Review | YolanDa's Band Jam at Portsmouth Guildhall: 'Come back soon YolanDa, you are welcome any time'

YolanDa’s Band Jam delighted an assembled audience of young children on Friday afternoon.

Yes it was early for a Guildhall show, with doors opening at 2pm, but the timeslot worked just perfectly for the gaggle of excited fans – who had a mean age of five. In the crowd were some hardcore YolanDa supporters of all ages, and even some very small ones too, and everyone had a friendly face.

It’s not the first time YolanDa Brown has brought her show – made famous by an award-winning CBeebies show of the same name – to Portsmouth. Her infectious good vibes also worked their magic on the crowds in the kids' arena at this summer’s Victorious. They were great then (she comes with her five-piece band) – with YolanDa even mentioning the festival on stage – and they were great again.

YolanDa is also an acclaimed jazz performer whose ‘grown-up’ albums and shows have won her an army of fans, but in recent years the Band Jam side of things does seem to have taken over.

The show’s repertoire is fab for youngsters who like dancing, and enjoy a bit of choreography, and who also want to learn about music. The set introduces them to the different instruments, and for a pre-school kids' TV show, the songs are enjoyable to listen to. The kids were first on their feet for a dance, with the adults a few moments after. By the time we got to the closing song – a rousing Heads Shoulders Knees and Toes – there was a sea of small fans lined along the front of the stage, with their heads only barely poking over, while others danced in the aisles.

YolanDa has a great energy and she interacts so well with the crowd, everyone leaves feeling like she’s their friend. There are high fives all round, and she even stayed smiling throughout a meet and greet with her pint-sized fans in the lobby after. Come back to Portsmouth soon please YolanDa, you are welcome any time.