Money For Nothing, Lighthouse Poole Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Helen O
Having become a Dire Straits fan over the last 10-15 years, so not having had the opportunity to see them live before they went their separate ways, I jumped at the chance to be able to watch and review the next best thing, Money for Nothing – Dire Straits tribute at Lighthouse Poole, last night. Billed as Europe’s Number One Dire Strait’s tribute show, we certainly weren’t disappointed!
We’ve never been to the Concert Hall at Lighthouse Poole, so were keen to test drive it. We were sat in row N, which is right in the middle of the concert hall and directly in front of the stage, so we got to see all of the action head on. The seats were very comfortable, with loads of leg room, so we settled down to watch the show unfold.
Dire Straits first burst onto the scene in 1978 (that’s right, 45 years ago!) but their songs have stood the test of time. After all, they produced 6 platinum albums, are responsible for some much loved classics and sold around 120 million albums, spending over 1000 weeks on the UK charts. So Money For Nothing had a lot of material to work with, but also a lot to live up to.
Formed in 2000, Money for Nothing are a tribute to one of most successful rock bands of all time – Dire Straits. From the outset it was clear that they have studied the band in meticulous detail, paying attention to every aspect of their performance, in order to be able to replicate the unique sound and appearance of Dire Straits. More detail about Money For Nothing and their tour dates can be viewed here: https://money-for-nothing.co.uk/
We were treated to the instantly recognisable, energetic ‘Walk of Life’ as the band took to the stage. Choosing such an iconic song to get the party started certainly set the bar very high indeed and set the tone of what to expect from the rest of the night! It was an instant hit with the audience. The lead vocalist and guitarist sounded so much like Mark Knopfler, with his distinctive tone, not to mention replicating his look, with his iconic head band. It’s like he was in the room!
There were 6 musicians on stage for the most part, including 3 guitarists, drummer, percussionist and keyboard but when they were replicating the songs from the early years, when the band was only a 4 piece, the extra band members left the stage.
We didn’t have to wait long to hear the amazing ‘Romeo & Juliet’, clearly an audience favourite and also our favourite Dire Straits track, with it’s instantly recognisable riffs, authentically recreated on the stage. Pure magic!
Naturally, all of the other much-loved classics were showcased, including Sultans of Swing, Brothers in Arms and of course, Money for Nothing, all of which were met with cheers from the audience and rapturous applause. Money for Nothing got the audience up and dancing along, creating a fantastic atmosphere in the hall.
The show lasted for almost 2 and a half hours, including a 20 minute interval, after about an hour. Just enough time to grab a drink and take a comfort break, in preparation for the second set. This was the perfect performance length for Money for Nothing to be able to showcase all of the Dire Straits favourites. With a perfect mix of the high energy songs and the slower songs too. The energy and momentum from the band were maintained throughout the entire performance and you could clearly see how much they were enjoying themselves.
With a ticket price of £23.65 each, I think this represents great value for money for an evening’s entertainment, watching such a high quality performance. The band are highly talented musicians in their own right, but the fact that they have produced a show that so authentically replicates the real band, is testament to how much hard work they’ve put in to deliver this spectacular performance.
My only criticism is that occasionally the sound was such, that the lyrics were drowned out a little by the music.
I would absolutely recommend the show to any Dire Straits fan wanting to relive the magic and I would definitely watch the show again.
Rating: 4.5/5
RRP – Tickets are £23.65 each
Buy tickets here: https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/event/money-for-nothing/ Money for Nothing were appearing at Lighthouse Poole for one night only, as part of their tour of the UK, Ireland, Denmark and Cyprus, with the last date of 15th February 2025. Tour dates can be found here: https://money-for-nothing.co.uk/tourdates/
Address: Lighthouse, 21 Kingland Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1UG