REVIEW
✭✭✭✭✭ 5/5
ROYAL WEDDING GOSPEL SINGERS
THE KINGDOM CHOIR SEEK CHOIRS TO PERFORM WITH THEM IN SOUTHEND
✭✭✭✭✭ 5/5
ROYAL WEDDING GOSPEL SINGERS
THE KINGDOM CHOIR SEEK CHOIRS TO PERFORM WITH THEM IN SOUTHEND
Global audience of two billion watched The Kingdom Choir perform Stand By Me at the
Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Now The Kingdom Choir wants local choirs to accompany them on their UK tour
Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Now The Kingdom Choir wants local choirs to accompany them on their UK tour
Singing in choirs is a major British occupation that inspires many people to come together and share the gift of music with others. Singing is known to be good for your health physically and mentally.
Gospel singing meanwhile is rooted in the African/American churches of the deep south of the USA as far back as the early 1800s. The arrival of Gospel Music in Britain is credited to the Windrush generation of immigrants who arrived here in the late 40s and early 1950s.
Cut forward to May 2018 and the wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle; a hitherto unknown gospel group called The Kingdom Choir exploded onto our screens, to a HUGE world-wide audience and with their performance of Stand By Me took the world by storm. This life-changing event immediately catapulted gospel music, and most particularly The Kingdom Choir, to international fame.
As a result of their appearance at that Royal Wedding, the Kingdom Choir are now on National Tour, which stopped off at the Cliffs Pavilion on tThursday, for only the second night of their 20 plus date concert schedule.
Gospel means good news and the good news here is that the choir literally blew the roof off the Cliffs in an almost 2 hour set which had the entire audience on their feet long before the end of the night.
I counted around 24 singers on stage. Many of them take solos through the evening and are equally at home within the group or singing up a storm at the front. At the helm of the outfit is their redoubtable founder Karen Gibson. This stately, galleon-like woman founded the choir back in 1994, whilst still a teacher in school, and her objective is a very clear one: to bring their music to audiences far and wide, and embrace everybody of all ages. She introduces and guides us through the evening with passion, charm and wit. She is very charismatic and very, very funny too. At one moment, in the middle of one of the songs, she turned and eyeballed the audience with a beady eyed, “Are you lot clapping??” look. It was funny how much energy she generated from the audience at that moment.
The choir are incredible well rehearsed and their presentation is very slick. It is a real show, with fabulous lighting and sound. The choir all use hand mics, and they are accompanied by a great percussionist, with their MD Chris Morris on keyboards. The sound is mixed well and pretty loud and electronic. It is obviously the kind of presentation a modern day audience expects.
The song repertoire takes us through many familiar standard songs that we have become familiar with but tend not to naturally associate with gospel singing ,but of course they represent the INSPIRATIONAL side of gospel. From Bacharach, Arethra Franklin, the god-mother of soul music, through to Carole King's, Natural Woman to John Legend’s All Of Me, with a beautiful solo by the very impressive Gershom Brown, who at the age of 51 has given up his job in the last 2 years to become a full time singer.
It comes as a great surprise that many members of the choir still have regular jobs despite the rigours of their performing schedule, and especially given that the standard of singing is so high.
If I have one small criticism, it is that I would like to have heard a little more of the devotional or traditional side of gospel music. There was one original African number, plus a performance of This Little Light of Mine in tribute to the Windrush generation, but I would love to have had one or two more numbers free of a heavy drum beat, and free of amplification, just to hear the sound of the choir in it’s purest form.
This is just a small criticism. The Kingdom Choir is astonishing, and the sound, and obvious commitment of every single member simply blows you away.
The Choir is joined at every venue by a local children’s choir as part of Karen Gibson’s desire to involve young people in her work and for the Southend concert it was the Leigh North Primary School choir who were the lucky ones. They sang two songs alone, then joined the Kingdom Choir for a very rousing rendition of You Are The Voice. They did themselves proud and really busted the moves too, under the guidance of Karen Gibson.
This was a truly memorable evening of amazing singing, which felt like a huge group hug. It was truly inspiring, and joyous; and certainly left me teary-eyed and breathless with the energy and commitment of this phenomenal group. If you get a chance to catch them on their tour, including an appearance at the Royal Albert Hall on May 19th, then don’t hesitate to see them.
