Category: Music

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More Things To Do in York and beyond. Here’s Hutch’s List No. 46 of criminally good entertainment, from The York Press

Martha Tilston: Playing The Basement tonight at City Screen Picturehouse

CRIMINAL investigations and a brace of plays with murder at the core, Charles Hutchinson detects a theme to his latest recommendations.

Singer-songwriter of the week: Martha Tilston, The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, York, tonight, 7.30pm

BORN in Bristol and now living in Cornwall, singer, songwriter and filmmaker Martha Tilston writes songs from the heart as a balm for the modern age.

Tilston, who has worked Zero 7, Damien Rice, Nick Harper, Kae Tempest and Aztec Camera’s Roddy Frame, combines raw vocals and sparkling melodies with thought-provoking lyrics and filmic movements, inviting her audience to “connect with longed-for parts of ourselves”. Box office: marthatilston.co.uk.

Jennifer Rees: Exploring stories of serial killers in forensic detail at the Grand Opera House, York

Criminal investigations of the week: Strange But True Crimes with Jennifer Rees, Grand Opera House, York, October 21, 7.30pm

FORMER forensics lecturer and Psychology Of Serial Killers presenter Jennifer Rees explores stories such as the serial killer who gained work in law enforcement while on the run – and ended up hunting himself.

Watch out too for the female, balloon-carrying killer clown, serial killers on game shows – how  their appearances led to their identification – and  many more stories. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Jason Durr’s Jonny ‘The Cyclops’, right, accosting the nervous burglar in Torben Betts’s comedy thriller Murder At Midnight. Picture: Pamela Raith

Deliciously twisted crime caper of the week: Original Theatre in Murder At Midnight, York Theatre Royal, October 21 to 25, 7.30pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees

ON New Year’s Eve, in a quiet corner of Kent, a killer is in the house in Torben Betts’s comedy thriller Murder At Midnight, part two of a crime trilogy for Original Theatre that began last year with Murder In The Dark, this time starring Jason Durr, Susie Blake, Max Howden and Katie McGlynn.

Meet Jonny ‘The Cyclops’, his glamorous wife, his trigger-happy sidekick, his mum – who sees things – and her very jittery carer, plus a vicar, apparently hiding something, and a nervous burglar dressed as a clown. Throw in a suitcase full of cash, a stash of deadly weapons and one infamous unsolved murder…what could possibly go wrong? Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

The Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon: Showcasing new album Rainy Sunday Afternoon at York Barbican. Picture: Kevin Westerberg

Recommended but sold out already: The Divine Comedy, York Barbican, October 21, doors 7pm

IN the wake of composing all the original songs for the 2023 global blockbuster Wonka, North Irishman Neil Hannon has returned to his Divine Comedy guise for September 19’s Rainy Sunday Afternoon: album number 13 and his first studio set since 2019’s Office Politics.

Recorded at Abbey Road, London, the album was written, arranged and produced by Hannon, who covers his usual range of emotions: sad, funny, angry and everything in between. Hear Hannon songs new and old next Tuesday, when Studio Electrophonique will be the special guest. Box office, for returns only: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Katie Melia’s Show White in Steve Coates Music Productions’ Disenchanted, turning fairy tales on their head at the JoRo

Cheeky twist on fairy tales of the week: Steve Coates Music Productions in Disenchanted, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, October 22 to 25, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

KATIE Melia directs and leads the cast as Snow White in Steve Coates Music Productions’ production of  Disenchanted, the musical with the feminist twist that turns fairy tales upside down, from the Little Mermaid hitting the bottle to Belle ending up in a straitjacket for chatting with the cutlery.

Forget the damsels in distress, Snow White, Cinderella and their royal crew want to set the record straight. Equipped with sass, wit, and powerhouse vocals, these not-so-princessy princesses flip the script, spill the tea and reclaim their stories as they challenge outdated happily-ever-afters. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

Making an impression: Dead Ringers on 25th anniversary tour

Comedy nights of the week: Dead Ringers, October 22, 3pm and 7.30pm, and Nick Mohammed Is Mr Swallow: Show Pony, October 26, 8pm, both at Grand Opera, House, York  

TO mark its 25th anniversary, BBC Radio 4’s topical satire show Dead Ringers takes to the road with a full UK tour for the first time as long-standing cast members Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Lewis MacLeod and Duncan Wisbey take a trip through classic sketches and unrivalled impressions, peppered with  topical humour.

Celebrity Traitors competitor, Taskmaster contestant and Ted Lasso actor Nick Mohammed returns to York as his alter-ego Mr Swallow. Expect magic, music and new mistakes. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Harry Summers, left, and Emma Scott in rehearsal for York Shakespeare Project’s The Spanish Tragedy. Picture: John Saunders

Revenge drama of the week: York Shakespeare Project in The Spanish Tragedy, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, October 22 to 25, 7.30pm

PAUL Toy directs York Shakespeare Project for the fourth time – and the first since Troilus And Cressida in 2011– in “the most popular play of the Elizabethan era, outselling Shakespeare”: Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy, the circa 1592 blueprint for the Revenge Tragedy genre.

No Kyd, maybe no Hamlet or The Duchess Of Malfi, as treachery, deceit and disguise are wrapped inside a torrid tale of vengeance-seeking ghosts, madness, a play-within-a-play and a Machiavellian villain, delivered by Toy with masks, music and dance. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk. 

Alexandra Mather’s Polly Peachum in York Opera’s The Beggar’s Opera. Picture: John Saunders

Opera of the week: York Opera in The Beggar’s Opera, The Citadel, York City Church, Gillygate, York, October 23 to 25, 7.30pm

YORK Opera stage John Gay and Johann Christoph Pepusch’s 1728 satirical ballad opera The Beggar’s Opera in an immersive production under the musical direction of John Atkin and stage direction of Chris Charlton-Matthews, with choreography by Jane Woolgar.

Watch out! You may find yourself next to a cast member, whether Mark Simmonds’ Macheath, Adrian Cook’s Peachum, Anthony Gardner’s Lockit, Alexandra Mather’s Polly Peachum, Sophie Horrocks’ Lucy Lockit, Cathy Atkin’s Mrs Peachum, Ian Thomson-Smith’s Beggar or Jake Mansfield’s Player. Box office: tickets.yorkopera.co.uk/events/yorkopera/1793200.

