A review of Back to Black: The Music of Amy Winehouse, Fringe 2022

Pleasingly, there are many familiar faces in Back to Black: The Music of Amy Winehouse from Night Owl’s The Carpenters Songbook.

Interestingly, the audiences were similar too. I was expecting an older audience for The Carpenters but was surprised and impressed when Amy Winehouse attracted such a mature crowd. That’s not to say I didn’t see people younger than me, and they were absolutely there in the nearly sold-out auditorium, and it is to say that the Winehouse magic crosses the generations.

A caring tribute

The Night Owl band think highly of Winehouse. Singer Reine Beau Anderson Dudley seems to be an incredibly genuine fan.

And it’s Reine Beau who provides the magic of the night. It’s their voice and their energy which bring the songs to life.

We cover Back To Black, Valerie and Rehab, but it’s not just a cover band. We also dig into Amy’s background and the route she took with her music, just a little given the time.

I was hoping for as much, and whereas I wanted more, I’m not sure I would have wanted less of the singing, so, well, perhaps Night Owl got the balance for the hour-long show right.

It’s certainly a comfortable hour in the comfort of theSpace at Symposium Hall. Those expensive seats can’t have people standing between them and dancing to music very often. That’s what they got treated to from a few enthusiastic audience members for my visit.

A standing ovation ended the night, with the audience on their feet, most of them having accepted the invitation to get up and sway to the final few songs.

Back to Black: The Music of Amy Winehouse was the first show for my final Saturday of event attendance at the 2022 EdFest, and it was a great way to start the night.

Overall

Enough of the classics to satisfy your Amy Winehouse cravings and enough selected from off the beaten path for the gig not to feel too samey.

Fan? Come see this while you can.