By Isle of Wight Observer
By Emma Harper
Last Friday, my husband, my grandparents and I had the absolute pleasure of watching Carpenters Gold perform at Shanklin Theatre – and what an incredible night it was. The evening was full of singing, dancing, nostalgia, and wonderful memories.
The theatre was packed with people of all ages, all there to enjoy a trip down memory lane and bring back Yesterday Once More. From the moment the lights went down, the stage sparkled with a gold glitter backdrop and an talented band, who were an uncanny match for the original Carpenters.
Lead singer, Vikki Holland-Bowyer, singing in the style of Karen Carpenter was simply amazing. Her voice was ridiculously similar to Karen’s, making it even more fun to sing along – it was certainly worth the sore throat the following morning. She was well supported by her ‘brother’, Richard Carpenter, aka Greg Stevenson – whose great skill on the piano was used to great effect.
The whole audience was involved from start to finish, singing along to every song, dancing in their seats, and showing plenty of appreciation and enthusiasm for the performance. There were also lots of fabulous outfit changes throughout the show, all in true iconic Carpenter style.
Towards the end of a fantastic set, the band revealed they were actually British – something that had fooled many of us, as they had performed the entire show using convincing American accents.
What made the evening even more memorable was that it was Brad Coleman’s (who plays musician, Danny Woodhams) final performance as keyboard player. He is now off to get married and move to the States, so it was lovely to be part of such a special night.
If you love The Carpenters, I would highly recommend going to see them when they return to Shanklin next year. A truly golden night to remember that made us feel Top of the World.
Mal Butler