Music
Pop-punk goes West End: ROAM tell us their top five musicals
Whether you’re a pop-punk connoisseur who hasn’t given musicals much of a look in, or a theatre buff who’s yet to discover the magic of our favourite three-chord genre, we’ve blended all the best bits with a little help from ROAM’s Charlie Pearson.
The Eastbourne drummer, and self-confessed lover of musical theatre, tells us his top five hits from the West End and Broadway…
Charlie says, “Since I was a kid I loved musicals. My mum and all her family were big fans of musical theatre and growing up I attended many different shows. There are so many different instruments, melodies and harmonies that fill your senses when you go to see a musical; there really wasn’t anything to dislike. I was hooked from the start.”
1. Rent
Rent was the first musical I learnt to play on drums. My brother had learnt a song from it on guitar so of course I had to do one better and learn ‘the whole show’. Needless to say I wasn’t very good at it straight away but enjoyed playing this one out nonetheless.
Download: Seasons of Love
2. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph was the very first musical I remember going to see as a kid. It’s a classic – such a variety of songs and a story I was familiar with growing up. That was the perfect combination to snag my interest and this one has become a firm favourite.
Download: Joseph megamix
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat is currently booking at the Blackpool Opera House.
3. Rock Of Ages
Rock songs. In a musical. Yes. It’s not quite the same as hearing the originals performed by the original bands but when you have a pit full of different musicians, from electric guitars to a full orchestra, it gives the songs a new vibe and there’s a certain sense of excitement that you can’t deny.
Download: Here I Go Again
4. Tarzan
Phil Collins wrote the entire thing. This was my childhood.
Download: All of it!
5. Idina Menzel
Of course, this isn’t a musical. She is a human woman. But every musical she has performed in or sung in deserves a mention. She has the most incredible voice, made for the West End or Broadway, depending on which side of the pond you’re on. What a talent.
Download: Wicked – Defying Gravity
Love Charlie’s top five? Let us know your favourite musical numbers via @TicketmasterUK.
ROAM release their new album, Backbone, on Friday 22 January via Hopeless Records; preorder today. Catch them live on the Kerrang! Tour 2016 between 11 – 19 February.
