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REVIEWS: Kylie, Alanis and Faithless

28/ 4/2005

In Faithless we trust

IF God is a DJ, Faithless has a unique ability to create a devoted church out of a packed arena.

The Arena was crammed with eager fans armed with glow sticks and ready to dance till they dropped. They didn't have to wait long for the old classics. Faithless effortlessly slipped into Insomnia within minutes, followed by God Is A DJ and then they unleashed one of their latest hits, Mass Destruction. The crowd roared as they went on to perform We Come 1, which saw the entire arena leap to their feet in ecstasy.

Maxi Jazz seemed at the reaction from the crowd, telling fans they were "amazing" at least a dozen times. Though at times the sound quality suffered, Faithless were on great form and are off to a flying start to their UK tour.

Rebecca Camber

Jagged little pleasures

IT WILL be the tenth anniversary of Alanis Morissette phenomenal Jagged Little Pill album in June - a perfect excuse to demonstrate her incandescent finesse on tour.

And the Canadian songstress was clearly revelling in the moment at The Apollo, urged on by a remarkably mixed and excitable crowd.

There is still a goddess-like appeal to Morissette whose natural beauty and energy are matched by her dynamic vocal range and tone. Her feisty feminine appeal was set-off with sparkling black guitar, leather pants, a slashed black top and long fingerless black gloves.

Jagged Little Pill All I Really Want set an energetic tone for the two-hour set, supported by an uber-enthusiastic backing band and Morissette on harmonica. Most of the angst-ridden self-help songs were shouted word for word by an adoring crowd. You Learn, Head Over Feet and Hand In My Pocket roused such emotion from the crowd the star was visibly moved.

They were easily silenced, however, by a tender and honest rendition of much-lauded secret track Forgive Me Love. Ironic and Thank U were purposefully saved until the encore.

The standing ovation said it all.

Belinda Hanks

She's Kylie entertaining

AUSSIE superstar Kylie Minogue proved that she is the undisputed princess of pop with an all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza at the Arena.

Her multi-million pound Showgirl tour, which boasts feathers, sequins and designer frocks, had 16,000 fans screaming, clapping and dancing for two hours of high camp.

She kicked off the evening with floor filler Better the Devil You Know and followed it with In Your Eyes, new single Can't Stop and On a Night Like This.

Her much-publicised corset was impressive but not as fabulous as the massive blue and white plumage sticking out of Kylie's teeny bottom. When she waggled these feathers, she looked like a sexy little peacock.

The show was never sleazy but upping the risqué factor were a shower scene, plenty of tight Lycra, gladiator outfits and near naked men throughout.

Kylie knows her fans and how to please them. Her arrival in Manchester has inspired a flurry of themed events in the Village, including Kylie-oke and lookalike competitions.

Kylie slipped in and out of outfits, marking different segments of the show.

A ski-pant moment came during an 80s medley and she donned fairytale gowns for slower numbers, which dragged slightly until Kylie sang the superlative Confide in Me and I Believe In You, delivered atop something that looked like a three-tier wedding cake.

Her jazzy, show-stopping and surprising rendition of cheesy tune Locomotion had the crowd shrieking with every shake of her hip.

During I Should Be So Lucky her dancers signed their way through the song.

Towards the end of the evening a previously banter-less Kylie said to the crowd: "It's great to see you all here again. It's been a few years since I was last in Manchester. Even the sun was out today, I feel like I'm home."

Riazat Butt