Given his name, The Duke of Croons is, appropriately, a staple of Crooner’s Corner at this year’s festival (though he also pops up in Mavericks – the late-night Cabaret venue across the bridge in Bella’s Field). But who is he? Fans of the Stranglers will recognise him as Paul Roberts – frontman of the iconic band from 1990 to 2006.
Roberts has a history with swing – in 2010 he performed as Frank Sinatra in the stage show Alive & Swinging, so it isn’t as surprising as you might think to find the Duke in Crooners Corner.
And, as with Mama Tokus, the Duke is combining his vocal talents with a little comic verve to draw passing audience members in, curating a respectable crowd at his swinging set. He refuses to let the small riser restrict him – weaving among the audience as he sings hits like Come Fly With Me and Something’ Stupid, dancing with audience members as he goes.
The festival fashion trend increasingly involves football jerseys – to the point that the festival has released its own football shirt, created by Adidas, for this year. Spotting the sea of jerseys the Duke enquires: ‘any Fulham fans in the audience?’ mid-song.
We get a box step lesson part way through to help us dance appropriately as he launches in Fly Me to the Moon and he can’t help but let the comedy bleed into the actual performance as, during a wonderful take on Beyond the Sea, adding ‘and two veg’ after singing the words ‘we’ll meet.’