Heidi Talbot: Introducing November 21 album Grace Untold at NCEM on October 23

Folk gig of the week: Heidi Talbot, Grace Untold UK Tour, National Centre for Early Music, York, October 23, 7.30pm

IRISH folk singer Heidi Talbot returns to the NCEM stage to preview her November 21 album Grace Untold, a collection of songs based around Irish goddesses and inspirational women.

This is an album rooted in personal experience and collective lore as Heidi pays tribute to female strength, focusing on legendary figures and the unsung heroines within her own family. Box office: 01904 658338 or necem.co.uk.

Riverdance: The New Generation performs the Irish dancers’ 30th anniversary show at York Barbican

Dance show of the week: Riverdance, 30th Anniversary Tour, York Barbican, October 24 to 26, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday and Sunday matinees

VISITING 30 UK venues – one for each year of its history – from August to December 2025, the Irish dance extravaganza Riverdance rejuvenates the much-loved original show with new innovative choreography and costumes, plus state-of-the-art lighting, projection and motion graphics, in this 30th anniversary celebration.

For the first time, John McColgan directs “the New Generation” of Riverdance performers, none of them born when the show began. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

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Singer-songwriter of the week: Martha Tilston, The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm

Martha Tilston: Singer, songwriter and film-maker making her York debut tomorrow

A CURSORY click on Martha Tilston’s name online will reveal she is 50 and was born in Brighton in 1975.

Not so, says Martha in conversation. She is in fact 49 and her birthplace was Bristol in 1976, although ironically this phone interview was conducted as Martha walked on Brighton beach, having played Komedia there the previous night.

Singer, songwriter and film-maker Martha now lives in Cornwall. “We spent a lot of our childhood down near St Ives, spending long summers in the same house on a farm,” she says.

“I think for part of me, the first place where you connect with nature, you connect with forever, it resonates forever.” Hence the move to Cornwall in adult years.

“That connection has always got to mean something [when writing songs]. When I teach songwriting, I talk about how the ‘comet’ comes in, and how you then transmute or alchemise it, so you’re like a forge,” she says.

“When a feeling pokes an emotion, I feel alive in that moment or sad. It’s not like a feeling that ‘I’m going to turn this into a song’, but a feeling of ‘I need to do something with it’. That’s what’s great about creativity. It’s beautiful to share it, but more than anything it calibrates experience.”

Martha will be playing York for the first time. “I’ve never played there, though my family are around Hebden Bridge, and my mother’s mother’s from Yorkshire,” she says. “I think the booking came through my new booking agent, James Nicholls. He’s good at marrying me up with venues, and York has been on my radar for a while. Now things are aligned.

“I’ve played Leeds, Hebden Bridge and a lovely festival in Settle, and now York. Playing a place for the first time, generally it’s nice, like meeting an edge, a coastline, dipping your toes in again, because you don’t know how it’s going to go.

“You step on [stage], you read the room, and there’s less expectation – though I like playing familiar places too, where it feels like home – but this feels new and this is what ‘humanness’ is.

“We like things that are new; we crave things that are new. We can get scared of adrenaline but we need to be pushed into it.”

Reflecting on that Komedia gig, Martha says. “It’s always a bit of a conversation. It can be like a family gathering, where there could be a curveball, or things that aren’t being said, but last night was really beautiful because everyone enjoyed it so loudly from the first song. It felt like we were creating the night together.

“But also people come with stuff, especially with what’s happening right now, such a lot of heavy stuff, so there’s a lot of love and people are really energetically open to hope.

“I think humans are not feeling great about themselves, so like a child, we play up more, but a gig is a space where it can remind us that humans are lovely.”

The cover artwork for Martha Tilston’s album Luminous

Martha, who has worked Zero 7,Damien Rice, Nick Harper, Kae Tempest and Aztec Camera’s Roddy Frame, as well as making her own records, writes songs from the heart as a balm for the modern age, inviting her audiences to “connect with longed-for parts of ourselves”.

She does so not only through song but also through storytelling, taking part in songwriting retreats at a “Secret Clifftop House near Penzance” and storytelling and creativity camps on Dartmoor.

“It’s so magical,” she says. “The thing is, we are storytellers, and stories are so important, hearing stories and not just ones we know, but hearing new stories, and not about how we mess things up, but we have to get to stories about being harmonious with each other; stories that take you off somewhere else and touch your humanity.”

 If “songs are mini-films”, as Martha describes them, then how apt that she has branched out into film-making too for 2021’s The Tape, a “gripping and surprising” feature film for which Martha has credits as director, writer, singer, star. “It’s a story that’s not Armageddon; it’s quite hopeful! A folk musical of hope and connection set in Cornwall,” she says. “You can find it on Amazon Prime.”

It may have escaped your attention that Martha released her latest album in 2023, as she said in this interview, or February 2024 for its “full release”, as her website states. “It slipped out. No press,” she says of Luminous. “It wasn’t even on Spotify at first. I just wanted to put it out on Bandcamp, as a small release, but it’s one that people have really connected with – and it is now on Spotify!”

Luminous is described on her website as “a collection of songs that soothe, heal, and open our hearts – it feels like now is a time when we might need a little musical balm! So sit back and let the songs hold you”.

“I wanted to write an album that was a balm for our times, for me and my friends, founded on love being the answer as we’ve tried everything else,” says Martha.

 “I didn’t want to talk to journalists, to talk it up, before I knew how it landed. I wanted to see how it speaks to people without shouting about it.

“I also though the folk press wouldn’t ‘get’ it because it’s not particularly folky, but I didn’t want to fit in with a crowd that maybe it didn’t fit in with anyway.”

Luminous was a memorable recording experience for Martha. “I sang with the Murmuration Choir from Bristol and the One Voice Community Choir from Cornwall (Penryn], and we recorded the album in my friend’s barn, where we had to stop each time the tractor went by!” she says.