A real 5 star event!
Review: Andrew Walters
Gospel singing meanwhile is rooted in the African/American churches of the deep south of the USA as far back as the early 1800s. The arrival of Gospel Music in Britain is credited to the Windrush generation of immigrants who arrived here in the late 40s and early 1950s.
Cut forward to May 2018 and the wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle; a hitherto unknown gospel group called The Kingdom Choir exploded onto our screens, to a HUGE world-wide audience and with their performance of Stand By Me took the world by storm. This life-changing event immediately catapulted gospel music, and most particularly The Kingdom Choir, to international fame.
As a result of their appearance at that Royal Wedding, the Kingdom Choir are now on National Tour, which stopped off at the Cliffs Pavilion on tThursday, for only the second night of their 20 plus date concert schedule.
Gospel means good news and the good news here is that the choir literally blew the roof off the Cliffs in an almost 2 hour set which had the entire audience on their feet long before the end of the night.
I counted around 24 singers on stage. Many of them take solos through the evening and are equally at home within the group or singing up a storm at the front. At the helm of the outfit is their redoubtable founder Karen Gibson. This stately, galleon-like woman founded the choir back in 1994, whilst still a teacher in school, and her objective is a very clear one: to bring their music to audiences far and wide, and embrace everybody of all ages. She introduces and guides us through the evening with passion, charm and wit. She is very charismatic and very, very funny too. At one moment, in the middle of one of the songs, she turned and eyeballed the audience with a beady eyed, “Are you lot clapping??” look. It was funny how much energy she generated from the audience at that moment.
The choir are incredible well rehearsed and their presentation is very slick. It is a real show, with fabulous lighting and sound. The choir all use hand mics, and they are accompanied by a great percussionist, with their MD Chris Morris on keyboards. The sound is mixed well and pretty loud and electronic. It is obviously the kind of presentation a modern day audience expects.
The song repertoire takes us through many familiar standard songs that we have become familiar with but tend not to naturally associate with gospel singing ,but of course they represent the INSPIRATIONAL side of gospel. From Bacharach, Arethra Franklin, the god-mother of soul music, through to Carole King's, Natural Woman to John Legend’s All Of Me, with a beautiful solo by the very impressive Gershom Brown, who at the age of 51 has given up his job in the last 2 years to become a full time singer.
It comes as a great surprise that many members of the choir still have regular jobs despite the rigours of their performing schedule, and especially given that the standard of singing is so high.
If I have one small criticism, it is that I would like to have heard a little more of the devotional or traditional side of gospel music. There was one original African number, plus a performance of This Little Light of Mine in tribute to the Windrush generation, but I would love to have had one or two more numbers free of a heavy drum beat, and free of amplification, just to hear the sound of the choir in it’s purest form.
This is just a small criticism. The Kingdom Choir is astonishing, and the sound, and obvious commitment of every single member simply blows you away.
The Choir is joined at every venue by a local children’s choir as part of Karen Gibson’s desire to involve young people in her work and for the Southend concert it was the Leigh North Primary School choir who were the lucky ones. They sang two songs alone, then joined the Kingdom Choir for a very rousing rendition of You Are The Voice. They did themselves proud and really busted the moves too, under the guidance of Karen Gibson.
This was a truly memorable evening of amazing singing, which felt like a huge group hug. It was truly inspiring, and joyous; and certainly left me teary-eyed and breathless with the energy and commitment of this phenomenal group. If you get a chance to catch them on their tour, including an appearance at the Royal Albert Hall on May 19th, then don’t hesitate to see them.
A real 5 star event!
Review: Andrew Walters
Children’s and youth choirs from across Southend are being given the opportunity to perform alongside Royal wedding gospel singers The Kingdom Choir on their UK tour.
The Kingdom Choir became a household name following the stunning performance of Stand By Me at the wedding of HRH Prince Harry and the Duchess Of Sussex last May.
And now children’s and youth choirs are being given the opportunity to perform with the gospel stars when they come to the Cliffs Pavilion on Thursday, May 2.
To be in with a chance of performing with The Kingdom Choir, choirs must send a YouTube link to one of their performances and complete the application form HERE.
