REVIEW: One Night of Queen — Performed by Gary Mullen & The WorksFairmont Southampton, Mid-Ocean AmphitheatreIt’s a kind of magic all right. Freddie Mercury may have departed this world in 1991, but his singing and showmanship are still with us thanks to tribute singer Gary Mullen.Throw into the mix his band, The Works, and you’ve got a combination that is probably the next best thing to experiencing the real Queen live on stage.From the moment the band struck up with ‘We Will Rock You’, the audience in the Mid-Ocean Amphitheatre appeared spellbound by the musical tour-de-force that grew with intensity with each passing song.Mr Mullen’s powerful voice captured Mr Mercury’s sparkle. His stage presence, clothing and mannerisms mimicked the flamboyant showman’s, and his ability to engage with the audience ensured the all-seated crowd didn’t remain all-seated for very long.“Use the dance space,” he cried out at the end of the second song ‘Tie Your Mother Down’.With a Queen-esque stage backdrop filled with 100 multicoloured spotlights one had to wonder if the hotel’s backup generators were kicking into action each time the lighting array exploded into life. Mr Mullen, strutting Mercury-style back and forth with a bottomless microphone stand, soon worked up a sweat.Then the magic started to kick in. Fittingly, it was at the end of ‘It’s A Kind of Magic’ that Mr Mullen repeated his demand to see people up and dancing. Launching into one of Queen’s biggest hits ‘Another One Bites the Dust’, his wish was granted. Almost as one the audience were on their feet singing along, many dancing away.The Works featured a troupe of musicians who knew their stuff, Billy Moffat’s bass reverberated around the theatre and, alongside the drumming of Jonathan Evans, was key to replicating the authentic sound of Queen. Guitarist David Brockett had the guitar finesse necessary to produce many of Brian May’s famous licks and solos, while keyboard player Malcolm Gentles added a further layer to the sound.It may have been opening night glitches, but there were moments when the sound balance didn’t quite hit the spot. The lead guitar occasionally drifted too low in the mix, sometimes missing the blistering crescendo of noise that made Mr May such an adulated component of the Queen package. Likewise, the backing vocals provided by The Works went astray once or twice just when they were needed to add that final ‘umph’ to Mr Mullen’s soaring voice. And Mr Mullen himself also, at times, camped up Mr Mercury’s famously ambiguous sexual orientation a little too much.However, these minor points aside, Mr Mullen and The Works delivered a delightful evening that underscored the brilliance of Queen and their formidable catalogue of worldwide hits spanning the 1970s and 1980s. There was ‘Killer Queen’, ‘I Want to Break Free’, ‘Hammer to Fall’, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and even a cover of ‘Jailhouse Rock’.The show was split into two halves. Mr Mullen made sure the audience did not backslide into their seats after the interval. “I want to see more people down here (on the dance floor). This is a rock concert, not a funeral,” he playfully chided.When guitarist Mr Brockett switched from electric to acoustic for just one song it was a moment to savour. The touching ballad ‘Love of My Life’, written by Mr Mercury for the women he loved in his early days, Mary Austin, was a soaring highlight of the evening. Mr Mullen could not be faulted on his vocal delivery.When the frontman, who won the UK’s ‘Stars in Their Eyes’ TV show in 2000, came on stage draped in the Bermuda flag, reprising ‘We Will Rock You’, the audience was in rapture. With encores of ‘Radio Gaga’ and ‘We Are The Champions’ the deal was sealed ... Gary Mullen & The Works are probably the closest you’ll ever come to experiencing the magic of Queen if you never managed to see the real thing.The visiting group from the UK ensured a rousing finale to this year’s Bermuda Festival.