Photo: Press
Robbie Williams is a British institution. He's like Roast beef, gin and tonic, and Wimbledon. He's more than a musician. He's an icon and the girls that fell in love with the boy band heartthrob when he was in Take That and they school children are all here in their hoards this evening . Except now it’s been 20 years since they first fell in love and they look like the teachers that would have told them to put Smash Hits magazine away.
Some even queue up over night on the high street outside the venue. Some didn't get in. Walking up to the venue are a group of ladies hoping to catch a glimpse of their childhood hero in flesh and the anxiety on the face of not being one of the lucky entrants is devastating to see.
Inside the venue it’s dense crowd, getting within touching distance of the band isn’t an option. Some people have even come from Brazil especially to see him. There’s a sense of devotion not only to his music but to this character on stage that’s predominantly driven by his overly confident personality.
He bounds around like the class clown, getting everyone’s energy up with cringe package holiday disco style woops in between songs. There’s a moment he gets his y-fronts out on ‘Rock DJ’, and later wryly chants his own name: “me, me me”. His white suit covered in butterflies is as over the top as his thrusting to the ladies at the front – one of throws her bra for him to prance around with for a bit.
Behind him are a band so well drilled. The guitarist looks like he got lost on the way to a Stone Roses gig, winding up in a stadium pop band instead. The backing vocalists are among the best you’ll ever see delivering powerful, soulful embellishments to Williams’ strong but cold-affected lead vocal.
The moment his Dad comes on stage gets a special round of applause. Peter Williams makes a gentlemanly addition to the swing music that Williams played on his last UK tour. Williams is great at doing the retrospective sound, and has the charisma that fits that Dean Martin type character but it was never going to help push him forward in the pop world.
Now springs a new era for the 42 year old with Sony Records. Having just announced his signing moments before the gig tonight, they’ll be putting out his album on 4 November that includes songs written with Brandon Flowers and Serge Gainsbourg.
Of the new album songs, he plays only two meaning it’s still predominately a greatest hits set. But ‘Motherfucker’ and ‘Sensational’ sound like strong additions for him going forward. Vocally he's more on point with these than with ‘Millenium’ and ‘Let Entertain You’. Perhaps playing something that’s new and genuinely exciting to him pulls him up a gear.
But the most powerful moment – even surpassing a spectacular light show on his best cut ‘Feel’ – arrives as he introduces 'Angels'. Visually choked, and wiping a tear from his face he pays tribute to his manager David Enthoven who passed away last month. He explains that he “saved my life” and says “I’ll always miss him... there’s a big whole.” Launching into the song and throwing every last drip of emotion into the words made it outstanding. Enthoven would have been thrilled with this.
