Prince LIVES!

The Grammy Award winning Purple Rain singer recently revealed his plans to perform one-of-a-kind concerts in iconic music venues around the capital. What better way to do that, than in Lianne La Havas' flat, Croydon?

As unorthodox as he is, Prince did not announce the venues in a press conference, but just started his tour without any promotion, as guerrilla marketing makes a comeback a trend amongst A list entertainers.

Leaving work at 6pm, not deterred by the Tube strike, I snuck in behind the early birds at the doors of Electric Ballroom, Camden at waited for a mere 40 mins amongst fans that had been there since midday. Easy as pie and £10 later, I calmly walked through the door and RAN to the stage. Front row, but eventually shoved slightly stage left, it sunk in: I am actually going to see Prince perform LIVE! *internal scream*

  

His group, precision-built heavy rock band, 3RDEYEGIRL, introduced him with a funk melody and Prince bounced on to the stage, grabbed the mic and addressed the audience: "Let's get crazy London!"

With the venue holding a capacity of only 100 people, each person could see the curl in his 'fro, moisturised with unadulterated funk. 

His first performance of Let's Get Crazy set the tone of the intimate gig, not doing the well-known classics of the 80's and 90's but what was a treat for die-hard Prince fans. All of the new material is incredible and sounds as rich as any of the many life-punctuating tracks that led us here. In saying this, this was the perfect exposure for 3RDEYEGIRL. Armed with electric guitars and a three piece drum set, the ladies almost on their knees, they (almost!) manage to play Prince off the stage with virtuosity. Rockin' and literally rolling over the stage, this new creative relationship seems to be paying dividends for everyone, as every second of tonight’s set erupts and implodes perfectly. There were many moments when you could really hear the Hendrix influence come to the front in both the tone of the guitar and the way lead lines stretched into the ether.

Unfortunately, I was unable to take pictures, as security made it their life's aim to confiscate all recording devices and promptly remove anyone from the venue that dared breach. 

There are many reasons why Prince is a musical LEGEND, royal by name, he plays a surplus of instruments, performs in octaves the greats could only admire and his penmanship to craft timeless, life-changing music is second-to-none. To further emphasise this, he threw carelessly handed his guitar to an unsuspecting audience member while he went to rock the keys. Who does that?

In his two hour sets my favourites were: Something in the Water, Play That Funky Music, Housequake and I Would Die for You.

But, as I am fully aware, you have NOT lived until you have heard the man himself sing Purple Rain - and that he did!

My guess is that he'll play Ronnie Scott's, The 02 Brixton Academy, Roundhouse and maybe even Jazz Cafe?

Reign on!

The Bodyguard

The Bodyguard made an extravagant entrance on the Adelphi Theatre stage when I caught Beverley Knight and newcomer, Tristan Gemmill take the lead in the West End musical.

 


Bright lights sharply introduced the matinee  Queen of the Night, startling the audience into a state of awe as Beverley Knight began to showcase Thea Sharrock's rendition of the 1992 thriller romance film.|

Gemmill made a superb transition from screen to stage and proved himself in his strong-and-silent type role,“ I have the best job in the world,” says Tristan. "It’s an honour to stand there opposite her and just watch and listen.”  allowing Beverley to fully shine in the limelight.

The West End performance adapted the original storyline to develop and explore the main character's relationship with her family, especially her sister, Nicki, which accentuated Rachel's spoilt personality in a subtle manner, complimented by the use of dramatic levels and clever sophoclean irony.

Knight's voice was no surprise, crafted in the gospel choirs of Wolverhampton, with more than two decades experience of selling millions of records, it was almost as if her diaphragm was a blood relation to Houston herself; however, the issue remains that when you hear a Whitney song, you expecting Whitney riffs. Heather Headley was originally cast for the West End show and I wonder if she would have tackled it in the same way. Knight has a huge voice, astounding, in comparison to her small frame but at times I was disappointed that Whitney riffs were missed, but my gosh - can that woman belt! Her vocal performance was very polished and not a note out of place. I'm sure it would have been fantastic if there was a live band - Oh, I relish at the thought! 

Call me harsh critic, as this is may be reminiscent of my Thriller review, but the dancing... was not worthy.
In a performance, an audience member should be able to take a picture in mid-routine with each dancer captured in the exact same position as the next. Even from as far up as I was, there were dancers that were two beats behind and it hurt my eyes, not to mention my soul.

An impressive element of this production was the set design, props to Tim Hatley (symbol clash). The traverse-like settings for the club scenes and the cabin scenes in the beautifully crafted and detailed house were phenomenal. There was almost no design budget in sight - so it was most definitely a highlight for me! The stalker scenes were tasteful and dramatically effective. The artistic elements and use of strobe lighting with a mix of slow motion lighting heightened the tension perfectly.

