Only Men Aloud with special guest Laura Wright

I BOOKED my tickets to this event before anything else at Grassington Festival 2014 as I love Welsh choral music. Did Only Men Aloud deliver? Yes and no.

This is not your traditional Welsh male voice choir or even the one seen winning Last Choir Standing on the BBC. The new eight-piece vocal ensemble brought together in September 2013 brings both a new sound and a more varied and eclectic repertoire to the mix, from Welsh folksongs and hymns to musical theatre and opera, barbershop and swing to pop.

Only Men Aloud came on to Rhyfelgyrch gwyr Harlech (Men of Harlech) sung in a harmony which was deep and powerful and followed that with a beautiful soft Welsh lullaby. Their Welsh singing was superb and filled everyone in the Marquee with a real sense of their heritage and pride in their country. It was a triumphant opening and set us up for a night of entertainment.

Only Men Aloud are a very talented bunch, directed and conducted by Tim Rhys-Evans and play on their good looking, suited and booted image to great effect. There was a little too much cheese at times and too much winking and nodding at each other. Occasionally their songs were so staged that they lacked something earthy and raw and became if anything over polished and bland.

Yet, at times the staging worked well particularly with songs like, What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor which was funny and engaging with beautiful a cappella harmonies. Their final Mash Up of Rule the World, combining Coldplay and Take That really worked even with the ubiquitous canes.

Laura Wright, their special guest, is and will continue to be, a huge star and her soprano voice soared over the audience. She took us on a journey from World War Two and The White Cliffs of Dover through to some of her new music and a creative and inspiring interpretation of Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings. She radiated presence and calm, even when her first microphone didn’t work, trading jokes with the audience. We were really lucky to be able to see her in this idyllic setting without having to drive hours to a big city.

It was an unexpected night full of wonderful touches and surprises and Only Men Aloud and Laura Wright managed to convey a feeling of intimacy in a large space. It is a tribute to the Grassington Festival Organisers that they can go from this to The Boomtown Rats in the space of a day.

Ali Richards