A Brooklyn Bowl London Soul Explosion This Week with Four Great Shows in Four Nights

The arrival of September means summer officially ends in three weeks, but this week, a Soul Explosion hits Brooklyn Bowl London with four terrific shows in four nights. Motown icons Martha Reeves and the Vandellas will have everyone singing and dancing along when they kick off the festivities on Thursday. (And while they need no introduction, read our Q&A with Martha Reeves.) Lee Fields started out in the funk business, earning favorable comparisons to James Brown throughout the ’70s. And while the ’80s were somewhat quiet for him, he returned strong in the ’90s, making bluesy soul music. But teaming up with the Brooklyn label Truth & Soul and its house band, the Expressions, has reinvigorated him. To witness: last year’s excellent album, Emma Jean (stream it below), which marries old-school R&B and soul with modern touches. See Lee Fields & the Expressions (above, doing “Ladies” for KEXP FM) live on Friday night. Led by Brooklyn’s Jerome “Trombone Jerome” Harper, Brassroots (above, their video for “Black Eye Friday”) have become one of London’s top brass bands over the past few years. The party-starters continue to set dance floors ablaze across the land, and they’ve recently taken things to a new level by cleverly incorporating electronic elements into their act. And not only will their show at Brooklyn Bowl London on Saturday night be two down-and-dirty sets, but it will also be FREE. Whether she’s performing with a large band in a big venue or a stripped-down group in an intimate space, talented soul, funk, and jazz singer Alice Russell’s powerful, soulful voice is a force of nature to be reckoned with. And while others will be going to bed to get an early start to their week, you can extend your weekend by cutting loose with Alice Russell (above, performing “Citizens” for Babylon TV) at Brooklyn Bowl London on Sunday night.