Craig Charles is an actor, comedian, author, poet, television presenter and DJ. Although he held a role in a long-running British television soap opera called Coronation Street, he is probably best known for playing the character Dave Lister in the science fiction comedy-drama Red Dwarf, As well as continuing with acting, and with at least two further series of Red Dwarf scheduled, Charles presents a weekly radio show for BBC Six Music and he sometimes take a version of his show on the road.
This time, it was the turn of the city of St. Albans to receive Charles’ superbly choreographed mix of classic soul and funk (Family Affair by Sly and the Family Stone; Stevie Wonder’s Superstition; and James Brown’s Living in America, as classic cut examples); together with some stomping new or more obscure tracks. Examples of lesser played stuff, remixed and souped up, included Snatching It Back by Clarence Carter; This Girl as played by Cookin’ on 3 Burners feat. Kylie Auldist; and Amen Brother from The Bamboos.
The vast majority of the audience began dancing when Craig Charles began his set just before 10 p.m. and continued at a frenetic pace until Charles finished some time after midnight. The set, while focusing on classic 60s and 70s remixes of established soul music, extended into the rhythm and blues, jazz, blues, gospel and hip hop genres.
An example of Charles at work is shown in the video below:
One of Charles’ great strengths as a DJ is that he plays a diverse range of funk and soul music, covering an assortment of classic tracks right up to the latest releases. He also provides publicity for less familiar bands. For those who like this style of music, Charles’ shows are very well put together and make for a funk-filled evening. The show received a positive response from concert goers on Facebook and Twitter.
