Review: Postmodern Jukebox at the Usher Hall

Birdy once again made her way to the Usher Hall, this time to partake in a wonderful night of modern songs played in the styles of various eras – it’s Postmodern Jukebox time! 

Not going to lie, this was a night I’d really been looking forward to, and having seen Postmodern Jukebox live once already – almost exactly a year before, actually – I knew I wasn’t going to be disappointed. 

Before I get into this, I will say that at the last minute, we got an update from the venue to let us know there would no longer be a break in the show, with PMJ starting half an hour later than initially planned. No biggie. They also suggested everyone wear face coverings – which, nobody really did. 

But, let’s move onto the actual review! 

Music and variety

Right off the bat, the evening gets off to a fantastic start, and I know it’s going to be a great night. The performers are slowly introduced (I wish I could find a list of them somewhere, but PMJ’s website isn’t very up-to-date in that respect!) and later, the band.

What we’re treated to is a great selection of songs with amazing vocalists, tap dancing, and a big variety of instruments – including an old washboard, surprisingly! 

Everyone was in fab spirits, and even more fabulous costumes – with various changes throughout the night. (And yes, I did look at quite a few dresses and think ‘SPARKLY!’ and ‘Ooh, isn’t that lovely). But let’s talk about the songs! 

We heard some of the most incredible renditions of Metallica (Nothing Else Matters), The Spice Girls (Wannabe), Rihanna (Halo), The White Stripes (Seven Nation Army), Leonard Cohen (Hallelujah), Salt-n Pepa (Shoop), CeeLo Green (Forget You), Gnarles Barkley (Crazy) and many more!

One of the biggest highlights included Super Mario Bros, with added tap dancing and twerking whilst holding the Scottish flag! Also Jet’s Are you Gonna Be My Girl, and Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel’s Running Up That Hill.

Smooth performances 

It was a surprisingly small group this time, of just six musicians, four singers, and a damn energetic twerking tap dancer – but the professionalism of how smooth the transitions were (and the costume changes!) speaks for itself. Although, you’d think they’d be used to it, as PMJ are under a pretty gruelling schedule this tour. 

Okay, I’m a massive fan of PMJ (so might be a touch biased), and I know exactly what to expect when I come to their concerts. Some reviewers were maybe slightly less impressed – and that’s okay. 

If you’re expecting old-timey jazz, you’re going to be sorely disappointed – and likewise, if you’re expecting a certain rawness left over from the original songs (say, Metallica’s Nothing Else Matters, or Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes) again, it’s maybe not for you. 

What you get instead is something polished, sublime, (at times lots of fun) and uniquely Postmodern Jukebox, that you’ll either love in its entirety, or maybe you’ll just go back to the originals on your personal playlist, and give the concert a miss next time. But, you never know unless you try it! 

What I do know is, PMJ has a massive fanbase, and they showed up in spades on Tuesday night – a lot of them dressed to kill. Others, maybe who’ve had a long day less so, but 100% there for the music. 

Encore 

Now, having seen Postmodern Jukebox once before (only a year previously) and recalling how full of energy that show was – and the fact they did about seven or eight songs as encores – I was hoping for more of the same tonight. 

Unfortunately, it was just the one song encore this time, but I’m not sure if that was because of the change of scheduling and it simply had to be this way. But it was still a damn good encore, of Radiohead’s Creep. Fabulous! I just wish there had been more of it.

Still, we all left feeling like we’d definitely gotten our money’s worth, and it was a great way to spend a Tuesday evening. Come back to the ‘Burgh, PMJ – WE LOVE YOU!!!