Musical Youth

Musical Youth are probably best known for their brilliant 1982 hit 'Pass The Dutchie', which made it to number 1 across the world. But seeing them in concert is a thoroughly enjoyable experience, and a reminder that it is unfair to label them as merely 'one hit wonders'. Their best-selling album, 'The Youth of Today', contained several other catchy tracks, such as 'Heartbreaker' and 'Never Gonna Give You Up', which the crowd at the ill-fated London Pleasure Gardens venue thoroughly enjoyed. Hard to believe that frontman Dennis Seaton was only 15 when the Birmingham band topped the charts, his relative youth today as a result means that his voice has held up better today than for most lead singers who performed on Top of the Pops in the early 80s. The vocals were never just about him though - expect call-and-response as much as ever in their gigs today, with keyboardist/vocalist Michael Grant joining in and a significant amount of interaction with the crowd. You'll also find this in between songs, with Seaton and the rest of today's incarnation of the band chatting animatedly to the modest but not insignificant crowd. Their story – bassist Patrick Waite died tragically in 1993, aged 24; Junior Waite has been sectioned, and Kelvin Grant is a virtual recluse these days – is a sad one, with the surviving members reflecting that there was a lack of responsible adults around them at the height of their success and that 'The managers milked it'. But you wouldn’t know that from watching Seaton and Michael Grant on stage as they perform across the UK. They're guaranteed to get their audiences dancing well before they get to 'Pass The Dutchie', which will inevitably be the set's final song.