This week’s episode of Queen the Greatest Live continues examining the band’s flamboyant stage wear. As usual, Freddie Mercury is centre-stage in footage this time taken from Christmas Eve 1975. The band had just released their fourth studio album A Night At The Opera and Bohemian Rhapsody was in the middle of its record-breaking nine week run at UK No 1. This Ogre Battle clip is taken from the band’s historic concert in front of 5000 people at London’s Hammersmith Odeon – a show that was broadcast live for BBC TV and Radio.
A statement from Queen reads: “Performing beneath an elaborate lighting rig that bathed the stage in a ghoulish green glow, the band also pushed the sartorial envelope, with Freddie leading the lineup in a Wendy DeSmet-designed white satin catsuit and Brian’s beloved Zandra Rhodes winged cape amplifying the physicality of his playing. Look closely and you’ll see Freddie had even painted the nails of his left-hand black for the show, offset by Brian painting his own nails white.
“As Brian explained in last week’s interview, this striking use of monochrome effects was an integral part of the show. ‘The black and white stuff we got into – it’s all designed to be dramatic. It’s designed to accentuate our movements and accentuate the moods of the songs.’”
