I wasn’t sure what to expect from my visit to New Theatre this evening, having never been to any professional tribute act before, let alone one for the King himself. I had that feeling of trepidation that I usually keep in reserve for watching live comedy; will the audience be appreciative, or will they turn on the act for perceived lack of talent? Crowd anxiety is a real thing for me. It was all ok though – I had nothing to worry about, as is usually the case when I go to the New Theatre. The booking team know what they are doing!

As the crowd made their way into the theatre, there was an air of excitement; perhaps not akin to that which Elvis himself may have induced, but that is beyond compare, I imagine. The band assembled onstage and my nerves melted away. The crowd were buzzing even before our act entered the stage. With a backdrop of photos from the Elvis-era this tour was evoking – the Vegas Years (1969-1977) - the scene was set for an evening of fun and nostalgia. The stage was quite simply set-up, since it was Lee 'Memphis' King we were all there to watch, but with some fabulous lasers and moody spotlights each track was performed as you would have imagined the original shows were. Elvis’ presence would have been enough to dazzle the crowd, and King did him proud. With some classics to get the crowd going, King also entertained us with some of the more obscure Elvis tracks (Kentucky Rain was one I had never heard of, let alone heard before). But it was numbers like Suspicious Minds and In The Ghetto that really brought home King’s talent. His voice is practically perfect – close your eyes and you could easily be at an Elvis gig. The costumes were also magnificent – apparently designed and created by Elvis’ own costumier, Gene Doucette.

King had a cheeky smile on his face and a bit of mumbled Memphis-accented banter in between songs, again pure Elvis. It was only when a latecomer came trying to discreetly find his seat that the accent dropped, and Memphis gently ribbed the audience member for being late in a strong Northern accent; despite this non-Elvis-like repartee the crowd loved it.

With brilliant back-up from his singers and band, including a wonderful brass section and a lead guitarist playing the main chords from Johnny B. Goode from behind his head, King brought a little warmth to a chilly Oxford evening, and the audience left the theatre with a skip in their step and full of praise for this talented performer.