Review: Bilbo Baggins at the Vengaboys

Venga means party in Elvish and boy oh boy do those folk know how to party. As a humble hobbit I don’t usually go in for such events, too many loud […]


Venga means party in Elvish and boy oh boy do those folk know how to party. As a humble hobbit I don’t usually go in for such events, too many loud sounds and short skirts. But last night was certainty a night I shall remember. From the moment these mighty defenders of dance music stepped onto the gaffa-speckled stage of the union, they truly rocked the place. The sheer professionalism of their intricate dance moves and their ability to mime despite wearing microphones throughout, set them apart from other, usually pre-middle aged, dance acts.

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What particularly impressed me was that over the course of their 45-minute set they managed to cover all their own classics whilst also offering their own interpretations of some popular tracks of the moment, all with the lazily produced synth that defines their sound interweaving with their heavenly voices. I do have to admit that whilst my hopes of an acoustic set were quickly dashed, the pure energy of a tune called ‘boom, boom, boom boom’, another named ‘we like to party’ and a track about a journey to Ibiza quickly won me over.

The sound quality was admittedly a little poor and the set a little short but they gave the bustling crowds everything they wanted. In fact, the crowd was perhaps a little too excited – the mosh pit that emerged during the chorus to the track about booms was an experience I will thankfully never have again.

All in all, St Andrews marked their respect to the legends that are the vengaboys and I have little doubt that the driver of the venga bus was glad to have come our way. Long live euro-pop, all hail the venga.

images  © Kelly Diepenbrock