Hear'say, MEN Arena

BURY pop star Suzanne Shaw and her friends breezed into Manchester and brought a bundle of energy and enthusiasm which lit up a dull Sunday afternoon.

For Suzanne and fellow Hear'say member Kym from Wigan this was a real home coming gig and they were both at the fore as the group exploded into action on the stage.

From the moment they abseiled from the roof of the arena to mark the start of the show until their finale, which included the hit song that started it all, Pure and Simple, this was a highly polished entertainment package that made the best part of two hours seem to fly by.

It was to be expected because of the history of the group, which was deliberately assembled on the ITV show Popstars to form the "next big thing" to take the pop music world by storm.

I must admit I went along merely as the adult chaperone with my 12-year-old companion and was very sceptical before the show began. But the energy on stage, shared by about 13,000 screaming school children (and some very enthusiastic adults who looked old enough to be Hear'say's parents) transmitted itself around the arena and became infectious.

A combination of fireworks, ticker tape and elaborate stage sets that went up, down and even involved a moving walk-way meant there was plenty to look at. And the singing was pretty good as well.

Yes, Hear'say's set does largely comprise of cover versions of other people's songs (ranging from Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water to Luther Vandross) but they know their stuff and they perform it with great enthusiasm.

There were one or two quieter, slower moments as well, with Kim singing a song for her two children who were in the audience as a montage of family photos and home video shots were beamed onto two giant screens behind the stage.

Suzanne's solo performance was a cover version of the Madonna hit Express Yourself. It was not quite in the same league as the American superstar, but still not bad at all for a lass from Bury who was a complete unknown just a few months ago.

Three lucky youngsters got a chance to join their heroes on stage and show off their own singing talents. In this light-hearted sequence clips of "Nasty Nigel" at his nastiest were played on the big screen to a chorus of boos from the audience. Hear'say certainly have their critics because of the highly manufactured way that they have shot to fame. Some cynics believe they may slip back into obscurity just as quickly as they have burst into the limelight.

At the moment that is a question no-one can answer. But On this showing is that Hear'say know how to put on a damn good show and have fun, pure and simple. Mark Longbottom