An underwhelming church gospel service that falls short of festive promises.
BIG Gospel Choir at Christmas promises to be heart-warming, with stunning vocals. With some shining moments, it ultimately underdelivers.
Kings Place’s wood-panelled Hall One feels like the perfect setting for a gospel concert. The BIG Gospel Choir enters in black robes with graphic yellow markings, later revealing black formal wear. Interactive from the start, the choir encourages the audience to their feet, clapping and two-stepping to gospel classics. Whilst the audience seems to really enjoy this, the shallow rake in the space means shorter patrons and those less able to stand are immediately left with an obscured – or no – view.
With just eight singers, BIG Gospel Choir’s energy levels are impressive. Accompanied by a mixture of backing track and live guitar, drums, keys and electric organ (Musical Director Ainsley Johns), the sound is ambitious. Frequent technical issues mean the volume levels of the handheld microphones are discordant, impacting the blend of harmonies. This shows all too clearly on the faces of the singers, pulling the audience out of the festive setting.
Most of the first set is church gospel in style, with a soloist leading repeated choruses in each song, ad-libbing and belting their hearts out. Choir Director Gail Windrass promises “the church experience”, inviting audience members to speak and interact with each other. Whilst this is wholesome, the performance feels too much like a church service and not enough like a concert. With the repetitive call and response, there are very few songs per set, and transitions feel under-rehearsed or rushed. Most disappointingly, on multiple occasions singers appear to sing different lyrics to each other, or blatantly not sing at all, as if they don’t know the words.
There are very few Christmas songs in the set, but the undeniable standout is their performance of Silent Night. The singers bring a groove and gospel flair to the lullaby, displaying a rare moment of cohesion as they move together.
An unexpected and rather confusing shift to love songs lacks inclusion at what is billed as a family show, with a section of songs dedicated to couples. However, Jurdine Leonie’s rendition of Alicia Keys’ If I Ain’t Got You is absolutely flawless.
The second set is a combination of African songs, gospel classics (When Jesus Say Yes), and primary school bangers (This Little Light of Mine). This show tries to be too many things, and is only successful in some. Simone Brown leads a deeply soulful Joy to the World that stands out. Brown also shines in her rendition of Amazing Grace, bringing a true hush to the room, only for it to be revamped with a blend of African beats that gets the audience moving again.
Ahead of the finale, the eight singers leave the stage for yet another costume change, promising the band will treat us to a musical interlude. What follows is most of the band watching the organist play, while attempting to get the crowd clapping along. The wait is far too long, allowing much of the energy built up in the room to go cold. The costume change to beige and gold, intended to emphasise the BIG acronym (Because I’m Golden) is not worth the prolonged delay.
BIG Gospel Choir at Christmas is a well-intentioned, optimistic evening that sadly chooses entertainment and interaction over soul and performance.