With a packed Civic Hall awaiting the evening session of Keeping it Live! the curtain ran up to affable compere Steve Walls in fine voice backed by the awesome Keeping it Live! band.

First act on stage was five-piece band Storm who opened their set with the Queen number Don’t Stop Me Now. Storm appeared a little mish-mash in dress but on the whole a very lively bunch of lads who using good harmonies produced a sound that was tight. . Following with the ever-popular Scissor Sisters smash I Don’t Feel Like Dancing they had great falsetto vocals, which complimented each other very well. Storm would be a suitable group for most clubs & party events though personally I would love to see these guys suited & booted in some sort of way. Well-done lads.

Second act on stage was female duo Carnaby Girls with their take on the swinging sixties. This duo in my opinion had all the values of a production show and their choice of songs in medley format really caught the ear with an excellent harmonic balance, particularly on Proud Mary. This show was self-contained and was well costumed and choreographed and with great voices, the afore-mentioned excellent harmonies and even some gentle comedy this act has obvious mass appeal.

From two girls to one boy in the form of male vocalist Damien Matthews. Opening with the Keeping it Live! band he certainly showed off his powerful vocal in his rendition of My Girl. His next number was a one of the great Tufty Gordon’s signatures That’s Life and the tricky phraseology was spot on. Damien finished with American Trilogy which was a touch nasal at times but it was still a polished and highly enjoyable set.

A complete change of mood as vocalist Jean Pasquill gave us her tribute to the 1st ladies of swing as a three piece of vocals, keys and drums that are called Simply Swing. This is an act that though new to the circuit has obviously aimed itself at a particular niche and with and with numbers by the likes of Doris Day and Judy Garland it is a well thought out show, as the majority of swing is a male dominated market. While the Civic Hall’s large stage meant you lost a touch of an intimate trio this is an act that should be ideal for the corporate market.

Another change of pace as onto the stage bounced Stiletto, a dynamic three girl vocal group who had wowed the audience at the first Keeping it Live! in Blackpool. Seemingly never pausing for breath Adele, Caroline and Jo-Ann raced through an immaculately segued set containing nearly a dozen numbers. Opening and closing with songs from The Blues Brothers interspersed with hits from the 60s this was an example of perfect showcase set construction. Featuring tight vocals and confident harmonies interspersed with good choreography once again the girls delivered.

This is the second time I have reviewed the two young men that make up The Pheromones, and I am glad to say that this time they are both wearing shoes! For those of you that don’t remember them or have not seem them before, one of the lads wore just his socks and it seemed to me that they could not make up whether they should be a comedy show or vocalists. I am now so pleased that they seemed to have got it right this and produced a well thought out vocal set. Well done!

Amy Housewine is a very young lady paying her tribute to Amy Winehouse. Opening with the classic Valerie followed by Rehab she never came out of character. Her interpretation of Miss Winehouse was outstanding for such a youngster. Obviously this lass has studied her to her a ‘T’ Brilliant!

Next up we were treated to a great party band in the guise of Big In The 80s. They performed a set delivered with a great amount of energy and with their super vocals they took you straight back to one of the best eras of music, the 80s. Not only did they sound good but looked great too and would appeal to any venue. Fab.

Comedy is one of the hardest jobs in the world made even more so when you are performing to a bunch of agents and bookers who never normally respond to anything. Comedian Tom Beard did a pretty good job of dispelling that myth as the Keeping it Live! audience certainly did connect with him and he had them laughing - a miracle happened!

Me & My Shadow are two lads who are obviously very experienced at performing. Paying homage to the Rat Pack era and with a multitude of props on stage they complimented each other like coffee and cream together. Because they are a duo and not a Rat Pack cover they are different. I personally love this era and the clean-cut look and sound of this show was well received by everyone. I would love to hear them with a fully orchestrated band!

From a male duo to male/female duo 2 Dream who were wonderful young couple with outstanding vocals who performed a varied set of music. Their vocal Harmonies are so well blended and they proved on this showing that they are an extremely classy act that will go far.

The aptly named The Shane Perkins Classical Experience promised something different and Shane opened his set with a wonderful version of the song One Voice. Dressing as Jesus, Shane took his set to a different dimension by doing the incredibly complex number from Jesus Christ Superstar, Gethsemane. I’m not sure if this could be taken offence to if you are of that nature but in my opinion it was done with class with Shane singing and acting out the song perfectly. A special mention must go to Mickey and the boys for working out the arrangement with him in such a short band call. There are bigger things waiting for this lad of that I am sure.

Danielle Grace Williams is a very talented young lady. Not only does she sing but also can dance and play piano. Opening with One Night Only with dance she was very expressive. Playing keyboard, the Elkie Brookes hit Don’t Cry Out Loud accompanied by the Keeping It Live! show band was very classically delivered. Danielle ended her spot with a fantastic rendition of the Donna Summer number Last Dance. An excellent set well delivered.

Performing classis in Italian, Opera2unity were two extremely good looking chaps who had travelled all the way from Italy to perform in this evening’s showcase, which to me showed dedication to their art. Maybe a little more vocal training to strengthen the mid range vocals would help to give more power but that said, these two beautiful tenors have a great rapport working together and their voices blend so well it was “Bellisimo’! It transpired that they really are two Yorkshire lads from Hull - they had me going for the whole set. Fab!

Opening with another popular song from this showcase You Raise Me Up The Chris Lafferty Show featured a young man with a big vocal. Following his opener Chris delivered the Frank Sinatra number Ain’t That Kick In The Head. It was nice to see a young man dress young and still manage to carry it off. A charming young chap and good looking too. It not often you get a guy performing Somewhere Over The Rainbow but he did with style. Well-done Chris.

Closing the Tuesday evening session in style were Party People! , four smartly dressed lads playing live that I love to see and hear. I suspect that they might have used a click track but that said they were high energy and full of fun - no mismatch here. Party People! are quite simply super lads with an array of songs that would suit any event or venue.

An excellent showcase session was brought to a traditional close with the Keeping it Live! band of Mickey, Paul, Andy and Jerry rocking for all their worth.