Richard and Adam concert review

Richard and Adam performed at London’s Cadogan Hall earlier this week as we sent our reporter Holli Jervais to review the concert for us at MarkMeets.

Britain’s Got Talent finalists Richard and Adam brought their impressive vocal skill to the serene setting of Cadogan Hall in central London as part of their 16-date ‘Impossible Dream’ March 2014.

Albeit not a sold out affair, the brother duo certainly proved to have a loyal and solid fan base in their audience. With excited chatter surrounding me as to who voted for them in the final of ITV’s hit talent show, to who had seen them at other dates on the tour, the focus was very much on a family affair. With the entire family out to support them, from nan in the front row to mum sat safely in the back stalls, it’s easy to see how the brothers have stayed so approachable and grounded throughout their successful journey into the world of ‘popera’.

It was nice to see that the boys aren’t just a pair of voices, either; songs were mixed in with their own brand of entertaining banter and endearing tales from their early days.

As a fan of another Simon Cowell offering, Il Divo, I was very much looking forward to hearing the wonderfully rich baritone offerings of younger brother Adam and the warm tenor tone of older brother Richard. Their set list opened with the theatre standard ‘This Is the Moment’ before breaking down into the heart-breaking sway of ‘Hallelujah’.

Adding classic sparkle and flare to proceedings was former X-factor star Rhydian who joined the boys on Josh Groban’s classic standard ‘To Where You Are’. It allowed all three powerful vocalists to showcase a wonderfully strong range with great ease and tenderness without overbearing the subtle lyrical content.

With additional support coming from their father Paul (who displayed an impressive voice as the family threesome tackled the mammoth ‘Bring Him Home’ from Les Miserables) and Charlotte Jacolnelli (another former Britain’s Got Talent finalist) it was very much a show that delivered on big impact numbers and staggering vocal ranges. Charlotte was particularly impressive when joining Richard and Adam for ‘The Prayer’, showing a strong soprano register that complemented the brothers well.

Richard and Adam’s recording OF Unchained Melody

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As impressive as the voices are coming from these young boy wonders, what let the show down was a distinct lack of variance in the staging. Whilst no one expects them to be leaping around or to have a multitude of fireworks and backing dancers, occasionally I wished they would steer away from simply turning into each other on the latter third of the song just like Westlife on a key change.

With such wonderfully emotive voices, it would have been nice to see more emotion coming from their body language and staging, and their subtle harmonies were also something I personally would have loved to have heard more of.

The boys will be bringing a new twist on Christmas classics on December 2nd this year with the release of a Christmas album and hopefully will be touring once again on the back of the Impossible Dream tour success.

As far as debut tour performances go, Richard and Adam provided a polished effort that showcased exactly who they are and what they’re about: I’d firmly recommend that you catch them next time they are in town if you ever doubted the existence of genuine talent that can be found on reality shows.

Richard and Adam’s original Britain’s Got Talent audition

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Order the album Impossible Dream here

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Holli Greaves: Meet Holly, our versatile freelance journalist and featuers writer who has a passion for dissecting the ever-evolving landscape of business and technology. Your guide to understanding the forces driving our digital age with insightful perspectives and in-depth storytelling.