Tomorrow’s audience can look forward to a new Martha composition, River. “It’s about how sometimes, when life can throw us challenges, or as my friend said, ‘life can get lifey’, there’s always a place for us to be at peace, but it’s hard to access. A river under a bedrock that can help you when you’re anxious,” she says.

“So I wrote this song to remind me that there is that place. Sometimes it’s comforting to know that, at times when we go through challenges or are in a moment of suffering.”

Hurricane Promotions presents Martha Tilston at The Basement, City Screen, York, October 18, 7.30pm. Also St Mary’s, Todmorden, October 19, with special guest Molly Tilston, 7.30pm. Box office: marthatilston.co.uk.” We hope you can join us as we travel round, for a little song, heart and connection,”  says Martha.  

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Jazz trumpeter Byron Wallen explores childhood memories in Black Flag at NCEM. UPDATED 21/10/2025

Trumpet player Byron Wallen: Performing Black Flag at the NCEM next Friday

JAZZ trumpet player, composer, traveller and tutor Byron Wallen returns to the National Centre for Early Music, York, on October 24 with a very personal project, Black Flag, to mark Black History Month.

Joined by pianist and keyboard player Nick Ramm, Londoner Byron will share his exploration of childhood memories and the emotional strains between a mother and her son, separated by the chasm of an ocean.

Byron, 56, was born in London, on July 17 1969 – while the Apollo 11 crew were on the way to the Moon – to parents from Belize and was brought up in a musical family, one of his three siblings being composer Errollyn Wallen (now Keeper of the King’s Music, a post once held by Edward Elgar).

But that barely scratches the surface of his back story. “The reality of the situation is that I didn’t grow up with my mum, so that’s the whole idea behind Black Flag, with us being divided by the Atlantic Ocean” says Byron. “She left me when I was six months old when she went back to the States. She was working as a nurse and felt she could do better in the States, with relatives in New York.

“I was conceived in America, then she came over here to have me, so I could be with my much older sisters, who were raised over here for part of their lives. I was brought up by my aunt, my dad’s brother’s wife, so she wasn’t even a blood relative.

“I was brought up in Tottenham, North London, and the interesting thing is that my aunt is white and was raising me in Tottenham, which was a quite a black area of London. So I had my aunt as my ‘mum, growing up – she and my uncle split up when I was 11 – and when I went out, people would ask me ‘who’s this’ and I’d always have to explain my situation.”

Byron felt comfortable at his school, but because his sisters were eight, ten and 12 years older than him, he grew up feeling “like an only child”.  

“So it was about learning as a child what’s important as a child, when you want to fit in, not to stand out and not have to think about things,” he says. “But I did have to think about things. It was that thing of having to deal with understanding the situation, and so began a life-long search for what was going on and why my mum did that.”

Byron had participated in the Jerwood Foundation’s “Dangerous Duets” project at Wapping Hydraulic Power Station, composing an improvised work in response to Annabel Elgar’s photographs. “As I was writing, they triggered me into going back to my childhood because Annabel’s photos were about negotiating the boundaries between the comfort of familiar things juxtaposed with things that were challenging.”

Byron recalled childhood days of being spoilt but also bullied, and wrote Black Flag in response to images of his mother, his sisters, his aunt and uncle that will accompany next week’s performance. “I have these pictures of when my mum came back to visit after a year, two years and I really don’t know who she is, whereas she’s looking, ‘this is my son’.

“Even though I had a lovely ‘mum’, there was always a feeling of abandonment, thinking ‘why was I not with my real mum’. Using a film of photographs in Black Flag, from my childhood, my family pictures, I thought it would be good for people to see those pictures to bring them into that world.”

Byron and his mother did meet over the years. “But she has passed now, a good 12 years ago,” he says. “I don’t think you could ever really resolve it, but there were times when things came to a head, especially before I became an adult.

“I’d go out to America every two or three years for my summer holiday, and for few days she would be happy to see me, but then after a few days it would be too much. My mum and my aunt did get on really well, but there were tensions in my relationship with my mum, but I did get to know her better as an adult.”

Byron introduces Black Flag as a sonic exploration of the African Diaspora’s enduring psychological landscape. “This project charts the psychological and emotional frontiers of contact between a mother and her son separated by the Atlantic Ocean.

“It’s a deep dive into the multi-layered toxic waste caused by global imperialism and colonialism, giving voice to the creation of lost souls and generations living in socio-economic poverty, confined within a mental bubble of paralysis.

“At its heart, this is a journey into family dynamics. It acknowledges that every child has their own lived experience within the family unit, and that the same historical events can have profoundly different effects and consequences on each individual, even among those who share the same roots.”

Explaining how he transfers those sentiments into musical form, Byron says: “Through immersive music composition, we explore these shifting balances of power—between the urban and the rural, the collective and the personal, the past and the present—searching for a glimpse of light before the Sun.

“Yet, Black Flag is not solely a narrative of loss. It’s a profound act of testimony and reclamation. By giving sound to this pain and its varied impacts, we begin the process of cleansing and healing. The work is a testament to the unwavering resilience and defiant hope that defines the Diaspora.

“Our mission is to use the power of music not just to tell this story, but to forge a deeper understanding of how history shapes our present emotions, relationships, and family bonds, and to illuminate the path toward reclaiming our narrative power.”

Why did Byron choose Black Flag as the title for this project? “It’s the idea that if you raise a black flag, there are specific things it means. It’s the pirate flag, when you have no allegiance to anyone.

“Then there’s this amazing tree in Oxleas Wood, near where I live in South East London. A large area of ancient woodland in Eltham, where I found this tree that looked like a flag, so I used  it for the album cover and in the film.”

The significance of Black Flag is best understood not within the confines of a single month [Black History Month], but within the continuous, living context of the African Diaspora’s history and its present-day realities, says Byron.

“The project directly engages with themes that are foundational to understanding this ongoing story, Firstly: Pride in Our Roots versus The Rupture, exploring the profound chasm created by the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism—the forced separation of families and the severing of ties to ancestral homelands.

