CityLife

Errol Brown

THE time has come for Errol Brown’s Mancunian mob to bid the silky smooth lothario a hysterical farewell as he retires from the business of making women weak at the knees and their husbands dance like tangled string puppets.

If you missed him, then you missed him, because according to the mastermind behind '70s pop powerhouse Hot Chocolate a life on the road is coming to an end.

Well, who can blame him after nearly 40 years making hearts flutter?

The grandeur of the Bridgewater Hall befits a man of Brown’s status, although the screams, flailing arms and gyrating hips of his drooling female fans bring the tone back to the suitably fun-loving level of a dodgy disco.

What Kinda Boy You Lookin’ For (Girl) opens the show at a gentle pace, with Man To Man further calming the excitable crowd allowing Brown’s voice to warm up whilst he gently bobbed and swayed in a dapper grey suit.

He is sartorially elegant but he wears his 60 years even better, looking far younger than his birth certificate would suggest.

He knows by now that the personal touch pays, so softly spoken introductions about his inspirations and dedications to the audience serve to focus all eyes and ears firmly on him.

Brother Louie provides an early highlight with it’s lush chorus and Girl Crazy gives the opportunity for some welcome audience participation and a joke about the singer’s dubious wardrobe choices of his heyday.

Olympic sprinter

An Olympic sprinter would have struggled to beat Errol’s ladies to the front of the stage when So You Win Again unfolds, a song that makes even those hanging limply beside wives and mums look like they’re enjoying themselves.

The ups are exciting but, the lows do become a little dreary and No Doubt About It plateaus shortly after the opening bars and lasts for what seems like an eternity, much like Heaven Is N The Back Seat Of My Cadillac which is repetitive to the point of inducing sleep.

Thankfully those moments are rare and It Started With A Kiss immediately banishes criticism of the few pedestrian moments that will inevitably pepper such a lengthy career.

Every 1’s A Winner has one of those guitar riffs that, if only for the regular cheques, everyone wishes they had written and coming shortly before You Sexy Thing it’s a show finale the should have been an explosive end.

Winding down to introduce his (largely Mancunian) band and an unnecessary encore of Thank You For The Night meant Errol Brown didn’t leave Manchester with quite the same bang but, perhaps more importantly, left on his terms and gave the fans one more chance to say goodbye.

Tweet