Roxette
London Wembley Arena
15th November, 2011

A two-hour, 22-song set saw Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle, assisted by a five-strong band, run through catalogue pop classics and a few new Charm School outings, such as She’s Got Nothing On, which saw Per take on lead vocals. And it’s clear that Marie’s health problems in recent years have taken a toll, as she had to lower her register on several songs and simply lacked the power to hit the heights on others. The band took half a dozen songs to hit their stride too, though an enthused crowd bopped from the off to the brassy Dressed For Success and up-tempo Sleeping In My Car. It seemed someone was sleeping at the mixing desk, however, as a bassy, low-volume level persisted for several numbers till Could’ve Been Love seemed to roust all and sundry. Fading Like A Flower adopted a psych tone, while Crash Boom Bang elicited a mass singalong, and Dangerous featured some slick guitar. The joyous Joyride led into two encores, including the dance-inducing The Look and majestic pomp-pop of Listen To Your Heart. By then the cobwebs had been blown away, and hopefully that will apply to their July tour.