Without rock’n’roll, there would be no classic rock, punk or heavy metal, and with that in mind, I was willing to give showband Lipstick On Your Collar at Newport’s The Riverfront a fair chance. The two-hour performance covered a host of solo singers such as Connie Francis, Little Richard and Dusty Springfield, as well as groups like Bill Haley & His Comets, The Ronettes and The Hollies. It’s surprising how songs from the 50s and 60s have slipped into our psyche – there weren’t many I didn’t recognise.
Nicola Seekings-Smith carried the show with her big voice and swishing dresses, accompanied by five musicians who recreated the music of the era with guitars, piano and double bass. Rock’n’roll usually gets people up on their feet… but not so in Newport; I felt sorry for the band having to look out at an audience that seemed to have forgotten how to have fun. “Are you having a good time?” Nicola would ask every so often, possibly checking everyone was still alive.
It feels pedantic to criticise what is obviously a tried and tested formula but what Lipstick On Your Collar lacked was a variety of tone. Peggy Lee’s sultry version of Fever was a welcome change of pace, but I longed for a ballad or two – something with emotion. That something came after the break, in the form of Shirley Bassey’s I Who Have Nothing followed by Cilla Black’s You’re My World. Nicola proved she can hit those high notes and it was worth waiting for. Throughout the evening a small screen ran pictures of the original artists, which added an extra visual element, but missing was the jive, the bop, the mashed potato – and some dancers onstage would have been great.
After a shorter second half, an encore of Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Goode finally got people out of their seats – but thereafter, the show was over. The Riverfront is a comfortable venue with good acoustics and, even though the atmosphere was a little flat, Lipstick On Your Collar still performed with enthusiasm.
The Riverfront, Newport, Sat 12 Feb
words LYNDA NASH