Chesney Hawkes joins The Live Karaoke Band in Portsmouth

This archive story looks back at the day Chesney Hawkes joined The Live Karaoke Band on stage in Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, for a large-scale public performance of The One And Only as part of an air guitar world record attempt.

On Saturday 16 January 2010, The Live Karaoke Band helped warm up the crowd for the main event on one of the coldest days in memory before also performing as Chesney Hawkes’s live rockaoke band. The performance was broadcast internationally, including to many UK troops serving abroad, making it a memorable public event for everyone involved.

A public event with a global audience

The event formed part of Portsmouth’s New Theatre Royal “Let’s Make It Great” fundraising weekend, helping raise money towards rebuilding the theatre’s back-lot. It brought together live performance, crowd participation and a major public setting in a way that suited The Live Karaoke Band’s interactive format perfectly.

Why this event still matters

This was one of the many examples of The Live Karaoke Band performing in unusual, high-profile and memorable settings. It showed how the format could work not just for weddings, parties and corporate events, but also for major public occasions with celebrity involvement and large crowds.

“The Live Karaoke Band heated up the crowd on an icy cold day. They were brilliant!”

Caroline Sharman, Director of The New Theatre Royal

If you want to see how the show works for events today, you can read more about our corporate events, private parties, festivals or contact The Live Karaoke Band for more information.