VSCharlotte Church struts upstage in a baseball cap and silver fringed dress and growls, “I want to fuck you like an animal.” The crowd shouts: “Yaass! The wild cover of Nine Inch Nails has become a staple of the Church’s Pop Dungeon, an event which for the past six years has filled sticky-floored venues and festival tents across the UK.
Described as “a jukebox of free-flowing anthems”, Pop Dungeon sees the Welsh legend front what is essentially the biggest cover band in the world. “Think of a pool party with Prince and Kate Bush at the grill, Beyoncé and Kurt Cobain at the bar,” Church recently shared. “Except it’s also Christmas, and Santa and Kevin McCallister are here to get down.” She also announced that this latest set of dates will be the last for the event.
Beginning last night at the cathedral camp in south London, the Clapham Grand, and ending on December 21 in his hometown of Cardiff, this celebratory farewell tour gives Pop Dungeon a farewell worthy of a historic ship. The poster promises pigs in blankets and falling balloons. Church and his band take to the stage for an hour and a half and sweat through a set ranging from Black Sabbath to NERD to Justice Vs Simian.
Pop Dungeon is first and foremost a celebration of music. It’s a love letter to the power of a true banger, written by the boss of Good Time Girls – a woman Liam Gallagher once hailed as a fellow hell with “a great voice” who “knows how to get pounded.” and scare people.” The band and backing vocals each enjoy their moment in the sun, shredding solos and taking turns commanding center stage, but Church is the beating heart of the performance, showcasing his curatorial skills and range without effort. She goes from an angelic rendition of the Home Alone soundtrack to a mashup of Jennifer Rush’s The Power of Love with Julee Cruise’s Falling, before gliding to the emotional climax of Purple Rain, like a blade on ice. .
It’s a rowdy and moving masterclass from a rare talent and a top performer; Pavarotti, Miley Cyrus and Robbie Williams all rolled into a petite rock star in sexy boots.