Karen Gibson, conductor of The Kingdom Choir, said: “Being part of the Royal Wedding was such an honour and we were delighted to be part of such a prestigious national day of celebration.
“As we tour the UK in 2019, we can’t wait to meet people across the country – especially young singers.
“Last year was like an un-dreamt dream – one that you wouldn’t even consider, because you never thought it could happen to you. We want to share our experience and dreams, and hopefully inspire a new generation of singers.”
Tickets for the tour are on sale now from www.southendtheatres.org.uk, www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.cuffeandtaylor.com
Following the Royal Wedding performance, The Kingdom Choir has made high profile appearances across UK TV networks as well as closing the Invictus Games in Sydney in October.
The choir has also released its debut album Stand By Me via Sony, which features the title track as performed at the Royal Wedding, as well as versions of Beyoncé’s Halo, John Legend’s All Of Me and Stormzy’s Blinded By Your Grace Part 2. It also includes original track Chases, written by members of The Kingdom Choir.
The choir consists of seasoned male and female vocalists, chosen for their high-quality delivery of choral meets gospel. They’ve been featured in the film Tube Tales, the TV series Maisie Raine, an Orange advert, and alongside the BBC Philharmonic for the Radio 4 Easter Sunday Worship.
The choir’s rendition of Stand By Me went straight in at Number 1 on the Billboard Gospel Songs Chart after the wedding and received more than 10 million views on YouTube.
The choir was founded in 1994 London by award-winning conductor Karen Gibson. The singers, from in and around London, draw from various Christian traditions and are dedicated to creating a sound that demonstrates the community they share through their warm energy and enthusiastic performance. Prior to performing in front of almost two billion people at the Royal Wedding, the largest audience The Kingdom Choir had performed to was just 200 people.
The Kingdom Choir’s debut album Stand By Me is available now via Sony Music.
The Kingdom Choir became a household name following the stunning performance of Stand By Me at the wedding of HRH Prince Harry and the Duchess Of Sussex last May.
And now children’s and youth choirs are being given the opportunity to perform with the gospel stars when they come to the Cliffs Pavilion on Thursday, May 2.
To be in with a chance of performing with The Kingdom Choir, choirs must send a YouTube link to one of their performances and complete the application form HERE.
Karen Gibson, conductor of The Kingdom Choir, said: “Being part of the Royal Wedding was such an honour and we were delighted to be part of such a prestigious national day of celebration.
“As we tour the UK in 2019, we can’t wait to meet people across the country – especially young singers.
“Last year was like an un-dreamt dream – one that you wouldn’t even consider, because you never thought it could happen to you. We want to share our experience and dreams, and hopefully inspire a new generation of singers.”
Tickets for the tour are on sale now from www.southendtheatres.org.uk, www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.cuffeandtaylor.com
Following the Royal Wedding performance, The Kingdom Choir has made high profile appearances across UK TV networks as well as closing the Invictus Games in Sydney in October.
The choir has also released its debut album Stand By Me via Sony, which features the title track as performed at the Royal Wedding, as well as versions of Beyoncé’s Halo, John Legend’s All Of Me and Stormzy’s Blinded By Your Grace Part 2. It also includes original track Chases, written by members of The Kingdom Choir.
The choir consists of seasoned male and female vocalists, chosen for their high-quality delivery of choral meets gospel. They’ve been featured in the film Tube Tales, the TV series Maisie Raine, an Orange advert, and alongside the BBC Philharmonic for the Radio 4 Easter Sunday Worship.
The choir’s rendition of Stand By Me went straight in at Number 1 on the Billboard Gospel Songs Chart after the wedding and received more than 10 million views on YouTube.
The choir was founded in 1994 London by award-winning conductor Karen Gibson. The singers, from in and around London, draw from various Christian traditions and are dedicated to creating a sound that demonstrates the community they share through their warm energy and enthusiastic performance. Prior to performing in front of almost two billion people at the Royal Wedding, the largest audience The Kingdom Choir had performed to was just 200 people.
The Kingdom Choir’s debut album Stand By Me is available now via Sony Music.
