Sofie Anne brings the FLAVA to Wolverhampton Grand Theatre for a night of great music and dancing
It was a night of celebration for friends, family and supporters of a home-grown performer as she brought hits, dancing and a generally good night out to her home theatre.
Sofie Anne has grown up around music, from the family parties of her youth to being the niece of the Queen of British Soul Beverley Knight, and has become a rising talent in her own right, performing with the likes of Gary Barlow.
However, there can be a difference between being part of the show and being the marquee herself and that brings us to Saturday night at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre and her first ever solo show, FLAVA.
It was an expectant and large audience, which included TV presenter Suzi Perry and the Mayor of Wolverhampton, who enjoyed a rum cocktail or two before the show on Saturday, then took their seats (some, very briefly) for a night of music and fun.
As the lights dimmed, the anticipation rose as Sofie’s seven-piece backing band and her two backing singers struck up the Diana Ross classic “I’m coming out”, before a video appeared on screen showing someone in golden trousers walking down the stairs outside.
With that, the doors opened and Sofie Anne walked through a sea of excited and dancing people, hit the stage and launched straight into the song with gusto and confidence.
I’d spoken to one of the guys from the Grand Theatre beforehand and they’d told me how nervous she had been beforehand, but you’d never guess that from her presence on stage, strutting and dancing and with a huge smile on her face.
The first half was a tour-de-force of songs that Sofie said she loved and had sung in the past, including influences like Luther Vandross and Whitney Houston, with the band all getting their moments to shine, from shredding guitar solos to saxophone and trumpet solos.
The variety was great as well, with songs that made people want to dance, including the Mayor, who could be seen boogying away, as well as a lovely moment where Sofie brought it down to just her and a piano as she sang the Alicia Keys classic “If I ain’t got you babe”.
The music went from 1980s funk and R&B to 1990s dance, with the first half culminating with two classic Stevie Wonder tracks, another influence on Sofie’s life.
Into the second half and more opportunities for people to dance, with the balcony around me on the dress circle bouncing at times, as UK garage classics, 1990s and 2000s rap and a few dance numbers kept everyone moving.
Being a girl from Wolverhampton, at one point, sending her love to Aldersley High School, Sofie said she wanted to bring some friends along to share the night with her.
This saw the arrival of grime star and activist Reepa and trans rights campaigner and rapper Nate Ethan, both sons of the city, for two performances full of energy and power and with able support from the singers and musicians on stage.
The star of the show, however, was Sofie Anne, who couldn’t keep the smile off her face throughout the night and carried the stage presence of a seasoned performer, engaging with the audience and leading several call-and-response sing-a-longs.
For their part, the audience were fully engaged in the night, singing along with Sofie and dancing all the way through and even using their camera phone lights to sway along during the closing number of “End of the road”.
It was a night of fun and celebration for a young artist who is marking her own path in the industry and who, if this night is anything to go by, has a lot to look forward to in the years ahead and who definitely brought the FLAVA to the Grand Theatre.
