Kylie Minogue kicked off Christmas last night with the first of her two festive spectaculars at the Royal Albert Hall.
Those who thought the glitter-spattered Aussie songstress couldn’t top last year’s camp extravaganza were certainly not disappointed as she banged out hit after Christmas hit, assisted by an all star cast of A-list singers.
Beardy songster John Grant joined Kyles on a stunning version of Confide In Me and gave the ‘Stick or Twist’ section a rather fabulous, er, twist.
Meanwhile Years And Years star Olly Alexander almost hit the right notes in a 90s-tastic version of Better The Devil You Know.
But it was Kylie’s fan fave Your Disco Needs You that totally brought the house down. Joined by the gorgeous Katherine Jenkins and flanked by feathery rainbow banners, Kyles sang her heart out, surrounded by a rack of beefcake dancers that had perky pink pounders in the audience twitching in the aisles.
And one of those dancers who caught our overly-eager and rather greedy peepers was a certain Ben Akl, the gorgeous mover and groover who we first noticed on Kylie’s Kiss Me Once tour a couple of years back. (He was the perfectly-bodied spunk in the Barbie Girl 80s montage!)
Ah, yes. Dear, gorgeous Ben. Unfathomably handsome with a body to die for. And at this festive show he looked even scrummier.
And thanks to the Kylie team, we got to see him in ALL his glory. Stripped to a pair of barely there glittery shorts, the lithe lovely spent Your Disco Needs You and 100 Degrees grinding and stretching his delicious muscles for all to see. Oh Kylie, you do know how to treat your fans for Christmas.
Of course Ben is more than just a pretty face – he is also a rather marvellous dancer, as you can see from this amazing showreel of his.
But enough about Ben (sob!). The rest of the show was a spectacle for all, featuring a set list jammed with classic hits and festive favourites. Kylie even performed her version of Night Fever, which had the crowd going wild.
Next year, Kylie please please please add Turn It Into Love to the festive mix – that xylophone intro would sound so Chritmassy, we could cry!