Dennis Lacorriere

Theatre Royal, Norwich

Review published in the Eastern Daily Press, 7 March 2007

Dennis Lacorriere

To describe an album or show as “the soundtrack of your life”, is not a bad strap-line for marketing. But this concert was all that and more – for those of a certain age.

Celebrating almost 40 years since Dr Hook and the Medicine Show was formed, Dennis “The Voice” Lacorriere came to Norwich to take us down Memory Lane.

Sylvia’s Mother, When You’re in Love With a Beautiful Woman, If Not You, Sexy Eyes, More Like the Movies … these were melodies to luxuriate in with lyrics both emotional and comic. All done with a crazy panache as fresh today as they were originally.

The band at first had Ray Sawyer with his eye-patch and some original material that ignited the ground between country and pop. They split in the 1980s but now the honey-over-gravel voice is back with the hits and history tour. Lacorriere is a master performer, even putting down a heckling audience member. He is a storyteller, and as he said, “a good story bears retelling”.

Warm-up was Chris Norman, former lead singer for the 1970’s hit group Smokie. Living Next Door to Alice is perhaps his most famous but the rest of his old catalogue was well worth revisiting. Wall-to-wall nostalgia, but everybody loved it.