By Community Correspondent Chris Lynch Hundreds turned up to hear 364 talented and inspiring young children perform a modern adaptation of typical Viking life, ‘Go, Lightning Vikings’, as children from thirteen schools recounted Viking life in a show packed with comedy, wit, and absolute absurdity!

Supported by a live band of piano, guitar and drums, the performance combined the genres of rock, pop, opera, disco and Latin in a hilarious, charming and compelling extravaganza. The story followed the Viking king Olaf-you-for-breakfast-son as he ordered his Viking community to stop living side-by-side in perfect peace and harmony and instead engage in the traditional Viking way of making your fortune: looting and pillaging! However, when two men under Olaf’s brutal regime failed to gather enough money, beautiful singer Helga seized the opportunity to chase her dream of adventure and glory. However, as King Olaf, would you encourage Helga’s revolutionary, unacceptable behaviour?

The writers of the piece, Richard and Thomas Allain, have yet again effectively concocted a highly successful and entertaining combination of cultural jokes, thoughtful and energetic lyrics with beautiful, rich melodies, and a fantastic story for the audience to follow that provides a truly unique insight into life in Viking culture.

The children worked incredibly hard and their hard practice certainly paid off; the concert was both well-attended and produced a fantastic sound, with a collective choir of over 360 young members performing in total harmony and in an assured sense of style to produce a powerful and memorable experience for the audience.