Vivacious Vika, Etta-taining Tassie!

Chatting to Vika Bull last week she tells me of Tasmania that she relishes the fresh air and adds, of course ‘it is very pretty’. Vika has crossed Bass Strait many times already this year, including performing at MONA (for the third time) as part of her tour with Paul Kelly, and a visit to the Devonport winery (‘which was very beautiful’) where she took part in the interestingly named ‘ghost rock festival’.

Our chat last week is about the critically acclaimed show ‘At Last, The Etta James story’ which Vika brings to Tassie this week. Vika says the performance in Tassie is in response to the many Tasmanians attending the show on the mainland.

Vika says Etta James has been her favourite singer since she was a 17 year-old when she fell in love with ‘Etta’s voice’ and its ‘honesty’ from a woman who had really ‘lived the blues’. Etta James was a musician that overcome the odds, a woman that in Vika’s words’ the super famous’ were influenced by and Etta sang it all, R and B, Jazz and almost everything else.

Vika says when you see the show you will realise Etta sang many familiar songs.

Vika as well as canvassing Etta’s ‘vast catalogue’ will also provide biographical detail of Etta’s life story. The song that has become identifiable with Etta James is of course ‘At last’ her signature tune that lends its name appropriately to the production.

I ask Vika what she would consider her own signature song and she says that although she doesn’t have one as such most people would probably nominate the songs she did with the Black Sorrows ‘Never let me go’ and ‘Chained to the wheel’.

You can see the vivacious Vika Bull perform in ‘At Last the Etta James story’ at The Theatre Royal on Friday the 17th of April.
Paula Xiberras