The stunning grounds of Belvoir Castle played host to rock royalty last week.
Ok, almost, in fact Mercury are so authentic that they have been dubbed the closest thing to Queen by the Freddie Mercurys own Mother, praise indeed!
I was invited along to catch them perform in what is surely to be a regular series of events at the home of the Duke and Duchess of Rutland. The venue has over 16,000 acres of Valleys, parkland and lakes. The castle itself which stands proudly in the Vale of Belvoir is one of the finest examples of Regency architecture in the World, making this a stunning setting for outdoor events.
As in a regular festival, visitors were invited to bring chairs, blankets and picnics to enjoy the live entertainment as the sun set. Caterers were also on site to feed hungry concert goers offering traditional fish and chips, pizza, toasties and gourmet burgers
We were seated in the VIP area which provided cover if needed in the unpredictable British weather. The bar was also here and seemed to do a roaring trade on the night.
Supporting Mercury was Nick Pacey and his band Roustabout, an Elvis tribute act. He didn’t go fo the whole lookalike image, but the audience enjoyed a number of classic tracks including some from his Gospel days.
The main event was heralded by the haunting sound of Bohemian Rhapsody as Mercury took to the stage. Dressed as the legendary four piece, lead singer and Freddie lookalike Joseph Lee Jackson donned the iconic white jacket and trouser ensemble as they treated the audience to a set of much loved Queen classics which had the crowd singing along in unison. Not only does Joseph Lee Jackson look and sound like Freddie, he has perfected the choreography to a tee, strutting across the stage in true Freddie style. Dramatic lighting effects added to the experience.
At times it seemed like he was fighting to be heard over the music and there was a lack of power behind his voice, however we later learned that he was battling tonsillitis, which makes the performance even more spectacular, credit to him for soldiering on through the set which included hit songs Flash, Hammer to Fall, Seven Seas of Rye, Under Pressure, Another One Btes the Dust, Play The Game, Somebody to Love, Killer Queen, Lover Boy, Bicycle Race, My Best Friend, Love of my Life, I Want to Break Free, Its a Kinda Magic, I Want it All, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Fat Bottom Girls, Don’t Stop Me Now. They even managed a well deserved encore which included We Will Rock You and We are the Champions.
The group had the audience singing and dancing all evening long. If you get chance to see them, do take it.
Keep a look out for future events at Belvoir Castle. They have a firework display coming up as well as a game and food festival but I’m sure this will be the first of many outdoor concerts at this stunning venue.
For more information visit: https://www.belvoircastle.com
By Tanya Louise
Editor
Disclaimer: My tickets were gifted but my views are my own.
