Many things have been said about the Scouts in the hundred-odd years since their formation, not all of them very complimentary. But give them this: They know how to put on a party. The Gang Show was a whole mixture of songs, modern and old, popular and not-so-popular. There were also a few self-written songs and sketches thrown in for good measure.

The opening was lively, and insofar as first impressions matter - which they do on stage - extremely good. There followed a sketch which you probably had to be a member of the Scout group to fully appreciate, but was still enjoyable. Other highlights of the show included Food, Glorious Food from the musical Oliver!, Worried Mothers, a sketch showing what the mothers of famous people such as Lennox Lewis and David Beckham might be thinking of their boy's lives.
In the second act, Halloween was a superb intro, a collection of songs related to Halloween, among them the Addams Family theme tune, and Michael Jackson's Thriller, although why they cut the chorus from the latter is a mystery. The Swing Out Sister sketch featured some great Rhythm and Blues music, and was only bettered in the second act by the Abba section which featured some catchy tunes.

However good the good bits were, the bad parts were awful. Technical things can't be expected to be perfect in an amateur production, but for a group who've been doing this for 28 years, they shouldn't be so frequent as to get irritating. Mics weren't switched on in time, lights were occasionally out of sync, and on stage there were several people - young children, mainly - who didn't really look as if they wanted to be there. Robin Walsh deserves a mention as an exception, his solo during the Jamboree section was very good.

A few other niggles - the Car Wash section managed to ruin The Beatle's Drive My Car, and the section on Australia at the end of Act One - Sydney Then, Sydney Now, featured a recorded didgeridoo. As a didge player myself, I have to say it would have been infinitely more effective had it been played live.

All up, an enjoyable three hours of show, but technical glitches and some unusual choices of songs - surely there could have been a better finishing number than S Club 7's Reach? - Dragged the standard down.

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