GIG: Graham Gouldman
DATE: Sunday 5th
May 2013
VENUE: The
Stables, Wavendon, Milton Keynes
COST: £22.50
plus £3.70 in fees
OUR VERDICT: Harmony
plus
Once again we found ourselves in the intimate setting of The
Stables Theatre in Milton Keynes. A great venue that is custom built for a
great sound. And once again, this was an artist Minty wasn’t well versed in
apart from knowing he was a member of 10cc.
Support was provided by Tinderbox, an acoustic trio with two
guys on guitars and a girl singer. They were a very pleasant listen, and it’s
easy to see why they are highly regarded on some BBC radio programmes.
Graham Gouldman came on alone and started his set with one
of his early song-writing hits, Billy J Kramer’s big hit "Pamela Pamela". He was
then joined by Rick Fenn with a 12 string
guitar, and the sound that just the two of them managed on Graham’s hit for The
Yardbirds, “Heartful Of Soul”, seemed to fill the hall.
Mick Wilson and Mike Stevens then came onto the stage and after a quick nod of the hat to 10cc with "Good Morning
Judge", all four members of the band brought the house down with a stunning
vocal performance of Herman’s Hermits “No Milk Today”. The harmonies on this
were so well worked out they sounded like a choir. With 30 guitar stings
strumming, this was just an aural delight.
A new song to us,” The Halls Of Rock And Roll”, had us
singing the words of the chorus before it had finished. This showed just what a catchy song-writer
Graham actually is.
Sandwiched between a couple of Hollies songs was Graham's
tribute to his late friend Andrew Gold. “Daylight” was a lovely song that could
equally have been about Carl and Dennis Wilson in a way.
The Wax hit “Bridge To Your Heart” was given an ambitious
re-working before another highlight, and probably the song 10cc will be best
remembered for, “I’m Not In Love”. Again, for a record famous for so many vocal
overdubs, the band carried it off brilliantly.
After a few more of Graham's excellent solo songs, it was
back to where it all started for him.....The Yardbirds, “For Your Love”.
To show off just how good the vocal gymnastics were, the
encore gave them a real work out on a Doo-wop style acapella version of the
early 10cc hit “Donna”. This was the
last night of the tour, and it finished with another 10cc number one…”Dreadlock
Holiday”.
This was pretty much an acoustic show all the way through,
apart from a bit of occasional keyboards here and there. It showed that you
don’t need to turn the volume to 11 to put on a really powerful show.
Graham and the band kindly took the time to meet and greet
fans after the show. Another great night at The Stables.
 |
| The Beeb meets Graham after the show, with Mick Wilson and Mike Stevens |
 |
| The set list |
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