Blur’s Alex James brings night of nostalgia and cheer to Nottingham with Britpop Classical

Halfway through Tuesday’s (March 17) performance of Alex James’ Britpop Classical in Nottingham, the show came to a halt when the backing track and half the instruments abruptly cut off. At first, the majority of the Royal Concert Hall audience sat in silence as band members and crew frantically ran around on stage trying to fix the technical snag as soon as possible. Yet, within half-a-minute or so, the crowd began to come together in a chant of Parklife – the song which the band, led by Blur bassist James, were halfway through before the speakers cut out. “I think that might have been my favourite moment of the tour, because that is what this all about – just having a good time,” explained a buoyant James, returning to his (now working) microphone before getting back into the swing of things. And, indeed, Tuesday’s show – the fifth stop on James’ eight-leg theatre tour before they head to festivals in the summer – was all about having a good time. After a DJ set full of mid-to-late 90s and early 2000s hits, a huge orchestra took their positions before James and his band stepped onto the stage and sprint their way through a melody of classic British rock from the 60s to the 90s . The band – at this point playing with little orchestral input – manage to squeeze in short renditions of tracks by The Who, The Beatles and David Bowie before landing on Ocean Colour Scene’s The Riverboat Song . The show gets into full swing when James welcomes Simon Fowler, frontman of the Midlands-based Britpop group to the stage, and the orchestra follows suit. Saffron Sprackling, of Republica, comes out to sing her group’s biggest song from the end of the millennium, Ready to Go, whilst Reef’s frontman Gary Stringer later leads a rendition of Raise Your Hands. Meanwhile, the touring company’s own singers rotate vocal duties as they get through hits from Pulp, Oasis, The Verve and, obviously, Blur. Some songs were led by the backing orchestra, while in others, the symphony took more of a backseat, however the presence still elevated the tracks. Among the highlights throughout the 90-minute set, a breezy and plucky rendition of The La’s legendary There She Goes seemed to go down well with the crowd. A cover of the jazzy 90s hit You and Me Song by one-hit-wonders The Wannadies also slows things down and lets the orchestra shine – even if many would argue the song doesn’t fall into the category of Britpop. At the end of the night, the aforementioned special guests joined the entire touring group on stage for a classic sing-a-long finale of Blur’s The Universal, a song which lends itself tremendously to orchestral backing. Alex James promised a good night, and it was a good night indeed. You might find yourself cringing once or twice throughout the show as the touring singers do their best Phil Daniels impression on Parklife, or attempt to master Liam Gallagher’s ‘sun-sheeeeeiiiiiinnne’. But, by the end of the night, it’s hard not to have a smile on your face. Alex James’ Britpop Classical performed at Royal Concert Hall on Tuesday, March 19. They will play at Lincoln Castle on June 18.