Regarded by many as one of one of our country’s best pop singers and interpreters of songs, Mari Wilson (aka The Neasden Queen Of Soul) will be hitting the road for the second time this year to bring you ‘Mari Wilson & The New Wilsations’.
Mari & The New Wilsations will perform 80’s hits including, Baby it’s True, Beat the Beat, Wonderful and Are You There With Another Girl. She will be joined on stage by her talented 8-piece band, whose credits include Florence Welch, Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, Celine Dion and more. This tour will also feature her Emmy nominated song ‘Moon and Back’ and of course a selection of songs from her last album – Pop Deluxe.
Speaking ahead of her tour Mari says “I LOVE singing these well-crafted familiar songs and feeling the reaction from the audience because they’re songs that spark memories for a wide ranging generation. I take great delight in not only singing but also storytelling and I have a story for every song!”
It was in 1982 that Mari Wilson, to put it mildly, arrived, with her iconic Beehive hair style that was only matched by her equally iconic vocals. With her talented 12 piece band, The Wilsations, her live show was talked about as an event of pure entertainment and they became a regular on Top of the Pops. ‘Just What I’ve Always Wanted’ reached the top ten in the charts and remains a song she is proudly known for and still performs to this day.
Now more than 37 years on Mari is still delighting audiences around the country with her signature vocals and charm. ‘Pop Deluxe’ was released in 2016 and featured reinterpretations of songs from the likes of Cilla Black, Petula Clark and of course Dusty Springfield, the artists that inspired Mari as a child. The success of this album then led to Mari being invited to be the guest vocalist for Heaven 17 in their UK tour, a role which Mari took with aplomb. Mari has been touring Pop Deluxe relentlessly, leading to sold out shows at Wilton’s Music Hall, Bush Hall and many more across the country, a testament to the longevity of Mari and her music. Music fans may know all of the tracks from Pop Deluxe, but they are now given new life by Mari’s unique contemporary electronica production featuring lots of surprising and exciting arrangements. Mari’s interpretation of Bacharach’s 24 Hours from Tulsa has proved to be a real showstopper in her live show.
Her purple patch continued into 2017, when she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Best Original Song for her composition ‘Moon and Back’ for U.S TV show ‘The Young And Restless’, highlighting Mari’s ability not just to reinvent, but also create award winning music. Recently, she joined Soft Cell at the O2 to perform her duet with Marc Almond – ‘Last Chance’ – to an adoring crowd.
Mari Wilson & The New Wilsations 2019 Dates
October
27th New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich
31st The Concorde Club, Southampton
November
1st The Electric Theatre, Guildford
9th Bodelwyddan Castle, Rhyl
