As the nation mourns the passing of Welsh legend Bonnie Tyler, the sellout crowd at Cardiff Castle needs some spiritual uplifting and Billy Ocean is the perfect man for the occasion. in fact, before he takes the stage there’s a poignant tribute, with the audience belting out a rousing Total Eclipse Of The Heart.
As the onsite ice-cream van does brisk business (even with a 99 costing £4.75…), former Wet Wet Wet singer Marti Pellow is today’s warmup act in a very real sense, and a perfect one. The voice may be a bit croaky these days, but his smile is wide as the rising sun as he delivers a set of summertime singalongs, with a smattering of covers including Bob Marley’s Jamming – and, needless to say, the ubiquitous Love Is All Around as the triumphant closer.
The sun sets and the temperature cools slightly ahead of Billy Ocean’s impressive 12-piece band taking the stage ahead of the vocalist. There’s nothing better than a large soul/funk band, especially with a thumping brass section – and this one doesn’t disappoint, sax player Jon Batiste a particularly shining element.
Soon enough, the 30 million-selling singer saunters onstage dressed in a sharp white suit, dreads now giving him a silver fox look – with a mischievous glint in the eye that would have wowed all the ladies in the house 40 years ago. It’s quickly apparent the 76-year-old pipes are in perfect working order too.
Opening with One World, from his 2020 album of the same name, it’s a set of – I think the technical term is – bangers. Next up, Billy hits the ground running with Love Really Hurts and the crowd are rolling back the years to their yoof, singing along with hearty abandon. The hits just keep on coming: Get Out of My Dreams, Get Into My Car, When The Going Gets Tough and Red Light amongst them. By the end, this crowd’s collective voice must have been hoarse as Harry Kane’s.
Things calm down a bit and during Suddenly, there’s a big cheer: a tough-looking bald chap is flashed up on the video screen, crying his eyes out. A beautiful moment. During Loverboy, the couple next to me start a romantic smooch; perhaps it was their wedding song. It was that kind of night.
Finally, then, to round off a breathless set Billy announces, “I know it’s hot in here… but I’m still taking you to the Caribbean.” So the night ends with his biggest hit, Caribbean Queen – a multi-million seller and number one on both sides of the Atlantic. As we depart, it’s ringing round the streets of Cardiff: a perfect end to a perfectly sultry night.
Billy Ocean + Marti Pellow, Cardiff Castle, Thurs 9 July
words and photos PAUL WINDSOR
