Reviewed by Ray Smith, Saturday 21st February 2015
The Motown Story, featuring Motown Connection, at the Governor Hindmarsh Hotel opened their show with a narrated slide show taking us through the birth of Motown in Detroit in 1959. The cavernous back room of the Gov had been arranged to provide the largest dance space possible; a wise decision.
The audience circled the space like leashed hounds waiting for their opportunity to take to the dance floor in an air of electric expectation, and when the eleven piece ensemble took to the stage with,
Dancing in the Street they were let slip.
The sound was totally authentic from this extraordinarily tight and well rehearsed outfit as they effortlessly segued from one classic song to the next often via the iconic bass lines that are so much a part of the Tamla Motown sound. The musicians flipped their scores like a Detroit session band without missing a beat as they enthralled audience danced their hearts out.
I had expected a show full of nostalgia and tearful remembrance, but I was very wide of the mark. Motown Connection morphed the Governor Hindmarsh Hotel into a time machine and we found ourselves hurtling through the 1950s into the 1960s without a hint of wistful recollection.
It was 1964 and we witnessed the debut of
Baby Love by the Supremes, suddenly it was 1966 and
You Can't Hurry Love had just been released. Then 1967 and
Marvin Gaye was on stage, the Fender Rhodes intro heralding
I Heard it Through the Grapevine. The energy was incredible.
The three singers 'channelled' the original artists as they faithfully reproduced every note, every harmony, and every choreographed movement. Callum Campbell became
Marvin Gaye, Belinda Martinez interpreted
Aretha Franklin so well that I had to check that it wasn't the real thing, and Ria Loof's soaring voice would have impressed Martha Reeves herself.
The wind section, of saxophones, trumpet and trombone, were faultless. The four men stood apart but were totally integrated into the rest of the ensemble as they treated us to the precise punctuation that is a Motown horn section; the honk of the bass sax in
Midnight Hour, the tenor sax solo in
Get Ready, all a display of superb musicianship.
The guitar player's Gibson 335 worked hard throughout every song in the first set, and its pedigree, the skill of its player, and the 'heritage' amp rig offered true authenticity.
The drum kit looked as though it would be more at home on a jazz stage, but the small diameter, black Remo skinned kick drum and shallow snare allowed great 'cut through' amongst the dense wash of brass and reeds.
The Fender Precision bass, amplified through a Gallien Krueger rig, allowed a bright and accurate bass sound for those memorable lines, and it was beautifully played.
The essential Fender Rhodes electric piano was coupled with an Ensoniq TS10 to cover all the bases, and featured heavily in such songs as
Everything is Alright, as its multi-tasking player conducted from his piano stool.
The band was absolutely brilliant, but I spent a great deal of time watching the dancers as they mouthed every lyric, mimicked every piece of choreography, and became younger and younger as they let the music flow through them.
This was a marvellous and memorable night at the Governor Hindmarsh Hotel.
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