The Sweet Fairfield Hall, Croydon & The Cresset, Peterborough

The journey to Croydon is sweet, not so to the city of Peterborough. We arrive at the entrance to the Cambridgeshire new town in good time but end up spending the next 90 minutes circumnavigating the town’s excellent road network. Can we find the Cresset? Can we find anyone who actually knows where it lies?

It’s all worth it. Our smooth passage to Surrey gives us ample time to taste the delights of one rather hot and spicy feast in Croydon’s premier pizza palace. We are here to see three legendary pop acts from the 70s on tour throughout the spring. ‘Glitz Blitz & 70s Hitz’ features The Rubettes, The Sweet and Showaddywaddy, in that order.

The Sweet set is restricted to about three quarters of an hour, just enough time to give the nostalgic teenyboppers of yesteryear (yes, that’s us!) a live selection from the band’s greatest hits jukebox. The walk-on music playing over the PA is ‘The Theme from James Bond 007’  followed by a rather loud explosion.

These shows are the first, Sweet fans have had to get a glimpse of new front man and bassist, Tony O’Hora, in action. As the thunder clouds rise, Andy breaks into the unmistakable riff which sets off ‘Hellraiser’. Tony is given ample opportunity to demonstrate his excellent voice and considerable vocal range in what is arguably the band’s second greatest all-time hit (reaching no. 2 thirty years ago!)

The band’s first five Top 20 hits follow in quick succession through two carefully worked medleys played with a somewhat heavier touch than was the case on the original RCA 45s. They are, in the order played tonight, ‘Co Co’, ‘Funny Funny’, ‘Poppa Joe’, ‘Wigwam Bam’, and ‘Little Willy’

Next up, another no. 2, ‘Teenage Rampage’ has us all singing along ‘recognise your age, it’s a teenage rampage …’ Ha, ha!

Immaculate as ever, Steve Grant juggles backing vocals and rhythm guitar duties with playing keyboards and is the star of the show on ‘Love is like oxygen’ which breaks in the middle for Emerson Lake and Palmer’s take on the seminal ‘Fanfare for the Common Man’ anthem by twentieth century American classical composer Aaron Copland.

The band’s solitary number one hit ‘Blockbuster’ is up next with its signature police siren and Bowiesque guitar riff intro. Back then ‘Jean Genie’ charted a month earlier but missed out on the top slot. All too often Sweet found themselves pipped at the post, on five occasions to be precise. 

Not tonight, indeed, they are back with a vengeance. Fittingly, the show ends with ‘Fox on the Run’ and ‘Ballroom Blitz’ both number two hits in their day but sounding like a million dollars today!

The story of The Sweet live in 2003 continues here!
  

To read more reviews from 2003 click here.

To read my reviews from concerts in 2004 click here.

howardtowers.com by Alan Howard Email