The Big Reunion Tour, O2 Arena - music review

The era of boy bands and double denim was revived last night with a nostalgia-fest of performances from the likes of Atomic Kitten, B*Witched and Blue
p92 Kerry Katona of Atomic Kitten, The Big Reunion Tour BOREHAMWOOD, ENGLAND - AUGUST 18: Kerry Katona arrives as a guest in the Big Brother House at Elstree Studios on August 18, 2011 in Borehamwood, England.
16 May 2013

Cast your mind back to the late Nineties, a time when boybands ruled the airwaves and double denim was en vogue. That was the era revived last night at the O2, in the shape of The Big Reunion Tour.

Spawned by the ITV2 show of the same name, the evening’s premise was simple enough: herd up some long-forgotten groups, point them in the direction of the stage and hope they could still do it.

Some could. 5ive (who are now four, J Brown having refused to take part) got things going with We Will Rock You; B*Witched decorated the Celtic pop of C’est la Vie with sunny harmonies and Irish dancing.

Others struggled. The only sensation felt during 911’s Love Sensation was one of mild embarrassment for the three middle-aged men trying to fill this cavernous space with backflips and bland R’n’B.

Blue’s last-minute arrival on the TV show was met with disapproval by the other groups, the feeling being that they hadn’t spent the requisite number of years in the wilderness to warrant a place on the programme. Perhaps Blue’s opening number, Sorry Seems To Be the Hardest Word, was an apology to the bands, whom they effortlessly upstaged thanks to Lee Ryan’s vocal acrobatics.

In between acts, clips from the TV programme showed Kerry Katona pondering that great question: do I look like a lesbian? She did — but Atomic Kitten’s Whole Again gave this nostalgia-fest its perfect ending.

Some bands talked ominously about new albums but that missed the point: last night wasn’t a rebirth, it was a wake, but it was a fun way to say goodbye.

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