REVIEWED: VIVA can’t get Kylie Minogue ‘out of our head’

It’s something special when an Australian pop princess dominates the charts for three decades, and we can’t get Kylie Minogue’s Manchester tour date ‘out of our heads’.

Fresh off the back from the release of her latest studio album, ‘Golden’ (her 14^th studio album to date!), Kylie had a huge back catalogue to choose from when carefully selecting her setlist. Intertwining the latest tracks with songs that dated back to pre-millennium, the crowd are taken on a trip through the decades of her career.

Taking on a more country and western approach with her latest album, this mirrors the theme of the seven acts throughout the evening. As the lights dim for the opening act, a handful of cowboys stroll out of the shadows into a scant desert to the resonance of guitars. An eerie opening… Before Kylie rises to the stage perched on a pile of luggage donning a chiffon salmon pink number with a pair of cowgirl boots (with heels, of course!).

Catapulting into ‘Golden’ and met with a roar from the audience, the glittery golden catwalk is revealed in true Kylie style. With a large portion of the ‘Golden’ album recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, Kylie found new inspiration with its music, which can most definitely be seen through the music, costume and stage design.

Ploughing through a handful of songs from her new album in the first act, it’s the old stuff that encourages the people at the very back of the arena to stand and belt the classics out at the top of their lungs. ‘Better the Devil You Know’ has the crowd singing in unison early on in the performance; the joy radiating throughout the arena is infectious.

Dressed in leather for the final song of act one, a badass version of ‘Kids’ is fuelled with girl power, as Kylie’s backing singers take on the role of Robbie Williams’ absence. In act two though, Kylie takes on her duet with Jason Donovan ‘Especially for You’ by herself, but there’s copious amounts of help from the crowd who belt out the ballad with her.

‘The Locomotion’ and ‘Spinning Around’ are the highlight tracks which follow each other consecutively. Taking on a 70’s spin, Kylie and her ensemble are donned in tassels and all the glitz and glamour you could ever humanely imagine. Its glittery, glamourous and a true spectacle.

Bowing out on an encore of ‘Love at first Sight’ and ‘Golden’, Kylie lovingly accepted a rapturous applause at her 32^nd time performing at Manchester Arena.