Jason Isaacs Big Band @ Hoochie Coochie - Dec. 12

Well you didn't have to go to Luton for a good night out, you didn't even have to go to Leicester - particularly not to Leicester! You're best bet tonight was Hoochie Coochie in Newcastle or, maybe I was at the Sands, on The Strip in Vegas? When Jason Isaacs hit the deck with The Lady is a Tramp, if you'd closed your eyes, you'd have been standing at the bar drinking Jack Daniels and wondering if you could recoup your losses at the tables.

No gambling at Hoochie, it's all fun and excitement and vocals that lay waste to most of today's crooners.

The band, like most bands, had been off the road for a couple of years and even with a few deps it didn't show.

The arrangements were delivered as powerful as ever - how a band this size can recreate the originals by Riddle, Quincy etc. is just incredible.

Frank, Dean, Sammy, Elvis and the usual suspects were all well-represented and, let's face it, nobody does it better.

Everybody danced - it was that kind of night - Jason blew more tenor than usual. A blast on Tequila hit a groove that went down well, he gets an earthy sound.

The inevitable Elvis Trilogy got the audience going and even though Jason said that Lance, in his review, will call it sh--e he got it wrong - delete the last letter! However, I have to agree with Jason that the power of the ensemble in the finale made up for it.

There were, I think, 26 songs over the two sets. I'm not going to list them you can probably do it for me but one that stood out for me was The Way You Look Tonight. That line, Keep that breathless charm, is the most beautifully descriptive line in any song even though when Fred Astaire sang it to Ginger who was in the next room he was unaware that her face was covered in cream - magic!

A great night - it was worth digging out my suit even though, for some inexplicable reason, it seems to have shrunk but, tonight was a night for the suit, me and most of the crowd agreed - jeans just wouldn't have cut it ... Lance

Jason Isaacs (vocals/tenor sax); Darren Irwin, Dave Hignett (trumpets); Keiran Parnaby (trombone); Niall Armstrong (alto sax/clarinet/flute); Alan Marshall (tenor sax/clarinet/flute); Stu Collingwood (piano); Neil Harland (bass); Simon Ferry (drums).