BETTY BOO + CATLEA – GREEN DOOR STORE, BRIGHTON 23.11.25
Did you know 2025 marks 35 years since Alison Moira Clarkson, better known as Betty Boo released her classic debut album ‘Boomania’, and what better way to celebrate this milestone, than to have a good solid ten date tour of the UK, playing a whole host of hits from her career.
Remarkably tonight’s visit to a sold out Green Door Store I think might actually be Betty’s first gig here. I know she played at Eastbourne Pride a couple of years ago, but that’s as close as she has come to this fair city to play. And that is one of the big selling points of this year’s tour, the fact Betty just didn’t get to tour back in the day, sadly after her first 2 albums, Alison had to put her solo career on hold in order to care for her mother. Not that it stopped her musical output in other ways, her song writing did continue, but for other artists and there did come a short period where she teamed up with Alex James of Blur in 2005 to form a pop band called WigWam, something I was hoping to ask her about afterwards, but sadly had to run.
My own personal memories of Betty Boo in my life, come from my early teenage years, my sister was a big fan and I could often hear her playing her cassette loudly in her bedroom, then came the 1991 Bitmap Brothers game ‘Magic Pockets’ on the Commodore Amiga which featured a version of ‘Doin The Do’ as its main theme. That led to me buying the albums and just enjoying her music. Of course the years have rolled on, but those CDs are still in my collection and get the odd play.
So jump forward to 2022 and Boo was back, with a fresh new album ‘Boomerang’ and a couple of one off shows, then just last year we had another album ‘Rip Up The Rulebook’. Betty did a 15 date run of shows in June and we have now this wonderful 10 date run over November and December. Tonight is at full capacity and we have a crowd in who look like many have travelled in from further afield and all seem up for some dancing, so let’s get into it.
At 9pm, backing vocalist MC Rita Campbell took to the stage as the lights dimmed and introduced Betty Boo. Big cheers rang out all round the packed out room and with no further ado we were taken into ‘Boomerang’ from the 2022 album of the same name, quite the apt title considering Betty herself has swung full circle into our musical sphere.
Betty said “Thanks for coming out on a Sunday everyone, this is MC Rita over here” referencing her backing singer, “Let’s go back to 1989, if you know the raps, rap along, it’s good to see everyone”. The song was the 1990 Boomania classic ‘Hey DJ / I Can’t Dance (To That Music You’re Playing)’. True to form, all the audience were singing along to this, a big dancing contingent at the front was forming up, Betty often engaging the crowd throughout giving prompts for “woo’s” and “yeah’s”.
“Amazing, what a warm up huh, wow 1989” Betty said laughing, “Gosh, I am celebrating 35 years of ‘Boomania’, we’ve even got the old school imagery up there” she said pointing towards the big projection covering most of the side wall, cycling through classic Betty Boo images and cover art. Keeping it old school we then had ‘(’Till My Last Breath) Doin’ It To Def’ which had real meaty old break beats, Betty going full on rap for this one, you would not have had thought 35 years had passed, still as fresh as ever.
“Oh yeah, that was good, I can’t believe I was writing these in my bedroom when I was 19 years old and here I am 35 years on rocking it with you, this is ‘808’, this was on my comeback album Boomerang”. This started a run of 3 songs from the 2022 comeback album. “Oh my gosh, Sunday night, what are you doing coming to watch me? You should be watching Strictly” Betty joked before ‘Get Me To The Weekend’, now this one is really a catchy song, a proper uplifting happy pop song, probably my favourite tune from the 2022 album, it was the first single from the album and a true statement Betty was back. This was then followed by ‘Shining Star’ one that was very much pop, as it was sung it made me think of the Spice Girls, we were then reminded afterwards by Betty that the album release version featured Sophie-Ellis-Bextor.
Coming right up to date, we had a ‘Barbarella’ from the 2024 album ‘Rip Up The Rulebook’, a slower pace, more dreamy song, but nonetheless enjoyable.