“Secondly, Truth to Power. Composition is an act of speaking truth. It confronts the uncomfortable, often silenced narratives of intergenerational trauma, socio-economic paralysis, and the psychological toll of imperialism. It uses art not for comfort, but for confrontation and testimony, giving sound to a pain that history books often sanitise.”

Thirdly, says Byron, Family Dynamics as Historical Microcosm. “By focusing on the different lived experiences within a single family, Black Flag makes this vast history intensely personal. It shows how systemic forces fracture into unique, individual realities. The same historical events – separation, migration, poverty – land differently on a mother and her son, illustrating that there is no single ‘Diaspora experience’,but a constellation of related yet distinct wounds and strengths

Lastly, says Byron, Creativity, Courage and Change. “Ultimately, the act of creating Black Flag is itself a powerful statement. It represents the ‘glimpse of light’ – the use of creativity to break through the ‘mental bubble of paralysis’.

“It takes courage to articulate this journey, and in doing so, the work contributes to a broader cultural shift, changing how we understand and discuss legacy, memory and resilience.”

Byron Wallen, trumpet & flugelhorn, and Nick Ramm, piano & keyboards, perform Black Flag, National Centre for Early Music, Walmgate, York, on October 24, 7.30pm. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.

Did you know?

BYRON Wallen is studying for a PhD in musical composition at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, in Greenwich, London. He also teaches there and at a music conservatoire in Switzerland.

Did you know too?

DURING his visit to York, Byron will work with young jazz players from York Music Forum and compositional students from across York earlier in the day, exploring the universal themes of identity and heritage. 

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York Opera to stage John Gay’s satire The Beggar’s Opera at The Citadel next week

Cathy Atkin’s Mrs Peachum, left, Alexandra Mather’s Polly Peachum and Adrian Cook’s Peachum in York Opera’s The Beggar’s Opera. All pictures: John Saunders

YORK Opera will stage John Gay’s 18th-century satirical ballad opera The Beggar’s Opera at The Citadel, York City Church, Gillygate, York, from October 23 to 25.

After June’s successful staging of Offenbach’s The Tales Of Hoffmann at York Theatre Royal, the autumn production of librettist and lyricist Gay and composer Johann Christoph Pepusch’s three-act 1728 opera is presented under the musical direction of John Atkin and stage direction of Chris Charlton-Matthews, with choreography by Jane Woolgar.

The Beggar has written an opera!  Well, not exactly “written”. He has borrowed all the tunes from folk ditties or well-known melodies – and his plot is not exactly the usual operatic fare – although he says he has followed all the conventions: a hero, a doomed love affair, prisoners in chains. 

However, the hero is a highwayman and completely faithless to his many wives, while every lady’s virtue is for sale and marriage is the way to become a rich widow. All the characters are villains, from gang leader Peachum, who sells his own gang members to be hanged in order to claim the reward, to crooked gaoler Lockit, who runs a line in comfortable manacles, and the utterly psychotic Matt o’the Mint, murderer and arsonist. Could the Beggar be sending up the politicians of his day – but surely they are not crooks, are they?

Cathy Atkin’s Mrs Peachum and Adrian Cook’s Peachum

York Opera will stage an immersive production of this classic satire, where you may find yourself seated next to a cast member, so be careful where you sit!  That demure lady to your side might just be a pickpocket after your snuffbox!

To be fully in the mood, join Polly and her evil father Mr Peachum at his speakeasy for a gin tasting sponsored by York Gin before each show. Please note that entry to this tasting does not include entry to the show and vice versa. Here is the link: https://tickets.yorkopera.co.uk/events/yorkopera/1819083.

Principal roles will be taken by a combination of established and new soloists: Mark Simmonds as Macheath, Adrian Cook as Peachum, Anthony Gardner as Lockit, Alexandra Mather as Polly Peachum, Sophie Horrocks as Lucy Lockit, Cathy Atkin as Mrs Peachum, Ian Thomson-Smith as The Beggar and Jake Mansfield as The Player.

Alexandra Mather’s Polly Peachum

After The Beggar’s Opera, the company will continue rehearsals for November 8’s concert in conjunction with the York R.I. Brass Band to celebrate the life and musical talents of Clive Marshall, a leading member of both organisations, who died on March 11.

Featuring principals, players and chorus, Opera Meets Brass: A Musical Tribute to Clive Marshall will be held at The Citadel to raise funds for St Leonard’s Hospice in its 40th anniversary year. Tickets (£15, students and under 16s £10) are available at https://tickets.yorkopera.co.uk/events/yorkopera.

Then it will be full steam ahead to Christmas for York Opera’s Carols At Christmas concerts at Acomb on December 11, 7.30pm, Haxby, December 12, 7.30pm, and York, December 13, 4.30pm.

York Opera in The Beggar’s Opera, The Citadel, Gillygate, York, October 23 to 25, 7.30pm. Box office: https://tickets.yorkopera.co.uk/events/yorkopera/1793200.

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John Bramwell takes solo route through songs new & Kloot at Pocklington gig

John Bramwell: Playing solo at Pocklington Arts Centre tomorrow night

HYDE singer, song-spinner and sage John Bramwell has been on a never-ending rolling adventure since working away from his cherished Mancunian band I Am Kloot. Next stop, Pocklington Arts Centre, tomorrow.

Leading light of those Mercury Prize nominees from 1999 to 2014 and screen goddess Cate Blachett’s “favourite songwriter of all time”, Bramwell will be spotlighting songs old and new, as well as his sophomore solo album, February 2024’s The Light Fantastic, in his Pock one-man show.

“I’ve been touring with my full band, then touring as a trio, and now some solo dates,” says John. “A different set of songs, of course. With this set there’s more Kloot in there and more from the new album, not The Light Fantastic , but the next one, out next March, on Townsend Music again. Three songs from that…

“…and stories from my past. Just funny stuff that happened with John Peel. Getting to tour with John Cooper Clarke and how he’d try out his gags on me on his way to gigs. Remembering my late friend Bryan Glancy [who played with Bramwell in The Mouth before he formed I Am Kloot].

“I’ve written a song about him, When The Light  Goes Out. I literally just had this dream about him and it was almost like the song was there.”