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Karen Gibson, conductor of The Kingdom Choir, said: “The Kingdom Choir is absolutely delighted with the journey of the past few months! It’s been a rollercoaster, but we wouldn’t have it any other way – first, the honour of being able to sing at the Royal Wedding, then the thrill of being signed to Sony, and now a national tour!
“It’s like an un-dreamt dream – one that you wouldn’t even consider, because you never thought it could happen to you. We’re very grateful and very excited about what’s to come.” |
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The choir consists of seasoned male and female vocalists, chosen for their high-quality delivery of choral meets gospel. They’ve been featured in the film Tube Tales, the TV series Maisie Raine, an Orange advert, and alongside the BBC Philharmonic for the Radio 4 Easter Sunday Worship.
The choir’s rendition of Stand By Me went straight in at Number 1 on the Billboard Gospel Songs Chart after the wedding and received more than 10 million views on YouTube.
The choir was founded in 1994 London by award-winning conductor Karen Gibson. The singers, from in and around London, draw from various Christian traditions and are dedicated to creating a sound that demonstrates the community they share through their warm energy and enthusiastic performance. Prior to performing in front of almost two billion people at the Royal Wedding, the largest audience The Kingdom Choir had performed to was just 200 people.
The Kingdom Choir’s debut album Stand By Me is available now via Sony Music.
The choir’s rendition of Stand By Me went straight in at Number 1 on the Billboard Gospel Songs Chart after the wedding and received more than 10 million views on YouTube.
The choir was founded in 1994 London by award-winning conductor Karen Gibson. The singers, from in and around London, draw from various Christian traditions and are dedicated to creating a sound that demonstrates the community they share through their warm energy and enthusiastic performance. Prior to performing in front of almost two billion people at the Royal Wedding, the largest audience The Kingdom Choir had performed to was just 200 people.
The Kingdom Choir’s debut album Stand By Me is available now via Sony Music.
KINGDOM CHOIR UK TOUR 2019 – FULL DATES
APR
Tue 30th SHEFFIELD, CITY HALL
MAY
Thu 2nd SOUTHEND, CLIFFS PAVILION
Sat 4th LEICESTER, DE MONTFORT HALL
Sun 5th NOTTINGHAM, ROYAL CONCERT HALL
Tue 7th MANCHESTER, BRIDGEWATER HALL
Wed 8th YORK, BARBICAN
Thu 9th GATESHEAD, SAGE
Fri 10th BIRMINGHAM, SYMPHONY HALL
Sun 12th IPSWICH, REGENT THEATRE
Mon 13th CAMBRIDGE, CORN EXCHANGE
Thu 16th BATH, THE FORUM
Sun 19th LONDON, ROYAL ALBERT HALL
Tue 21st LIVERPOOL, PHILHARMONIC HALL
Wed 22nd GLASGOW, THEATRE ROYAL
Thu 23rd EDINBURGH, USHER HALL
Mon 27th CANTERBURY, THE MARLOWE THEATRE
Tue 28th BOURNEMOUTH, PAVILION THEATRE
Thu 30th CARDIFF, ST DAVID’S HALL
APR
Tue 30th SHEFFIELD, CITY HALL
MAY
Thu 2nd SOUTHEND, CLIFFS PAVILION
Sat 4th LEICESTER, DE MONTFORT HALL
Sun 5th NOTTINGHAM, ROYAL CONCERT HALL
Tue 7th MANCHESTER, BRIDGEWATER HALL
Wed 8th YORK, BARBICAN
Thu 9th GATESHEAD, SAGE
Fri 10th BIRMINGHAM, SYMPHONY HALL
Sun 12th IPSWICH, REGENT THEATRE
Mon 13th CAMBRIDGE, CORN EXCHANGE
Thu 16th BATH, THE FORUM
Sun 19th LONDON, ROYAL ALBERT HALL
Tue 21st LIVERPOOL, PHILHARMONIC HALL
Wed 22nd GLASGOW, THEATRE ROYAL
Thu 23rd EDINBURGH, USHER HALL
Mon 27th CANTERBURY, THE MARLOWE THEATRE
Tue 28th BOURNEMOUTH, PAVILION THEATRE
Thu 30th CARDIFF, ST DAVID’S HALL