The Overtones Christmas Party 2019 – 9 December 2019, Sheffield City Hall
Heather Reynolds reviewing.
“Four-piece vocal group, The Overtones, took to the City Hall stage on Monday 9th December for the Sheffield stop on their Christmas Party tour, and I was lucky enough to have been asked to go along. Having been a fan of The Overtones since they first began, I was excited to see them live for the first time.
The audience were treated to a half an hour long set from support act Ben McKelvey, consisting of original songs and a well-known Johnny Cash cover. He established a good rapport with the audience right away, and it was clear that he has a growing, loyal and enthusiastic fan base. The Overtones started their set with a favourite Christmas song of mine, “Baby Please Come Home”, immediately showcasing the very talented onstage band. Other highlights of the night included “Get Ready”, “Love Really Hurts Without You” and “My Girl”. The concert was recorded to be broadcast to members of the British Military in 29 countries via Forces Radio BFBS, which was a really lovely touch.
The entire production was high in quality – the lighting and stage design were appealing, and the vocals and movement from The Overtones themselves were very slick, co-ordinated and together. However, the view taken by the performers with regards to security and safety detracted from the night for me, after they told security to stop telling audience members to sit down. I can understand that The Overtones want their audiences to enjoy themselves – and if that means dancing on their feet for the entire concert and not just for the final songs, that’s what the performers say they want.
But the sad consequence of this is that it tampered with the enjoyment of others who could not do so, for whatever reason, blocking their view, thus stopping them from engaging with the concert in the way they may have liked. This alone made the concert quite inaccessible for anyone with small children, or for those who physically were not able to stand to their feet in order to see. I have no issue with people expressing their enjoyment in this way, but when it comes at the expense of other’s enjoyment, this is where the problem lies.
I cannot praise the security team at Sheffield City Hall highly enough. Yet, I came away feeling disappointed that The Overtones had publicly contradicted and undermined the security guards who were trying very hard to ensure the enjoyment of all and the safety of both performer and audience. And if I could offer one piece of constructive feedback, it would be that more communication and co-operation with the venue’s security teams is needed.
The night was rounded out by a performance of their newest single “Celebration”, made famous by Kool & The Gang, which can be pre-ordered on iTunes. The Overtones head out on tour around the UK again in June and July 2020 on their Summer Celebration Tour.”
For further information on The Overtones visit www.theovertones.tv/ and to read our interview with them from September 2019 click here.