Martha Reeves & The Vandellas at The Jazz Cafe

Last night saw a return to the Jazz Cafe in Camden to see a true Motown legend, Martha Reeves and The Vandellas! Chris was excited and wore a suit for the occasion. We were sitting upstairs in the restaurant area so that we could get a good view of the stage.

I actually saw Martha when she arrived at the club. I'd popped downstairs to the toilet and when I was returning there she was in front of me in a tight purple dress with her minder and I walked up the stairs behind her. She's no longer the skinny little thing she was in her heyday, but none of us are.

It's strange, really, seeing someone play live who started making records and having hits from virtually when I was born, who's been played on the radio seemingly forever and who was part of the great musical revolution that was Motown. The Vandellas aren't the originals, but sister Lois has been a Vandella since 1968 so she has every right to the name, and younger sister Delphine became a Vandella in 1980. Lois is my favourite - she kept giving me the eye (I think she was mesmerised by the beard).

Martha came on stage alone and started singing, shortly followed by her Vandellas and we're off and running. The stage isn't too big at the Jazz Cafe but they still manage to shake it and do some dancing and arm movements to go along with the songs. One hit after another, 'Nowhere To Run', 'Jimmy Mack', '(Love Is Like A) Heatwave' and climaxing with 'Dancing In The Street'. Before 'Dancing' Martha reeled off a load of famous names of people who'd recorded it and thanking them for keeping the music alive before ending with 'but it's *my* song!'. And so it is, Martha, that was a killer version last night!

Martha sang a few songs from her 2000 album, 'Home To You, (including a lovely version of 'God Bless The Child') as well as other favourites, like 'Forget Me Not', but it's the hits I'll remember, along with Lois's arm movements to songs like 'Heatwave' that she's been doing for decades. And the very genteel curtsies after every song. Part of the joy of seeing people like Martha is the sheer excitement of seeing real living legends. Of course, she and her sisters have their own daily lives in the real world, are parents and grandparents with tears and laughter, but just for a couple of hours up on that stage they were stars again, shining ever so brightly and working the audience up a storm! I wonder how many of today's batch of 'stars' will still be shaking it in 40 years time?

After the show there was scrum for autographs and merch and I'm not ashamed to say I was part of it! Arm strategically placed to protect my back, of course, but I was as eager as anyone for a signature and a smile. Martha came out without her Vandellas (I would've liked to have spoken to Lois) and the scrum began - it could've been better organised but everyone was cheerful enough. And Martha didn't just scribble an unintelligible signature, she wrote essays! She cheerfully signed my 'Gold' cover and I bought her new CD. I took Chris's photo with Martha. Then the long trek home from Camden, tired, wary of the Saturday night drunks but with a little warm feeling inside from being in the presence of a legend...