"It's not often that icons of the Rock 'n' Roll era appear in a venue such as the Civic Hall, so to get two on the same bill is a real treat, and one which large sections of the crowd took immensely seriously."

Brothel creepers were dusted off, Teddy boy suits brushed down, and grey quiffs sculptured and cultivated, with the acrid stench of Brylcreem permeating the air. For some, this was clearly a nostalgia trip, but for the younger crowd it was the opportunity to see two legends that have inspired so much great music in the intervening years.

Jerry Lee Lewis

Jerry Lee Lewis' backers, the Killer Band, took to the stage and played a couple of numbers, building up the anticipation nicely, until Jerry Lee took to the stage to rapturous applause. He would have got a standing ovation, but the set could have been over by the time most of the audience had got to their feet.

The delight was clear to see on his face, the adoration still present after all these years. And it's clear to see why. As mischievous as ever, he offers a cheeky little wink to the female press photographer, and jokes around between numbers.

There's no doubt that the hellraising spirit still resides in 'The Killer'. After pounding through classics such as 'You Win Again', 'Boogie Woogie Man from Tennessee' and 'Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On', it's time for the roof-raising, resounding finale. Predictably, but brilliantly, it's 'Great Balls of Fire', and after going up and down the keys more times than I care to remember, Jerry Lee gets to his feet and kicks away his stool, albeit a little more gingerly than times of old.

It's a pity that members of Keane and Coldplay weren't in the audience for tonight's gig, as they would have seen how a piano should be used in rock music. Despite his advancing years, Jerry Lee Lewis still has fingers of fire, and the rock 'n' roll attitude to match.

Chuck Berry

The arrival of Chuck Berry's less than arresting backing band has the crowd on the edge of their seats. The ageing trucker on bass and the Ross Kemp look-alike pianist take an age to tune up, while the drummer simply looks bored. But when that familiar Rock 'n' Roll refrain blasts through the Civic, everybody wakes up, and a red sequined shirted Chuck Berry explodes onto stage as energetically as a septuagenarian can.

Once the intro has finished, it's straight into the classic 'Roll Over Beethoven', Berry's effortless guitar style taking a majority of the crowd back to the milk bars of their youths. Still pretty agile for a man of his age, Berry stalks the stage, engaging with all sections of the audience.

A few numbers in, he slows it down with a little bit of blues, and a touching tribute to the late, great Ray Charles. It's not long, however, before we're back rockin', with a medley of 'Oh, Carol', and 'Queenie'. One big disappointment is the exclusion of the era defining 'Maybelline', which surely should have replaced the novelty adult nursery rhyme 'My Ding-a-ling'.

Chuck Berry doing his duckwalk!

After playing 'Johnny B Goode', where we finally witness the legendary duck-walk, the finale is pure Butlins. Several female audience members are invited up on to stage to Jive, while Berry goofs around with his band. Pure genius.

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of what one could argue was the birth of rock 'n' roll, when a young Elvis went into Sun Studios, and after cutting a few tracks, started messing about with his band, resulting in 'That's Alright Mama'. In such a special year for popular music, it was a delight, and an honour to see two of the genre's greatest exponents on the same stage.

Chuck Berry & Jerry Lee Lewis review
Martin Lander 's opinion on the same gig.

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