Prince performing in 2008. Pic: Redfishingboat

Funk legend Prince is in London with his new band, the female trio, 3RDEYEDGIRL, as part of its Hit & Run tour. The band is promoting the new album Plectrum Electrum.

Rather than well-known venues, the band is set to play in a series of intimate settings throughout February, and kicked things off on Tuesday evening with an impromptu gig in the Croydon home of British soul songstress Lianne LaHavas.

They performed to an audience of just 12 people, showcasing two new songs, including the latest single PretzelBodyLogic.

LaHavas, 24, said: “It was like a storm. They put amplified equipment in my lounge, Prince came, conquered and left. It was like a storm had hit.”

“We’ll work our way up, if people like us, to bigger venues, we’re going to be here until people don’t want us anymore,” the music legend announced at Tuesday’s gig.

The band hopes to play at iconic venues throughout the city that were once graced by the great Jimi Hendrix, such as music club Bag O’Nails, the Electric Ballroom in Camden and Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in Soho.