Robbie Williams at the London Palladium - music review

The king of the swingers brought his playful pop personality to an evening of light entertainment
EMBARGOED TO 0001 SATURDAY NOVEMBER 9 Handout photo issued by IE Music of Robbie Williams as he unveils his forthcoming album, Swings Both Ways, at the London Palladium, in central London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Photo date: Friday November 8, 2013. See PA story SHOWBIZ Williams. Photo credit should read: Simon Niblett/IE Music/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
Andre Paine1 January 2014

Twelve years on from his big band covers album, Robbie Williams is trying to persuade us once more he's king of the swingers.

The follow-up record, Swings Both Ways, is well timed for Christmas. But this show, filmed for a BBC special next month, obliterated any cynicism as he brought his playful pop personality to an evening of light entertainment.

Introduced by Kermit the Frog, the singer cavorted with dancing flappers on a giddy rendition of Puttin' on the Ritz.

EMBARGOED TO 0001 SATURDAY NOVEMBER 9 Handout photo issued by IE Music of Robbie Williams as he unveils his forthcoming album, Swings Both Ways, at the London Palladium, in central London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Photo date: Friday November 8, 2013. See PA story SHOWBIZ Williams. Photo credit should read: Simon Niblett/IE Music/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.

Williams wasn't a nuanced interpreter of these classics, though his knowing enthusiasm and cheeky manner – alongside the fabulous orchestra – had fans cheering Minnie the Moocher, Mr Bojangles and an endearing duet of Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me with his club singer father, Pete Conway.

As well as Stoke's Sinatra, Williams introduced the "smartest pop star on the planet" – Lily Allen. Easing into her musical comeback, Allen sang sweetly and did a dainty twirl during Dream a Little Dream.

If that was a touch demure, the odd pairing of Williams and Rufus Wainwright was a high camp hoot on Swings Both Ways, one of several original songs.

Guy Chambers was a reassuring presence on stage and Go Gentle, the stirring single about Williams's baby daughter, was a Burt Bacharach-style standout of their renewed songwriting partnership.

EMBARGOED TO 0001 SATURDAY NOVEMBER 9 Handout photo issued by IE Music of Robbie Williams as he unveils his forthcoming album, Swings Both Ways, at the London Palladium, in central London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Photo date: Friday November 8, 2013. See PA story SHOWBIZ Williams. Photo credit should read: Simon Niblett/IE Music/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.

This TV special also involved some professional peril as Williams sang with children on High Hopes and The Muppets' Miss Piggy on Somethin' Stupid.

"I'm the first to admit I've made some mistakes – two trips to rehab, Rudebox the album, Geri Halliwell," said Williams with typical candour.

He can add that soul-sapping Muppet duet to the list. Yet his willingness to make mistakes ensures Williams remains a compelling pop performer.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in