Aimie Atkinson - Westway Sessions

Aimie Atkinson is maybe best known for her time in the original London cast of 'Six' as Katherine Howard, so it feels very full circle that she should be launching her new album named 'Queen' at the Vaudeville Theatre which is currently home to 'Six'.

The new album is a mix of original songs, penned by Aimie, along with a look back at her career so far with songs from Pretty Woman and Six.  There also a couple of fantastic covers thrown into the mix too which makes the album an enjoyable listen for fans of all genres.

The concert opens with support from Lordin, a solo recording artist who is also currently working in the West End. Lordin gave us an enjoyable 20 minute set of their original music which feels like it would fit in well in Ibiza on the party scene.

Aimie then takes to the stage for 90 minutes and proceeds to blow the audience away with her incredible vocals. She opened the show with 'Dare For Love' which we then learn was a (sadly) unsuccessful bid for a Eurovision Song. It's a strong power ballad and gets the audience hooked for the remainder of the show.

The stand out numbers from the night were ‘I Can’t Go Back’ from Pretty Woman, a show Aimie was in for three and a half years.  The song has been re-arranged to have more of a pop sound to it which suits her voice wonderfully. Aimie told us of her time in the show, and how the song has special meaning to her especially since her recent engagement. There was also an incredible cover of Britney Spears’ ‘Toxic’ which suits Aimie so well you could believe she was a pop star!

Aimie didn’t do it all alone though, she had Vicky Hoyles & Helen Wint as backup, she also had several guests to sing with her: Vicky Manser, Sophie Isaacs & Hannah Lowther all joined for a fantastic ‘All You Wanna Do’ as all had previously played ‘Katherine Howard’ in Six. Later she was joined by some more of the original ‘Six’ Queens: Grace Mouat, Natalie May Paris & Jarnéia Noel for a soulful rendition of ‘Heart of Stone’. Later Aimie & Natalie May Paris almost blew the roof off the theatre with ‘Alone’, this song is the perfect duet for the pair!

The song selection for the evening and the album is perfect, every song shows off a different element of Aimie’s talent. Aimie is an incredible performer and I’ve had ‘Queen’ on repeat since the concert finished!