REVIEW

CARPENTERS GOLD

Weymouth Pavilion

TRIBUTE shows are more popular than ever with mature audiences these days as they long to hear once again the music from the golden era of their youth, and no better group defines this time than that of the Carpenters.

A six piece group including singer Vikki Holland-Bowyer started off as it meant to go on and delivered a packed programme of hits that took the Carpenters siblings to the top of the tree way back in the 70s and kept them there for years.

Hit singles like Yesterday Once More, A Kind of Hush and Close To You are deeply emotional songs that are guaranteed to stir the soul of every generation with their rich melodious arrangements and Vikki did them proud with her close resemblance to the distinctively lovely voice of Karen Carpenter.

The familiar arrangements of much loved hits like Close to You and Top of the World scored well with the audience and although there was very little in the way of biography of Karen and her brother Richard who was expertly performed by Greg Stevenson, the production gave a token nod to the past with a short drum session by Vikky in the role of Karen.

Slightly disappointing was that the volume control was somewhat out of synch at times during the show and the back-up players often drowned out the vocals but the production as a whole was a memorable trip back in time that the audience had every reason to enjoy.

MARION COX