REVIEW: School Disco featuring Nathan Moore at the Forum Music Centre, Darlington

Hong Kong Phooey, Um Bongo and Choose Life T-shirts took centre stage as Darlington's Forum Music Centre went back in time for an old-school disco night on Saturday (November 23).

But most of all, it was the banging tunes that pumped up the volume which got the dancefloor rocking and the sell-out crowd singing their hearts out all night.

Many had come to see Nathan Moore, former lead singer of 80s boyband Brother Beyond, who proved he still has the voice and the moves to whip up a crowd of adoring fans.

(Image: ROB LAMBERT PHOTOGRAPHY)

And whip them up he certainly did, with a succession of old-school classics in two memorable sets.

Of course, he launched into Brother Beyond's biggest and best-known hit - The Harder I Try - not once, but twice - as well as a series of tunes guaranteed to get the crowd singing, cheering and swaying. Wham, Bros and even Abba got the Moore treatment - he knew exactly what the audience wanted and he delivered with high energy and great humour.

But it was his interaction with the fans that really made the evening, frequently leaving the stage and mingling with the audience while belting out the tunes. 

At one point he recruited two audience members onto the stage as his 'Lulus' to accompany him in Take That's 'Relight My Fire' - and they did a great job.

The version of Sweet Caroline was particularly well received as Nathan completed a circuit of the room, stopping several times to the great delight of those lucky enough to get close to him - which was just about everyone in the room.

 At one stage he even ended up singing from the sound booth. 

He had the audience in the palm of his hands, the audience knew it - and they loved it.

Nathan seemed to be having a great time himself and towards the end of the set he announced that he would be back in Darlington next November when the event returns.

He even found time to spend time in the bar at the end of the night to chat with fans and pose for pictures. A real class act.

(Image: ROB LAMBERT PHOTOGRAPHY)

In between Nathan's sets, the crowd were treated to two DJ sets - firstly from Darlington's own Scott Wetherill with a 90s mix, and then from DJ Mojaxx who dropped a series of classics with everything from Katrina and the Waves to Blondie and Soft Cell.

At one stage the dancefloor was cleared to make way for some old-school - that phrase again - breakdance action from three practitioners who clearly originally learned and honed their skills from back in the day.

Recommended reading:

Get the most out of your local news with The Northern Echo Subscribe now and enjoy access for the whole of 2025 for only £25 or enjoy your first six months for £6. Don’t miss out on our biggest sale of the year.

This was all against an ever-changing background of images guaranteed to stir memories with classic TV shows, films, toys, food and drink all projected onto the back screen.

Leg-warmers, headbands and outlandish wigs were much in evidence as the crowd was transported back to their schooldays - and it was top marks all around to everyone involved.

This was in-your-face, raucous and cheesy with a huge slab of nostalgia thrown in. But it was hugely enjoyable and great, great fun - and those who were there were left wanting more. 

 

(Image: ROB LAMBERT PHOTOGRAPHY) (Image: ROB LAMBERT PHOTOGRAPHY)