IT was an enjoyable and entertaining night of music at the City Hall when The South performed the back catalogue of successful British band The Beautiful South.

Containing three members of the original line up the musicianship was fantastic and Alison Wheeler’s vocals were great.

However her male counterpart Dave Hemingway irritated the crowd with his bolshie Liam Gallagher-esque stage presence and, despite some good vocals, the audience failed to connect with him.

After a quiet start the crowd were soon in full voice, taking part in the vast pop classics since the band’s formation. And, if we just forget a less than impressive cover of The Pogues’ Fairytale of New York, it was a set full of sing-a-long numbers with Perfect Ten, Don't Marry Her and Rotterdam drawing the loudest responses.

The set reached its conclusion with Good as Gold (Stupid as Mud) where the brass section were simply fantastic.

The South were at City Hall on December 18.

Thom Belk