What happened with John Peel [the legendary late-night BBC Radio One presenter]? “I made this single, Black And White, as Johnny Dangerously, a name I got when I walked on stage, tripped up, went over the edge. The place went crazy. I got a massive cheer,” he recalls.

Pooling redundancy money from being relieved of his position in the Tesco wine and spirits department with a sum from his dad, John printed up vinyl copies of Black And Blue. “It was at the point when Peel said he couldn’t receive cassettes any more, so I went down to London on the train and waited for Peel to come out of his studio. ‘You’re John Peel,’ I said. He looked at his stomach and said, ‘it would appear I am’!”

Vinyl handed over, it turned out the trip was worthwhile. “Peel played it the following night. Among a lot of German industrial rock, and lots of bands with dyed black hair, of course, in the middle of all that, I’d released a ballad – but he played it!”

When playing Kloot songs, John will tell stories of what happened when making recordings. “Like not wanting to have the opening to Northern Skies, which to me is like Suspicious Minds, but Garvey [producer Guy Garvey, of Elbow], said no-one would notice – and he was right.”

Provisionally, he is toying with calling next year’s album Still Got The Magic. “I played a new song at one gig and it got an amazing reaction. I don’t write as much as I did: the quantity isn’t there but there’s still the quality,” says John.

“This new album will be purely a solo record. Just me, because my finger-style playing is really coming on, so I’m actually recording at home, a place near Monmouth, rather than on the boat that I rent by the River Wye at Symonds Yat.”

Pressing John on I Am Kloot’s legacy, he says: “As I find now, what people say to me, is that there’s a spirituality to it, the lyrics and the form, that I didn’t realise, being at the centre of it. It’s very emotional without being sentimental.

John Bramwell, centre, in I Am Kloot days with Andy Humphries and Peter Jobson

“So The Light Fantastic  really is the breakaway, but I think this new album, with me and the guitar, is more of a culmination of Kloot.

“Looking back, Moulin Rouge [released in April 2008] is my favourite Kloot album – and the least successful. I love the feel of it. It reminds me of how, when playing with Andy  [drummer Andy Humphries] and Peter [bassist Peter Jobson], we were really mashed together on those songs.”

Looking ahead, John’s next album after “Still Got The Magic” (TBC) will be a band record.  “That’s the key for me: rather than being purely solo, I look forward to working with the band  again, and after that, it’s great to bounce off new ideas.

“I’ve sprung this idea of doing an album every 18 months, and as the label has pointed out, that would mean I’d be touring all the time. If the health holds, I’ll be doing 90 gigs a year. I’ve got my stories, I’ve got my two guitars It’s what I’m meant to be doing. “

At this point, I praised on John for changing the word “trip” to “skip” in his opening lyric to The Light Fantastic: “As I skip the light fantastic/And I live my life of ease/I’ve put my heart out on elastic/And my soul upon the breeze”.  “I thought it was ‘skip’! I always thought that! Maybe in different parts of the country it’s different,” he says. “My girlfriend is Scottish and they have different meanings for some words.

“If I’d known it was ‘trip the light fantastic’, I wouldn’t have used it, as I don’t like the psychedelic stuff like LSD!”

It was time to mention John’s prodigiously long hair in the latest publicity photograph. “I’ve had it cut, though it’s still long. I went to get it cut to shoulder length, but the barber refused to cut it that far, saying it was magnificent and he’d cut it for free. So, it’s still long, not crazy, crazy long.”

John Bramwell, Pocklington Arts Centre, Friday, October 17, 8pm. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.

“Cate Blanchett’s favourite songwriter of all time”? She chose the John Bramwell-penned Proof, from I Am Kloot’s Sky At Night, as her Desert Island Disc on BBC Radio 4 in December 2022.

John Bramwell’s promo, featuring Cate again: https://youtu.be/zmaLfoETfKc?si=lTHKO1o-jETZswaI

John Bramwell on writing songs for 2024’s The Light Fantastic

“AFTER both my mum and dad died, I started writing these songs to cheer myself up. “The themes are taken from my dreams at the time. Wake up and take whatever impression I had from what I could remember of my dream and write that.”

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Accessible Arts & Media to launch open-mic event Laugh, Lyrics & You! at Gateway Centre on Oct 26. How do you take part ?

YORK charity Accessible Arts and Media are launching an inclusive open-mic event, Laugh, Lyrics & You!, at Gateway Centre, Front Street, Acomb, York, on October 26 from 2.30pm to 5pm.

“The idea is to have an open-mic type event in a relaxed and friendly environment that’s accessible and fun,” says chief executive officer Chris Farrell. “Our projects, IMPs, Movers and Shakers and Hands and Voices, will start the event off and then it’s over to whoever would like to perform.

“Any talent is welcome: a duet, a solo instrument, a poetry reading, a recording of some original music, jokes…whatever you can think of will be great!” 

How do you book for Laugh, Lyrics & You? “Whether you’d like to perform, or sit and enjoy the show, you can:

Chris joined Accessible Arts & Media as chief exec in April after inspirational co-founder and charity leader Rose Ken stepped down after more than 30 years.

Her last act was to oversee the organisation’s re-location to a purpose-built space at Clifton Explore, Rawcliffe Drive, York.

At the time of her exit stage left, Rose said: “Little did I know when I founded the Accessible Arts arm of the charity back in 1992 that I’d still be here 32 years later.

Rose Kent, left, launching Accessible Arts & Media in 1992

“It’s been a real privilege to run an organisation that’s all about supporting people to find their voice and play an active role in their local community. It’s been AAM-azing!”

A cornerstone of York’s inclusive creative community for four decades, Accessible Arts & Media offers life-changing opportunities through arts, performance and wellbeing activities.

The new location and CEO finds the charity ready to enter its next period of growth and innovation. Following an extensive search, the organisation selected Chris Farrell for the CEO’s post. He joined the organisation from Age UK York and has enjoyed a career in senior roles at charities that provide vital support to people across the country – and he has made his mark as a musician too.

“I first shared a stage with Accessible Arts & Media almost a decade ago, so I’ve known for many years the difference the organisation makes for participants and for the wider community,” says Chris.

