After the huge success of last year's series of the Big Reunion, it was really no surprise when it was announced a second series had been commissioned. The obvious problem was whether they could follow it up with more amazing acts!
At the end of December, the answer came and six acts were announced, much to my excitement. Announced were Eternal, A1, Damage, Girl Thing, 3T and newly formed boyband (though I feel manband is more appropriate), 5th Story, formed of Dane Bowers, Adam Rickett, Kenzie, Kavana and Gareth Gates.
The moment the tickets went on sale, after the first episode had aired, I was straight on booking my ticket. Desperate not to repeat having to stand on my tip toes like last year, I went for the stalls and ended up 19 rows from the front! Admittedly, had I got tickets for the circle, I would had been able to meet a few celebs who were sat up there, including some of the acts from last year. But it didn't bother me too much, as opportunities may arise for me to meet them and I wanted a decent seat more than anything this year!
The format for show was changed slightly for this year's gig at Hammersmith. Andi Peters still introduced the show, the acts took in turn to perform and the video clips played between each act. However this year, we got a 20 minute interval, to allow for costume changes and the acts got to sing a minimum of four songs each. I have to say the changes worked well and improved the quality and running of the show.
A1 opened the show with their number one hit, Take On Me. The boys were without Paul, but quite honestly, it made no difference as the boys sounded fantastic as always, with Christian and Ben taking over Paul's vocals. Their second song was Caught In The Middle, which they performed with instruments. I was so glad to see they were able to do this and it was great to see Mark get behind his keyboard and Christian giving it his all on his guitar. For the final set of the show, the boys performed Everytime, which I have to say I did not expect, especially the great list of songs they have to choose from. I also noticed with the absence with Paul, the vocals for this song for changed round quite a bit, but it sounded better the recording! The final song was Same Old Brand New You, which was led in with a great joke about their dancing! A1 were definitely my fave act of the night, having been a fan since they lost out to Westlife (or Westside as they were known then) in the Smash Hits Polls Winner Party Tour Act Award.
Next act was Eternal. Now being that my brother was more the fan than I was up when we were kids, I have to admit, I can only name three out of the five songs they sung. The songs I can remember are Stay, Power of a Woman and I Wanna Be The Only One. I think one of the other two is called Don't You Love Me No More. Either way, these girls have still got it. Esther's voice, especially, was outstanding, definitely providing the best vocal performance of the night. The best part of their performances was when Bebe Winans joined them onstage for their final song, I Wanna Be The Only One. I have to admit this was never a fave of mine, but that night I loved it! Bebe and Esther gave one hell of performance! It was also nice to see the way the girls interacted on stage, proving it is possible to put the past behind you and just get back to enjoying the music.
Next up was new manband (definitely sounds better to me), 5th Story. I have to say I was intrigued by the choice of singers and it was simply one of those ideas that was either going to crash and burn or be amazing. Luckily for the boys, it definitely turned out to be amazing. Throughout the night, they performed 6 songs (with two being done as a medley). They started with a song from Dane's former band, Another Level, Freak Me. Excellent choice as it got the crowd screaming. I was fan of the song the first time round, but they managed to make it better, with Kenzie taking on some of the verses and the harmonies were so much stronger, especially with Gareth and Kavana's voices! They also performed Kavana's I Can Make You Feel Good, Adam's Breathe Again (again improved, with Kenzie taking on the bridge and the additional voices for the chorus), Gareth's Spirit in the Sky (which was the closing number and a good choice at that) and a medley of Blazing Squad's Crossroads and Flip Reverse It, which again sounded amazing with the stronger harmonies. If these guys choose to make a go of a career as this lineup, I think they could potentially make it with the right songs and right promotion, but they definitely have a fan here!
Damage were the next band to take the stage. I have to admit I forgot how much I loved them and just how gorgeous their vocals were. They definitely had the tightest vocals and harmonies of the night. They started with Ghetto Romance, and also performed Wonderful Tonight, Forever and Love II Love. They were also a member down with Corey having refused to be a part of the reunion, though he did take part in the interview portion of their episode, but again I hardly noticed him not there. Jade's fiancee, Emma Bunton, was there, sat in the middle of the front of the circle and every time the boys were on stage, she was up on her feet dancing, singing along and cheering for them. She is definitely been a huge supporter of Damage's reunion and that is something great to see.
Girl Thing were next up. I was definitely worried how the crowd would react with many people having claimed on Twitter not to know who they are, but there was definitely a lot of love for them. I do remember liking them the first time and being a huge fan of their first single. It really is a shame that they never got to have a better career. They performed Last One Standing, Girls On Top, Pure and Simple and Roar. Pure and Simple was their chance to show everyone what they could do with the song that was originally theirs and they sung it beautifully. Roar was performed due to them not having been able to release their album over here till just this year, but it really gave them a chance to show the crowd what they were capable of vocally. I have to admit I don't expect them to continue, but if they do I shall be supporting them, especially as I determined to get my daughter into their music!
Final act to take the stage for their first song was 3T. The response was much bigger than I was expecting to the point the screams were deafening! I have to admit I only really knew two of the songs they performed, Anything (which I love) and Why (a duet with Michael Jackson). Couldn't name the other songs if you asked me! However, these guys did a fab job and it was beautiful to see them pay tribute to their Uncle, the great late Michael Jackson. The tribute was well received by the crowds. Really hope that despite every bad thing that seems to hang the Jackson Clan finally lifts to allow these boys to get back to what was once a great career.
Overall, the show was fantastic as were all the bands. I do hope they get to do a tour like last year's act, though whether I go remains to be seen. But with the announcement that there WILL be a third series, chances are I will definitely be back for the Hammersmith gig next year!
