Legend. Icon. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and master of hits Nile Rodgers blows the non-existent roof off The Piece Hall in Halifax.

★★★★★ (5/5)

NILE RODGERS & CHIC PERFORMING AT HALIFAX’S PIECE HALL
PHOTOCREDIT: ALEX BROWN

Nile Rodgers & Chic are currently on a run of shows around the UK with support from Deco and Sophie Ellis-Bextor and one of their stop offs is the beautiful Georgian-Era venue The Piece Hall in Halifax.

Before the show even started you could feel the happiness and excitement in the air, everybody was in the spirit to dance and party like we were back in the prime of the disco music scene. The mix of generations from seeing kids with their parents to seeing people in their 70’s living life to the absolute fullest in one of the most visually stunning venues I’ve ever been in. It was magical to see.

The night started with Deco who are a self-proclaimed ‘Feel Good Music’ band who take huge influence from 80’s synth pop. They immediately hit the stage filled with energy and ready to get the crowd warmed up for the rest of the night. They are a band who have been on my radar but never fortunate enough to catch, so I must say I was very excited to finally be watching them.

Deco may have been the opening band but they put on a show that was similar to what I’ve seen headline bands do, you could see they loved every moment just as much as the crowd were loving it and to see Max and Lucy walk along the barrier after their set meeting fans and taking selfies was just another example of how incredible this band are.

Next up was Sophie Ellis-Bextor who in the last year has seen an incredible spike in popularity again after her single ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ featured in Saltburn. As her band walked onto stage wearing different animal masks, on walked Sophie in a pink sparkly dress ready to dance and sing her heart out. It was so amazing to see that she is just as loved now as she was when she released her first solo album back in 2001.

There was nothing in this world that could have wiped the smile off her face as she owned the Piece Hall’s stage. Dancing up and down while powering out some of her biggest hits along with some incredible covers featuring Cher’s ‘Take Me Home’ ABBA’s ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!’ And Madonna ‘Like a Prayer’ just showing how talented of a singer she is. The crowd were definitely ready for the main event after this.

After a short wait, we were ready. Nile appeared at the side of the stage dancing along to the music playing before him and Chic came out, making everyone even more excited for what was to come and they sure didn’t disappoint.

They opened the show with ‘Le Freak’ and ‘Everybody Dance’ which instantly put everybody in the mood to dance and party their way through the next hour and a half. The setlist was as star-studded as the artists Nile has written and produced for.

Chic as ever were on top form, Kimberly Davis and Audrey Martells took full control of the performance with some incredible vocals as they powered through hits by Diana Ross, Madonna and Sister Sledge.

Nile Rodgers is hands down one of the greatest musicians and easily the best I have ever seen live. The career he has is legendary status. Working with everybody from Diana Ross, to David Bowie (Who is one of my all time favourite artists), Madonna and to more recently working with Daft Punk. He has done it all and seen it all. A million stories to tell for every song he has worked on. His smile is infectious and he wore it from start to finish without even breaking a sweat.

After doing my photos, I headed into the middle of the crowd to enjoy the show and party along with everybody else and it was honestly the most beautiful experience I’ve had at a show, everyone was swaying, singing, dancing, strangers dancing with each other. Partners holding each other as they sang along and watched on in awe. Parents dancing with their children. It was the sense of togetherness that Nile Rodgers & Chic pride themselves on. This is a night I will never forget about and will hold such a special place in my heart.