Review by Graham Finney and Photo Copyright © Jo Forrest
The crowd walking up to the Scarborough Open Air Theatre might be quite mixed, the front rows are definitely of a much younger age with various flags and homemade messages hanging over the barrier as soon as those fans grabbed their spots front and centre in anticipation of headliners UK pop favourites Years & Years.
While the London electro-pop act might be a three-piece, as he struts down the back of the stage, it’s very clear that the star of the show is their frontman Olly Alexander. From flirting with a fan on the front row (and making the said fan cry), to gyrating around the stage, Alexander is an almost hypnotic watch. His bandmates probably know this hence how they sit at the back of the stage in the shadows effortlessly pumping out the band’s electro beats while their bandmate and frontman struts the stage getting fans from the front to the back dancing.
Hit single “Sanctify” kicks things off and while there is a distinct lack of male dancers that have surrounded the frontman during their opener in previous tours, the track is still electrifying. “Shine” from their debut album “Communion” follows this up while the likes of “Karma”, “Take Shelter”, “Eyes Shut” and “King”, have the young fans gathered around the front rows singing along.
It’s been a strange line-up at Scarborough so far this year but the addition of this London three-piece certainly made sure that pop fans got their fix. Before the show Alexandar told the venue’s official site that “it’s going to feel very glamourous and magical” and, for those fans, whether they’re from the LGBTQ+ scene the band passionately support or not, Years & Years lived up to their promise.
Last time electro-pop singer Nina Nesbitt was set to perform in Scarborough she was due to support James Arthur before the gig was cancelled due to a lightning storm just hours before the gates were scheduled to open. As she walks out onto the stage at the beginning of her set things stutter to a halt with the singer referring back to the ill-fated James Arthur gig joking about her luck. After about five or so minutes the technical difficulties are resolved and things finally kick off for the Scot who, to her credit, doesn’t let the issues affect her performance. Bouncing about the stage, the singer is all smiles despite tracks like The Best You Had being, by her own admission, “a bit sad”. The set ends with her own interpretation of Britney Spear’s hit track “Toxic” before her own hit “Loyal To Me” ends the set in a more successful way than it started.