Betty laughed saying “Thank you so much, are you having a great time, we are going back to the ‘Grrr’ era, with ‘Hangover’ which blends Hip Hop with Country…… which everyone seems to be doing these days, but never mind.” Both Betty and Rita in their sequin outfits danced away while singing and rapping. It’s a cool song, I still have my CD single in the collection somewhere and remember it being a calmer number compared to the more beat heavy stuff.
“Are you ready to Do The Do?” questioned Betty, everyone cheered, “Oh no, it’s not yet, sorry, it’s coming soon though, it might be the next one” she teased. The song next actually was ‘I’m On My Way’ another from the 1992 album ‘Grrr! It’s Betty Boo’ More and more of the crowd were dancing by this point, all loving it, a big clap got going, lots more “woo’s” and “yeah’s”. The energy and stamina coming from Betty and Rita was 100%, both danced solidly throughout, jumping up and down, pointing, bobbing, and never faltering.
“Doing The Do anybody, are you ready?” Betty teased as the beat kicked in for ‘Doin The Do’, “Oh all the cameras are out now!” she laughed, “Come put them away and let’s all do it in real time”. They did eventually go away and everyone was singing along, even the microphone was held down to the front row to sing part of the chorus. What a trip down memory lane that was, so great to actually hear the song live in person, funnily just after I thought that and noted it, Betty then said “Isn’t it amazing how music can take you back to a time, exciting times, ‘Top Of The Pops’, ‘Smash Hits’”, how true, those were my early teenage staples, along with Radio 1.
Coming back up to date once again we had ‘Rip Up The Rulebook’ from the 2024 album of the same name. This was a cracking song, a nice solid big beat, soaring choruses, raps, it’s a great club song, one that would be impossible not to dance to, your feet will move I guarantee.
Betty again addressed the crowd “I thought I’d be cold in here tonight, but I’m not because you’re so hot, this one is a summer song, do you remember the summer, it seems so long ago ‘Let Me Take You There’”. We were back to classic Boo here, another of my guilty pleasures as a youngster and still to this day, it’s just a great happy song. “We love that one don’t’ we” said Rita as the beat kicked in for the next song ‘Spotlight’, another recent 2024 song, and another example that Betty can still write and put out bloody great pop songs.
“This is a great evening, wow, this is a vibe, this is ‘Superstar’” one from the 2022 album ‘Boomerang’, Betty and Rita got everyone clapping saying they can “See everyone at the back so get to it” everyone did. “You are all superstars” Betty clapped us all at the end. Leading into the next song she told us “I had a dream everyone was in a club like this all chewing Hubba Bubba, blowing bubbles and this song was the result”, the song was ‘Stop Your Nonsense (Bubblegum Pop!)’ with a chorus “Jump jump, do the bubblegum pop”, it had everyone at the front jumping in time, hands waving, great stuff, smiles on so many faces. It had a cool beat, “It reminds of me of the Hacienda this bit” Betty said, I’d agree, considering it’s a recent song, you do get those older vibes from these tunes, a vibe of when the world was so much less complicated.
After those newer songs and jumping about, it was time for another classic; it was 1990s ‘Where Are You Baby’. And Betty and the crowd were straight into singing those raps, literally everyone singing the chorus. This was my favourite Betty song back in the day and definitely seemed to be the one everyone was really going for tonight, the crowd whilst a bit shy at the start really were deep into it now. “That was awesome, that was joy in the room, that was amazing, I love that”. Thanked Betty at the end.
‘Pure And Simple’ was to be our final song, whilst it’s a Girl Thing cover, it was a song Betty did co-write, it reminded me of All Saints in style, I don’t recall having heard of Girl Thing, who it turns out were a band put together to rival the Spice Girls, but were dropped just after they had recorded this song, the song was then given to Hearsay, now I can’t say I’m a fan of them, but now I know where I’ve heard the song before and seem to know the words from. It was great to see Betty perform it.
