One Night of Queen (Tour – Liverpool)

Gary Mullen as Freddie Mercury won ITV’s Stars in Their Eyes with a massive 864,838 votes in 2002. And his show, One Night of Queen, touring for the past nine years, to ecstatic audiences, shows why.

Last night he rocked the Liverpool Empire with his superb band The Works. Mullen may not be Freddie, but after a few songs no-one seemed to care. For this young man gives great value for money. He poses and struts with the attitude of his alter ego, dressed in white tight trousers and then in even tighter black leather.

And the voice – wow what a voice. It’s strong, melodic, and for the two hours he’s on stage he never lets up. The energy and athleticism are spellbinding, and this is reflected in the audience’s response who are soon on their feet singing along to the songs, clapping and stamping their feet.

As Freddie, Mullen says: “It may be Tuesday but we are going to party like it’s Saturday.” And the audience were truly up for that!

Queen’s back catalogue is well represented from the start when he bounced on to the stage with ‘One Night’ at full blast, followed by ‘Somebody to Love’, ‘Under Pressure’, ‘Another One Bites the Dust’, and ‘I Want to Break Free’ to name a few. He even came down from the stage climbing into the auditorium to sing ‘Killer Queen’ much to the delight of the ravers around him.

Then there was the driving beat of ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ – and of course, Queen fans knew all the lyrics and sang along. After the break he came back with a few slower numbers, ‘Love of my Life’ and ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’, which showcased his strong vocals. Then the band broke into ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ which brought the house down.

Davie Brockett on lead guitar was a tour de force, ably assisted on base by Billy Moffat. On drums was Jonathan Evans whose driving beat enhanced the whole set, and on piano was the admirable Malcolm Gentles. In all The Works is a tight band that truly rocks.

The dramatic lighting added to the excitement of the show, the pace of which never slackened.

But without the energetic force and superb voice of Mullen nothing would be possible. He is not Freddie Mercury, but One Night of Queen is a show that gives and gives, and even if it is only one night, it is certainly one very enjoyable night to remember.

-Jeanette Smith