A really wonderful night attended by very nearly 200 people, that was the Royal British Legion BBQ, held by the Orihuela Costa Branch last Thursday evening at the Olympia Restaurant in Mil Palmeras.
Not only were the diners right royally feasted by our host Elena, but they also enjoyed an evening of first class entertainment provided by the 17 year old singing sensation Rebecca Holt, ably supported by the ever popular local showgroup TAABS (Torrevieja Association Of Amateur Balladeer Singers), all of whom gave their excellent services absolutely free of charge.
But in providing a solo performance of his own it was Les Goodacre who got the evening underway. Les is a recent addition to the TAABS lineup, but with a penchant for Elvis, was largely playing to an audience of that sort of era. It was felt that his talents were far too good to forgo, so his first class interpretations of a number of Elvis classics helped to set the mood for the remainder of the musical evening.
Rebecca Holt was next up and with her relaxed style and presentation, and her simply wonderful voice, her opening set was bubbly and a great deal of fun. A mark of this young lady’s performance was that she kept the audience spellbound, even whilst the bbq was being served….not an easy task when playing to the 200 ravenous diners.
TAABS took over the stage under their new Musical Director Shirley Godfrey and they too wowed the bumper crowd with a sparkling performance of popular songs from the shows. As the audience began to sing along we heard half a dozen solo performances from the octet who just seem to get better with age. It was apparent that the group have been working quite hard with their harmonies as there was hardly a wavering note all night. Certainly one of the best harmonic performances that I have heard on the Costa Blanca for many a good year, and so apparent that they work extremely hard at everything they do.
TAABS have now been performing on our shores for over 15 years and with 24 shows last year alone I can now see why they are in such great demand. And what a bonus; their performances are all provided absolutely free of charge, the result being that they have raised many thousands of euro’s for Costa Blanca charities over the years.
As the evening progressed I was particularly looking forward to Rebecca’s second set featuring songs from ‘The War Years’ and this is where her talents really shone through as she transported us all back with her wonderful husky tones. In Vera Lynn’s 97th year Rebecca paid tribute to ‘The Forces Sweetheart’ by singing many of the songs most associated with her, "We’ll Meet Again", "The White Cliffs of Dover", "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" and "There’ll Always Be an England" and many, many more. And with song sheets provided, had there been a roof to the open air venue, she surely would have brought it down.
This young lady is almost certainly on the verge of stardom so to see her entertaining locally as she continues to build on her experience really is a great joy for those of us who are able to see her perform. It seems incredible that one so young can be so completely immersed in the emotion of her songs. She has the honesty, vulnerability and total commitment every time she sings – the hallmark of a true artist.
And whilst the evening was all about having a jolly good time the monies that were raised through the raffle, in excess of 750 euro, really will be put to good use as they are added to the funds raised by the Orihuela Costa Branch toward their 2014 Poppy Appeal, all of which will be use to support ex servicemen and their families here in Spain.
The Royal British Legion would like to pass on their grateful thanks to the following prize sponsors:
DFS Furniture Store, San Javier, Eduardo’s Restaurant, Villamartin, Goodfella’s, Playa Flamenca, Yolo’s, Cabo Roig, Vistabella Golf Club, The Lavender Room, Karen and Dave Mobile Hairdresser, Euronics, Blue Hills, The Leader Newspaper, Exite Radio, Quesada Fish and Chips, Curtain and Bedding Store, Los Dolses, Tagua Florist, Campoamor, Winning Express, Rocky’s Restaurant, Spain Lawn Bowls, Costa Blanca Green Fees, CD Torrevieja.
Filed under: http://www.theleader.info/article/44658/
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