10:22am Thursday 22nd December 2011
By Julian Cole
MR HOLLAND always used to bring his orchestra to the Barbican just before Christmas and now, after the venue’s unhappy hiatus, he is back playing to a full house.
As always with these affairs, the evening takes a little while to warm up, but by the riotous conclusion Jools and his orchestra are truly steaming and playing with joyous, roof-lifting energy.
There is a key moment which is known in technical terms as the bit where Ruby comes on. This is when the music really makes sense; this is what rhythm and blues is about. Ruby Turner sings like a wayward gospel angel, and lifts the mood like no one else.
Before that, we had a star turn from Sandie Shaw, who had not sung on stage for 25 years, as she told us, looking both like a girlie in her short mirrored dress and, well, an old girlie as she mentioned the trouble she now had getting up from the floor. Her slowed tragic ballad version of Puppet On A String was a wonder and miles from its Eurovision perkiness.
Another, less expected star turn came from Shaun Ryder, who is learning the saxophone (allegedly). He turned up with his ‘teacher’, Soweto Kinch, who certainly has a task on his hands, but it was all good fun.
And as for the man himself, Jools played like a boogie-woogie demon, charmed us in his usual bumbling manner, led a singsong or two, and returned for numerous encores. It was good to be back.
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