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New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Theatre
A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion
Cock
Restaurants
Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave
Kitchen W8
Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects
This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws
Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor
London,
John Aizlewood's rating
Reader rating
Description: The perky pop princess plays tracks from her latest album, X.
Phone: 0871220 0260
Website: www.theo2.co.uk
Email: customerservices@theo2.co.uk
Trains: Tube: North Greenwich, BR: Westcombe Park Railway Station 
, Tube / Bus: 108, 129, 161, 188, 422, 472, 486 
Extra info: Air Conditioning, Pub, Food, Telephones
Being Kylie: the I Should Be So Luncky star does what she does best
Lucky lucky London: Kylie's show has finally arrived here after her world tour
With the most supportive will in the world, it is difficult to see where Kylie Minogue's talent lies, beyond simply Being Kylie. She's not a great singer, she's not a songwriter; she moves adequately at best and, for all her china doll prettiness, she is utterly, utterly without sex appeal, no matter how hard she tries.
After last night's triumph, it's still hard to pinpoint the exact nature of her gifts. Certainly, though, pop's great survivor makes a little go an awfully long way. Indeed, the 40-year-old got much wrong, not least the day of the week when she exclaimed "it's Saturday night in London!" to bemused giggles from an audience comprised of gay men, children, Barry Humphreys and Catherine Tate. Her cover of Barry Manilow's Copacabana (At The Copa) was spectacularly ill-judged and the tiny, hopelessly inadequate screens (no close-ups allowed) must have made the whole experience seem rather like watching a flickering television in the corner of a neighbour's lounge to the poor souls at the back.
Thinking up her myriad outfits (Napoleon Kylie, bondage Kylie, Melanie Griffith Kylie, American football-Kylie, Japanese Kylie, et-predictable-cetera) must have taken, ooh, a whole couple of minutes.
Yet, she was terrific and not in a camp or ironic way. The production was lavish and sprinkled with moments of glorious madness, such as singing Like A Drug perched precariously atop a giant skull 20 feet above stage. With a band mostly lurking guiltily stage left and right, and a platoon of dancers mostly alongside her, Minogue turned the O2 into an electro disco, stomping her way through the tub-thumping Shocked, Can"t Get You Out Of My Head (bravely, the evening's second song) and Kids with exactly the level of controlled abandon these anthems demanded.
Surprisingly there was innovation and not least in her showcasing unreleased material such as the epic Flower. The hitherto unremarkable I Believe In You was reworked as a goosebumpy ballad; Step Back In Time began with a finger-clicking a cappella section, On A Night Like This finally made perfect sense and, as a special treat, she bid farewell with a rousing canter through that pop masterpiece, I Should Be So Lucky.
"In a word: 'wow'," she gushed at one point. In two words: fabulously enjoyable.
Kylie Minogue plays the 02 Arena tomorrow and Wednesday and 1, 2, 4 August. 0870 534 4444
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
As someone who flew in from San Francisco to see this concert and ended up way at the back of the arena, I have to agree that this review is way off base! The concert was phenomenal from start to finish, no matter where you were seated. It's clear that this reviewer decided before he even entered the concert hall that he disliked both Kylie and the concert program, and was going to write a negative review about both. However, it's even clearer that in spite of his preconceived dislike and his inability to write a fair and balanced review, the writer was nonetheless sucked in by the sheer magnificence of Kylie's performance. This is why Kylie is so incredible... or rather, just a small part of why. She is and always will be a legend.
- Scott G, San Francisco, CA
Was he at the concert who is he and will he still be around in 20 years? Was not at the London o2 concert but saw her in Manchester and Newcastle she was brilliant.
- Bill, carlisle cumbria
I went to The Kylie concert last night and it was amazing, when she sang flower I had goosebumps. She looked amazing, her costumes were great, everyone I saw had an amazing time. She can sing and she has sex appeal I don't know what concert John was at, this is Kylie's best concert to date.
- Tanya, UK
I think the review is true. She does not have much going for her BUT the concert was amazing as were the visuals and her voice. She really gave a great great pop performance. If you want Bach then go to the Proms. If you want great pop (which is all a about style and not much else) then go to Kylie. I also have to say that on Sunday the audiance was 99 percent adults (it finished at 10:15) and there were loads of straight people there...as well as the fabulous gay men.
- Shanie, London
I have seen Kylie many times over 20 years, without doubt, this is her best concert yet and the last 1 took some beating. Her voice is as strong as ever, her energy levels fantastic the whole show is amazing. I can't see the likes of Girls Allowed being here is 20 years time singing to thousands of paying and happy customers!
