Live Review: Kylie Minogue- Aphrodite Les Folies at Manchester M.E.N. 2/3/11

This was a much-anticipated concert, I have never seen Kylie live before, although I have been a fan for many years. The large part of my gig-going career has been spent in dingy bars/Academy’s/fields and not in glitzy stadiums, so the prospect of a dazzling spectacle of a show was exciting to say the least. This is the tour for latest album Aphrodite; naming your album and tour after the Greek goddess of love and beauty is quite a big title to live up to, but live up to it she does. The stage set-up for starters, is phenomenal.  The Colosseum backdrop is fronted by various Ancient Greek mythology and plays home to some incredible outfits all designed by Dolce & Gabbana. Miss Minogue goes through a variety of spectacular outfits throughout the show, emerging as an Aphrodite angel to the album’s title track, surrounded by gladiators and in front of thousands of adoring fans. Here is a woman who was built for showbiz, her warm and charming smile throughout radiating a genuine love for her fans and passion for what she does. Wow oozes fun before she takes the guise of Arabian princess in gorgeous shimmering robes and headpiece as she opens Illusion from a golden Pegasus. Princess Kylie is then dragged around by her slaves in a chariot to the serene I Believe In You in just one of the night’s wonderfully camp moments which firmly cement Kylie’s status as a gay icon.

Nostalgic highlights Spinning Around and What Do I Have To Do are performed in a Moulin Rogue inspired black feathered corset dress and top hat. Can’t Get You Out Of My Head is confusingly rocked up, but water fountains make for a sublime performance of On A Night Like This and Get Outta My Way is anthemic and completely fabulous. Can’t Beat The Feeling is mashed up with Love At First Sight as the audience sing along and Kylie stomps around in a fantastic chain mail body suit and gladiator sandals. She recreates the ’90s trashy indie Kylie’ look and changes into hotpants, a vest and feather throw for the most charming moment, in which she interacts with the audience. Somehow for a few minutes she almost makes the stadium environment feel intimate, and launches into an unexpected rendition of old favourite I Should Be So Lucky.

A personal highlight is Confide In Me, as it is my favourite of her tracks, during which my eyes are dazzled by a combination of my tears and her shimmering foil sculpture of a dress. The real triumphs of the show however, are Slow and All The Lovers. A stripped-down bossa-nova version of Slow is performed on a rotating wheel as dancers lay at her feet and fan her- visually and musically stunning. For the show’s finale of All The Lovers, Kylie dons a sparkling bathing cap and stands gracefully amidst her bathing dancers, shooting fountains and flying acrobatics, no less.

This show is nothing short of theatrical and camp, (flying on top of an angel dancer before launching into a cover of Annie Lennox’s Must Be Talking To An Angel? So dramatic, but utterly brilliant), and yet everything that makes Kylie so charming makes it all classy and ethereal rather than over the top and distasteful. By bringing a show that fully lives up to its title with plenty of love, beauty and sexuality, Kylie confirms herself as a worthy Aphrodite, or as a pop goddess at least.

My Week in Theatre/Film/Radio/Live Music

I’ve had a pretty packed week this week, so I thought I’d sum it all up in a blog.

So, the week’s cultural proceedings started on Tuesday, when I visited the Regent Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent to see their production of wartime play Journey’s End. This was a play I admittedly had limited knowledge of, but one I enjoyed nonetheless. Intense and emotionally harrowing, but not without its moments of light relief. The cramped stage reflected this intensity. So trench-like I almost forgot it was a stage. The acting too, was engaging and convincing, leaving me feeling somewhat shaken at the end of the play.

Wednesday was the turn of cinema, and I took a trip to Birmingham to see Richard Ayoade’s directorial debut Submarine. I am a fan of Ayoade’s work as an actor, and so I was excited at the prospect of a film directed by him. In addition, I love British cinema, Sally Hawkins, Paddy Considine and Alex Turner (who did the superb soundtrack), so it’s safe to say my expectations were pretty high.  The film did not disappoint, quite the opposite in fact. The film, based on Joe Dunthorne’s novel and set in 1980s Swansea, carried a very British small-scale vibe, with the kind of sharp irony that one would expect from an Ayoade output. Funny and touching in equal measure, at times it is heartbreaking, but mostly it is hilarious. Oliver Tate and Yasmin Paige both shine in their lead roles, playing characters who are flawed, but endearing all the same. Technically, the film looks great and all in all it is a really impressive debut from a director who I hope to see more from. I can’t recommend this film enough, go and see it now.

Thursday was a sad day. Due to government cutbacks, youth radio station KicFM has been forced to close, and this day was the last one for broadcasting. But boy did we go out with a bang! The Express and Star and ITV showed up in the morning to cover the story, and I was very kindly given an hour slot in the evening on which I played some ‘stick it to the man’ anthems (thanks Public Enemy, Radiohead, The Clash and Manics for ranting on my behalf). It was great to catch up with everyone at the station, and to see so many young people pulling together which such enthusiasm to save a worthy project. It was also lovely to back on the air after such a long time- I was overwhelmed by listener response, so if that included you, then THANK YOU! It was an emotional evening, and really sad to think that a place where I have spent many happy and productive hours has been shut down. Hopefully this isn’t the end as such for KicFM, watch this space. The final broadcasts will be up here soon so do check them out and thank you for everyone’s support so far, and check out this film!

My definite highlight of the week came on Saturday, when I went to see Kylie Minogue at the M.E.N in Manchester, but that deserves a post of its own (coming soon)!