“Well that’s it, or shall we do the do over again” Betty laughed as the familiar beat of ‘Doing The Do’ kicked in for an encore. “Shall I turn it off?” she teased, “Nooooo!” the crowd cried, as everyone sang along once more. Betty ended by thanking everyone, to chants from the crowd of “Play it again”, Betty did think about it but said she would be out the front very shortly to meet and chat with everyone, to which she did.
What a show, so uplifting and joyous, a very happy crowd, different from the usual gigs I go to at the Green Door Store, I have to pinch myself really that I actually saw Betty Boo there. She was such a big name in the 90s and I think is on the rise once more now she is back on the music scene. I could quite imagine her playing one of those big stages in an afternoon slot at Glastonbury with all the crowd singing along, talking of stages; shouts for play at Brighton Pride rang out at the end of the gig “Someone just call me” Betty exclaimed, so Brighton Pride organisers take note. The evening just had fun written all over it. The Green Door Store tonight, felt really warm and cosy, brighter lights, the images projected on to the wall, lots of nostalgia, and nostalgia is big these days. The line to meet and chat with Betty afterwards was long and not surprising considering how personable she was during the set, a non-stop set I should add, no breaks, with both Betty and Rita dancing, singing, chatting with the crowd, laughing and smiling, it really was a fine and lovely end to what was a busy week for me. Like a Boomerang, Boo is Back!
Betty Boo:
Betty Boo – vocals
MC Rita Campbell – backing vocals
Betty Boo setlist:
‘Boomerang’ (from 2022 ‘Boomerang’ album)
‘Hey DJ / I Can’t Dance (To That Music You’re Playing)’ (from 1990 ‘Boomania’ album)
‘(’Till My Last Breath) Doin’ It To Def’ (from 1990 ‘Boomania’ album)
‘808’ (from 2022 ‘Boomerang’ album)
‘Get Me To The Weekend’ (from 2022 ‘Boomerang’ album)
‘Shining Star’ (from 2022 ‘Boomerang’ album)
‘Barbarella’ (from 2024 ‘Rip Up The Rulebook’ album)
‘Hangover’ (from 1992 ‘Grrr! It’s Betty Boo’ album)
‘I’m On My Way’ (from 1992 ‘Grrr! It’s Betty Boo’ album)
‘Doin’ The Do’ (from 1990 ‘Boomania’ album)
‘Rip Up The Rulebook’ (from 2024 ‘Rip Up The Rulebook’ album)
‘Let Me Take You There’ (from 1992 ‘Grrr! It’s Betty Boo’ album)
‘Spotlight’ (from 2024 ‘Rip Up The Rulebook’ album)
‘Superstar’ (from 2022 ‘Boomerang’ album)
‘Stop Your Nonsense (Bubblegum Pop!)’ (from 2022 ‘Boomerang’ album)
‘Where Are You Baby’ (from 1990 ‘Boomania’ album)
‘Pure And Simple’ (Girl Thing cover)
(encore)
‘Doin’ The Do’ (from 1990 ‘Boomania’ album)
Support this evening and for the full tour came from Catlea. Catlea is a rising indie pop star originally from Cincinnati, USA, but I believe as of this year is now based in London. The singer-songwriter is known for their “charismatic stage presence and enchanting vocals, which deliver an infectious set of catchy, toe-tapping songs during energetic shows”. The music genre I would say is very varied, indie, electronic, dance, alternative, pop, rock. This year saw the release of Catlea’s debut album ‘Language Barrier’, whilst London has played host to many gigs, I did find that Catlea played at the Alternative Escape in Brighton back in May.
The vast bulk of this wonderful nine song, 43 minute set all came from Catlea’s recently released album ‘Language Barrier’. I was not sure if it was just going to be Catlea alone on stage, there were two microphones and no instruments set up, what with not being familiar with their music I was just going to have to wait and see. At 8pm, Catlea and a chap called Max Shirley came to the stage, Max with an electric guitar that was primed and ready to roll. With that a drum track kicked in Max’s guitar came to life and we were treated to ‘Why Them?’ a lively pop number, which had some in the crowd clapping along. I think the first thing that really struck me was what a voice Catlea has, very clear, great range and very pleasing to the ear. ‘Selfish’ came next, a song that started slow but built momentum and had you dancing along, but it was the lyrics that really struck me this time, so well thought out, honest and I imagine drawing from Catlea’s own experiences, they really resonate with the listener, mentally you start to imagine what is being told in your mind.
