Sunday 12 November was Radio 1’s Chart Show Live. Listeners might have heard it mentioned once or twice. As a regular Radio 1 listener I knew the acts on the bill (McFly, All Saints, Beyoncé, Girls Aloud and Nelly Furtado), but I wouldn’t normally go to any of their gigs, so I was a little sceptical going in.
After a lot of organising to get from Norfolk to Brighton, the day arrived. It began with Fearne and Reggie and carried on with Vernon Kay as I travelled by taxi and train. Just after 3pm Brighton was getting ready for the biggest pop party of the year, while I was wandering around with a map, still trying to find the venue. I passed some time in the shopping centre, tuning in to Sara Cox to hear about people already queuing. I found a Church Street and a Queens Road, but they turned out to be in a residential area full of elderly people giving me funny looks. I followed signs to a dome-shaped building, only to realise it was the pier. In the end I cut my losses and got a taxi, which took me to the second Queens Road, where the actual Dome was.
Stepping out of the taxi, I was greeted by screams that got louder as I walked towards the queue. My sister, who came with me, was as confused as I was, until I turned round and saw Radio 1’s Vernon Kay beside me. Once he went inside the screaming stopped, and my 15 seconds of fame were over.
We joined the queue with plenty of eager Radio 1 listeners and Brighton residents, plus an old drunk man selling whistles and bunny ears on the sly. Nobody could make out what he shouted every five minutes, apart from the word “whistle”. His legacy lived on, though: All Saints later said how good it looked to see everyone lit up from the stage.
After an hour and a half in the queue, half an hour before the show, we were let in. The building instantly started to buzz, with Radio 1 logos flashing everywhere. By the time Chris Moyles walked on stage, the excitement was close to unbearable.
Chris lived up to expectations, bantering with the crowd and bigging up his ego. The lights went down, a spotlight followed each DJ on stage, and the bunny ears and mobile phones in the air added a nice touch.
First up were All Saints, back after a long break, and they didn’t disappoint. With Rock Steady and Pure Shores, the party was well under way.
Scott Mills and Chappers were next, once they’d fought their way through the stage curtain. They promised an extra performance from someone close to Scott’s heart. Steve Strange wasn’t available, so instead out came Jordan and Peter Andre, in shades of orange and white even Scott couldn’t compete with, to sing A Whole New World.
The audience barely let Scott and Chappers speak as they asked everyone to vote for which McFly track the band should play, and the big screens showed Hairbrush Hits videos from Radio 1 Online. McFly followed. Some people had been to the shops beforehand to buy tissues; insert your own joke there. Even as someone who isn’t big on McFly, I enjoyed the energy they put in. Please, Please and Star Girl were topped off with 5 Colours in Her Hair, the audience’s pick.
The DJs filled the gaps between acts. Chris Moyles and Comedy Dave got three audience members on stage for karaoke, which made Dave’s singing look good, and JK and Joel showed a video of backstage gossip. Vernon Kay hosted a quiz, which was one of the few weak points of the night: Jo Whiley, Chris Moyles and Trevor Nelson against JK, Joel and Sara Cox. It had its moments, including Beyoncé’s dad greeting Trevor Nelson on stage uninvited, but it seemed aimed more at the younger fans than the older crowd upstairs.
Nelly Furtado performed Maneater, Promiscuous and All Good Things (Come to an End). There was disappointingly nothing from her back catalogue, but her cover of Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy really got the crowd going.
Girls Aloud, complete with five male dancers, kept the standard high with Something Kinda Ooh, Love Machine and Sound of the Underground. They’re rumoured to prefer miming, but they put on a good live show, much to the delight of Chappers, sitting a few seats away from me.
Some of the interactive ideas worked better than others. Voting for songs and sending in video reports went fine. Asking the audience to film a lighter on their phones to show during the slow songs, and to record themselves singing along to Nelly Furtado, didn’t. Most people were far more interested in filming the acts on stage.
The night ended with Beyoncé, who I’d considered the most over-hyped act on the bill, but she certainly knew how to entertain. Chris Moyles and Vernon Kay introduced her to deafening screams, stamping and clapping, and just in case we’d forgotten how big she was, her own voiceover listed a few statistics. Then she churned out the hits: Crazy in Love, Irreplaceable and Baby Boy. It was a shame that while she made sure we knew who she was, she didn’t make sure she knew where she was. But you’re not going to argue with Beyoncé for mistaking Brighton for London, are you? Not everyone was impressed: one voice from the back said, as she held a long note, that she should have warmed up first. You can’t please everyone.
With that it was time to pick up a t-shirt and a free poster and head for a taxi, not without watching the bunny ears seller try to shift some reduced-price whistles.
If you’re a Radio 1 listener, get tickets to the next Chart Show Live, even if you’re not a fan of everyone on the bill. There’s something for everyone, and it was nice to see Scott Mills when the wine wasn’t on.
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