Colonel Mustard & The Dijon 5 – support The Laurettes – Celtic Connections – Old Fruitmarket – February 4, 2024.

COLONEL MUSTARD & THE DIJON 5

THE LAURETTES

The Laurettes rocked the stage from the opening belter “Witches” which is a very catchy singalong song and instantly had the audience dancing, clapping, and enjoying themselves.

Every song was an instant crowd pleaser and their ability to engage the enthusiastic audience was excellent especially on the song Techno Viking where they were joined by their friend Stuart Downs to lead the audience in the heave ho. Lauren and Lynette have a memorable stage presence with their musicianship and harmonies, backed by the double bass and drums, expertly delivered by Ari Loughlin and Lesley McLaren. They are without doubt one of the best four-piece bands I’ve ever seen live.

Their new single Mainstage was released on the day of this concert and again has a memorable catchy chorus.  This band are making waves and with their album out in March, they are sure to continue to go from strength to strength as a fantastic representative of Inverclyde.

Dressed in yellow except for one backing singer who was dressed up as a cow, the 11-piece supergroup took to the stage and instantly got the crowd going with their lively beats and excellent musicianship.

A spectacularly upbeat and uplifting ultimate feel-good party concert is what COLONEL MUSTARD &  THE DIJON 5 delivered.

It was very much about audience involvement and participation, one of the highlights being their excellent song Cross the Road where some of the band went into the audience with a lollipop stop sign and directed the masses to cross the road. Watching from the balcony, it was a joyful sight to behold. I enjoyed every song but particularly liked Country as Muck, Walk of Shame, Ted Dancin’, Ginger Girl and of course Cross the Road.

John’s band are very tight and provide an amazing sound especially the brass section. This show was all about fun and included appearances on stage from actor Gavin Mitchell, former backing singers and band members Becky Robb aka Countess Frangiepan and Nicolette Gibbs aka Honey Grain, The Laurettes and even several people from the audience including an onstage marriage proposal from two members of the audience.

The closing song, These Are Not the Drugs You’re Looking For which sang about everyone being happy and nobody being sad anymore was the perfect way to bring an excellent Celtic Connections festival to a fantastic close. The encore G.T. was great. John McMustard is an excellent front man with a natural, warm, and welcoming stage presence and enthusiasm.

Martin Stephen Jones

Images – KK1010 Photography.