{"id":17723,"date":"2025-10-26T23:25:21","date_gmt":"2025-10-26T23:25:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/17723\/"},"modified":"2025-10-26T23:25:21","modified_gmt":"2025-10-26T23:25:21","slug":"review-johns-boys-at-the-queens-hall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/17723\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Johns’ Boys at The Queen’s Hall"},"content":{"rendered":"

Johns\u2019 Boys, the first and only Welsh Male Voice Choir to win the prestigious \u2018Choir of the World\u2019 title, made their Scottish debut at Edinburgh\u2019s Queen\u2019s Hall. Fresh from a star-making turn on Britain\u2019s Got Talent, the choir played to a packed and deeply enthusiastic crowd.<\/p>\n

\"Johns'<\/a><\/p>\n

This was one of those rare gigs where the audience\u2019s love for the performance was palpable, and the performers on stage could feel that love, returning it in kind.<\/p>\n

A Virtuous Cycle of Joy<\/p>\n

From the opening note, a \u201cvirtuous cycle of appreciation and energy\u201d began to build between the stage and the stalls. The atmosphere was electric.<\/p>\n

It was clear that many in the audience had travelled quite a distance for this debut. I overheard several Dutch accents in the pub during the intermission, and the couple beside me had travelled from the Netherlands, in part, for the show, demonstrating the choir\u2019s significant and growing international appeal.<\/p>\n

Despite the name, Johns\u2019 Boys are not \u2018boys\u2019. They are a diverse group of men of all ages, from recent university graduates to silver-haired retirees. They are named not for their youth, but in honour of two influential Welsh composers from their home village, John Tudor Davis and John Glyn Williams.<\/p>\n

Their dedication is remarkable. These men, who could easily be taking it easier, instead piled onto a bus and travelled 250 miles from Wales to Edinburgh to deliver this performance.<\/p>\n

From Butterflies of Doom to Blue Jeans<\/p>\n

\"Johns'<\/a><\/p>\n

The performance was cleverly structured in two halves. First, the choir appeared in formal dinner jackets, white shirts, and bow ties \u2013 like \u201cblack butterflies of doom.\u201d This half showcased their immense technical skill, blending traditional Welsh songs with the powerful, operatic sound you might expect from a world-class choir.<\/p>\n

The Britain\u2019s Got Talent effect was present, with a superb solo from Matthew Budd, who featured prominently on the TV show. However, the choir had clearly adapted their set for their Edinburgh audience, platforming several Scottish members of the group.<\/p>\n

The undisputed highlight was a stunning rendition of \u201cThe Bonnie Banks o\u2019 Loch Lomond,\u201d led by a soloist named Hamish, himself from Edinburgh. As his vocal began to fade, two more singers stepped forward, before the entire choir returned to the stage, their combined harmonies filling the hall. The conductor turned, raised his hands to the crowd, and the audience required no second invitation, joining in for a wonderfully powerful singalong.<\/p>\n

After the intermission, the \u201cstuffiness\u201d vanished. The choir returned in casual jeans and shirts, shifting the tone to be \u201cfar more approachable.\u201d This half was packed with contemporary hits and musical theatre classics. We heard songs from West Side Story, a Lewis Capaldi number, and a fantastic, crowd-pleasing version of Robbie Williams\u2019 \u201cAngels.\u201d<\/p>\n

Overall<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be honest: Welsh male choirs are not my usual go-to. My playlists are more likely to feature 70s punk, 80s hair metal, and modern K-pop. Choir music is not high on my spectrum.<\/p>\n

And yet, I was very impressed and really enjoyed tonight. Johns\u2019 Boys have a remarkable talent for bridging genres, connecting with their audience, and delivering a show of pure, unadulterated musical joy. If you see them touring next year, I absolutely encourage you to get the tickets. It will be a fantastic night out.<\/p>\n

Explore More On Edinburgh Reviews<\/p>\n

Searching for related content…<\/p>\n

Review: Johns\u2019 Boys<\/p>\n

Andrew Girdwood<\/p>\n

Johns\u2019 Boys, the Britain\u2019s Got Talent semi-finalists and \u2018Choir of the World\u2019 winners, perform their first-ever Scottish concert at The Queen\u2019s Hall, Edinburgh.<\/p>\n

Summary<\/p>\n

Johns\u2019 Boys\u2019 Scottish debut at The Queen\u2019s Hall was a triumph. The BGT stars mixed Welsh tradition with pop hits from Lewis Capaldi, creating a \u2018virtuous cycle\u2019 of joy. A fantastic, energetic night out for all. Absolutely recommended.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Johns\u2019 Boys, the first and only Welsh Male Voice Choir to win the prestigious \u2018Choir of the World\u2019…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17724,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[5283,12280,2538,9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":{"0":"post-17723","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-queens","8":"tag-choir","9":"tag-johns-boys","10":"tag-music","11":"tag-new-york","12":"tag-new-york-city","13":"tag-nyc","14":"tag-queens","15":"tag-queens-headlines","16":"tag-queens-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17723"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17723\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}