Out of the Blue

New Theatre, Oxford

New Theatre, 7th June 2010 Out of the Blue are an all male a cappella choir made up of Oxford University and Brookes students, and about a million times more fun than that sounds. Now in their tenth year as a choir (with new members joining to replace old ones as they leave) the group appear to have a massive fan base in the city; the New Theatre was almost sold out and most audience members seemed to be serious fans. As the lights dimmed at the start, there was actual screaming.

This turned out to be pretty much justified – Out of the Blue are irresistible. The music is largely high energy pop/rock covers with the occasional witty extra line thrown in, which they perform with enthusiasm and charm; their version of Sex Bomb was one of the most appealing things I’ve ever seen. There are also quieter, more harmony-led pieces, which really demonstrate the technical skill of the choir. The choice of songs suit the group perfectly and the arrangements are imaginative and thoughtful. The choreography is adorable – sometimes boy band-style slick, sometimes sweetly hapless. The execution all round was mainly excellent with the occasional dodgy note or misstep more then compensated for by the rest of the show.

The energy levels from the group were incredible, and they inspired an amazing amount of goodwill from the audience. They also showed real warmth to each other and are clearly having a brilliant time. Really, there is nothing about them not to like, from the floppy hair to the charity work (they gave a slot of their show over to talking about the work of Helen and Douglas House). This show was brilliant, silly fun, hilarious yet heartwarming. Really, really lovely.

Sadly, this show was only on one night, but they’ll be doing a run at the Edinburgh festival and are definitely highly recommended. Take teenagers who like Glee! to see them – they won’t look back.

Lucy Ayrton (DI Reviewer), 08/06/10

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I was also walking along the Royal Mile in Edinburgh this August 09 and came across these performers. When they said they were putting on a show that afternoon I pricked up my ears.
I was simply blown away. They are extremely good singers, could move with rhythm, were having a good time and were good-looking. Who wouldn't want to see them!

I consequently went along to their concert which was sold out but luckily I got a last-second ticket (great because I'm from Australia) and I thought they were just brilliant. There's no other word to describe them. I felt so alive and emotional with their range of songs; they had a couple of slower ones "Patience" and "Cold Water" which were simply stunning in terms of the harmony and emotion in their voices, and the other songs were so entertaining and uplifting. A particular favourite was "Harder to Breathe" - the guy's voice is unusual, and "Oh What a Night". I couldn't believe the beatbox and percussion sounds they were producing without a microphone. Every guy had something unique, a different dynamic to add to the performance - it seemed noone was doing the same thing yet they were so cohesive and bouncing off each other.

I left feeling 20 times lighter and excited, blown away by the talent and creativity not only of the guys themselves but also of the person behind it (whoever that is?).

At the end they said they donate all their profits to charity, which made them doubly impressive. I hope they come to Australia - they would be a massive hit without a doubt!

Bella (Unverified), 17/09/09

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A couple of years ago I was walking through Oxford and encountered a group of young men singing a capella. Pausing to watch for a while, I thought, ‘Pretty good’, and then moved on. I now realise that they were members of Out Of The Blue – Oxford’s own 14-strong boy band – that brought the New Theatre to its feet last night.

I’d done a bit of homework (well, I looked on YouTube) but didn’t really know what to expect: and, as the theatre filled with a remarkably young and predominantly female audience, the 'boy band' tag began to resonate. As soon as the lights went down the screaming began (I was too young to go to a Beatles concert – just – but I can now imagine what it was like). Different singers take the lead in different songs and it was clear that they each have their own fan base: as each lead singer stepped forward they were cheered and the end of each song was greeted with rapturous applause.

So what are they like? If you remember the Flying Pickets’ Only You in 1983 you’re part of the way there. They are a team of talented singers ranging from basses to counter-tenor, performing amazingly well-adapted songs without the aid of musical instruments – although you would swear there were instruments there, as everything from percussion to guitar sounds are reproduced by the human voice. The songs range from the Beatles to Stevie Wonder; McFly to the Human League; Scissor Sisters to Elvis; plus, of course, Take That!

I must admit that, after the first few songs, I wondered if the show was going to be a bit ‘samey’: clever, full of harmony but each song a bit like the previous one. However, Out Of The Blue is obviously aware of this risk, and the diversity of pace and tone, together with a few non-musical sketches (which I didn’t find particularly funny but then I’m nearly three times their age), ensured that the performance never became predictable.

The whole show is delivered with wit and charm, with some funny dance routines that the group takes pleasure in describing as "outrageously unprofessional". In fact, professionalism is highly evident throughout the performance. Ed, the musical director, has produced some brilliant arrangements: he recently won ‘Best Arrangement in the World’ at an international a capella competition in America; the group also proved themselves to be the second best choir on Earth in the same competition.

Out Of The Blue are entertaining, engaging and highly talented. They’re nice guys, too, as they give all their profits to Helen & Douglas House, a hospice providing care for children and young adults. Next time they’re in town, don’t miss them.

