Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus – Nautical But Nice

There is little doubt that this male voice choir have found… well found their voice. Their accomplished performances and fun arrangements are proof of that. But they add an extra that could, in lesser hands, be a disaster, and that is a thread of comedy between numbers. Fortunately this is well written and convincingly delivered and make for an altogether more entertaining evening. At times I felt that the recorded accompaniments were a little overdone – and over powered, sadly leaving the quieter moments behind, which is a minor technical criticism but on the whole the production values are of a very high standard. Equally impressive were a series of beautifully sung solos and a fine duet, all of which allowed the performers to stretch their vocal style beyond that of ensemble singing. My only sadness was that the nautical theme was rather thinly adhered too, especially as there are so many great songs, from all eras, about the sea. That said I came away delighted at having seen and heard a choir hitting all the right notes – in every sense.

St George’s Kemp Town, 2 May 2014
Rating:
Andrew Kay