Marlon Pichel’s Grand Soul Revue

Marlon Pichel may be from Rotterdam, but his music takes you straight to the southern United States. The singing drummer grew up in a musical family, was already performing on stage at the age of nine and developed a love for the southern soul of Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett. Add to that some blues and a generous dash of rock ’n’ roll, and you get music that makes it hard to sit still. On his debut album ‘Good Ol’ Loving’, released in 2023, the horns, organ and drums sound just like they do on his favourite old soul records, with Pichel’s weathered voice taking centre stage. Live, he performs with a seven-piece band and plays the drums himself. He has since appeared at festivals including North Sea Jazz and signed to Danny Vera’s label. On his latest album, ‘Took You To The Movies’, soul, love and rock ’n’ roll come together in tracks that exude the atmosphere of the southern United States, yet are unmistakably Pichel’s own.