By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: *****

WHEN?: Thursday 4 April 2024, tour runs through 7 September 2024

SETLIST: I Heard A Rumour; Last Thing On My Mind; Movin’ On; Trick Of The Night; Cruel Summer; Masquerade; Move In My Direction; Love, Truth and Honesty; I Want You Back; Looking For Someone; Atomic; Supernova; Only Your Love; Preacher Man; Really Saying Something; Nathan Jones; Forever Young; Lost In Music; Stuff Like That; Look On The Floor; Favourite; Love Don’t Live Here; Feel The Love; Robert De Niro’s Waiting; Love In The First Degree; You Spin Me Round (Like A Record); Venus

Bananarama’s imperial phase may have ended after we saw them on their 1st tour headlining Wembley Arena in 1989 but you would never know it from this raucous celebration of their 40-plus years in pop.

• Read on for reasons including what the secret of Bananarama’s longevity is

Seven years ago their Original Line Up Tour reunited remaining duo Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward with Siobhan Fahey and this 2nd of 3 sold-out gigs at the London Palladium was a very different if no less satisfying experience.

We last saw them at Lafayette in London in 2022 where the band focussed on their new LP and material as a duo rather than the Stock Aitken Waterman hits and early material as a trio for which they are arguably best loved.

They may not have played live a great deal at the peak of their success but what you might not know is that Keren and Sara have honed their live performances in the many years since and really are a force to be reckoned with at gigs and tonight is rendered simply with a live band and reminding us of their pre-Covid show at London’s Omeara without the Q&A.

‘It feels like we’ve been on for hours – are you not bored yet?’ says the hilarious Keren at 1 point tonight and the love, truth and honesty is that we’re far from it.

Earlier she says: ‘Here’s 1 we’ve never played live.’ Before Sara says: ‘No, it’s not this 1.’ And Keren adds: ‘Well, I haven’t got my glasses on.’

It’s the only real reminder of their age as they sing songs from their back catalogue that we haven’t heard in a while yet also well-chosen covers like Blondie’s Atomic and Dead Or Alive’s You Spin Me Round which morphs into final song and a US number 1 single for them Venus.

The setlist feels particularly well thought through and gives us an early airing of the ‘ABBA on speed’ sound of Last Thing On My Mind which would eventually become a gigantic hit for Steps after the Nanas wrote it.

We also love how the band crank up the ska for cover and hit with Funboy 3 Really Saying Something.

Sara’s daughter Alice Dallin-Walker appears here as she did at Lafayette to sing song Favourite she co-wrote and the band covered on their most recent album Masquerade.

Tonight’s show was filmed for posterity, so much fun and dancefloor based that we hope the ‘Rams may long continue to do what they do best.

Their secret? Continuing to release new material like the absolutely joyous recent single Feel The Love which slots in effortlessly to this 40-year plus best of set.

• Main picture via Facebook courtesy Bananarama Tickets
• Have you seen a Bananarama show before and what did you think of this 1? Let us know what you thought in the comments below
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