The Buzztones present Guilty Pleasures

London-based a cappella band The Buzztones have been touring for nine years with their musical medleys. Hailing from different parts of the UK, the vocalists have sold out performances at Edinburgh Fringe and made appearances on shows such as Channel 4’s The Last Leg and BBC’s The One Show.

Amongst the set list tonight are some real guilty pleasures, including Aqua’s Barbie Girl and Macarena by Los Del Río, while a pleasant rendition of Australian soap opera theme Home and Away is performed not once but twice. Radiohead’s Karma Police is then surprisingly mixed with Inner Circle’s Sweat; though the latter is deeply inappropriate, they match musically.

Daytime television presenter Judy Finnigan’s picture is held while Paula Cole’s I Don’t Want to Wait plays in the background, an arbitrary and humorous touch. As a wheel is spun, it lands on Christmas, The Buzztones asking, “Is everyone feeling festive?” to which there is a loud cheer of approval. Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is You unites with Santa Baby, followed by a brief recording of another Christmas classic, Walking in the Air.

The high points come in the form of Linkin Park’s Numb and In the End, a touching tribute. Things return to joviality, and we are treated to Europe’s The Final Countdown and Survivor by Destiny’s Child. The band take a moment to comment that their musical style is “just put a smile on people’s faces”, joking that they can be booked for all occasions. Another highlight soon arrives with excellent Disney interpretations, including The Lion King’s Circle of Life, spine-tingling and impressive, followed by Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid and Aladdin’s Prince Ali.

A particularly imaginative mashup of Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On and Eminem’s Lose Yourself is expertly realised, while audience interaction comes from The Buzztones’ instructions to hold up a board when Spanish omelette ingredients are heard through the songs. As tonight’s crowd attempt to hide when the band announce an audience member will be randomly selected to sing, when a man is chosen he is too confused and doesn’t perform, though he still manages to win a mug and T-shirt.

The Buzztones are good entertainers, and their mashups are both catchy and creative, making for a pleasantly fun night, but it is a performance that needs a little more structure and alignment.

Selina Begum
Photo: © The Buzztones

Read more reviews from our Vault Festival 2019 coverage here.

For further information about the event visit the Vault Festival website here.