The four members of Olympia Vitalis’ band take to the stage as a swooning anticipation curtails any chatter around Kings’ Place. A pin drop silence engulfs the rounded assembly, who fan all four corners of the venue with their curious excitement.
Tension stretches over the room as the silence is held, until the band snaps into motion with keys, strings, bass riffs, and drums that embody a 007-esque elegance. The leading lady strides to the fore, her beautiful dark sequin dress weaving light through the hall’s shadowed corners. With the stage set, the velvet curtain of mystique falls with Olympia’s first words, “I’m sorry can we stop this. I have KOKOROKO in my ear.”
Gliding over the technical error with a nonchalant giddiness, the connective tissue of the audience relaxes with her conversational passes. “I really wanted a dramatic entrance,” she admits with a laugh and a smirk.
The crowd is undeterred as the band resets. The operatic intro leads into a water tight rendition of the forthcoming ‘Give your Love’. With elegance and ease, Vitalis voices her blues imbued take on soul music, traversing pitches and octaves, mesmerising the crowd with an unwavering presence and commitment to delivery.