THE THREE DEGREES Weymouth Pavilion

WHILE I was growing up, the record player in my house was rarely turned off – and when my mum got to pick the music, her choice always seemed to be the Three Degrees.

Even though the long-running group’s songs are no longer on my music player, I think my mum’s taste for soul and Motown has definitely influenced my musical preferences.

So it seemed only right to go and see this legendary act when they came to Weymouth Pavilion – and I took my mum with me (aw, bless).

The group’s current line-up – original members Valerie Holiday and Helen Scott with Freddie Pool, who replaced Sheila Ferguson – were very much in command from the moment they walked onto the stage.

Each member took on the role of lead singer for the first few songs, including their classics Jump the Gun and Woman in Love, switching mics between numbers and giving a honed performance each time.

Once the crowd was warmed up, the feisty ladies took a head count of single guys and girls in the audience, telling the men that no matter how sweet they think they are, they’re still a Dirty Old Man.

They launched into the song, to great applause, with all the sass they mustered decades ago.

The ladies put on a good show, bantering with the audience between tracks and encouraging people to get on their feet, sing along and even try to join in their basic but still well-timed choreography.

In fact my only criticism of their show is encouraging people in a seated venue to get on their feet – most people are too polite to block the view of the people behind them no matter how much they want to shake their thang.

The ladies were well supported by a great five-piece backing band and quirky, talented soul diva Jojo Desmond.

In classic style the ladies rounded off their gig with their best-loved hits, including Take Good Care of Yourself and When Will I See You Again.

The ladies got a well-deserved standing ovation at the end of the show, sticking around for a while to glad hand the audience and pose for photos.

I would encourage you to get along to their next gig if you can – they may not have ever earned the recognition other acts of their era did but they deserve it and they still put on one hell of a show.

DAN GOATER