Boney M

Boney M? Are they still going? Didn’t one of them die?

Yes, yes, and yes. In fact, they’re down to just one of the original line-up, Maizie Williams. This tour is billed as their “Farewell Tour”, but we’ve all heard that one before, haven’t we? Bobby Farrell, the original dancer, died in 2010. Whilst he often lip-synched the lyrics in their videos, the male vocals weren’t actually provided by him – their producer, Frank Farian, sang the studio versions – but he did sing in their live shows. Also, Maizie Williams didn’t sing on the original tracks –  Liz Mitchell was the main voice – she was also their for “decoration”, like Farrell. But she sings now, so that’s OK.

First, obviously, dinner. In the current straitened climate faced by many hospitality venues, their continued existence depends on our continued support…if you ignore them, they’ll go away. One place we definitely don’t want to go away is Wellingon’s last bastion of fine dining, Loggie B’s, and, as we haven’t been there in a while, we decided to push the boat out. We started out early to ensure we weren’t rushed, and had time for a cocktail before dinner as well. I had oysters (from Waiheke, not Bluff unfortunately) and duck breast, followed by chocolate fondant; and Nicola had the gnocchi and beef cheek, followed by the panna cotta. Classic dishes, but done so well, they can’t be beat.

We trotted along Cuba Street on what turned out to be a much milder evening than the last few nights, and reached St James Theatre. Upstairs and upstairs again, to the nosebleed seats in the grand circle, as this gig was sold out on all levels. First up we had support act Mark Williams. Is this the same Mark Williams who now fronts Dragon? It’s hard to tell, as he sang covers of disco hits rather than any of his own material, with a heavy emphasis on Hot Chocolate (You Sexy Thing, It Started With  A Kiss, So You Win Again, Every 1’s A Winner), and Mark Williams is a common name.

Then it was time for the main act, and they didn’t disappoint. They played all the classics, with a little bit of chat in between. You may have forgotten some of their songs, but they had some absolute belters, including a surprisingly heavy rock version of Belfast, and a promptu* version of We Will Rock You when the singers left for a costume change and the band members were introduced.

As the show reached its climax they played a banging version of Rasputin that got everyone on their feet, and followed it with By The Rivers Of Babylon to close out the set.

Did we want more? Of course we did! So on they came again, for just one more song, with a very heavy hint: Gotta Go Home. So we did.

 

* i.e. not impromptu