Review | The Southsea Alternative Choir at The Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea: 'Shambolic? Oh yes. Brilliant? undoubtedly'

It is fair to say that several alcoholic beverages have been had by those on stage (and many more by those in the crowd) by this point.

But no one goes to see the choir for a slick show – you go for the camaraderie and a big old sing-song.

Support act The Day of The Rabblement are unfortunately waylaid by illness, but vocalist Tash Hills steps into the breach with a solo set stacked with disco hits. More used to being backed by a big band, she admits to being nervous up there entirely on her own. Fortunately, though she is blessed with an powerhouse diva’s voice and quickly has the packed Wedge totally onside.

Hills is soon back on stage with the choir, who she has sung with for several years now, and as the rest of the band freely admit, brings a touch of class to proceedings. From the off it’s business as usual for the eight-piece, which is to say it’s a hit-packed set cherry-picking mostly from the ’60s to the ’90s – the newest songs they play are Dreaming of You by The Coral and a turbo-charged White Stripes’ Hotel Yorba, which both just squeak into this millennium.

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With up to seven people harmonising at any moment – while Ash Hills gamely holds things down on bass and kick-drum – when it all clicks, it is a rough-hewn joy. Their version of Mrs Robinson is more indie thrash-along, a la The Lemonheads than Simon and Garfunkel, and their Proud Mary wisely lets Tash take lead so it’s closer to Tina Turner’s barnstorming turn than the Creedence Clearwater Revival original. We also get two different songs called Stand By Me – for my money the Ben E King number edges it, but the crowd is in full voice for the Oasis version. Elbow’s One Day Like This is goosebump-inducing - even if they do accidentally play it at the wrong point in the set...

Fatboy Slim’s Praise You and Primal Scream’s Movin’ On Up get the indie-dance treatment, and a new addition to the repertoire, Freedom! 90 features a stunning a capella intro.

The choir began by busking on the streets around Christmas 2010 to help raise money to send a friend’s son to America for a life-changing operation. Mid-show the band gather centre-stage for a nod back to those busking roots for a set-within-a-set, including a sweet White Winter Hymnal. It’s fun, if rather chaotic.

Over the course of nearly two hours, the songs fly by – Oh, Pretty Woman, Rocket Man, (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace Love and Understanding, It Must Be Love, and many more.

But it is the encore of Fairytale of New York, which sees Jim ‘voice of an angel’ Lines and Tash trading Shane MacGowan and Kirsty MacColl’s famous barbs, which brings the place down, just in time for Charlie Waddington to take us home with (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher.

You can’t fail to be sent home without a smile on your face. So, shambolic? Oh yes. Brilliant? undoubtedly. And tonight’s charity beneficiary Motiv8 will be all the better off for it.