Review: En Vogue, 02 Academy

They might not entirely be the original line-up but the Grammy-nominated R&B group En Vogue have still very much got it and performed a fantastically sensual set at the Bristol 02 Academy on Thursday night.

As soon as the three members sashayed onto the stage around 9pm (Cindy Herron-Braggs, Terry Ellis and Rhona Bennett), the expectant crowd (which was packed with die hard original fans) whooped, whistled and showed their appreciation by cheering enthusiastically. And when they very soon into their set list of songs started singing the old hit classic My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It), the audience cranked their volume up a notch.

En Vogue

With their new seventh studio album Electric Café having been released worldwide as of the 6th of April (their first one in 14 years), these women are firmly back in the driving seat; the new songs that they did perform went down well (including Blue Skies, Rocket, Reach 4 Me and I’m Good) but they did the expected, obvious and clever thing and opted to also perform several of their old favourites.

The 1993 hit Whatta Man, which they originally performed alongside hip-hop rap trio Salt-n-Pepa went down a storm and got one of the biggest receptions of the night – it just seemed to transport us all back to more carefree days as we threw our hair back and moved our bodies to the unmistakable snappy beat of this banging golden tune.

A real favourite for myself though was Don’t Let Go (Love), which ended up becoming En Vogue’s biggest international single. Their vocals on the night were just as silky smooth as they always were and their expressions conveyed every emotion that they sang about; you really believed their words and it was like it was being performed by them for the first time instead of the 100th.

En Vogue

Their constant interaction and flirtation with us all was on point and they made us feel like they didn’t want to be anywhere else rather than with this 02 Academy audience in Bristol, reminiscing of days gone by (especially when they sang their lead single Hold On from their debut album Born to Sing) whilst at the same time celebrating today and looking forward to the future.

Free Your Mind was saved for the encore and what a fantastic choice that was (it brought the room to a frenzied peak and left everyone with big, satisfied smiles on their faces).

All hats off to these ladies for giving as much gusto during the whole gig as they did back in their heyday, it’s unbelievable really that two out of the three current members are now in their 50s. They’ve got it, they know they’ve got it and we all know they’ve got it.

A totally fun packed evening that reminded us all that great music and performers truly stand the test of time.

 En Vogue 02 Academy, Thursday, April 5.