Music / Radio Luxembourg, John Waters. At Street Theatre, until March 1. Reviewed by IAN McLEAN.

How cool was that! A huge crowd packed out the Street Theatre for a rock concert on Friday night and everyone sat down. Yes, sat down! 

But they clapped, stamped feet, sang along and had a great time. There was not a pill-testing station to be seen, no one was sick and not even a single security guard patrolled about.

There may have been only a few amongst these rock lovers who were under 60, or more likely 70, but all had a fantastic time as John Waters led the bustling baby boomers through a night of good, loud, pure unadulterated, but most enjoyable, nostalgia. 

The storyline which wove the musical threads together centered around Radio Luxembourg, a radio station with the most powerful privately owned transmitter in Europe that broadcast ’60s rock music straight to the transistor radios of British teenagers because the BBC had banned the broadcast of such radical songs as My Generation and We Gotta Get Out of this Place.

Waters and his band, The Chartbusters, reminded all of the Small Faces and their Itchycoo Park, Van Morrison’s Gloria, the Trogg’s Love is all Around (much later in its life to be re-recorded by Wet, Wet, Wet and featured in Four Weddings and a Funeral) and The Beatles’ Revolution.

Older bones, with perhaps a touch of arthritis, meant that any Mick Jagger-like moves across the stage by Waters were somewhat restricted but the voice, now with a touch more gravel than in the ‘60s, was perfectly suited to classic tunes such as He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother and Waterloo Sunset. Almost all in the audience joined in on both tunes either singing joint lead vocals or backing vocals which produced a most interesting blend of sort-of harmony.

Waters himself did most of the lead singing but he shared the duties with Jo Elms who sang a touching interpretation of Ruby Tuesday (as well as playing congas and guitar) and Stewart D’Arrietta, the excellent Chartbusters pianist, who sang Fire with real passion as well as realising one of the real highlights of the concert, a very slick version of White Room. Victor Rands (bass guitar), Paul Berton (guitar) and Greg Henson (drums) made up the rest of the very tight Chartbusters band.

The audience, maybe thankfully, resisted an invitation to occupy the theatre aisles to display their circa 1960 moves. They remained sitting and, instead of risking injury, were perfectly content to enjoy listening to Gimme Some Lovin’, Tin Soldier and Where Do You Go to My Lovely?

A most enjoyable night of rock music came to a close some two and a half hours after it started with still not a single security guard required, just happy smiles rather than any pills or nastiness.

Everyone joined in singing Hey Jude with inventive harmonies that Lennon and McCartney might never have imagined were possible. It was when Jude reached her end that the audience rose to congratulate and thank John Waters and The Chartbusters for rock as it should be.