Latest releases reviewed

DESTINY'S CHILD
Live In Atlanta
Sony
***

By the time Destiny's Child had reached Atlanta's Phillips Arena on their Destiny Fulfilled tour, the end was truly in sight. They may have been one of the most successful girl groups of all time, but Beyoncé Knowles had a solo singing career a-calling and she wasn't going to turn a deaf ear to that. What comes across again and again from this show is that when DC were good, they were very, very good indeed. But when they were bad, you knew they were just going through the motions with more slurpy ballads. For every turbo-charged 21st-century pop classic such as Independent Women, Bootylicious or Jumpin' Jumpin', there were some peculiar turkeys that even Whitney Houston would have rejected for being too corny. The DVD also gives a peek into the future, featuring solo turns from all three. Whatever about Kelly Rowland's next r'n'b album or the gospel which Michelle Williams may produce, all eyes will be on Knowles to see if she can come up with another Crazy in Love.

www.destinyschild.com  - Jim Carroll

SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES
Nocturne
Universal
***

Taken from a 1983 Royal Albert Hall concert, this opens with Stravinsky's The Rite Of Spring before you are invited to get in touch with your inner goth as the band slam dunk their way through classics such as Israel, the inspired cover of Dear Prudence, Melt and Cascade. Siouxsie, always a delightfully aloof performer, manages not a smile or a flicker of emotion throughout, but that might have been because this line-up features Robert Smith on guitar and there was probably a big row beforehand about who got first dibs on the make-up box. Also included here is a thoroughly mad TV special from the time, which has the band and assorted others re-enacting the Mad Hatter's Tea Party. Added value comes from watching the looks on the faces of the punk/goths as they enter the cavernous venue. - Brian Boyd