It would be arguable to say that Postmodern Jukebox was one of the first acts to find fame via viral videos. Nowadays it would be Tiktok, but back then it was YouTube that hosted their 1920’s take on Radiohead’s ‘Creep’. Taking hits and playing them in a different style wasn’t new… just look at Me First and the Gimme Gimmes… but PMJ brought some class to the stage.
Initially the videos were filmed in blank, soulless rooms and now they’re high-value productions that attract contributions from household names and instantly garner hundreds of thousands of views within minutes of upload. Tonight we’re donning our Zoot suits and getting our Gatsby on at The Royal Concert Hall.
The atmosphere is definitely one of class as the stunning room fills with suits and dresses. The art deco logo hangs from the rafters with podiums for the brass section. There’s no support act tonight and it is a bit of a wait between doors opening and PMJ coming onto the stage, but that gives ample time to stock up on drinks in plastic tumblers.
Rogelio Douglas Jr is our MC for tonight and he is absolutely tremendous. Starting us off with ‘Thriller’, there’s a ton of chat before the music starts up again, but it’s still entertaining. Any show that begins with the “Hidey Hidey Ho”s of Minnie The Moocher is A OK with me. Rogelio comes back and forth through the night introducing guest vocalists and performing himself – The Imagine Dragons’ ‘Radioactive’ is a particular high in his repertoire.
The cast of the show is huge and features a lot of the original singers from the videos. Seeing Tatum Langley do ‘Basket Case’ while spinning and glowing with her Mrs Maisel charm is infectiously joyous. Sarah Potenza is delightfully sassy and would have you think you were sat in a speakeasy while she sings ‘Bad Guy’. Demi Remick comes back out to tap a medley of Super Mario and Zelda tracks – and the geek in me lights up each time. Founder Scott Bradlee isn’t present, but to be honest – he doesn’t need to be. PMJ has turned into something more than one man.
I’m going to lose a few of you here, but hear me out… I’m a big fan of the Disney parks and especially seeing the shows that they put on. One clammy night in Florida, 2016 – I was at a Disney Villains party and this kind of reminded me of that. The theming and fact that it was totally immersive actually took you to another place. You knew the songs they were singing, the characters were familiar, and for a couple of hours you weren’t in the time or place you were before. It was total escapism and that’s what tonight was. For a couple of hours I was back in simpler times (minus the impending world war and great depression amongst other things), and you’d do well to find another show that can take you out of life as well as Postmodern Jukebox do.
Photos by Catching Light Photography