The South was formed by some of the original members of The Beautiful South after they split in January 2007, including lead vocalists Dave Hemingway and Alison Wheeler.
Sunday saw The South bring an end to their UK tour, with a second night at Holmfirth’s Picturedrome, writes R Lou Watts.
Hemingway started this tour with his arm in a sling, after breaking his collarbone.
Now fully restored to the use of both arms, his performance and interaction with the crowd created an evening that exceeded expectation.
Opening the show with Second Coming and Stick It In And Turn It, from their debut album, Sweet Refrains, the band went on to mix old and new songs throughout the show.
Treating the enthusiastic crowd to hits like One Last Love Song, Old Red Eyes and 36D, plus the fantastic album track, Woman in The Wall, the crowd erupted as they performed the number one single, A Little Time.
The new songs blend in seamlessly with the old, including Pigeonhole, the latest single.
The track is an unashamedly up-tempo song pop song, which, whilst remaining true to the style of its Beautiful South history, shows how this band has evolved and matured into its own identity.
Closing the show on two of the biggest hits, Don’t Marry Her and Perfect 10, the crowd were in raptures, singing along with Wheeler as she give a perfect vocal performance.
The encore included a superb cover of the classic Christmas song, Fairytale of New York, a 1987 hit for The Pogues and the late Kirsty MacColl.
Closing the show with Good as Gold, the band could not be left in any doubt that the crowd had thoroughly enjoyed the gig.
Throughout the tour, trumpeter Tony Robinson has been raffling off his Platinum Disc for the Beautiful South album, Choke, raising over £1,300 for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
During the encore the lucky winner received a phone call from Robinson, live on stage, letting them know they had won.
Chatting with Hemingway and Wheeler after the show, both were hoping to start work on a second album, which can’t come soon enough for the fans.