Although i'm not a fan of American accents in West End shows, especially if it supposed to be a thick east coast accent that sounds like it's from New Orleans, but it the set really superseded all elements of dislike. Another highlight was the set of Knight's One Moment in Time performance! The use of lights that perfectly reflected off her carefully selected sequin lights was atmospheric! I sat in my upper circle seat and took in every single ounce of awesomeness that was there for me to be engulfed in. Then Knight got everyone on their feet for I Wanna Dance With Somebody, ready and in place for a well deserved standing ovation for the everyone involved.

Thriller Live...Dangerous For Your Eyes

Abba, Queen and Jersey Boys fade behind the curtain for the King of Pop to moonwalk into the West End stage spotlight...

...And falls flat.

As I took my seat in the Lyric Theatre, I was vastly underwhelmed by lack of brilliance I had paid to see. An hour beforehand, I prepared myself to see Michael Jackson's life in music, highlighted by the big achievements that carved him in to the Hall of Fame. However, the high-school-music-production masquerading as an award winning musical was a mere tribute by actors that were directed by a person that clearly was not enthused by Jackson's passion (which is really no surprise as Producer Adrian Grant was a simple a Jackson fan who started his career by staging tribute shows).

The show opens with a showcase form the Jackson 5 with a young Michael, backed by his brothers in a retro, 70's performance of all the classic hits including I Want You Back  and ABC, an opening that sets the tone of the show. Very "Ahh that's nice! *Smile*Prod-mum-nod*light round of applause."

What also cremated the show was the cheese-loving museum tour guide narrator that felt it necessary to chime in with countless reminders of how many units Dangerous sold in 1991 as though the five ft LED screen failed to catch our attention with the neon flashing figures. 

As a former professionally trained dancer, I take this expression of art seriously. Additionally as a human being, I take Michael Jackson impersonators to heart - I mean, it actually hurts, so the combination of the two for the most part was a catastrophe in a pair of metal taps. Although the technical choreography of the performances were satisfactory with Smooth Criminal being a highlight,  it was the lack of passion that outshone the big red title sign. The lack of life hanging on the edge of the arm and the unpointed toes and unstraight legs in the chorus of Beat It was abysmal and will make you personally want to get out your seat and show them how it's done.

However amongst the concrete if you look hard enough you will find roses, and it was the actors that bloomed through the production. The young Michael promises to be a rising star and female lead Samantha Johnson carried the show in her own right. Her mid alto and soprano rendition of The Way You Make Me Feel and I Just Cant Stop Loving You were attention grabbing and literally show saving.

It confirms that not everyone can do Michael Jackson, just leave him alone.

'Ye & Jay go H.A.M in the 02

Hip-hop heavyweights brought the heat to the 02 Arena with a 5 day date for Watch the Throne.

The first stint of their European tour saw an epic 2 hour+ experience blazing up London city. 

With no opening acts, their first performance introduced what they came to do. Rising from the ground on illuminated cubes either side of the Arena, Kanye West and Jay Z squared up with the audience 20 ft. in to the air. 

After the orchestral grand-opening, repeated bursts of flames and lasers filled the Arena and predators came onto the screen and welcomed you into the Jungle.

West and Jay Z both wore all black and 'Ye rocked a black cone studded T-shirt that gave me LIFE! I wanted that T-shirt! But what was not to be missed was their big ass chains that could be seen a mile off!

As I've said before, West is a real performer and he didn't disappoint - jumping around, arms waving off the stage - I was actually expecting him to fall of the stage and end up crowd surfing. 

Alone, and as a pair, they performed back catalogues, including All Falls Down, Big Pimpin', IZZO and Power. 'Ye's energy is unbeatable by far, but Jay Z's confidence was comfortable, nothing could stop the powerhouse.

"If this is your first concert, it's all downhill from here! Ha-ha" - West 

My favourite tracks performed were Who Gon' Stop Me, Otis, 99 Problems and all the Jackson interludes. I never knew how much Jay Z songs I knew, I felt Brooklyn-born schunn - I wanted to jump on stage and rap right next to them.

The show was unbelievable and they knew how to work the crowd, N****ga's in Paris reloaded 6 times and each time the audience got more and more hyped. The atmosphere was outstanding, the crowd were hysterical and the show was SOLD OUT. 

BEST HIP HOP CONCERT!

The ORIGINAL Ms. Hill

YES! I doubted Lauryn Hill's return and lived to sallow my pride and my words. I heard she was real dope. I avoided Twitter for most of the night as there were constant tweets from the Indig02.

I sat in my house kicking myself, wishing that I didn't wait til the last hour to get tickets, so I guess I didn't really doubt her!


Just to make me feel better... or even worse - the clips from the Indig02 14th April 2012, Lauryn Hill.

Sh*t, Damn, D'Angelo...

After his twelve year hititus, fans eagerly waited for his two night show at the Brixton 02 Academy. Ques stretched around the venue, starting behind people who had been outside in the minus temperatures from 1pm that day in order to get the top spot.

