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Led by the charismatic and flamboyant Pete Long, his band provided a glorious backbone to a body of songs that epitomise the career of Frank Sinatra. Sung with integrity (but with a few nice jazz florets) by the smooth Kevin Fitzsimmons, the evening swung like a laid back pendulum. The ‘sequins’ element was provided by sassy Kitty La Roar who writhed and slinked her way through hits by Ella Fitzgerald, Marilyn Munroe and Eartha Kitt with great ease. The evening as a whole was a glorious and honest rendition of Sinatra’s ‘Capitol’ years, a brilliant sound by singer and band alike.

Assembly Hall, Worthing, 29 December 2011
Rating:
Lee Stevens

It’s not hard to see why people keep coming back to this show time after time. Tonight’s packed audience were treated to the same pick ‘n’ mix of popular music greats and comedy sketches, this time sprinkled with magical Christmas dust! We even had a Christmas panto, albeit with Alf Garnett as Scrooge, with Bob Marley and Elvis as two of the visiting ghosts. A rousing finale of Christmas hits got the audience on their collective feet and topped off a hugely enjoyable evening of entertainment. It’s not subtle, it’s not highbrow, but it is very good fun.

Assembly Hall, Worthing, 28 December 2011
Rating:
Lee Stevens

This write-up almost disappeared down a critical wormhole at The Brunswick, when Live ‘n’ Laughing’s admittedly excellent compere Sean McLoughlin began critiquing his own five-star Latest 7 reviews. Tonight’s entertainment was too diverse a selection box to gain full marks, despite the welcome inclusion of mince pies and warped carol singers, but the always wonderful Julie Jepson and Andy Field’s youthful scattiness pushed it in the right direction. Achieving greatness was Canadian headliner Tony Law, whose looping performance effectively managed to contain its own DVD commentary as Law viewed his surreal comic personae from multiple perspectives.

The Brunswick, 21 December
Rating:
Stuart Huggett

Despite sporting a Brian Blessed beard, Glenn’s voice was instantly recognisable and an early shout for ‘Voodoo Chile’ was rewarded with a fine rendition on a 12 string acoustic. Not needing to rely on past glories, his talent to write wry songs of everyday life proved to be as strong as ever. A selection of co-written songs with both Ron Sexsmith and 9 Below Zero demonstrated his versatility but ‘Up The Junction’ was the jewel in the crown. Amazingly a Shadows tribute and an X Factor parody worked equally well and a guest-laden Balearic encore had the crowd out of their seats.

Komedia, 19 December 2011
Rating:
Steve Clements