Review: The Liverpool Songbook at Philharmonic Hall ****

UNESCO City of Music. City with the most UK number ones per head of population. An unparalleled roster of musical artists including, of course, the biggest and most influential band the world has ever seen.

By any measure, Liverpool punches above its weight on the talent and tunes front.

So the only problem when trying to create the perfect playlist is what to include and what to leave out.

Certainly, the Phil had an embarrassment of riches to choose from when creating a running order for The Liverpool Songbook, with the result that this supercharged Saturday night concert was packed with as many numbers as you could comfortably get into two-and-a-half hours.

Presented by Spencer Leigh – expert dispenser of Liverpool music knowledge (including fascinating tangential titbits), conducted by Richard Balcombe, performed by the RLPO and a trio of vocalists and watched by a busy house that married classical concert regulars with a more general music crowd, a fine time was pretty much guaranteed.

The Phil has long track record of successful crossover work with the pop world and among the range of hits from across the decades and genres were those from Cast, Elvis Costello, Echo & The Bunnymen, OMD and Lightning Seeds, all of whom the orchestra has played alongside in concert either at Hope Street, on stage in Sefton Park or in arenas.

While the evening was titled The Liverpool Songbook, there was some cross-river collaboration too with tunes from The Coral (Dreaming of You) and OMD (Enola Gay), although one might suggest Katrina and the Waves’ Going Down to Liverpool was something of a hamstring-pulling stretch.

It did offer vocalist Laura Tebbutt an opportunity to take centre stage in an inevitably male-dominated programme. However, leaving Lita Roza aside (even she disliked the awful pop-novelty standard How Much is that Doggie in the Window?), was Atomic Kitten’s Whole Again considered and dismissed? Or maybe a soupcon of Sonia, a nod to Melanie C or even a trip down 1980s memory lane with River City People?

Saying that, amid some terrific performances throughout the evening, it was Tebbutt who also practically brought the house down with an emotionally powerful performance of Willy Russell’s uber-anthem Tell Me It’s Not True.

Above: Richard Balcombe, Ian Prowse, Patrick Smyth, Spencer Leigh, Laura Tebbutt, Graham Bickley and the RLPO take a bow. Photo courtesy of Richard Haswell.

Each half was introduced by a medley of songs, with the numbers after the interval celebrating Liverpool on television, during which Carla Lane’s theme tune to Bread offered a neat extra nod with Graham ‘Joey Boswell’ Bickley take lead vocal.

Elsewhere, some of the many highlights of the night also included Frankie’s festive ballad The Power of Love, sung soulfully by Patrick Smyth and given deliciously sumptuous strings treatment by the orchestra; some punchy brass in The Real Thing’s You to Me Are Everything; a lush instrumental Ferry Cross the Mersey; buoyant performance of Elvis Costello’s Veronica with great vocal harmonising and a cheerfully bombastic Live and Let Die.

An acoustic guitar-wielding Ian Prowse popped up as a special guest on his own Does This Train Stop on Merseyside which worked very well with the orchestration and the trio of vocalists acting as backing singers.

Occasionally the balance felt a tiny bit out with individual instruments and sections either very prominent or else submerged under a general wall of sound, while at times - perhaps inevitably - the drum kit dominated, particularly the underpinning thump thump of the bass drum which physically vibrated through the structure of the hall.

And personally, sensing an audience straining at the leash to get involved I’d have segued from an instrumental Imagine directly into a singalong All You Need is Love rather than the rather here or there Now or Then.

But those are mere quibbles in an evening which (in the grand traditions of the city) was a deserved and joyous smash hit.

Incidentally, if you want to hear more, the RLPO and some of the artists they featured in this concert are appearing on the same stage at A Celebration of Zoe's Place in the arena next month.