THE RAINBOW CHORUS: ANTHEMS IN COLOUR

The one thing that you can rely on from any Rainbow Chorus concert is that you will come away with a sense of joy. They embody the power of community, of oneness and commitment. There is a sense of fun, always, and that surpasses whatever else one might feel.

Last night in St George’s Church Kemp Town, those factors overcame what I was to hear had been a week of anxiety. Their regular sound and lighting engineer had been broken into all the equipment stolen. It was only by Friday the team had managed to find a sound person who at that late stage could step in. Now it’s not just a case of turning up and turning things on, there’s far more to it than that and above all there is knowing the choir and its sound.

The guy that stepped up did his very best but last night the sound was not great, the choir at times too loud and at other times the soloists too loud. And the keyboard the same, sometimes too punchy. For this reason the numbers delivered a capella worked best and saw the choir at their most comfortable.

The evening’s programme was built around a selection of the choir’s favourite pieces with the addition of a few new numbers, and they were delivered with their usual energy and commitment. But somehow this set lacked something. Perhaps their most recent concerts which had included some very challenging pieces, which they had pulled off with style, had set the bar high. The Pergolesi Stabat Mater had certainly done that, proving that this ensemble is capable of great things.

Anthems In Colour was a fun evening with some truly moving moments, some very fine solos and their signature sense of fun.

When it comes to their reason for being, The Rainbows score five every time, and RC+ last night gave us a rippingly good He Lives In You, really impressive, followed by an energetic if slightly shambolic Time Warp.

A small group in part two delivered a beautiful rendition of Skyfall, the whole choir nailed Bridge Over Troubled Water and on this occasion really pulled off the difficult Con Te Partiro. One Day Like This was impressive as was You Will Be Found and the whole evening came to a summit with the very moving The Lavender Song with a message that was poignantly clear. The second half saw them settle down into a far more impressive set for sure.

I have great respect for this choir, their MD Aneesa Chaudhry has for twelve years now pushed them forward and instilled in them both confidence and ambition. And despite the issues that they had faced in the run up to the concert, they managed to deliver an evening of song that re-enforced the value of their presence on the city’s music scene and high status in our LGBTQ+ community.

Andrew Kay

29 June

St George’s Kemp Town

[rating 3.5/5]