“It’s a pretty big task to try and fill Rose’s boots, but I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to steer the charity into its next chapter and, with your support, I know we can do some pretty amazing things.”

Last year, Accessible Arts & Media delivered 614 creative learning and wellbeing sessions across the city. They support almost 500 people a year, and are well known for their gigs and busking, where audience participation is highly encouraged.

Chris now leads the organisation through the ever-evolving charity landscape, building on the organisation’s strong networks within York’s learning disability, culture and wellbeing sectors.

“It’s certainly been an interesting six months so far,” he says. “But having first recorded at the Old Dairy in the late 1990s, it feels a full circle coming back into this role.”

Lucy Galliard, chair of trustees, said: “We’re thrilled that Chris has joined us. From a strong field of candidates, Chris stood out as a top-quality candidate with the perfect balance of strategic and leadership skills, and a true understanding of what we do and why it’s needed.”

Chris Farrell: Took over as chief executive officer of Accessible Arts & Media in April

Lucy paid homage to Rose for her longstanding service and huge contribution to the city’s cultural life. “Rose has been the powerhouse behind AAM for over three decades. Her achievements are huge, as has been the effort, attention – and most importantly – love that she has put into the organisation.

“Whilst we’re of course sad to see her leave, everyone at AAM is excited for Rose to be able to redirect that passion and love into herself, her dogs and her garden gnome collection!”

Accessible Arts & Media: back story

INCLUSIVE arts and media charity, based at Clifton Explore, York. Delivering arts and media learning and wellbeing programmes in and around York since 1982.

Mission statement: “We believe that everyone can learn, everyone can be creative and everyone can play a part in their local community. They just need the right support, and that’s where we come in.”

AAM support almost 500 people each year, including disabled adults and young people, older people living with dementia and people with severe, enduring mental ill-health.

AAM projects support their wellbeing by helping them develop the skills and confidence to have more of a say in the things that matter to them, and feel happy, connected and valued. “Now, more than ever, our projects provide a vital social lifeline for people who are all too often isolated and forgotten.”  

  For more information on Accessible Arts & Media, visit www.aamedia.org.uk.

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From Strictly to Sin City, ‘the Rat Pack of dance’ return to York Barbican in Vegas: After Hours on November 4 2026

The tour poster for The Legends’ 2026 travels in Vegas: After Hours

STRICTLY Come Dancing legends Brendan Cole, James Jordan, Pasha Kovalev, Vincent Simone and Ian Waite will return to York Barbican on November 4 2026 on their Vegas: After Hours tour.

Less than a month ago, the Strictly alumni played the Paragon Street venue on their The Return Of The Legends tour on September 20, having earlier toured their Legends of The Dance Floor show in 2024.

Tickets go on general sale at 10am tomorrow (17/10/2025), available at yorkbarbican.co.uk, Ticketmaster and legendsofthedancefloor.com.

The terpsichorean quintet promises a “breathtaking brand new show that captures all the glitz, glamour and excitement of Las Vegas, where the dance floor never sleeps”.

Vegas: After Hours dancers Brendan Cole, left, James Jordan, Ian Waite, Pasha Kovalev and Vincent Simone

Joined by female dance partners, Cole, Jordan, Kovalev, Simone and Waite will “bring the spirit of Sin City to life through stunning routines and nonstop entertainment, all set to a soundtrack inspired by the greatest Las Vegas performers of all time”.

From neon lights and electric nights, spinning roulette tables, glamorous showgirl and dazzling casinos to desert sunsets, lavish pool parties, whirlwind weddings, iconic hotels and world-class entertainment, Vegas: After Hours captures it all.

The 30-date tour will run from October 3 to November 10 2026, taking in further Yorkshire shows at Sheffield City Hall on October 22 and St George’s Hall, Bradford, on November 5.

Brendan Cole enthuses: “Anyone who saw our last two shows will tell you that a Vegas-themed show is the perfect next step for us. We are the Rat Pack of dance, and we’re going to have a Vegas-style party. It’s going to be a riot.” 

The poster for The Return Of The Legends, the 2025 tour that visited York Barbican on September 20

Vincent Simone teases: “As if I haven’t got myself into enough trouble every single night of our last two tours together, our brand new show is inspired by Sin City. What could possibly go wrong? I can’t wait for everybody to find out!” 

James Jordan chips in: “We spent the last two years proving to everyone that we’ve still got it, so as long as my body holds up, I look forward to bringing our most dazzling dance spectacular yet, with my brothers in dance, to audiences across the UK.”

Pasha Kovalev exclaims: “Vegas, baby! Can’t wait for this tour! The Legends shows have been such a blast, but I’ve got a feeling Vegas: After Hours is going to top them all!”

Ian Waite sums up: “After having an absolute blast on tour with the guys, it’s now all about Vegas: After Hours for 2026. Maximum glitz, maximum glamour. I’m already there.”

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REVIEW: Steve Crowther’s verdict on York Guildhall Orchestra, York Barbican, Oct 12

Chris Bradley playing the cimbalon at York Guildhall Orchestra’s concert

THIS fascinating programme could hardly have been more contrasting: Zoltán Kodály’s eclectic, charming Háry János Suite, Op. 15, and Dmitri Shostakovich’s dark, brooding Tenth Symphony in E minor, Op. 93.

The Prelude opened with a convincing “orchestral sneeze” – a Hungarian superstition that sneezing before telling a story confirms its truth. This was very much a scene-setter: atmospheric orchestral textures with fine woodwind and string contributions, and a nicely judged balance overall.

The Viennese Musical Clock was delightful – toy-clock imagery created by the absence of strings in favour of playful percussion sounds (notably glockenspiel), and fine solos from Jane Wright (oboe) and others.

The lyrical Song featured fine solos from Moira Challoner (viola), Andrew Cavell (clarinet), and Wright again on oboe, plus a charming appearance by the delicate cimbalom (Chris Bradley). 

The Battle And Defeat Of Napoleon was delightfully bonkers – a comedic, stylised battle with trombone calls to arms, doleful saxophone responses, military rhythms and a closing funeral procession. Fine playing again, with Simon Wright judging the balance expertly.

