Evidence

In the Netherlands, November is the month in which persons whose existance is doubted visit the country. Besides St. Nicholas there was time this year to host Kim Wilde. ‘Is Kim Wilde Real Or Not?’ was the question Kees Baars asked over a year ago in this magazine. The proof was given in the weekend of November 14. After a three week startup in Great Britain and some gigs in Scandinavia and France Wilde Ltd. visited the Netherlands. The expectations were high because after months of getting the band together the company had finally created one that would give Kim Wilde a good live reputation. ‘(…) a lot of very professional and talented people (…)’ according to Kim. They could prove how professional they were during the first two songs: ‘Chequered Love’ and ‘Water on glass’: sometimes Kim’s voice, that leans against a few notes anyway, sometimes an octave wide and than the band corrected like a beautifully trained jukebox. With the third song, the beautiful ‘Tuning In Tuning On’, all the discrepancies were fixed and there was little left to break. Highlights were the songs with the desperate vocals by Kim: ‘Everything We Know’, ‘Child Come Away’, ‘You’ll Never Be So Wrong’ and ‘Cambodia’. Then happiness abound during a.o. ‘Words Fell Down’, ‘When The Boy’s Happy’ (from the Chiffons) and the singalong hits ‘26580’ and ‘Kids in America’ (encore). The gratitude could be read off the faces of the laughing(!) Kim and her band members Ricky Wilde (keyboards and guitar), Graham Pleath (keyboards), Gary Barnacle (sax and flute, ex-Ruts D.C.), Steve Byrd (guitar), Mark Heyward Chaplin (bass), Gaynor Wild and Lynne Jones (backing vocals) and the outstanding drummer Trevor Murrell. The convincing proof was there: Kim and her qualities do exist.