Pop-rockers Room 94 brought their Dirty Dancing tour to the The Old Fire Station in Bournemouth. After a countdown, the band burst onto the stage, kicking off their set with Keep Your Hands Off My Chick. With a much heavier rock sound than their previous album, any fears that a change of musical direction may have lost them supporters soon subsided. The track got the fans going straight away, and not just the younger ones!
As one of only two songs to be performed from their debut album No Strings Attached, When I Was A Teenager is a straight-up party tune with catchy lyrics. For their predominantly 14-18-year-old fan base, the song is both relatable and infectious.
After thanking fans for their unwavering support in the wake of their recent interview and track play on Radio 1, it seemed only appropriate they performed new album song Radio. Although they wouldn’t have known such exposure was around the corner, you couldn’t help but smile when the lyrics ‘If my song was on the radio, would I be your number 1?’. Certainly to their fans, the band are already a winner.
Most of the band exited the stage, leaving Kieran alone to perform Pills. A solo song has the potential to expose a frontman’s poor vocal ability or become a set highlight . This was certainly the latter: the lyrics sang acoustically carried much more of Kieran’s emotion than the studio version and it was incredible to listen to the crowd singing along.
Swiftly moving on from their slower tracks, the band performed young, fun-loving Party Anthem. With its ‘la la la’ introduction and hook, it’s impossible not to join in and the crowd certainly raised the roof as they did so. Ending the main part of the set was Poison. Accompanied by flashing lights, the distorted vocals and screaming on the song make it a far-cry from their older pop material.
The encore provided a trio of Room 94’s top hits: Tonight, Dirty Dancing and Chasing The Summer. Undeniably three of their best tracks, would it have been wise to stagger them throughout the performance? Perhaps, but the set list was strong nonetheless and the uptempo ending to the gig certainly left everyone with a smile on their face.