The highlight, however, was the Intermezzo. Here the Hungarian folk influence was most obvious, and Chris Bradley made a serious contribution – one he (and we) clearly relished. True, the cimbalom was sometimes drowned out by full orchestral textures, but that was almost inevitable given its intimate timbre.

I rather wish the Suite had ended here – it would have made a splendid sign-off. The final Entrance of the Emperor and His Court was dramatically fine – a ceremonial, deliciously pompous march – but musically, it didn’t add much. For me, anyway.

York Guildhall Orchestra in concert at York Barbican on October 12

Before we trotted off for our interval ice creams, Mr Bradley performed an attractive folksong tune which, he noted, quietly endorsed God’s Own County, Lancashire. I’ll get my coat.

Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony was, according to his own account, composed in the months following Stalin’s death in 1953; it was premiered that December by the Leningrad Philharmonic under Yevgeny Mravinsky.

The opening Moderato is massive – both in length (it occupies about half of the symphony) and in emotional tone. The sense of torment seems undeniable; I was reminded of Bob Dylan’s song Not Dark Yet: “Sometimes my burden is more than I can bear/It’s not dark yet, but it’s gettin’ there”.

Simon Wright’s direction conveyed a real sense of organic purpose. The playing was commendably strong, with impressive contributions from clarinet, flute (Della Blood), oboe and bassoon (Isabel Dowell). The distant horn solo (Janus Wadsworth) added welcome warmth and humanity, and the chamber-like intimacy of the viola and cello solos (Moira Challoner and Sally Ladds) recalled Mahler in its emotional directness.

The relentless drive of the second-movement Allegro – “a musical portrait of Stalin” (Testimony) – came across with brutal intensity. After the murky depths of the first movement, its savage energy felt almost cathartic. Biting trumpet and trombone fanfares, quasi-martial snare drum and screaming woodwinds made this genuinely edge-of-the-seat stuff.

The third-movement Allegretto is a waltz – although not of the civilised Strauss variety. The tone is calmer, but still uneasy. It was fascinating to hear how the DSCH motif is woven into the fabric, alongside a counter-motif (E–A–E–D–A) attributed to Elmira Nazirova, a talented composition student.

The two form a kind of coded dialogue: the horn plays the rising “Elmira” theme – beautifully realised by Janus Wadsworth – discreetly answered by Andrew Cavell on clarinet. If love was indeed in the air, flute and oboe seemed to mock it. The performance projected a kind of chamber concerto for horn and woodwind.

Simon Wright: “His direction conveyed a real sense of organic purpose”

There were some issues with the closing Andante–Allegro. The rapid, heavily accented syncopated rhythms at the start of the Allegro weren’t quite as tight as they could have been, and the alternation between massive tuttis and chamber-like conversations didn’t always convince – although the dry acoustic did the players no favours.

That said, there was much to admire. Wright judged the opening superbly: out of the almost eerie stillness emerged Della Blood’s haunting flute solo, her breath control and purity of tone capturing the fragility and tentative hope of the moment. It surely represents the first real breath after the long darkness of the symphonic journey so far.

Clarinet and bassoon then picked up fragments of the flute’s melody, responding in lower, darker timbres – deepening the colour and grounding the fragile flute tone. The woodwind exchanges continued the chamber-like intimacy and were strongly convincing.

They were joined by the horn, playing the distinctive “Elmira” motif and linking the finale to the personal world of the third movement. Wadsworth again impressed, particularly in the soft, sustained horn solo in the upper register – exposed and difficult for both intonation and breath support.

As the Allegro section began, the first violins – admirably led by Fiona Love – gradually assumed the melodic lead. Their lyrical yet forceful lines cut through the rhythmic engine with long, arching phrases, demonstrating impressive bow control.

In the end, the final word belonged to the timpani – Francesca Rochester on fine form throughout – rhythmically hammering out the DSCH motif (D–E♭–C–B), Shostakovich’s personal signature. Its insistent, obsessive repetition drives the symphony to its defiant E-major conclusion.

Given the technical, physical and emotional demands of this remarkable symphony – and the unsympathetic acoustic – this performance was a real achievement.

Review by Steve Crowther

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Haircut One Hundred to play York Barbican on May 8 2026, preceded by first album with Nick Heyward in 44 years on March 20

Haircut One Hundred: New album after more than four decades

HAIRCUT One Hundred will play York Barbican on May 8 2026 on next spring’s tour to showcase Boxing The Compass, their first album with singer Nick Heyward in 44 years.

Tickets for the Beckenham, London band’s only Yorkshire gig on their 11-date itinerary go on general sale at 10am on October 24 at yorkbarbican.co.uk.

The unexpected second chapter in the Haircut One Hundred story gathered pace in 2024 when their first single in forever, The Unloving Plum, became BBC Radio 2’s Record of the Week, recalling the early Eighties’ days of Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl), Love Plus One, Fantastic Day and Nobody’s Fool.

Now that comeback steps up a gear as the Londoners announce Boxing The Compass for release on March 20 2026.

This morning, they launched the album alongside the premiere of new single Dynamite on Scott Mills’s show on BBC Radio 2, when also revealing details of their first full UK headline tour since 2023.

Boxing The Compass will be only the second album from the classic line-up since 1982’s  platinum-certified Pelican West, a number two hit that was followed by 1984’s Paint And Paint, by then without frontman Heyward.

Heyward (vocals/guitar), Graham Jones (guitar) and Les Nemes (bass) first reconvened to discuss issues around the band, but that business meeting felt more like a reunion of old friends.

Matters soon snowballed from an “unforgettable” comeback gig at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London,  to a full UK headline tour, with drummer Blair Cunningham subsequently jumping back on board. That 15-date Haircut 100% Live tour concluded at York Barbican on November 17 2023, again their only Yorkshire destination.

The album cover artwork for Haircut One Hundred’s Boxing The Compass, out on May 20 next year

Subsequent writing and recording sessions with Dexys’ band member Sean Read at Famous Times studio in East London showed that they “still shared that special something”.

