“Mixtape Rewind is not cool,” said DJ Cheddar, the warm-up act, preparing the audience for Friday evening’s Mixtape Rewind concert at Dubai’s Emirates Golf Club that featured three of the leading lights of 1990s pop.
The Irish girl band B*Witched began with a breakbeat, which drew murmurs of confusion from the audience. Reassuringly, though, a cod Irish fiddle solo joined in and the group opened with C'est la Vie, which, given the depth of the band's oeuvre, was bold.
Mid-set, they brought on new material – uninspired electropop that borrowed from – or, perhaps, gratuitously pilfered – Kelly Clarkson circa Since U Been Gone. These tracks were not warmly received. B*Witched closed with Weatherman.
Next up was 5ive. Or, more accurately, thr3e, given that two members have moved on to other things. 5ive have a surprisingly memorable back catalogue. While Slam Dunk Da Funk appropriated the slap bassline of many a more complex song, their cover of We Will Rock You added nothing to the original, but Got the Feelin' did at least boast a few numerical puns.
Their closer Everybody Get Up was well received. I had forgotten about the pre-Eminem white-boy rapping, which was endearingly inoffensive.
Boy bands have changed since the 90s, skewing younger in a bid to more closely match their target demographic. For better or worse, 5ive provided the aural wallpapering for many childhoods. Like childhood, most grow out of it.
The night's headliner Peter Andre was a natural entertainer. I am not ashamed to admit to watching several episodes of his reality television show Peter Andre: My Life, in which the Aussie feigns spontaneous emotional reactions to updates about the love life of his former wife, Katie Price. Though his falsetto was weak, his choreography and energy were adequate compensation. And Andre can dance.
He quickly dispensed with much of his back catalogue in a medley, during which he helpfully signposted the songs’ titles and UK chart ratings.
He then returned to his calling: Michael Jackson covers. Much of his stage time was spent imitating MJ’s dance moves.
In the middle of his set, he ushered a nervous couple and a large group of friends onto the stage, before introducing us to Louis, who proposed to his girlfriend. The crowd cheered. Andre toasted the couple with Mysterious Girl. I was moved.
abouyamourn@thenational.ae
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
more from Janine di Giovanni
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
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'The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'
Director:Michael Lehmann
Stars:Kristen Bell
Rating: 1/5
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
At a glance
- 20,000 new jobs for Emiratis over three years
- Dh300 million set aside to train 18,000 jobseekers in new skills
- Managerial jobs in government restricted to Emiratis
- Emiratis to get priority for 160 types of job in private sector
- Portion of VAT revenues will fund more graduate programmes
- 8,000 Emirati graduates to do 6-12 month replacements in public or private sector on a Dh10,000 monthly wage - 40 per cent of which will be paid by government
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%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20S%20Frederick%20Starr%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Oxford%20University%20Press%3Cbr%3EPages%3A%20290%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20January%2024%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
