Glitz Blitz & Hits Derngate, Northampton.
1 March 2005.

There are a few technical glitches at tonight’s Blitz Glitz and Hitz concert. But, thankfully, the gremlins don’t get the better of great pop acts from the seventies.

Tonight’s show, only the seventh instalment in an exhaustive 38-date tour, brings a long forgotten band back into the spotlight, Sailor. These days original band members Phil Pickett and Grant Serpell have new crewman Peter Lincoln and Rob Alderton on board.

‘A glass of champagne’ opens the show with Phil and Rob sharing the band’s signature double-sided ‘Nickelodeon’ keyboard. There’s a great version of Culture Club’s number one hit ‘Karma Chameleon’, a song which Phil Pickett wrote the music for.

Tonight’s version is played more sea shanty than pop stylee. ‘Girls, girls, girls’ the band’s 1976 hit closes their set then Sailor don naval uniforms and sail back on stage with a cardboard cruise liner for a hilarious dance routine to a backing track of YMCA’s ‘In The Navy’.

Next port of call? The Rubettes. Tonight’s show follows last year’s set with ‘Juke Box Jive’ kicking things into action but bassist Mick Clarke appears to having a bit of trouble with his guitar or amp or both. It’s the first sign of trouble in the technical department.

Sadly, things aren’t going to get much better stage right tonight. 1977 hit ‘Baby I know’ is again the stand-out track with Alan Williams’ Fender Stratocaster country-style playing sounding sweeter than ever.

In a departure from last year’s set there’s a great accappella medley combining ’Why do fools fall in love’ / ‘Why must I be a teenager in love’ / ‘The longest days’ / ‘Happy Days’.

And so to the main act on tonight’s ‘Glitz Blitz & Hitz’ show, The Sweet. These glam rockers took the middle slot when the show toured last time, often getting squeezed for time. No such worries tonight. They’re the headline band.

The band is led by guitarist and sole survivor from the original line-up, Andy Scott  looking very much the part tonight in his glittery black tunic. Pity then that frontman Tony O’Hora and guitarist Steve Grant seem to have forgotten to collect left their sequin suits from the dry cleaners.

‘Hell Raiser’ provides an explosion start but Andy’s guitar is barely audible. Why do these tours always seem to use engineers with sound desks to the side of the stage? Once again, the gremlins dare to unsettle our glam’sters, no such luck!

Jitter bugs duly swotted, the rest of the set is a brilliant journey through 70’s pop gems in The Sweet time machine from ‘Funny funny’, ‘Co-co’, ‘Wig Wam Bam’ through to ‘Love is like Oxygen’.

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