Arriving at Jazz Café on Sunday night was a great feeling as I’d been many times before and have really come to appreciate the historic venue. The Jazz Café in Camden is well known for playing top-notch live music 7 days a week, slap bang in the heart of Camden Town it is close to everything and always has a broad spectrum of acts on in the week from gospel, electro, house to RnB which of course is GRAMMY winning artist Mario Winans speciality.Mario achieved UK fame and widespread appeal with the number one single ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’, which famously sampled Fugees’ 1996 hit single “Ready or Not”. This event was one of many stops of Mario Winans UK tour, one of the smaller more intimate shows before he goes onto his next show at the 02 Islington before flying out to Australia to shut it down, down under.

The event was a complete success with a packed crowd of dare I say 90s babies, there was lovely ambience, friendly vibes and drinks flowing from 2 bars. The night was kicked off by the soulful and engaging twosome that is NULA, comprised of a talented singer and contemporary live percussionist. NULA made for a truly complimentary warm-up that gave the room shivers, definitely one to watch, go to Youtube to check their hit new single “Mutual” out now!
By the time that Mario Winans hit the stage the energy was very high and the dancefloor was packed. Throughout the night he meandered through a mix of a his new tracks and old classics like “I Don’t Wanna Know” which everyone in the crowd sang along too. There were magical moments where he dropped exclusive acapellas live which the fans absolutely loved, it is experiences like this that make me feel that there will always be a clear place for live music even with the advent of OTT streaming and global distribution.
In summary it was a fantastic event with curated talent from USA and London, Mario did not cease to impress neither did his supporting act NULA, both of these acts I want to see on stage again soon.
