It definitely will be a ‘Night to Remember’ after the Overtones raised the roof of the Bridgewater Hall, two years later than they had hoped.
A rather different Monday night than sitting with a cup of tea on the sofa, feet up and watching TV, instead I was at the Manchester venue ready to watch the vocal harmony group perform on their delayed 2020, 10-year anniversary tour.
The quartet, made up of Darren Everest, Mike Crawshaw, Jay James Picton, and Manchester raised Mark Franks, have some dedicated fans from a broad range of ages and I can definitely understand why.
I must start with an apology to any Overtone lovers out there – I wasn’t too sure who they were when I accepted the tickets. I had heard of them and knew they were a jazzy group who did well-known covers but that was about it.
I could, of course, have looked online and listened to some of their music but I opted instead to go in blind and I must say, it was absolutely the right move.
I did the mashed potato, twisted and boogied the night away, not knowing what was going to come next but loving every minute.
The Overtones were supported by duo Ooberfuse made up of Hal St John and Cherrie Anderson.
It appeared they were a little nervous (who can blame them playing a venue like Bridgewater) but performed a seven-song set which was met by applause and cheers from the crowd.
In my opinion, their original songs were much better than their covers with real emotion and passion coming through, something my friend agreed upon.
Although a valiant effort at a number of cover songs, including a rendition of Where is the Love, dedicated to Ukraine, the setlist felt a little disjointed, with a disparity of genres, leaving me a little confused as to who they truly were.
Then, it was time for the Overtones who started the set with an original song 'Gambling Man', the first single the band released in 2010.
Suddenly, a cover of 'Get Ready' by the Temptations saw the crowd (in the stalls at least) jumping on their feet and I couldn’t resist.
Even in my mid-20s, I enjoyed song after song with the likes of 'Pretty Woman', which involved some very well received bum wiggling (they definitely know their target market) and a slower-paced 'Moon River', with a rather emotional crowd waving their torches from left to right.
The first set closed with an interesting, near tear-jerking version of 500 miles by the Proclaimers.
Although enjoyable, it left me a little baffled having never heard the normally upbeat song performed like that before.
The second half featured some more classic hits including 'Build me up Buttercup' and 'Earth, Wind and Fire', as well as an original, 'Rose Tinted', which the band released on their most recent album in 2021.
A rendition of 'Sweet Caroline' during the encore was my favourite tune of the night, holding a slightly sentimental place in my heart as the song played at my graduation, with a great British reaction from the crowd filling in the ‘da-da-da’s’ and ‘so good’s’, reminding us all how much we have missed live music.
I will be keeping my eye out on the Overtones and have plans to see them again, but until then, their music will be a very welcome addition to my playlists.
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