Dear Poptastic Readers,
Earlier this spring, Bananarama toured the UK for the launch of their latest album In Stereo. Now they have released Live In Stereo — a live album recorded at Gorilla in Manchester on April 30.
Poptastic Confessions contributor Normski went to ALL of the UK tour dates. Poptastic Confessions Editor Davearama only went to the 2 London shows. Together they review the album Live In Stereo — similar to their review of In Stereo.
Davearama: What a fantastic way to start off the show with this lovely tune from their 2009 album Viva. It was the second single from the album, and it was released in April of 2010.
Normski: Listening to this brings back the sheer excitement as Bananarama took to the stage at Gorilla. The epic intro leading into the excellent live arrangement provided the perfect opening to the show. The audience are clearly lapping it up too — the girls comment on the “raucous crowd” at the end!
Normski: The first In Stereo song of the set — this was always made to be performed live and the band’s arrangement does not disappoint. The stomping chorus absolutely brings this song to life and the energy the crowd is giving back is obvious for all to hear.
Davearama: I fully agree, Normski! Even in our In Stereo review, I wrote that I hoped they would perform this track live, and they did not disappoint. It was also fun to see Sara and Keren really belt out the chorus of this one.
Normski: The opening track from the In Stereo album.
Davearama: Some might even say the title track. It is a shame it wasn’t the third single, as it was written by 2 members of the Sugababes and co-written and produced by Richard X.
Normski: This song is a huge fan favourite and went down a storm live. The girls are clearly thrilled to be onstage showcasing their new material for the fans, which is among their strongest ever.
Davearama: A dancefloor classic from taken from their 1995 album Ultra Violet. This song was club hit for girls around the world. It was quite different to other dance songs at the time because it was so emotionally mysterious. Great to finally hear it live!
Normski: I’m loving the new production of this — a very fresh take that sounds like it could have come straight off Viva. A confident live vocal, too.
Davearama: Well they did rerecord the track in 2010 for the b-side of “Love Don’t Live Here.” That version can be found on the UK CD single and the 2019 Deluxe Expanded Edition of Viva.
Davearama: This track was their first single as a duo in 1992, and it appears on their 1993 album Please Yourself. I’d never seen it performed live before!
Normski: The crowd go wild as the opening bars commence! Sara and Keren’s vocals are in fine form and it’s amusing hearing the audience singing the backing vocals in the verses. The live production gives this track more of a disco feel, which compliments the song well. A highlight of the show.
Davearama: Don’t forget about how all the fans in the crowd knew the dance routine … well, most of it — at least the hands up in the air for the line “Movin’ On!”
Davearama: I was at their show in San Diego in January of this year when they performed this live for the very first time. It was also the album’s teaser release.
Normski: This song always goes down well live, with its funky disco vibe and the girls’ slinky vocals. It is one of their more sultry numbers, and a song they obviously love performing as they kept it in the set for their summer shows a few months later.
Davearama: For their second show in London, Normski and I did the shoulder-slap dance routine from “Preacher Man” to the “la la la” parts, and we even got Keren to join in. Good fun!
Normski: This was a real treat to hear live. Taken from the Drama album, it hadn’t been performed by Bananarama before this tour. The live production really adds to the song, which fits perfectly into the set alongside their latest material.
Davearama: Let’s face it: this should have been the third single from Drama and it is damn shame that it was never released as a single, so it is pop justice that they included it here.
Normski: One of the standout tracks from In Stereo, this was also a highlight of their live show. The girls tease Richard from the band for the vocoder effects at the end. Their onstage banter is always as much a part of their show as the songs themselves.
Davearama: Yes, and this song was co-written by Rod Thomas of Bright Light Bright Light.
Davearama: This amazing pop song was the second single from their Drama album. It went to #2 on the Billboard dance charts in the USA and dominated dance music radio airwaves in 2006. Definitely a highlight of the set list.
Normski: My personal favourite live track – I love that they chose to perform the Angel City Radio Mix as this gives the song so much more energy. You can hear the crowd going crazy for this, too. It was nice to get a preview of the song on streaming ahead of the album’s release.
Normski: Another live rarity from their 2009 Viva album, this is definitely one of the most upbeat and energetic of Bananarama’s tracks. I’m so glad they included this in their set, as you can hear the crowd are enjoying it as much as the girls are.
Davearama: When we met Sara and Keren after their San Diego show, they asked us what songs we would want to hear on the album launch tour. I immediately said “Love Comes” as I had never heard it live. Keren replied that she was just dancing around the house to it with Alice (Sarah’s daughter).
Normski: One of the girls’ strongest singles and their last Top 20 hit in the UK in 2005. It’s so wonderful to hear this live and it sounds every inch as good here as the original track. I particularly enjoyed the ending for this live version – a very nice touch.
Davearama: Yes, this was the lead single from their Drama album. It is really fun to hear the crowd sing along with this one.
Photo: Pascal Maurice
Davearama: This is a change in style from the version they normally play. Instead, the music is very similar the original Shocking Blue version.
Normski: It’s always a joy to hear this song live and the Shocking Blue–styled version kept it fresh for this show. It certainly didn’t stop the fans from breaking into the usual dance routine at every single show!
Davearama: Every Bananarama fan in the world should know the dance routine by heart! I know I do — to all the songs, too! haha
Normski: Sara and Keren deliver a stellar performance of their latest single, which always brings the house down. I love how much rockier this sounds live and the build-up from the band towards the end is amazing. The girls’ harmonising in the verses comes across so well here, too.
Davearama: This is a bit rockier, isn’t it? Very nice. Sounds great, live!
Normski: It’s an absolute joy to hear the audience enjoying this song so much – singing along, whooping and cheering. It really sums how special it was to hear Sara and Keren performing all these songs for their fans – a refreshing change to the usual 80s hits.
Davearama: This was their first official single from In Stereo this spring — and what a disco stomper it is!
Davearama: Bananarama’s Original Lineup Tour in 2017-2018 with Siobhan was a dream come true! This tour really showed off their duo material, which is just as brilliant. There are so many great song here, and it was a nice showcase for them. We are so lucky that they have released this new live album.
Normski: It would be SO wonderful to experience this again at some point in the future … fancy doing it all again next year, ladies?
Davearama: I think we’d all LOVE a Pop Life tour with the fabulous Miss Jacquie O’Sullivan. Fingers crossed. Dreams can come true!
Live In Stereo is available on digital outlets everywhere. It is also available on CD and vinyl. There might even be some signed copies left at Music Glue. Buy your copy today! In the meantime, you can listen to Live In Stereo here. Enjoy!~
Cheers then,
—Normski & Davearama
Bananarama
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Bananarama
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Great review, guys! I'm very much looking forward to listening to this new live album tomorrow on a long car trip.
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