For those seeking sanctuary from Great Escape lanyard-toting musos, over-indulged hen and stag dos and Eurovision, the Brighton Centre proved to be a safe space for music-loving Brightonians with a many-times rescheduled evening in the company of crooner supreme, Gregory Porter.
Early arrivers were rewarded with an incredible opening set from LA vocalist, Marley Munroe, AKA Lady Blackbird. She looked stunning in a basque with a shock of snow white hair and you could tell by the first few seconds of her powerful voice, singing over a walking bass solo on ‘Lost And Looking’, that this is an artist on the cusp of stardom.
Her version of ‘Blackbird’ allowed her to demonstrate her vocal range while revealing the influence Nina Simone. An understated arrangement of ‘Five Feet Tall’ featured a gorgeous piano solo by Kenneth Crouch that segued into ‘Fix It’, which was beautifully contemplative, with the piano refrain referencing Chopin and Satie via Bill Evans’ ‘Peace Piece’. The set ended with another sparse arrangement, of ‘It’ll Never Happen’, that served to highlight a voice that deserved more than the half hour allotted time.
After the interval, Gregory Porter’s band assembled, now expanded to include two female singers, Hammond Organ, trumpet and trombone. They fired up ‘Revival Song’ and Porter bounced onstage in white trousers, a blue blazer and, of course, his trademark hat. This was a rousing gospel-soul number with Hammond swirls and Porter exchanging lines with his backing singers.
He chatted about expecting a nice quiet seafront hotel, only to find himself in the middle of party central on one of the warmest and busiest weekends of the Brighton calendar. He also reflected on the importance of loved ones over material items given the past two years we’ve all suffered. Drummer Emmanuel Harrold used rimshots and cymbals on ‘If Love Is Overrated’, while Porter reminded us of the rich baritone and skilful phrasing that made him a global star. It was great to see long-term pianist Chip Crawford still in place, laying some bluesy licks as the band kicked in on a bouncy ‘Liquid Spirit’.
The gospel flavour returned for ‘Hey Laura’ with bluesy sax and a tumultuous organ solo from Andre Jay with Porter’s vocal returning to slow the pace. A defunct aeroplane may seem an odd song subject but ‘Concorde’ was a wistful homage to supersonic travel that would get a lovesick traveller home to his sweetheart more quickly. The band then left the stage leaving Porter on a stool to duet with Crawford on a gently reflective ‘Water Under Bridges’.
Porter discussed the nature of love before being rejoined by sax and organ for ‘Bad Girl Love’, during which a rowdy spectator was ejected – not something you would expect at a Gregory Porter show. Fortunately it was away from the stage so didn’t spoil a beautifully executed performance of this tender song. Jahmal Nichols launched into a playfully funky bass solo that received cheers and applause throughout before plucking the instantly familiar introduction to ‘My Girl’ which Porter sang with just the bass and backing singers. This was a great delivery of an iconic song that continued into another classic ‘Papa Was A Rolling Stone’, which Porter’s voice was perfectly suited to.
There was a ‘What’s Goin’ On’ feel to ‘Musical Genocide’, a song that saw Porter namechecking a number of jazz and soul greats. There was a touching dedication to his brother Lloyd, who died from COVID in 2020, ahead of ‘No Love Dying’ with Porter delivering a passionate performance. The show closed with an all-guns-blazing ‘Hello Mr Holland’ with Porter running around the stage leading the crowd’s handclaps.
A single encore of ‘You Can Join My Band’ generated an excited response as Porter pointed out audience members and conducted the singalong. This was a well-paced set performed by a hugely talented ensemble with a vocalist showing no signs of being toppled from the top of his profession.
Brighton Centre, Saturday 14th May 2022
