Reviewed by Louise Totton
St. George’s Hall in Bradford was rocking last night (St George’s Day) to the sound of The Bohemians, a Queen tribute band who were quite stunning both musically and visually.
Having seen a number of Queen tribute acts over the years, and knowing that they range from the stunningly good to the unbelievably bad, I was excited to see The Bohemians, one of the most famous and successful tributes around at the moment.
Getting to St. George’s Hall is simple, the theatre is really well signposted off the motorway and thought the centre of Bradford, and there is a large and well lit multi-story car park around 100 yards from the theatre. We have seen a number of shows at St. George’s Hall, and have never had any issues parking.
The theatre itself was, as always, beautifully clean and really well staffed with friendly and helpful staff. We were shown to our seats, and were seated ready for the start of the show at 7.30pm.
The Bohemians came on dead on time, looking quite fabulous, clearly Queen as they started. ‘Freddie’ had long hair, and it was certainly the quietest part of the show, the big anthems and more well-known tracks being from later in Queen’s history.
The show was chronologically arranged, and was a real tour through Queen ‘as they happened’, the transformation in both sound and style clearly evident throughout.
The band were amazing, as they show progressed, it was clear that they held the audience fantastically. The show was paced really nicely, and was a really good mix of well-known songs and tracks that I had never heard before. I don’t think anyone is ever going to be able to sound like Freddie Mercury; his genius was in his uniqueness. And whilst The Bohemians’ Freddie couldn’t quite reach Mercury’s high notes, his voice, timing, showmanship and piano playing were simply outstanding.
The Bohemians were on stage for three hours, with only a 15 minute interval, and the audience were thoroughly entertained throughout. They worked their way through all the old favourites, including Don’t Stop Me Now, Killer Queen, We Are the Champions and Seven Seas of Rye. They were quite simply outstanding. St. George’s Hall is a wonderful, intimate venue for music concerts like this we have seen a number of them and they have all been superb. The sound quality is excellent and the theatre itself is comfortable and very friendly and helpful.
Yet another top night out at St. George’s Hall; The Bohemians were just outstanding and I would love to see them again.
Rating: 5/5
The Bohemians are currently touring the UK, for tour dates visit www.thebohemians.com.
St George’s Hall. Bridge St, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD1 1JT | Box Office 01274 432000
