Preview: Martha Reeves & the Vandellas at the Ritz, Manchester

The sound of the sixties still endures. Whether it’s the beguiling bombast of the Beatles, the fleeting fancy of the era of free love or the pretty prose of psychedelica, the decade still holds a mesmerising musical appeal for many. No better a representation of the times however was the Detroit soul label Motown, which knocked out hit after hit during the sixties with a production line that mirrored the city’s famous motor trade.

One of the most iconic groups of that era was Martha Reeves and The Vandellas, whose rougher soul focused groove dovetailed perfectly with the doo-wop influenced palette of the label’s other two huge girl groups, The Marvelettes and the Supremes. Martha’s brassy and gospel tinged vocal could be heard belting out classics such ‘Heatwave’, ‘Dancing on the Street’ and ‘Jimmy Mack’.

Martha would go onto sustain a solo career in the seventies, even serving for four years on the Detroit Council, but it was fronting the Vandellas for which she will be most famously remembered. The group have been performing together since reuniting in 1989, and Reeves’ voice remains undimmed by age, with the backing group still churning out their glorious harmonising as potently as ever. This is the perfect opportunity to witness soul royalty in the flesh this summer.

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