Apphia Campbell brought her one woman show to the Greenwich Theatre and thrilled her audience with her powerful performance.

Black is the Color is a one woman show based on the life of Nina Simone where Apphia Campbell plays the role of Mena Bordeaux a singer trying to come to terms with the death of her father and reflecting on her career and the role her father played. It deals with a number of topics that have shaped her career including racism, domestic violence, rape, her relationship with her dad, love found and lost and the Civil Rights movement. Mena is a troubled woman trying to kick her cigarette and alcohol addictions. The performance starkly highlighted the emotional impact of all these troubles.

The show includes a number of songs made famous by Nina Simone. Apphia Campbell has a fantastic soulful singing voice which was at times accompanied by a backing track but often unaccompanied which enabled her to convey the emotion of her character.

My wife and I had already seen Apphia Campbell’s ‘Woke’ in Greenwich and felt compelled to return to see this production and its quality was just as high. Performing and acting solo for an hour cannot be at all easy but was made to look it. Apphia has such a good voice that she could, with a few breaks, become a renowned singer, similarly she is such a good actress that she could pursue an acting career. By combining the two she is in a league of her own. This was first class entertainment that I found very moving and thought provoking. Anyone who enjoys theatre and / or music should be thrilled by this performance.

It seems very fitting that in Black History month, Omar, a man who has made his mark in musical history for 35 years played to three sell out Hideaway audiences on consecutive nights.

Omar showed some of his versatility by not only singing but playing keyboard and, for the opener of the second set, piano. He was joined on most songs by Lex Cameron on keys, a guitar, bass and drum together with two backing vocalists, one of whom was his sister Samia. His brother Scratch Professor joined him for a couple of numbers.

Most of the songs were upbeat and for most of the second set he had a lot of the crowd up on their feet. Something he encouraged when he played his song ‘Dancing’. He finished with his most well-known song ‘There’s Nothing Like This’ which was first released back in 1985 before coming back for a deserved encore.

I have only recently (in the last eight years) become aware of most of Omar’s music but as so many of the artists I listen to speak of how he has influnced them, I have begun to appreciate what he has achieved and his music and will continue to appreciate his music.

An enjoyable night of music in a packed 606 club, one of London’s best small venues.

I knew very little about The Coalminers, apart from the fact that they played New Orleans funk, when I arrived. They played two long sets of funk laced with touches of rock ‘n roll, country, jazz and blues; embracing songs by amongst others Alan Toussaint, Hank Williams, Carole King, Fats Domino and Dusty Springfield. Rob Updegraff playing a Fender Telecaster that looked older than him and perhaps as old as me and Ben Somers playing a well used sax provided the heart of the funk sound ably supported by Arthur Lea on piano, Spencer Brown on bass and stand- in drummer John Lees (not the BJH man)!  The vocals were provided by Somers, Tommy Hare and Sumudu.

Hare arrived with a massive reputation and this six foot six giant did not live up to my expectations. In the first set I found his vocal barely audible, it was slightly stronger in the second set but still not nearly as strong as the other vocalists, I’m not sure why this was. Sumudu was superb, as the proud owner of her excellent 2011 album ‘Waiting For You’ , I had high expectations of her too and she delivered. She may be small in stature but she has a strong clear voice. I particular liked her version of ‘ Natural Woman’ which was more reminiscent of Carole King’s original rather than the iconic Aretha cover, her version of Dusty Springfields ‘ Son of a Preacher Man’ was excellent too. Ben Somers vocals were strong too.

The performance ended at 12:30 a.m. which meant that half the audience had already left, this denied the band the ovation they deserved.

Jeff Lynne’s ELO thrilled a packed house with a selection of their songs spanning Jeff’s 40+ years in the music business.

At 4:30 p.m. I was looking forward to a quiet evening in. Then came the call from my wife that she had been given two free tickets for the show. I am familiar with ELO’s hit singles from the 70’s and 80’s but I have never been a big enough fan to see them live or buy any of their records. So I travelled to the O² with limited expectations.

There was much to admire in the musicianship throughout the evening. With at times four guitars, three keyboards, drums, bass, two cellos and a violin to blend the musical director did well, though for me the mix worked far better on some songs rather than others. They played all the hits that I could remember and a few more. The stand out for me was their closer which was ‘Mr Blue Sky’, opening with the strings leading to a spectacular arrangement. It would have been good if the show had finished there because they encored with ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ which, when you’ve been listening to live music for close to fifty years, you’ve heard countless versions and although it was not bad, it did nothing to stand out from the rest.

I have no regrets that I attended, although I remembered why I have cut down my visits to O².  That is because I find the constant traffic of audience members crossing my eyeline as they go for either drinks or visits to the washrooms. In the smaller venues the audience has lots of respect for the performers and fellow members and they stay put, this is certainly not the case here.

I very much doubt if I would want to see ELO perform again, once is enough for me.

A sell –out audience packed Pizza Express in Soho to witness Acantha Lang’s debut at the venue, the performance that she delivered was worthy of a much larger venue.