‘Breathe Away’ followed, Catlea told us it was the first song they (Catlea) wrote and released it when just 15 years old, it was about how not want to breath away memories, Catlea then told us every time when in Brighton and they see the beach, it reminds them of writing this song.
‘Like Me’ a slower number came next, but by heck, again the vocal range and reach, performed as if on a huge stage, breathtaking to hear. Following the song Catlea joked with the guitarist; “Max, I cannot play one more sad song, we’ve got to bring the energy up” and then introduced the next song with a story about a how they drew a picture of all the things that meant something in their relationship along with a playlist of songs for their boyfriend, and had no money, but a lot of thought had gone in to, his response was “thanks for the scraps of F’ing paper”, so Catlea continued that this song was for him. It was called ‘Brain’, despite the harsh reason for the subject matter, it was upbeat and again brilliant lyrics. Max was a bit more ferocious with guitar and more of the crowd were pulling in, shuffling closer to the stage. Catlea told us afterwards “It’s a new song in the set, and even though it is stripped down, I love it when I tell the story and hear all the audible gasps at what the ex-boyfriend said”.
Changing it up style wise, next came ‘Dime’, this one had almost a Spanish flamenco style to it with Catlea breaking into Spanish in segments of the song, possibly Catalan Spanish from time spent in Barcelona, but again this song demonstrates yet another string to Catlea’s bow.
‘Lying’ followed, which was not about cheating on your partner, but wishing you were, because they are the worst partner ever, “It’s a morally grey song” Catlea joked. Max had some great guitar solo’s during this, especially at the start, to which Catlea at the end made everyone look at him and applaud him, even referencing the said guitar solo. Max jokily instead of talking replied with little guitar ditties and riffs to everything said, prompting Catlea to say “This is obviously now going to become a thing and part of stage set”, which got a lot of laughs.
The next song ‘Someone’s Got To’ was introduced as a song of “No-one else is going to fix you, only you can help yourself”, so again another song coming from experiences and the heart, Catlea really was doing the full vocal range here.
The final song of the set was ‘Bones’, by this point the crowd really had been drawn in and right to the edge of the stage and had people dancing along, someone shouted play another 20 songs. It was a more upbeat and fun song to finish on, pushing us back into the pop territory, ending with some of those Mariah Carey style high vocals.
What I loved about this set was, Catlea was not phased whatsoever by the slow building crowd or the idiots that felt the need to talk at the back. Each song was introduced with stories or humour, there was interaction with the crowd and everything was delivered as if it were a huge venue. Oozing with stage presence and confidence, the voice, the lyrics and an awesome haircut, long, but undercut down one side and green on the other. Catlea really does have unbelievable talent and I think one day is going to be gracing big stages and getting plenty of radio airplay. The crazy thing was this set was stripped back, yet it seemed so full, distilled quality, it’s not often I am so blown away just talent like this, did I mention the voice! One to very much watch!
Catlea:
Catlea – vocals
Max Shirley – guitar
Catlea setlist:
‘Why Them?’ (from 2025 ‘Language Barrier’ album)
‘Selfish’ ((from 2025 ‘Language Barrier’ album)
‘Breathe Away’ (a 2019 single)
‘Like Me’ (from 2025 ‘Language Barrier’ album)
‘Brain’ (unreleased)
‘Dime’ (from 2025 ‘Language Barrier’ album)
‘Lying’ (from 2025 ‘Language Barrier’ album)
‘Someone’s Got To’ (unreleased)
‘Bones’ (from 2025 ‘Language Barrier’ album)
