REVIEW: Octave GLO Celebr8 – GLO Auditorium, Motherwell

The classiest choral group around are back in town. Octave bring their eighth annual concert, GLO Celebr8 to the GLO Auditorium in Motherwell.

With a programme of 35 songs, and as the title of their debut CD, Music for Everyone proclaims, there truly is something for everyone here. From pop classics such as Blame it on the Boogie and Son of a Preacher Man, through traditional British classics The Crookit Bawbee and The Foggy, Foggy Dew to movie and stage musical theatre big-hitters old and new, the evening’s programme is a carefully curated gem.

Musical Director David Fisher has a canny ability to programme a concert to please an audience. That said, he has some of the finest amateur vocalists in the region to sing his specially selected songs. While there are some stand-out solo efforts, the concert elevates when the eight performers sing as one. Particular highlights include beautiful ensemble renditions of Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s Your Song and Pure Imagination from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The superlative acoustics in the auditorium mean that these wonderful voices have the chance to soar and prove that Octave still have the ability to give you goose bumps.

A welcome, new feature of this year’s concert is the inclusion of a Master of Ceremonies, Bill Craig. Craig is a natural raconteur and the witty, professionally delivered introductions are both informative and amusing. It allows the singers to concentrate on singing and move the proceedings from one section to another with aplomb.

Octave deliver something fresh and new every year and long may it continue.