A while back Robbie Williams released an album not many people liked (it was called Rudebox – remember it? No, okay, not to worry). His record label were getting it in the neck from the press and record shops and responded that people should stop worrying, his next album would be a follow up to Swing When You’re Winning. That wasn’t true but it pretty much says everything you need to know about the crooner end of jazz that they perform at the Komedia’s long standing Kroon Kat Lounge – everybody loves it.
The cross-generational appeal of The Rat Pack is evident in the mixed crowd tonight. Half the candlelit tables have older couples sipping wine while the rest is made up of young folk itching to dance. At its best the band tempt people into slinking onto makeshift dancefloors in the gangways between the seating, and it’s often girls dancing with girls. Men with one left and one right foot could cause swooning here. Sometimes the band come over as a little too professional (they play lots of corporate gigs, they say at one point) but there’s a real atmosphere. It might not be the 50s but its the next best thing. And it’s better than a Robbie Williams album.