From the moment Melvin Brown graced the stage with his infectious smile, he had me – and the rest of the crowd engrossed.

Singing songs from the King of Soul, Sam Cooke, and supported by a band of keys, drums, electric guitar and two backup singers, Melvin swept the stage.

And he certainly got the audience on their feet, not that we needed much encouragement as we bopped along to tunes including ‘Twistin’ the Night Away’ and ‘What a Wonderful World’.

However, this wasn’t just a musical act. In between songs, Melvin told the story of Sam Cooke and his short life before he was murdered in his prime at the age of 33.

Melvin is clearly a man of many talents as on top of this, he tap danced his way through many of the songs. I was stunned to learn he is SEVENTY NINE when I looked him up after the show. At half his age, there’s no way I could’ve pulled off a quarter of his moves.

The best moment of the show for me was his encore, where Melvin sang ‘Stand By Me’. Although it is not a Sam Cooke single, Melvin’s rendition had the audience on their feet as he sang the song’s verses in different styles. He sang it like Sam Cooke, then the next verse was like Ray Charles, then another as Marvin Gaye… it truly demonstrated Melvin’s versatility.

You need to get to this show before Movin’ Melvin Brown tap dances his way back to Ohio. For me, this is a stand out show of Perth Fringe 2025.