My wife and I first saw Acantha perform when she made a cameo appearance on October 22^nd  2017 at the 606 club during a Wayne Hernandez performance.  She only sang one song but it was enough to make us realise that she was a very talented singer, before this show we had seen Acantha perform six times.

Acantha was born and raised in New Orleans and having spent time in New York she is now based in London. (Great news for the UK!) Her music is a mixture of Blues and Soul with a hint of jazz and a few other genres. The New Orleans influence is there too with an outstanding brass section within her band. (Dave and Ricky Mian)

The small venue music circuit is full of very talented artists, I would rate Acantha as one of the very best. Acantha has a great voice, is an excellent song-writer and is a charismatic performer with some sass. The combination of these talents ensures that every performance is of high quality

The show opened with ‘Voodoo Woman’ which set the standard for the night. The two sets were a mixture of covers and Acantha’s own songs including at least two that she has not performed in public before.

The passing and loss of Aretha Franklin was remembered with a first set rendition of ‘Angel’ which was followed in the second by renditions of ‘Daydreamin’, ‘I say a little prayer’ and ‘The House That Jack Built’. Acantha used Janette Mason’s ‘D’ranged’ version of ‘I Say a Little Prayer’ and the result was stunning.

Acantha sang many of her own songs, all of which were superb. Generally her songs have positive messages like ‘Keep On’ which urges us all to persevere.   My personal favourite is ‘Breathe’, one of the slowest songs of the night which I always find very moving, it is my favourite new 2018 song written by anyone. One of the new self-penned songs was ‘Lois Lang’ which was written for Acantha’s Mum who was in the audience watching her in London for the first time.  Acantha said that having her Mum in the audience made her more nervous than normal, it did not show, I feel sure that Mum was very proud. The song had a humorous side with Superman references made.

Acantha closed the first set with her own ‘Ride This Train’ and the second with ‘Mighty Mighty’. We all certainly had a ball and I feel sure that those riding Acantha’s train for the first time will be riding the train all over again. Acantha was supported by a great band featuring Emlyn Francis on guitar, the Mian brothers, keyboards, bass and Mike Horne on drums together with two backing singers.

Any lover of good music should go and see Acantha perform, she is super talented. I am certainly looking forward to the next time.

Crazy Sexy Coool’s Gospel Blues show has become a must see every other Sunday, the quality has now reached such a high level that it has now plateaued.

This week’s line up featured Daniel Thomas, Samantha-Antoinette Smith and Yolanda Greaves all of whom had performed at the same venue two nights earlier as half of the Powerhouse Choir.  They were joined on stage by Jason Thompson (keyboard and musical director), John Jackson (drums), Kenny Barry (guitar) and Chris Brown (Bass). Jason and John had also played with the Powerhouse Choir.

The group opened with ‘Oh Happy Day’ before the singers took turns in taking lead vocals. Samantha-Antoinette has one of the most powerful voices I’ve heard, for me her best vocal of the afternoon was on ‘St. James Infirmary’ a jazz song made famous by Louis Armstrong in the 1920’s. It did not move me as much as Samantha’s rendition of ‘Go Down Moses’ two weeks ago but it was still moving. Daniel was in great form and I was moved by his improvisation, especially when singing ‘Grandma’s Hands’ when he imagined what his Grandma would be saying to him as she looked down from above. I imagine he made her immensely proud. Yolanda, who was singing at Gospel Blues for the first time, excelled when closing the first set with ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’.

This was our fifth Gospel Blues show and the quality of the singers and musicians is first class, the music has become more Gospel and Blues over time. The audiences have grown and are now close to full. Daniel Thomas leads the show and his improvisation and the chemistry between him and the different singers are the factors that make an already great show even better. I don’t know how Ovie of Crazy Sexy Coool recruits the singers but he has found some fantastic vocalists, who rather than compete just feed off of each other. My wife and I will miss the next show but we will keep coming back in November and December.

When a choir includes the word powerhouse in its title, expectations become higher. The Powerhouse Choir lived up to this expectation.

The choir consisted of six singers: T Jae Cole, Daniel Thomas, Samantha-Antoinette Smith, Yolanda Greaves, Ruby Rose and another whose name I did not catch. Their singing was strong with some beautiful harmonies. Once again Samantha mesmerised Pizza Express with her powerful emotive voice, firstly on ‘Wade in the Water’ and later with the opening verse of ‘Amazing Grace’. Daniel gripped us with a heartfelt song the opened the second set and Yolanda gave us a strong rendition of Emeli Sande’s ‘Breathing Under Water’. All the singers did exceptionally well. I particularly liked their version of Kirk Franklin’s ‘My Life, My Love, My All’. The singers were supported by a strong band led by Jason Thompson on keys.

The only downside was that the performance was too short, two fifty minute sets, the venue appeared to have imposed a strict 10:30 curfew however that aside, it was a wonderful evening and we will certainly see them perform again if the opportunity arises.

Cynthia Erivo is one of the most talented British born actress / singer / song-writer there has ever been. She is currently based in the USA which has been quick to embrace and recognise her talent but is barely recognised here in the UK, hopefully that will change shortly as she starts to appear in a number of films.

