Patti LaBelle & The Belles: Tiles, London

After the usual twang-and-thud brigade (I’ve forgotten who it was) Patti and company came on disagreeably late in the evening. The four attractive girls, in identical lemon-yellow, figure-hugging dresses (flared above the knee for the benefit of any female readers and, indeed, the male onlookers!) opened with Sam Cooke’s ‘It’s Got The Whole World Shaking’. The words could not be heard but the riff was recognisable; it always takes a couple of numbers before the band can adjust themselves to the appalling acoustics at this venue.