Another review:
Cornish Guardian
July 25, 2007 Wednesday
Pop hits and visceral thrills
Lee Trewhela
IS CORNWALL homophobic? I ask because both the Rufus Wainwright and Pet Shops Boys' (featuring the openly gay Neil Tennant) concerts sold only half the number of tickets as this year's other Eden Sessions.
Perhaps it's just that Kernow's music lovers prefer leftfield rock to camp pop.
But they missed out because both concerts were uplifting and joyful events with the Pet Shop Boys bringing this year's eclectic Eden Sessions to a rousing end.
Although definitely not their audience, the Dirty Pretty Things played a blinder with their Clash-on-uppers rock winning over people who didn't even know who they were.
Despite really only having one memorable song (Bang Bang You're Dead) and relying on the reputation of Carl Barat, Pete Doherty's playmate in The Libertines, the sheer visceral thrill of their set was a winner.
And proving that he might just be the nicest man in rock, Carl signed autographs and even talked on the phone to my mate's wife, a big fan, who couldn't get to the gig. Bless him.
Kicking off with Left To My Own Devices, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe rolled out a greatest hits package that was an entertainment overload.
Being the least dynamic performers in pop history, their multimedia show featuring a cinematic backdrop, two male dancers and three backing singers/performers was a godsend.
Yes, all the songs sound the same, but it's a good song. Highlights included Domino Dancing and, of course, West End Girls.
But it was the final triumvirate that took all the prizes.
Inverting the macho rock of U2's Where The Streets Have No Name into Euro disco with the added high camp of Andy Williams' Can't Take My Eyes Off You was a touch of genius.
Add in the fact that all of them bar perma-hoodied Lowe were wearing gold cowboy outfits and I think Cornwall witnessed its most gay moment yet.
You'd think it couldn't get any more Wizard of Oz, but masterly versions of It's A Sin and Go West, with them dressed in glitzy army uniforms made the Village People look like Coldplay.
It was a thoroughly upbeat end to this year's concerts which saw a great performance from a legend (Peter Gabriel), a returning hero (James Morrison), the best Eden Session yet (Rufus Wainwright), a horror show (Amy Winehouse) and probably the feelgood hit of the summer (Lily Allen and Mark Ronson).
