VANESSA HAYNES PRESENTS ARETHA FRANKLIN
10 MAY 2025
The Watford Junction festival returns for its fourth year and kicks off with a brilliant gala night as ever at the Watford Palace Theatre. The supporting act this year, opening up the festival, is local boy Harry T Pope and his funk band. Hailing from Croxley Green, Harry remarked on stage that it had long been his dream to play the Watford Palace Theatre stage, and you could tell he was delighted to be given this chance to realise that long held ambition.
Mixing original songs like his debut single Stay Away with funk classics such as Stevie Wonder‘s Superstition, Harry plays like an established pro despite being only 23 years old. He has a showman‘s flare, magnetic charisma, and affable charm which makes him and his floppy hair utterly watchable from the moment he steps on the stage. On top of his stage presence, his musicality is marvellous. He is a multi-instrumentalist, playing the piano with a fluidity and energy that captivates, and the guitar with a dextrous swagger. But most impressive is his vocal ability. He sweeps up and down the scale with such clarity and articulation. One of his original songs was effectively a patter song, stuffed full of so many words a minute it would rival Sondheim's famous Company number Not Getting Married Today! Indeed, despite his tender age, he is married, a revelation that drew a gentle gasp of surprise from the audience, and much eye dabbing when he dedicated his last song 11:11 to his wife.
His band are equally young; they all met at King’s College London and have been playing together ever since. This is their biggest gig to date but they were part of WJJ last year, playing at Jazz Steps around Oxhey Village. It’s great to see them graduate to this larger venue and be appreciated by such a responsive crowd.
Next up was the thrilling Vanessa Haynes, resplendent in gold with a red flower in her braided hair and a complete dominance of the stage. She prowled and stomped, two stepped and strutted until every inch was her territory. She treated us to a stunning array of Aretha Franklin classics, opening with the massive hit RESPECT and including iconic hits like Chain Of Fools, I Say A Little Prayer and (You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman. On this last song, the trio of backing singers were able to show off their own truly phenomenal voices which added such texture and colour through the night. The ten-piece band as a whole were terrific, moving from funk and soul sounds to gospel with complete ease.
Haynes' voice is a powerhouse, rich, rough, and reminiscent of Aretha's in both tone and strength. Towards the end she brought Harry T Pope back out to join her on the 1987 Aretha and George Michael classic I Knew You Were Waiting For Me. Together their voices, riffing and melding through call and response, got everybody up on their feet dancing.
If this is a promise of what's to come across the week for WJJ, then we’re in for a treat. Listen to my What's On Watford episode featuring Ruth Fisher for a run down of forthcoming shows, and visit the WJJ website for tickets. Hope to see you there!
Band line up
Vanessa Haynes – vocals and Wurlitzer piano
Tom O’Grady – piano & Hammond
Tiago Coimbra – bass
Al Cherry – guitar
Martyn Kaine – drums
Sam Ewens – trumpet
Paul Booth – Tenor Sax & Flute
Mary Pearce, Chloe Du Pré and Belle Erskine – backing vocals
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