Elvis Evolution head of studio Simon Reveley, Mark ‘Elvis’ Goddard and music director Kojo Samuel
Elvis Evolution hosted an exclusive VIP screening of Elvis’ iconic ’68 NBC Special and a Q&A with Elvis expert Jonathan Wingate, Elvis Evolution music director Kojo Samuel and Elvis Evolution head of studio Simon Reveley at the Curzon Soho, London.
Elvis Evolution is a high-energy, high-tech homage – at Immerse LDN, ExCeL Waterfront, London from May 2025 – where fans will get to walk in Elvis’ blue suede shoes, with the sights, sounds and even smells of his life and career. The experience centres on Elvis’ iconic ’68 special performance that captures the drama and triumph of what is described by many as the ‘greatest rock performance of all time’.
Derek Smith reports…
The perfect way to celebrate Elvis Aaron Presley’s could have been recent 90th birthday, the organisers and creatives behind the Elvis Evolution Immersive Experience – arriving at the London Excel Waterfront in May – hosted an emotional evening at the Curzon Soho cinema centred around an exclusive screening of Elvis’ iconic ’68 NBC ‘comeback’ Special. With the bonus of an inciteful and often revealing pre-screening Q&A with Elvis expert Jonathan Wingate, Elvis Evolution head of studio Simon Reveley and Elvis Evolution music director Kojo Samuel, also present was long established tribute act, Mark ‘Elvis’ Goddard.
Over his career, Elvis made a few later mini comebacks, but this was seen as the one that re-established him as the biggest name in rock ‘n’ roll at a time when the youth of the USA was going crazy for British bands like The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, both of whom he apparently admired. When Elvis performed the NBC special, Reveley reminded the audience, it had been seven years since the King had done such a show and five years since he’d had a hit in the charts. You would have never guessed it by his iconic performance but, apparently, he was extremely nervous before the show aired.
Designed to encapsulate not just his music but get beneath the skin of the leather clad legend too, Elvis Evolution is designed to be a blend of both high-tech AI and traditional effects, in addition to using real sets and live actors to enhance the various, key moments in Presley’s career and life.
The walkthrough immersive experience, designed by Layered Reality, essentially offers a multi-sensory journey through Elvis’ astonishing journey, from country boy to music icon, even finishing up in an ‘All Shook Up’ after party bar where the celebration of the man and his music continues.
Keeping the sounds and feel of the Elvis story real is at the heart of what the new experience is all about, according to music director Kojo Samuel, especially when it focuses on his early, formulative gospel years.
Described by Reveley as the ultimate rebel, such is his incredible legacy, even in 2025, that: “Elvis requires the best we can throw at it.” As a chance to ‘Walk a Mile in My Shoes’, it’s an opportunity that looks set to attract both die-hard fans and hopefully a new generation too.
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