- Pam, Newcastle
One thing are sure, John Aizlewood is not a Kylie fan! For me are Kylie the best female artist in the world! The KylieX2008 show was great! And I hope the DVD is coming soon!
- Harryl, Gjøvk , Norway
Ha ha finally someone has transgressed and done the forbidden. Told it like it is with this ghastly non talented little woman. Blandness does not begin to describe it. She is all costumes diversion and no talent except keeping herself in tabloids (brave tm ).
Times also said Flowers was weak weak and weak. Then I find her whole persona, and singing weak so. Worst voice I ever heard in music biz in fact.
- Kanbenza, London UK
I agree, John Aizlewood I think you must have been somewhere else, or wanted to be. Your review might have been more accurate, if you'd put that book down and paid attention...
So here's mine, if you're interested. If your favourite tracks are Can't Get You Out Of My Head, La La La, CGYOOMH and that track which was a number 1 from the Fever album, then too many of your big guns will be in the first half. If they're mainly in the SAW hit catalogue, then the climax may not be a climax and even less, if they're in the Deconstruction catalogue. But this concert is a fabulous fun showcase of the X album and Kylie's catalogue since joining Parlophone, with a huge great capital F, U and N stamped right the way through it.
So Okay, she said it was Saturday, on Sunday. She is human too and at least it shows it was live, not lip-synched pre-recorded segments or read from an auto-cue. More importantly, there were no mistakes with her singing and the set and costumes are spot on too. And to those saying Copacabana is a mistake, I'd say you haven't quite grasped the reason it was included where it was, yet.
Overall I'd give this concert 7/10. 1 deducted for all those sat in blocks 101, 112, 402 and 421 who won't get to see everything, 1 for still not including Love Affair or Secret in a tour, and 1 because you can't get 10/10 anyway. I had such a great night, as soon as I got home I went on the net and purchased another ticket. Go figure folks, I hope you have as much fun too...
- Neil Bennett, London United Kingdom
"After last night's triumph, it's still hard to pinpoint the exact nature of her gifts" Who is this guy? What he knows about Kylie. Maybe then he can explain why mostly all of her concert were sold out months and months before. One concert I even saw 2 handicapped person in wheel chair + others from 3-4 years to old couples (its not gay men concert). And she is maybe the only pop artist who sing always 100% live. This guy review is really false.
Stefan: She never misses a beat or a note and anyone there last night who heard her sing Flower would I am sure disagree with you. In fact she is now widely recognized as having one of the best voices in pop. I´m totally agree with you. The Flower is the ultimate proof for that.
PS! Not from English speaking country, sorry for my mistakes.
- X, Europe, outside UK
Tut-tut, John Aizlewood. You have committed the cardinal sin of failing to be completely in awe of, and fawningly diffident as regards, Brave Kylie (registered trade mark), to the obvious displeasure of two (and probably more) of her fans. Shame on you...
- Helen, London, UK
As a Kylie cynic that went to the concert last night I have to agree with Dan and Stefan. I thought she was fantastic. She really does have a fabulous singing voice (never thought I would write that) and she was charming and entertaining on stage. Our party (including lots of straight men and women and in their late twenties and thirties) really enjoyed it.... Shame on you John!
- Phil, London
Ten points to Stefan in response to the very poor review given by John Aizlewood.
After so many years in the music industry Kylie must be doing something right?
- Dan, london
Were we at the same concert? actually we were in fact I was two seats away from you and wondered who was this was this thoroughly bored looking man who even before the concert started, had brought himself a book to read. As the concert started and you started making notes I wrongly assumed that you were part of the shows crew checking the technical aspects of the show. Seeing your review/photo listed in Google news, I thought I had to comment. First of all the audience was not mostly gay men or children in fact the audience is a complete cross section from little children with families to middle aged couples. To say she is not a great singer is a completely false that me be your opinion but is not fact. She never misses a beat or a note and anyone there last night who heard her sing Flower would I am sure disagree with you. In fact she is now widely recognized as having one of the best voices in pop. Yes she is a song writer in fact she as written many songs particularly with Steve Andreson - The man who said hello to the man sitting right next to you at the interval.
Quite litterly tens of millions of people would disagree that she is utterly without sex appeal and sex appeal has little to do with the fact she is probably the the most professional female pop singer in the world.
The screens were not hopelessly inadequate and they did film close ups that's what the two cameramen 1 meter in front of the stage were doing.
Your review was quite inaccurate apart from the Four Stars
- Stefan Toovey, West Midlands.UK
