Nate Simpson – Pizza Express Holborn 13/08/2019

Nate Simpson gave an outstanding vocal performance to the delight of his Pizza Express audience.
My wife and I went to see Nate knowing very little about him or his music. As a result our expectations were not high, we were pleasantly surprised to find that Nate has a wonderful voice, a charismatic personality and gave a memorable performance.
Nate opened the show with the upbeat Motown classic ‘Ain’t That Peculiar’ which was made famous by Marvin Gaye. Throughout the evening, Nate sang songs which have influenced him to become the performer he is.
In the first set there were many highlights. These included two breath-taking versions of Marvin Gaye / Tammi Terrell duets ‘Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing’ and ‘You’re All I Need ‘ sung with Natalie Kassanga (who starred in Motown The Musical, in the West End) with help from backing vocalist Sara. There was a wonderful version of John Lennon’s ‘Jealous Guy’ performed with the fantastic Michael Duke whose voice has an amazing range and beautiful tone. There were also great versions of Donny Hathaway’s ‘For All We Know’ and P J Morton’s ‘Sticking To my Guns’.
The second set continued where the first set left off with more superb performances. The stand out song of the night for me was a stunning, heartfelt version of Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’. which showcased Nate’s vocal ability. Other outstanding performances were Elton John’s ‘Benny And The Jets’ and Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition’.
The show ended with Nate being joined on stage with all of his guests (Michael Duke, Natalie Kassanga and Anelisa Lamola) and several members of the cast of Motown The Musical who were in the audience. They all sang Michael Jackson’s ‘Rock With You’.
This was a highly enjoyable evening and we will certainly be seeing Nate perform again when the opportunity arises.