Mike Smith (Unverified), 04/06/09

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I was invited along to a preview by the Oxford acapella sensations Out of the Blue in advance of their show at the New Theatre next week, and boy was I in for a treat! I got a private acapella performance of 7 full songs and routines – shut in a room with 13 energetic, lively fantastic performers for a personal show. Result!

An interesting ensemble, Out of the Blue are a collaboration of students from Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University performing acapella covers of contemporary songs from all genres, with all the arrangements and performances created by the performers themselves. I was treated to lively full-length renditions of the following numbers:

You Give Love A Bad Name
Sex Bomb
Don’t You Want Me
Patience
I Don’t Feel Like Dancing
Poker Face
Mustang Sally

These guys have such a great rapport between them, which makes their performances fun as well as vocally pleasing – between them they have a full range of pitches that come together to create interesting versions of these well-known songs, with lively renditions and routines that I couldn’t help but smile at.

Speaking to three of the band, Scott, Ed and Nick, they told me how they actually consist of 14 members at a time – all students who are auditioned on a rolling basis as previous group members leave. New members are personally auditioned by the outgoing members, and they are intending to always continue this rolling membership tradition rather than trying to go professional – they say the high turnover keeps things fresh and lively.

Very proud of being the only student group allowed to perform at the New Theatre, they are excited about their performance and have been rehearsing like mad – smartly dressed in matching blue suits, shirts and ties. They did ask me to say that they would all be changing into red sequin mankinis for the second half of the show, which should up the ticket sales!

Asked how it works having both rival Oxford HE institutions working together as a group, they said it doubles their available pool of good singers to choose from and it’s a good example of the universities collaborating for the benefit of both students and the community. Pretty unglamorous and unstarry, the guys do not make a profit from their performances, instead choosing to donate their profits to Helen and Douglas House, a charity close to most Oxfordshire hearts. Unlike most MPs, they don’t even make the most of their expenses – asked what they had as a tour rider for their performances, they said ‘water – and food would be good too’. Bless them.

They admitted their song arrangements don’t always go according to plan, telling me about a Flight of the Conchords-cover disaster, and also a tongue-in-cheek version of ‘Wow I Can Get Sexual Too’ – apparently you can check out YouTube for some appalling covers of this song!

Check out the Out of the Blue Myspace page for details of other performances they’ve done and to listen to some sample tunes – as they told me, they are equally happy when performing to large audiences or serenading an old couple down by a lakeside in Boston – and from my private preview tonight, I have no doubt that the New Theatre show will be outstanding. Here for one night only, go and see these guys for a lively, fun and fantastic performance – this is an Oxford institution that we need to support!

Marie The Minx (DI Reviewer), 01/06/09

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Fantastic, original, funny, moving, great entertainment - what more can I say? These young men even gave an impromptu performance in our local beachside cafe to a great reaction. We then followed them to their evening performance - awesome! Great cause too - not to be overlooked! Cant stop playing their CD. I am definitely going to seek them out again!

Tricia (Unverified), 10/01/09

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Now, I’ve seen these boys busking in Oxford and thought ‘Hmm, Glee Club, but in a nice English way’ and then walked by on my way to the Covered Market. So I turned up at the New Theatre expecting a sparse audience of their close friends and fiercely supportive family members: ooh, was I wrong! The auditorium rapidly filled with a combination of, admittedly, friends and family, but also a cross section of Oxford from prep school to OAP club.

What everyone had come to see was a group of 14 chaps, and chaps is the best way to describe them, attack a huge variety of music from modern pop, 80s hits, show tunes and even (I think) classical Lieder. Now these boys aren’t a professional, highly polished vocal group. What they are is an Oxford University club that sing close harmony, totally unaccompanied, and make it all wonderful fun! Their energy is amazing and you just know that they are having a really great time performing.

Try and imagine fourteen disparate students from scientists to architects, singing like stars and dressed for an accountancy convention! Floppy hair abounds in a Brideshead / High School Musical combination, as they project infectious good humour and sheer joy at making music. The chutzpah with which they attacked brilliantly arranged songs such as A-Ha’s Take on Me and Maroon 5’s Harder to Breathe had the audience whooping and cheering at their vocal dexterity and beat box-tastic abilities!

On a slightly more serious note, the concert entire profits were promised to Helen and Douglas House; a charity which continues to provide end of life care for children and young adults with terminal conditions, as well as support for their families. This charity has been established for 25 years now and deserves continued support for its excellent work.

Highlights of the show are too many to mention, as so many of their interpretations were both musically innovative and coloured with humour. Forced to pick just two, I would have to plump for The Lion Sleeps Tonight - which featured guest performances from about forty former members of the group, as will as some audience participation – and You Know My Name (the Chris Connell Bond theme) delivered in a cracking ‘rock meets lounge’ style. If you get the chance to see them, go. I’d definitely have to add Out of the Blue to my list of guilty pleasures: for sheer fun and genuine enthusiasm coupled with a great choice of music they can’t be beaten!

SMB (DI Reviewer), 13/06/08

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