Van is The Man in Spirit
Saxophonist Leo Green hits the front of the stage and introduces each band member one by one, letting us know how many times they played live with Van Morrison, and how many of his albums they contributed to. Between them they racked up an impressive amount of hours playing alongside one of our greatest songwriters; a man who accepts nothing but the best from his fellow musicians, and that’s what we were treated to – A selection of his best songs performed by the best, writes Michael Holland.
The crowd was a mix of old school aficionados and relevant newcomers to the music of someone who was already in the Top Ten before they were born. It was a good blend. The youngsters took pouting selfies, the others grooved in their own way.
Sharon Colman reminisced with us about first seeing Van Morrison playing in a North London pub at the start of his career; her sister Barbara Emile has also been a long-term fan and in the interval regaled us with how she got Barbara Windsor to take the Peggy Mitchell role in Eastenders! These two elegant music fans were very much grooving in their own way.
Morrison does not appear but this group gets his full approval. Sir Van said, “These songs are meant to be sung and heard, and I am really happy that Leo Green is carrying the torch.”
And we found out why.
Of course, all the Morrison classics are there, plus the little known tunes that Van would play on stage. It was a show full of soul and blues, slow love songs and get up and boogie bangers. And even though there are over 50 albums to choose from, Van Morrison didn’t shy away from covering other people’s songs if he liked them – and the Alumni Band know that, which meant we had a great rendition of Have I Told You Lately That I Love You? All the vocals sung superbly by guest singers.
We moon-danced, did our sweet thing, drifted into the mystic and realised you don’t get many days like this. It was a concert that took us from the dark end of the street to the bright side of the road, as one, in tune with some of the best music written in the last 60 years.
The Van Morrison Alumni Band is a group of all-star musicians:
Leo Green (Sax)
Matt Holland (Trumpet)
Alec Dankworth & Steve Pearce (Bass)
Robin Aspland (Piano)
Geoff Dunn (Drums)
Matt White (Guitar)
Sophie Hiller and Tess Burrstone backing vocals.
Lead vocals: Hayley Sanderson (Vocals) Jess Greenfield, Wayne Hernandes.
This homage to Art Deco and live music is tucked away beneath Waterloo Bridge and allows the audience to sit comfortably or dance in the aisles.
The Emerald Theatre every Tuesday until April 28th
Booking and full details: thevanmorrisonalumniband.com
