Music
Sister Sledge
Kelvingrove Bandstand, Glasgow
Stuart Morrison
four stars
THE SIGNS were not good. Your correspondent, together with his disco funk technical consultant, had been sitting in the drizzle, for what seemed like an age, listening to a bloke in a flat bunnet continuously playing, what appeared to be, the same record. Grumpy hardly began to describe the mood. It didn’t improve when another bloke came out and did the "can this side shout louder than that side" thing. But then the band struck up, Sister Sledge came on, the clouds dispersed and the world seemed a much happier place.
World Rise and Shine was an appropriate opener and from the off, it was obvious that, not only were the girls still in marvellous voice, but that they were backed by a simply sensational five piece band. A neat medley of Everybody Dance, All American Girls and Frankie, finished with an extended, He’s the Greatest Dancer, during which three girls from the audience were invited on stage, to lead Sister Sledge in whatever dance style they chose. Great fun, with the three of them really going for it, much to the amusement of both band and crowd, who had been dancing from the opening note. The sisters, Kim, Debbie and Joni, worked them into frenzy to the distinctive bass riff that underpins Good Times. However, the show stalled during a prolonged and slightly awkward version of Amazing Grace. Puzzled looks all round, not least among the band, to which this seemed to come as a bit of a surprise. However, normal service was restored with an irresistible closing pairing of Lost in Music and We Are Family. Spiritual interlude aside, this was a joy from start to finish.
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