Motor City’s Well-Oiled Engine!

There is now an entire industry devoted to lookalike bands and the assembly of talented performers, the majority brought together for the purpose of delivering a raft of hits from a particular period in musical history: guaranteed money spinners.

And, for that reason, it would be easy to become cynical when faced with such a show but, when you also consider how talented some of the performers are, and just how slick these productions have now become – driven by demand - such arrogance would be misplaced and unfair.

Dancing In The Streets, which rolled into Bradford’s St George’s Hall last night, is such a show and, as the name might imply, is all about music from Motor City and Berry Gordy’s Downtown Detroit music label: Motown Records.

Made famous by such legendary artists as The Four Tops, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, The Commodores, Lionel Richie, The Supremes and Smokey Robinson, Motown broke down barriers around the world whilst producing some of the most influential and enduring songs of the 20th Century.

And what a bunch of highly talented individuals graced that stage last night to pay tribute to Gordy’s musical legacy

The four guys and three girls, all seemingly from the US, were real powerhouses of talent and worked so hard: really hard.

And, they had Bradford eating out of their hands as they rattled through two hours of hits from Smokey Robinson’s Tears of a Clown through to Jimmy Ruffin’s What Becomes of The Broken Hearted.

Number after number flowed seamlessly, with top notch 60’s-style choreography, so familiar to the all-black line ups – and, despite friendly heckling and shouting from the audience, the group handled everything without so much as the bat of an eyelid, just friendly, confident repartee by way of response. And everyone was on their feet.

Bradford is not an easy audience when it comes to live music gigs, and it is not everyone who knows how to handle an ‘enthusiastic’ crowd without the need for blue language: I’ve seen it.

But, last night, these guys and gals were true professionals who were a pleasure to watch. An enjoyable, slick show which you can catch in Sheffield tonight. Feeling down? Sample the Motown: you won’t regret it!

Next Opportunity To See
Tonight: Sheffield City Hall