Gwen Dickie
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For those of you unfamiliar with Gwen Dickie, she was the lead singer with 70's Funk/Disco group Rose Royce.  Despite being renowned for being a disco diva Gwen opened this set with a couple of slower, more soulful numbers, neither of which were familiar to me.  These may not have been favourites for the disco crowd, but I wasn't complaining.  The club was already rocking to the sounds of the seventies and eighties by the time Gwen made her appearance so there was little doubt about the quality of the sound system.  The move from digital recordings from a single source, to blending Gwen's voice with her backing tapes however proved difficult for the DJ's/Sound Engineers.  For both these first numbers it was impossible to make out the lyrics as Gwen was drowned by the backing tapes.  It was only after I decided to leave my seat at the back and move to a place directly in front of her that I could hear her voice more clearly.

Given that Rose Royce were operating nearly thirty years ago, Gwen must at least be in her early forties by now, but nobody would have guessed it.  She really looked the part.  Despite struggling against an overly loud backing tape her voice was still powerful and crystal clear.  She went on to sing two of Rose Royce's other hits, "Wishing on a Star" and "Love Don't Live Here Any More" which in my view are far more soulful than they are disco.  She sang another song which was unfamiliar to me, then ended with the inevitable "Car Wash" which really sent the dancefloor alight.  Then it finished, just as the party was about to get going it was ended abruptly.  She thanked her audience and made her way off stage.

It would be very easy to criticise this performance, for the poor sound quality, for the shortness of the act or for the abrupt ending, but it was after all a guest appearance and not a full blown concert.  I would really have liked to hear her with real musicians in support, which is what her talent deserves.  Perhaps Gwen should consider including the work of other acts besides Rose Royce in her repertoire, because as it stands it is far too short.  For £4 perhaps I shouldn't expect any better.  Whinging aside it was pretty good value for money.

Why Not visit the Authors other Website, 'The Alternative Blackpool Website' at

http://www.localdial.com/users/jsyedu133/bpool

This Site Last Updated 18/05/05