Live Review: Kim Wilde, Howard Jones

The box office attendant informs us that today Palais Theatre has been around for 89 years - Happy Birthday! We're also reminded that the last gig before this venue closes for renovations is RocKwiz Live! The Christmas(ish) Show on 17 December and immediately try to soak up the atmosphere to remember the theatre as it is now.

After his two-piece backing band (drummer and extra keyboardist) strike up, Howard Jones bounds out wearing a bright yellow and black racing jacket, and keytar. His grey hair is cropped with a Tintin quiff and Jones exudes more coolness than he ever did back in the day. Jones retreats behind a keys console front and centre to play added synth, with keytar still strapped on, and sings into a wireless mic that feeds over one ear to deliver opener Pearl In The Shell. When he speaks, Jones has a proper husky geezer accent. "I've missed you so much!" he gushes before introducing a new one (d'oh!) The Human Touch - a bangin' Ibiza anthem.

Jones is an engaging performer and his voice has held up extremely well. The plaintive-but-hopeful piano riff and drum machine beats that open No One Is To Blame ("No-OOH-wah-one") transport us back to heartbroken teen singalongs. Jones drops the word "Netflix" into Like To Get To Know You Well before those unconventional vocal lines simply soar. We learn Jones is a virtuoso pianist throughout Everlasting Love. He explains he wrote Life In One Day "in a bit of a hurry", before talking us through the lyrics and asking that we promise him we're not "psychologically damaged" by these hastily penned words.

During What Is Love? Jones can't always pull off the impossibly high "Oooooh"s but he's still definitely got the goods. New Song is a banger with effervescent synth lines and we do as Jones instructs, "Throw off your mental chaaaaaaains!" On Things Can Only Get Better, Jones explains the "WOH-OH-Oh-Oh-oh!" bit is a rallying cry to keep your chin up even when you've hit rock bottom. Tonight's version of this track would not be out of place on a Skitzmix compilation and it's all hands in the air. What an endearing and enduring talent!

After a short intermission, Jones' backing players return to the stage joined by three guitarists and a backing vocalist. Then Kim Wilde (who closely resembles Debbie Harry these days) enters the stage space to belt out Can't Get Enough (Of Your Love). She's dressed in all black with blinged-up leather jacket and a red scarf trailing out of one back pocket. Wilde also has a personal high powered fan on the stage to blow her hair back when desired. Wilde's backing band is a family affair, with her "little brother" (and also songwriter) Ricky Wilde on guitar and niece Scarlett - who certainly loves busting out the sexy dance moves; whipping her hair back and forth - on BVs. View From A Bridge tests out our lyrical recollection, there's an enthusiastic clap-along during Cambodia's intro and then plenty more "woah-oh-oh"s for us to mimic.

Wilde starts singing a cappella. A punter yells, "SING IT!" Wilde looks baffled. Another punter yells, "BE QUIET!" And then Wilde takes a laughter break. Wilde covers Bee Gees' If I Can't Have You and the front line of four on stage incorporate synchronised windmill arm a la Pete Townshend. Wilde gets a little muddled during some banter and scolds herself, "Oh, shut up, Kim!" A cover of Alphaville's Forever Young is a misstep. Wilde introduces her bassist (who's from Perth) and informs us her niece currently resides in Sydney while studying at art college there.

Next song European Soul, Wilde tells, is her response to a Chagall painting she saw in an exhibition. Hers is a more posh British accent. On pop music, Wilde shares, "It's the one thing in this crazy world that still makes sense to me". You Keep Me Hangin' On is a deadset, lung-busting classic and we dust off appropriate side-stepping dance moves while reprimanding dodgy exes through enthusiastic singalong.

There's an encore tribute to the late Pete Burns and Wilde arrives back on stage wearing a jacket emblazoned with large white skull applique on the back (want!), a red feather boa and black hat for You Spin Me Round (Like A Record). Kids In America (all of whom we feel sorry for/worry about right now) follows and then Jones is introduced back to the stage. Jones tells us they've decided to sing "maybe the best pop song ever written" as their closer. They've somehow gotten hold of the original God Only Knows backing track resplendent with all its intricate vocal percussion. The Beach Boys song is performed by three Wildes plus Jones and their four-part harmonies are exquisite. After clapping our hands raw, we float up the aisles and out of Palais Theatre, hoping she won't be tampered with too much.