Roxette: Manchester Arena
Dave Simpson, The Guardian, 5 July 2012
FORMED IN 1986, the Swedish duo Roxette were one of the biggest pop phenomena of the 1980s and 1990s. In 2012, the vast arena isn't full, but the singing, clapping Roxette crowd are roaring along to what guitarist Per Gessle calls, in almost correct English, "yours and ours favourite Roxette songs". It's easy to forget just how many hits they had (33 in all). But 'The Look', 'Fading Like a Flower', 'She's Got Nothing On (But the Radio)' and more are blasted back from a parallel universe where women wear power shoulder pads and men play power chords. Roxette offer one big sugar rush, with songs following a manifesto outlined by the title of their greatest hits album: Don't Bore Us – Get to the Chorus!
Total word count of piece: 296
