Stevie Marvel
Lytham Competition
third July 2025
Stevie Marvel landed on the Fylde Coast for a uncommon UK gig that proved to be an intense and emotional biggest hits set. Lifelong fan Paul Clarke was available to look at certainly one of soul’s all time greats ship a cool masterclass.
Again within the early Eighties I made an extended pilgrimage from deepest Cumbria to Earl’s Courtroom to see Stevie Marvel on his Hotter Than July tour, and on that particular night time he didn’t let that younger Northern soul boy down. So I approached this gig on the Fylde coast many years later with some trepidation, as Stevie has all the time been an artist who has gone his personal approach. However he provided me and all the opposite boomers a biggest hits set of the very best high quality.
As nicely being a musical genius, Stevie has been a lifelong political activist. So, as he was led on in his scarlet swimsuit, photos of Bob Marley and Malcolm X have been picked put in diamante. It was not shocking to his hardcore followers that, earlier than he sat at his keyboard, he stood with two of his grownup youngsters to launch a blistering assault on world leaders – ‘all of them’ – who he says have failed to seek out the form of peace he has all the time sought. He mentioned Love’s In Want Of Love At the moment is a track that he doesn’t wish to play, however his heartfelt rendition was a reminder of his core perception that music has the facility to affect change.
Talking to individuals within the queue beforehand, that they had travelled from all around the North. The packed web site went off because the reggae influenced beats of Grasp Blaster (Jammin’) kicked in. Stevie’s distinctive vocals have been as sturdy as ever throughout this ode to Marley, who had opened for him on a US tour, and its infectious pop reggae had a lot of the crowd grooving alongside because the wind blew in off the Irish Sea.
In addition to being an ideal pianist, individuals typically overlook that Stevie was an early adopter of synths, which helped him primarily reinvent soul within the early Seventies. A pounding Greater Floor had misplaced none of its energy. Alongside his activism and funky tendencies, Motown alumni Stevie has all the time been a stellar pop author, and I’m not ashamed to say a breezy You Are The Sunshine Of My Life introduced a lump to my throat – and I wouldn’t have been alone. Stevie introduced on MOBO winner Corrine Bailey Rae to duet on Everyone Is A Star as a tribute to the just lately handed funk supremo Sly Stone.
Then it was time for an epic Signed, Sealed Delivered I’m Yours from the Motown album the place he emerged as an artist slightly than only a pop singer. Don’t You Fear ‘Bout A Factor and a touching My Cherie Amour stored the vitality up, earlier than one of many backing singers sang Stranger On The Shore Of Love.
Stevie headed offstage to take a nicely earned break, and truthful sufficient as most blokes his age are pottering round backyard centres, or doing Sudoku, slightly than taking part in to 20000 individuals. It was an opportunity for most likely the tightest backing band you’ll see this 12 months to strut their stuff as they blasted by means of Aretha’s Till You Come Again To Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do), Rose Royce’s I’m Coming Down and a blistering full band exercise on Contusion.
Steve was quickly again with Sir Duke, I Want and a cool Residing For The Metropolis, which was about an ideal trio of soul tunes that you would want for. As a nod to his days as Motown’s Little Stevie, he introduced out his harmonica to pick the riff for Love Me Do, calling to his drummer so as to add a reggae beat as everybody spontaneously sang the phrases. It was a type of priceless moments in your life the place one thing shouldn’t have labored, nevertheless it did, changing into a transcendental communal expertise that might dwell lengthy within the reminiscence.
Stevie has all the time had a schmaltzy facet to his work, like Isn’t She Pretty, written after the delivery of certainly one of his daughters. Tonight, he devoted it to all of the mums and daughters on the planet, nevertheless it nonetheless fantastically captures that unforgettable second most fathers really feel once they maintain their little one for the primary time.
Stevie’s son Mandla wandered on to take lead vocals on I Can Solely Be Me – however sadly he hasn’t inherited his previous man’s vocal chops – earlier than the schmaltz was dialled proper as much as 11 for a solo piano model the all time wedding ceremony first dance basic, I Simply Referred to as To Say I Love You. Nice artists know find out how to shut a present, and the wall of sound funk rock of an elongated Superstition prompted one overcome center aged bloke to create his personal loopy dance routine, as teams of buddies of all ages blissfully danced all throughout the sector.
Stevlan Hardawy Morris was a toddler prodigy signing to Motown aged 11, however as he nears the tip of his illustrious profession he proved that solely does he have the tunes, however vocally can nonetheless maintain 20000 followers enthralled. All through the present Stevie shouted ‘Y’all with me?’, and we have been for each single superb notice.
You’ll be able to observe Stevie on Fb and Twitter.
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Phrases by Paul Clarke, you possibly can see his writer profile right here.
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