by Zahid Fayyaz

The group’s sophomore run at the festival, this is the a-cappella company’s homage to
‘guilty pleasures’ – cheesy songs you shouldn’t love, but (judging from the singalongs at this afternoon performance) most people do. An all-male, eleven-strong group greet the audience at this show, with a backdrop of album covers of by the cheesy artists they would be performing.

The performances are great in terms of technical ability, and they certainly succeed in their self-described mission of putting smiles on faces. They even have some incredibly cheesy jokes in between the songs, and some crowd interactions rewarded with a Buzztones mug.

Without ruining the setlist, some of the songs fit into the concept extremely well, such as
Europe and the Celine Dion/Eminem mash up. The wheel of medley which came up on party anthems is also a highlight, as is the Eurotrash medley. However, it’s a bit of a stretch to call Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” a guilty pleasure, and the less said about the reggae version of Radiohead’s “Karma Police”, the better.

Overall, this is a highly entertaining afternoon and certainly well worth a visit. The company are on tour now, and well worth catching at a festival or wedding should they pop up at one you are at!

The Buzztones Presents ‘Guilty Pleasures’ runs through 22 February, then tours.

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