FOLLOWING the release of last year’s acclaimed Top 10 album Soulsville, singer songwriter and actress Beverley Knight has embarked on a new UK tour, playing Southampton tomorrow night.

Following a string of sold out gigs in the spring of 2016, and having completed a nine month run in the smash hit west end musical The Bodyguard, including a three month run in Toronto, Beverley is taking to the road again in her own right.

She will play a broad set featuring hits from her stellar career, highlights from her Soulsville album and a few surprises during the date, which was originally scheduled for June, but had to be rearranged for health reasons.

She told the Daily Echo: "I think that doing lots of musical theatre has strengthened my voice. Because you’re singing every single night on stage and sometimes twice a day, your vocal ability and stamina improves massively. I’ve learnt new tricks- I’m willing to move a bit more on stage in terms of more choreographed bits and pieces. I won’t be doing a full-on choreographed show any time soon, but I’m certainly more willing to have choreography in my own live show.

"As ever, I always bring the funk! It is all about the funk, beautiful showmanship and also bringing old songs, new songs and tributes."

Recorded early last year at Royal Studios in Memphis, Soulsville celebrates the music, sounds and legacy of Memphis and was produced by Grammy nominated Justin Stanley (Prince, Beck); it features original material co-written by Knight, alongside a handful of classic Memphis covers. The new tour will see her perform favourite tracks from this latest hit album, including the self-written radio 2 A-listed airplay hit Middle of Love and Knight’s stunning version of the Ann Peebles classic I Can’t Stand The Rain as well as fan favourites spanning her recording career, with a nod to her newer role as leading lady of the West End.

Beverley added: "The album Soulsville was made in the neighbourhood of Soulsville, so named by the residences in Memphis, Tennessee. I went to Memphis to do a recce ahead of my leading role as Felicia Farrell in the musical Memphis. I fell in love with the place and have always wanted to go there- it’s like a Mecca for any musician. I was determined that I would return and record an album there which is exactly what I did and naturally the name of the album had to be Soulsville.

Tickets are on sale now from gigsandtours.com