recapture the magic of those hazy California days when all boys did was surf, drive and meet beautiful women.
With perfect five-part harmonies, the eight-strong band pulled off an impressive three-hour performance.
Opening with a selection of their older classics, Love at first seemed a little awkward, but soon relaxed into the show as hit followed hit.
As different members of the band began took on vocal duties for different tracks, the youngest member of the band emerged as Christian Love, Mike’s son, who took the lead on several songs, and did it well.
Marks himself had his own singing moment, but preferred to stay very much in the shadow of his bandmates, only really standing forward to play the odd guitar solo.
Johnston was the true crowd pleaser, and although it wasn’t clear exactly what the point of his keyboard at the front of the stage was – keys player Tim Bonhomme was the man with the fingers, impressing with his big Hammond solos – old Bruce was a hit.
Bassist Randell Kirsch took the falsetto role, delivering a dazzling performance of The Warmth of the Sun and giving the band that unique Beach Boys sound with some ease.
But the star of the show was drummer John Cowsill, who shocked the audience when he took lead vocals midway through the show.
Without a doubt, Cowsill had the best voice on the stage, and was able to bash the drums while holding the song together with amazing flare and charisma.
After a strong opening set, the band took just a 20 minute interval before bursting back on stage with California Girls and other upbeat numbers, before giving an a cappella performance, some gentler numbers, and finally playing out with biggies such as Good Vibrations and Fun, Fun, Fun.
It was a night to delight the fans who danced in the aisles throughout. God Only Knows, these boys can put on a show.
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