The Bohemians: A Night of Queen, Grove Theatre, Dunstable Review
The Bohemians
A Night of Queen
Grove Theatre, Dunstable
13 June 2014
Reviewed by Louise Platt
We were invited to review The Bohemians – A Night of Queen at the Grove Theatre in Dunstable. With a tribute band, you have to be a seriously committed fan of the originals to want to see your favorite songs acted out by somebody else. So it can be a tough audience to play to! Yet the best tribute bands work – mainly because they are just as committed fans of the originals as the audience and therefore know what needs to be delivered…
Knowing what needs to be delivered and actually delivering it are of course two different things and The Bohemians do deliver. Musically they are spot on, competent enough not just to churn out the easy hits (Radio Ga-Ga, Fat Bottomed Girls) but also to tackle the more difficult stuff like Bicycle Race or Brighton Rock and pull it off. They are also confident enough in their show and suitably devoted to their subject matter to follow opener Now I’m Here with a medley from the little known first two Queen albums that most of the audience struggled to identify but was an absolute joy for a purist like my husband. Once order had been restored with an up-tempo We Will Rock You and an extended version of Another One Bites The Dust which had half the hall up on their feet they could do no wrong and what followed was a roughly chronological hit after hit trip through the 70s and, post-interval, the 80s, with costume changes aplenty to highlight the passing of the years.
Freddie Mercury owned a certain “style” shall we say and Rob Comber does not disappoint with an eye popping array of costumes, wigs, and moves. At one point he shouted, “If I have the guts to come out here wearing this, you can get up on your feet and dance for me!” And most of the audience did. The other members of the band are equally authentic as well as being very talented musicians. They work very well together and have got the harmonies off pat.
In a nutshell, this was a great crowd-pleasing performance with all the pizzazz you would expect from Freddie and his band. They had the moves, they had the ‘look’ and they had the talent and they go the audience going pretty much from the start. A very enjoyable evening overall!
The Grove is a great theatre venue. It is easy to park there and as a modern theatre the seating is well arranged so viewing is not a problem wherever you sit. There is a well stocked bar in the foyer and the obligatory ice-cream at the interval!
Rating: 4/5
For more information about The Bohemians and tour dates visit www.thebohemians.com.
Grove Theatre, Grove Park, Court Drive, Dunstable, LU5 4GP | Box Office 01582 602080