Even the most cynical of fans doubted he would come back reminiscent of the Voodoo guy we once knew, but the soul sensation who changed the game back in 1995 came with one thing to prove.


The stage was equipped with a full drum kit for Chris Dave, two backing vocalists, one multi-keyboard player, three guitarists, the lead one being Jesse Johnson of Prince and The Time, Pino Palladino and an additional one for the man himself.

Looking like Jimmy Hendrix from where I was sitting, which was FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR, he was on the stage with some uncombed hair, leather jacket (which he did take off to reveal those rather firm biceps) and these... these baggy, trouser/pant combustion which was just beyond me!


Before he got on stage the crowd were sweating with anticipation, giving a stand ovation five minutes before he even got to the stage. And after that first note.... sighs and cheers of relief to hear that D'Angelo's still got it!  Some women,  people may have set their visual standards too high expecting him to come out with his shirt off and make the "gained weight" gossips eat their words (pun intended), but he's not 21 any more!
But he is the talented, multi-instrumental singer/songwriter that we remember. He still has the Barry baritones and the Prince falsettos and opened the show with his new music.


Now, this was not the concert of D'Angelo: Live at the Jazz Cafe album I was hoping for, but this was D'Angelo revamping himself and being a aggressor of the blues/funk era. With his iconic band member firmly planted in that genre and being blossomed from Minneapolis they FUNKED UP the venue! They had people dancing, not one seat was sat on for the first hour of his performance and for his cover of Parliement's I've Been Watching You.


What he did, and his talent was immense to say the least, BUT... he was tooo self indulgent. In trying exhort all the funk and the Prince-like elements of his music, he didnt give the audience what they wanted enough, with many leaving before his unoriginal version of Brown Sugar!!! YOU CARRRRNT DO THAT! One of his most iconic tunes, you have do a version that equates the tone of the original- at least at the beginning, especially as it was the finale show, causing many leave dissapointed without staying for the encore. 

If he incorporated his signature sound with his specialised band, I'm sure it would have been more than welcomed to experiment with the arrangements and be a side of Prince with an undertone of Rick James if that's what he wants to be these days. But as it's so rare for people to see him, he needs to remind them with a just a few tastes of why they bought the tickets playing things a bit like they were, especially if he wants to bond with a fan base for any new music coming. 


In saying that, his 15 minute keyboard solo set was stunning. Almost worth it in itself. But you heard the reaction to the way too short snippet of How Does It Feel...the roof lifted off!!! And with only a verse and a half of Crusin', can you imagine if he did just that one song with the full band...the crowd would have gone home happy securing his legend status and he could have played rock funk for the rest of the set. Instead many didn't get what they came for.


Personally, I thought it was a tad selfish to pull a whole concert like that when you take so long to do a concert. If you went to for the soul, i hope you had a seated ticket. But if funk is your thing, make sure you get one of those tickets at the door for tonight! 

Grammy Award Winning Legends: Boyz II Men

Saturday 28th January saw the record breaking, most successful R&B group of all time grace the stage of the Brixton Carling Academy, Brixton.
Fans of all ages and all nationalities qued around the block, down the road and along the back roads to get the best unreserved seat for their one night performance.
Recognisably quoted as the Most Successful musical group of the 1990's by Billboard, Boyz II Men opened the show in true 90's style: black trousers, white shirts, waistcoats and black ties with nothing but a mic and a chair each.

As much as I love Boyz II Men, I was disappointed at the lack of production for their gig. There were no instruments, no on stage production, no live band :( Just singing to a backing track.
In saying that, this is Boyz II Men, the group to have the longest number one of 14 weeks on the US Bilboard Charts, so they have their voices to compensate.
The crowd didn't mind AT ALL, with Shawn Stockman as their "spokesman" for the night, Boyz II Men were able to connect with audience show their appreciation, even though the crowd's roar were too loud for the group to hear the music through their ear mics. With that being said, I can see how that would have caused a problem for the mediocre cats in the industry today, but they encouraged the jungle of cheers and continued to harmonise perfectly.

Best known for their soulful ballads and a cappella harmonies, romance filled the air as they performed ground breaking classics such as, I'll Make Love To You, On Bended Knee, Doing Just Fine, Four Seasons of Loneliness, End of The Road  and covering Take That's Back For Good pitch perfect. They also tributed their signing namesake Motown and showcased songs from their 2007 album Hitsville USA, covering the Four Tops I'll Be There/Reach Out and Barrett Strong's Money (That's What I Want). 


Boyz II Men delighted the crowd, explaining the release of their new album, signifying "20" years in the business, performing new tracks and handing out long steamed roses to the audience before running(man)  into I Can't Let Her Go and my favourite Motownphilly. 


With every seat and isle of the Brixton Academy packed with loyal fans, each person left grudgingly left with satisfaction and some even left with personalized gifts from them....