Bananarama
@ The Danforth Music Hall, Toronto
February 23, 2018
Bananarama comes to Toronto for the first time ever and greets a sold out crowd at the Danforth Music Hall during a February thaw. Immediately you notice that the crowd is made of people who could only be young in the 1980βs. If there were any teenagers, they looked like they were brought their by their mothers. Some of the patrons were sporting flashing devil horns as a part of Bananaramaβs merch line. Not something youβd imagine from a band whose name has something as bright and yellow as βbananaβ in it, but still fun and cute! The venue was nearly full an hour and fifteen minutes before Bananarama came on. The opening act was DJ Lazarus providing background music until the band came on. He played 80βs hits like βSweet Dreamsβ remixed with his own beats and merging into other songs. He also mentions some after party next door for first come first serve patrons.
Twenty minutes to 9, the DJβs set ended and a single spotlight was used to illuminate the stage to reveal an LCD screen. At 9pm the lights are darkened and the supporting band of Bananarama begins a crescendo of an intro to create anticipation before Bananarama arrives. The three stars of Bananarama strike a pose under the LCD screen and come forward on stage and break out into their first song βNathan Jonesβ. They wore black jumpsuits with glitter and crystals and they looked fabulous and fit! Their fifth song of the setlist, they played one of their biggest hits βCruel Summerβ which really loosened the crowd. Throughout all of their songs, their harmonies are greatly intact. In between songs they would make cheeky comments about people looking good or βitβs getting hot in here!β Β Itβs when they spoke that we were reminded that they are British. Itβs funny how British accents disappear when singing. During one of their songs, bananas did appear on the LCD screen. Would have been surprising if they werenβt! The fans were dancing to the pounding synth pop beats or singing along to every word. The harmonized 80βs girl group wouldnβt be complete without a song featuring βdoo-wopsβ (βReally Say Somethingβ), a song with extreme disco vibes (Preacher Man), and synchronized dancing. Mid-set, the LCD screen began to display artistic renditions of their music videos. The girls were singing nearly synced up to the videos and doing some moves from the videos. The biggest songs of the night had to be βVenusβ and βNa Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbyeβ, their most famous covers. They had roaring applause that took moments to settle down. They exited with an encore of two songs. This is a show many fans were anticipating probably since the tour was announced. Bananarama could be as similar as 80βs pop groups like ABBA, but there is a certain chic, fearlessness, and certainty to their style and sound that separates them. A very successful show for fans and anyone looking for a fun, colourful time.
(Photography by Vicki Mahony)