Smouldering with style

HE mightn't look much in his red dreadlocks and slight middle age spread, but Mick Hucknall sure sings up a storm in the soul, causing many a female heart to flutter and many a male ego to burn with envy.

Last night, Simply Red played the first of three concerts at Dublin's Point and, from the moment the Huck hit the stage, he settled into a comfort zone somewhere between funk and easy listening.

It didn't take long to slide into Simply Red's blue eyed soul groove and, although the band didn't exactly explode with vigour, at least they smouldered with style.

The concert was ostensibly held in the round, but the stage was so curved and swirly, like a Prince symbol, that it seemed more like in the squiggle. The Carrot of Love himself pranced up and down the tumescent cat walk, wiggling his ass and teasing with his silver tongued promises of love.

As if to remind us that this was little more than an extremely well endowed cabaret act, the band began half heartedly with It's Only Love, before spicing things up with a little Infidelity.

The heat was turned on with A New Flame, the band warming up to the unconditional enthusiasm of the capacity crowd. Then the Soul Man took it down, serenading the crowd with the smoothly sarcastic So Beautiful, before joining with guitarist Heitor for a truly sincere rendition of Holding Back The Years.

Having stroked the audience into submissive expectation, Hucky went straight into the racy rhythms of Thrill Me, Remembering The First Time and The Right Thing, while hydraulic lighting towers thrust upwards through the stage.

Despite the increased frenzy, however, only Open The Red Box came close to real, hip grinding rock n roll, as the Huckster led the crowd in chanting the head swimming refrain.

Hillside Avenue was a slight detour into reggae territory, before the band steered back into the mainstream with Stars and Money's Too Tight To Mention.

The encore of For Your Babies gave Hucky one last opportunity to get the girls going ga ga, before the hot flush of Something Got Me Started and the rollercoaster finish of Fairground. When the ride finally came to a stop, however, there was still an uncomfortable feeling that Hucknall's sensual words had promised more than they delivered.