Review: THE BUZZTONES PRESENT 'NOW THAT'S WHAT SOMEONE MIGHT CALL MUSIC!', VAULT Festival

Imagine you're in a boarding meeting at Lloyds Bank. There are sixteen men sitting around a table, dressed up in suits and having an intense conversation. Suddenly, one man stands up, pulls out a melodica, and plays a few notes. The rest of the men stand as well and burst into song. That's how it first feels seeing The Buzztones perform.

The preshow playlist is quite amusing, a mix of "Now That's What I Call Music" advertisements on repeat. And then, once The Buzztones begin singing, you can tell that it's going to be a night of hits - and trust me, you won't be complaining!

The show begins with a lengthy mashup of a range of songs from boybands including "Everybody" by the Backstreet Boys, "Bye Bye Bye" from *NSYNC, "I'll Make Love To You" by Boyz II Men, and the iconic "What Makes You Beautiful" from One Direction. I was immediately having flashbacks to my high school acapella group, awkward mashups, choreographed hand movements, and all.

While there isn't a lot of choreography, the movements that are in the show are incredibly effective and lead to many laughs. During the Girl Group medley, a soloist takes on the dramatic spoken-word part of "Never Ever" from All Saints while the rest of The Buzztones sit dramatically in a semi-circle, gazing into the audience's eyes. There's also a conga line, a glowstick party, and, of course, some iconic acapella group hand movements.

Like most acapella concerts, the show is made up of medleys, including a range of artists like Britney Spears, The Backstreet Boys, Avril Lavigne, Green Day, The Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Survivor, and Stevie Nicks. There was even a moment in which an audience member (ironically Irish) picked two numbered potatoes from bowls to determine what the songs in the next mashup would be.

And of course, I must mention the talent of the group! The enunciation and diction is impressive. Some of the members have impressive falsettos that had the audience laughing at first but then cheering at their talent. The two bassists have some beautiful and intimate duets, meeting each other at the center of the stage from the opposite ends they had been standing at.

There are a few the technical mistakes throughout that slightly took away from the performance. The Buzztones may not be vocally perfect, but they do a fantastic job at recovering quickly and moving on. Some more percussive singers (maybe a beatboxer or two?) would make a great addition to the group, enhancing their already wonderful team.

Ultimately, The Buzztones Present "Now That's What Someone Might Call Music!" is an absolutely delightful presentation of acapella from a group that is clearly passionate (while also being immensely talented). There is a hilarious contrast between appearance and performance that really makes the group work. You can bet that I'll be humming their songs for the next few weeks.

The Buzztones Present "Now That's What Someone Might Call Music!" is running at the VAULT Festival from 24 February to 4 March in the Crescent at The Vaults

Photo Credit: VAULT Festival

VAULT Festival has been left without a venue for next year. You can contribute to the #SaveVAULT campaign here.

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