The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Show reviews
  • Music
    • Live music
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureMusicLive music

Gregory Porter at the Royal Albert Hall

Gregory Porter at the Royal Albert Hall | Live review
5 April 2016
Catherine Sedgwick
Avatar
Catherine Sedgwick
5 April 2016

Music review

Catherine Sedgwick

Gregory Porter at the Royal Albert Hall

★★★★★

Highlights

Hey Laura, Take Me to the Alley

Links

Twitter Facebook Soundcloud Website

Grammy-winning Gregory Porter’s remarkable, smooth baritone voice elicited eruptions of cheers at an incredibly animated Royal Albert Hall, kicking off 90 minutes of mesmerising and uplifting bluesy jazz and vintage soul renditions. Sometimes reminiscent of Lou Rawls, the Temptations or Marvin Gaye, the set included songs from Porter’s four albums, Water, Be Good, Liquid Spirit and his latest, Take Me to the Alley.

Porter mesmerised his crowd as he crooned the soulful Holding On from his new album. He also introduced the benevolent, haunting ballad, Take Me to the Alley (“This is about the dark places, the lonely places…”), paying homage to the lonely and the down and out: ”Let them hear me say I am your friend…rest here in my arms…”.

The auditorium sang along to On My Way to Harlem, an upbeat, jazzy piece about the singer’s roots, with an amazing sax solo, and No Love Dying about saving a bird with a broken wing: “There will be no love dying here for me”. Musical Genocide was also welcomed with huge applause; the lively Liquid Spirit had everyone clapping, the arena filled with exhilarating energy.

1960 What?, about the Detroit riots and Martin Luther King’s death in the 1960s, was a powerfully performed piece with trumpet and saxophone: “There was a man, voice of the people. Standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. Shots rang out, it was a gun. He was the only one to fall down…” Also included in the set were beautiful romantic ballad, Hey Laura, the gentle, bluesy Be Good, and a fantastic rendition of Papa Was a Rolling Stone, by the Temptations. The band excelled also, each instrument featuring a remarkable solo.

Gregory Porter’s mutual love affair with his fans infused the Royal Albert Hall with emotion. A woman cried out “I love you”, to which he responded “Thank you dear ones”. With ongoing audience interaction, he tenderly joked to a latecomer “You’re late, those socks are quite loud and red, but you look sharp”.

Gregory Porter’s lyrics are about benevolence toward victims of injustice, the unhappy, the forsaken. His message is about compassion. This was an uplifting, extraordinary show. Porter is without doubt the next great jazz vocalist of our time.

★★★★★

Catherine Sedgwick
Photos: Bruno Bollaert

For further information about Gregory Porter and future events visit here.

Watch the video for 20/20 here:

Please accept YouTube cookies to play this video. By accepting you will be accessing content from YouTube, a service provided by an external third party.

YouTube privacy policy

If you accept this notice, your choice will be saved and the page will refresh.

Related Itemsfeaturedlive musicreview

More in Live music

South Facing Festival: Jungle bring their signature neo-funk to Saturday night

★★★★★
Jessica Wall
Read More

Patti Smith at the London Palladium

★★★★★
Jennifer Sanin
Read More

The Libertines at Wembley Arena

★★★★★
Sophia Moss
Read More

Kaleidoscope Festival cements its status as a family favourite at Alexandra Palace

★★★★★
Jessica Wall
Read More

Yola at Koko

★★★★★
Natallia Pearmain
Read More

John Legend at Somerset House

★★★★★
Jonathan Marshall
Read More

Primal Scream at Alexandra Palace Park

★★★★★
Sophia Moss
Read More

Black Midi at Somerset House

★★★★★
Jasper Watkins
Read More

BST Hyde Park: Johnny Marr, Stereophonics and headliners Pearl Jam bring star quality to Saturday night

★★★★★
Selina Begum
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Music review

Catherine Sedgwick

Gregory Porter at the Royal Albert Hall

★★★★★

Highlights

Hey Laura, Take Me to the Alley

Links

Twitter Facebook Soundcloud Website

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Camden Fringe 2022: Rome 3000 (Julius Caesar) at Canal Cafe Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Midsummer Mechanicals at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Luck
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • “The show makes you question, think about things and look into yourself. It speaks to you”: Tom Sturridge and Vivienne Acheampong on The Sandman
    Cinema & Tv
  • “Theatre is totally unique… there’s simply nothing else quite like it”: An interview with Sir Howard Panter as the new cast of Jersey Boys opens at Trafalgar Theatre
    Theatre
  • Jersey Boys bring on a new cast at Trafalgar Theatre
    Theatre
  • All of Us at the National Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • The Sandman
    ★★★★★
    netflix
  • Midsummer Mechanicals at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Jersey Boys bring on a new cast at Trafalgar Theatre
    Theatre
  • Luck
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • South Facing Festival: Jungle bring their signature neo-funk to Saturday night
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • “Everything that’s happened to me has brought me here”: David Leitch on Bullet Train and working with Brad Pitt
    Cinema & Tv
  • The Tempest at Shakespeare’s Globe
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why
With the support from:
International driving license

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

How the Other Half Loves at Theatre Royal Haymarket | Theatre review
The Man Who Knew Infinity | Movie review