I vividly remember 3^rd May 2010. My wife and I travelled to the Indigo in Greenwich to see Fantasia, we were held up in traffic on the A2 and as we ascended the stairs to our seats in the auditorium, a huge voice stopped me in my tracks singing Beyonce’s ‘Sweet Dreams’, I turned round to see the diminutive figure of a young woman. I did not know who she was until the MC asked her and she proceeded to sing the letters of her name. I predicted that she would be a star one day and unlike other predictions, this one came true.

I have subsequently seen her perform as a supporting artist once, as a headline performer 3 times, singing with Scott Alan once and in four musicals.

Cynthia’s big break came when she took the lead role in the Broadway production of ‘The Color Purple’ which led to her winning a Tony, a Grammy and an Emmy. She only needs an Oscar to complete the EGOT, a feat only achieved by 15 people.

Cynthia has one of the greatest voices I have ever heard and what makes her special is the way that she connects to every song she sings. When she sang ‘I’m here’ playing Celie in The Color Purple at the Menier Chocolate Factory there were few dry eyes in the house and the song received an instant standing ovation.

Those of us who have been touched by her singing always return for more, I remember a sell-out audience patiently waiting in the pouring rain outside of Shoreditch Town Hall in January last year.

As a busy actress and singer, I imagine that song-writing is not a priority in Cynthia’s life but her song ‘Fly Before You Fall’ was featured in the film ‘Beyond the Lights’ and demonstrates that it is another of her talents.

I am not a regular cinema goer but will certainly find the time to watch Cynthia in ‘Bad Times at the El Royale’ and ‘Widows’ and I am told there are another three films in which Cynthia has a leading role.

If you love music then listen to Cynthia singing ‘I’m Here’, ‘Fly Before You Fall’, ‘At All’ or ‘Jump’ or in fact any song she has recorded.

Hopefully one day very soon Britain will fully embrace and recognise Cynthia’s talent.

This was a nostalgic night as 47 years after their ground-breaking concert in Edmonton, Alberta, Procol Harum once again joined with orchestra and choir to thrill their London Palladium audience.

It is 51 years since I first heard Procol Harum’s hit single ‘Whiter Shade of Pale’, this started my interest in what soon became known as Progressive Rock.  I last saw them perform live 45 years ago. Only Gary Brooker remains from the line-up that I saw all those years ago. In 2018 he was joined by Geoff Whitehorn (Guitar), Matt Pegg (Bass), Josh Phillips (Organ) and Geoff Dunn (Drums), together with a full orchestra and the English Chamber Choir.

The show started at with Conquistador and ended over two and a half hours later with a repeat of the same song. During their two sets they played every track from the ‘Live at Edmonton’ album and many more.

My favourite songs from the night were A Salty Dog, Whaling Stories and ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’.

I have seen several Rock bands perform with orchestras and choirs and some have worked better than others, this was certainly one of the best.

I was not familiar with any of their recent material but it sat well with their classics that I remembered well even though I had not listened to some of them in a very long time. The only certainty for the future is that I will not be seeing them in 45 years time!

Louise Clare Marshall and the Brethren gave an uplifting and highly entertaining performance which showcased Louise’s multi talents and versatility and the talent within the band. This is yet another great gig hosted by Pizza Express in Holborn.

Louise is best known for being a member of Jools Holland’s touring company, however she is an accomplished solo performer. My wife and I first saw Louise perform solo at Hideaway, Streatham back in May 2010 and this was the eighth time we have seen her as a solo artist. It has been fun seeing her development over this period. Louise is not only a fine vocalist but has written several high quality songs and is a good pianist.

Last night’s show open with two of Louise’s own songs from her second album ‘Beautiful’. The opener was an up temp number performed with the full band, the second the title track from the album, a slower number which featured Louise on piano. The songs over the evening embraced a number of genres, Soul, RnB, Jazz, Rock and Reggae. The majority of the songs were self-penned but there were covers of songs made famous by the likes of Candi Staton, Ray Charles, Al Green, Diana Ross and Aretha Franklin.

The band featured four very talented musicians. Frank Tontoh on drums (who we had last seen on the West End stage performing in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill), Winston Baptiste on Bass, Luke Smith on Keys and Dave Ital on guitar). They were all given opportunities to display their talents throughout the evening.

Briefly in the second set the band left the stage whilst Louise performed ‘Wait For You’ the title track from her first album and the first song that she wrote. Still without the band Louise then performed Paper Planes (a cover of the song sung by Hoseah Partsch) with her eleven year old daughter, which must have been a wonderful experience for them both (it certainly was for the audience). When the band returned she performed with her sister Melanie, who remained on stage until the end. The show closed with a reggae version of ‘Chain Reaction’ and not surprisingly Louise was called back for an encore which was her version of Aretha’s Rock Steady (one of the songs that Aretha wrote for herself).

At the beginning we were told that there would be two sets of 45 minutes, the first only slightly overran but we were treated to a second set which lasted more than 75 minutes.

We arrived with high expectations and Louise did not let us down. If you have the opportunity I would recommend that you go and enjoy her music.