Congleton: Gawsworth Hall summer theatre makes rip-roaring return with ELO Again
You may know it as a local Grade I-listed country house you can visit, but to many locals, they only go to Gawsworth Hall for the open air theatre.
Saturday June 25 saw a tribute to Electric Light Orchestra - ELO Again - play Gawsworth Hall, just over five miles from Congleton.
Their outdoor concerts, performances and candid chats with famous figures returned for the summer season at the weekend, with a truly unique experience well-worth the £25 asking price.
But guests showed up as early as five hours before the concert began, to pitch their gazebos and enjoy the sunny weather.
Ticket-goers are welcome to bring their own food, drinks, and even booze to soak in the rays and get a good spot for the concert.
It is a truly unique experience, with the timber-framed 15th century home as your backdrop, and gorgeous duck pond nearby. (With many mallards partaking in the pre-show picnic.)
But then came an experience that money truly couldn't buy. Just 35 minutes before the concert was scheduled to start at 7:30pm, a storm ominously lingered and rumbled nearby.
Moments of genuine uncertainty arose, with some fearing the concert would be cancelled.
Soon, the murky clouds were heading straight towards the stage, which while covered, still posed a safety risk due to thunder and lightning.
And like clockwork, the heavens opened for a good 20 minutes, with the lucky music-lovers who brought gazebos staying bone dry, while umbrella-folk huddled together and did their best to stay dry.
But the jovial British spirit and shared experience of this extreme weather led to an overall positive mood before the concert, with rapturous applause at the storm subsided.
With wet bums and even wetter camping chairs, punters were left with no choice but to dance, shortly after the band took to the stage.
Remarkably, despite the weather, the band were just minutes late, almost as if, a higher force (or the power of music - even) spared the performance from a possible cancellation.
Proving the tribute band knew their stuff, they opened with a deep cut. The seven-piece started their set with 1976 deep cut Tightrope, with a dramatic string-led opening that would've suited the storm just seconds earlier.
No weather could dampen the atmosphere, proven by the response to ELO Again playing the first hit of the night 1976's Evil Woman.
Dancers immediately descended to the front of the stage, and while it took a few songs for a real number to form at the fringes of the stage, it became clear that as well as a wash-out, the event was a sell-out.
An early surprise of the set was 10538 Overture, being the debut single of Electric Light Orchestra, and a track omitted from the real band's various Best Of albums.
Despite the 1970s attire, they even dabbled with the band's 1980s discography, with 1981's Hold On Tight, and of course 1980 Number One single Xanadu.
The in-between song chat was quintessentially British, with copious jokes about the weather, health and safety, and BBC Radio 2.
Jeff Lynne-clad lead singer Ian Bostic did greet the audience as 'Hello Macclesfield' instead of Gawsworth, a fact that would not have gone well with both the Congleton and Gawsworth residents which attended in some numbers.
And indeed, the greeting was jokingly jeered by the lovely family sat next to this writer, who were indeed from Beartown.
However, perhaps it was all part of the tribute, with the real Jeff Lynne infamously (and mistakenly) saying 'Hello Manchester' to a Salford gig in the late 1970s.
On a similar note, lead singer and guitarist Bostwick would later adapt 1977 album track Standing in the Rain to Gawsworth, in reference to the horrendous weather before the show began, by subtly singing "I'm standing in the rain… in Gawsworth".
Given the rain is such a prominent subject in ELO's lyrics, it was inevitable, but still caught the audience off guard, with many not even noticing the cheeky change.
The tribute band captures the disco-twinged era of ELO perfectly, Last Train to London was a particular highlight before the halfway point, a song which certainly felt different following a week of national rail strikes.
The band would change outfits halfway through following a brief interval, and kept audience interaction at a high, encouraging sing-a-longs, claps and even encouraging a symphony of shining phone torches ELO's Telephone Line.
A pre-encore highlight and incredible surprise was seeing the multi-talents of violinist Ruth Potts. the Scotswoman had already shined on the strings throughout, but could sing as well as she played, by belting out the female operatic notes of the song Rockaria. Amazement and ecstatic applause followed, which perfectly set up the mood for the performance of Mr. Blue Sky, ELO's best-known song.
And remarkably, there was not a drop of rain for the concert's entire two-and-a-half-hour duration, with even pockets of blue sky in time for ELO's signature song, performed faithfully by ELO Again.
Pete Burrows and Andy Smith put on a great service on the synth keys, and while they could've been a little louder in the sound mix, it was a minor issue on a fantastic evening.
Drummer Aled Lloyd but in a professional shift between the sticks, with energy that would rival Paul McCartney's drummer, performing at Glastonbury at the very same time as this Gawsworth event.
Steve Lovett should also receive commendation for being a crowd-rallier, looking like he was having the time of his life on bass. Isabella Dembinska sounded record-perfect on the cello.
Overall, a perfect night, boosted by the fact that it almost didn't happen. The instrumentation sounds similar to the real thing, but with their own tribute flourishes that entertain rather than irk diehard fans.
One can hope the remaining sixteen summer concerts, plays or celebrity shows at Gawsworth Hall can capture the audience as effortlessly as this one.
Fingers crossed they'll come back for a third Gawsworth Hall concert next year.
Setlist:
Tightrope
Evil Woman
Can't Get It Out Of My Head
Confusion
Hold On Tight
10358 Overture
Wild West Hero
Showdown
Sweet Talkin' Woman
The Diary of Horace Wimp
Last Train to London
All Over the World
[INTERVAL]
Standing in the Rain
Do Ya
Strange Magic
Shine a Little Love
Rock 'n' Roll is King
Telephone Line
Turn to Stone
Rockaria
Mr. Blue Sky
Don't Bring Me Down
Xanadu
Roll Over Beethoven
You can follow ELO Again on Facebook.
Gawsworth Hall is located on Church Ln, Gawsworth, SK11 9RN.
It is a five-and-a-half mile drive from Congleton town centre.
Please click here to purchase tickets to upcoming Gawsworth Hall events.
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