PLAYHOUSE, WESTON-SUPER-MARE (2005)
BBC SOMERSET (November, 2005)
Elkie Brooks performed at The Playhouse in Weston-super-Mare on Tuesday 22 November, 2005. BBC Somerset reviewer Mike Elliott went along to the gig to check it out.
Impact. Any performer, who makes a living from live performance, knows the importance of making an impact as soon as they step onto the stage.
Elkie Brooks tempted more than 400 people into The Playhouse, and she certainly had impact.
Her first two numbers hit the audience right between the eyes. She started with a funky version of The Hollies' classic, Gasoline Alley and then continued with a classic, popularised by The Carpenters.
The show continued in this vein, with classic following classic, many of which have been hits for Elkie Brooks herself.
Elkie had celebrated an important birthday this year - she was 60 in March. As she turned professional at the age of 15, it means she's now in her sixth decade as a performer.
She looked a little slimmer than when she visited Weston a year ago, and certainly has a figure that would be the envy of ladies half of her age.
One new innovation for Elkie was to include some blues numbers, previously recorded by Billie Holiday and Muddy Waters, as well as a number she penned in conjunction with her son, Jermaine.
The six-piece band that she has assembled were excellent, particularly Jean Roussel, the Anglo-French keyboard player.
This was a significant date for this concert, as it was the second anniversary of the day that England lifted the Rugby World Cup.
Surprisingly, it passed without mention from the stage - I thought the entire population of the British Isles watched that match. Obviously, I am wrong!
What I know that I am right on, though, is that Elkie Brooks is a consummate performer - well worth travelling to see, wherever she plays in this area. I look forward to watching her for decades to come.
(By Mike Elliot)