“Their flair for a classic, melody-rich pop song was firmly intact, along with a host of fresh influences that they had never had the chance to explore together,” their publicity machine says. “And despite the passing of four decades, their boyish charm is still luminous – surely because each member is grateful for having a second chance with their old friends.”

Heyward, now 64, says: “Boxing The Compass is the traditional way of finding out where you are on land or sea using the compass rose. We’re arriving back at the port we left 43 years ago with a log of songs from our personal travels.

“Wherever I’ve been in the world, I’ve always been Nick Heyward of Haircut One Hundred and we’re all ready to set sail again for more adventures on the high seas.”

New single Dynamite is “the sound of a band who are relishing being back, their famous instant pop addictiveness now flavoured by classic disco guitar hooks, rousing brass and jazzy flourishes,” today’s press blurb states.

“Its feelgood fervour is amplified by Nick’s bright, charismatic vocals with a lyric that explains itself on a song that made a big impression when it was debuted throughout the band’s recent North American tour.”

Heyward adds: ”Dynamite is about the day and the night and meeting via satellite. Whether it’s your soul mate, long-lost family members, future friends, or your people. It’s about communication and how explosive it can be. It really is dynamite.”

Boxing The Compass will be released on CD, vinyl and digital formats and can be pre-ordered at https://slinky.to/BoxingTheCompass.

The track list will be: Vanishing Point; The Unloving Plum; That’s A Start; Dynamite; Come Back To Me; Someone; A Wonderful Life; Soul Bird; Raincloud and Sunshine.

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No.45, from Gazette & Herald

Courtney Brown: Directing Pickering Musical Society for the first time in My Favourite Things – The Music of Rodgers & Hammerstein. Picture: Robert David Photography

FROM Rodgers & Hammerstein favourites to Caliban’s dancing revenge, Francis Rossi’s songs and stories to German beer festivities, Charles Hutchinson delights in October’s diversity.

Musical revue of the week: Pickering Musical Society presents My Favourite Things – The Music of Rodgers & Hammerstein, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, tonight  to Sunday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

LONG-TIME member Courtney Brown directs Pickering Musical Society for the first time in My Favourite Things – The Music of Rodgers & Hammerstein, a showcase of the very best of Broadway’s most iconic songwriting partnership.

As well as the cheeky charm of Honey Bun, the playful fun of The Lonely Goatherd and the rousing barn-dance energy of The Farmer And The Cowman, the show feature songs from The Sound Of Music, Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific and The King And I. Dancers from the Sarah Louise Ashworth School of Dance take part too. Box office: 01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk.

Eddi Reader: Playing York for the first time in seven years at The Citadel

Seven-year itch of the week: Hurricane Promotions presents Eddi Reader, The Citadel, York City Church, Gillygate, York, tonight, 7.30pm

EDDI Reader, the Glasgow-born singer who fronted Fairground Attraction, topping the charts with Perfect, also has ten solo albums, three BRIT awards and an MBE for Outstanding Contributions to the Arts to her name.

Straddling differing musical styles and making them her own, from the traditional to the contemporary, and interpreting the songs of Robert Burns to boot, she brings romanticism to her joyful performances, this time with her full band in her first show in York for seven years. Eilidh Patterson supports. Box office: ticketsource.co.uk.

Banjo at the double: Damien O’Kane and Ron Block team up at the NCEM, York

Banjo at the double: Damien O’Kane and Ron Block Band, The Banjovial Tour, National Centre for Early Music, York, tonight, 7.30pm

GROUNDBREAKING  banjo players Damien O’Kane and Ron Block follow up their Banjophony and Banjophonics albums with this month’s Banjovial and an accompanying tour.

O’Kane, renowned for his work with Barnsley songstress Kate Rusby, is a maestro of Irish traditional music, here expressed on his Irish tenor banjo; Block, a key component of Alison Krauss & Union Station, infuses his signature five-string bluegrass banjo with soulful depth and rhythmic innovation. Together, their styles intertwine in an exhilarating dance of technical mastery. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.

Francis Rossi: Shaking up the Status Quo with songs and stories at York Barbican. Picture: Jodiphotography

Hits and titbits aplenty: An Evening of Francis Rossi’s Songs from the Status Quo Songbook and More, York Barbican, tomorrow, 7.30pm

IN his one-man show, Status Quo frontman Francis Rossi performs signature Quo hits, plus personal favourites and deeper cuts, while telling first-hand backstage tales of appearing more than 100 times on Top Of The Pops, why Quo went on first at Live Aid, life with Rick Parfitt, notching 57 hits, fellow stars and misadventures across the world. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Natnael Dawit in Shobana Jeyasingh Dance’s We Caliban at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Foteini Christofilopoulou

Dance show of the week: Shobana Jeyasingh Dance in We Caliban, York Theatre Royal, Friday, 7.30pm (with post-show discussion) and Saturday, 2pm and 7.30pm

SHOBANA Jeyasingh turns her sharp creative eye to Shakespeare’s final play The Tempest in a new co-production with Sadler’s Wells. A tale of power lost and regained, the play is the starting point for Jeyasingh’s dramatic and contemporary reckoning, We Caliban.

Written as Europe was taking its first step towards colonialism, The Tempest is Prospero’s story. We Caliban is Caliban’s untold story that started and continued long after Prospero’s brief stay. Performed by eight dancers, complemented by Will Duke’s projections and Thierry Pécou’s music, this impressionistic work draws on present-day parallels and the international and intercultural discourse around colonialism, as well as Jeyasingh’s personal experiences. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk. 

John Bramwell: Playing solo in Pocklington

As recommended by Cate Blanchett: John Bramwell, Pocklington Arts Centre, Friday, 8pm

HYDE singer, song-spinner and sage John Bramwell, leading light of Mercury Prize nominees I Am Kloot from 1999 to 2014 and screen goddess Cate Blachett’s “favourite songwriter of all time”, has been on a never-ending rolling adventure since his workings away from his cherished Mancunian band.

His sophomore solo album, February 2024’s The Light Fantastic, will be at the heart of his Pocklington one-man show. “After both my mum and dad died, I started writing these songs to cheer myself up,” Bramwell admits with trademark candour. “The themes are taken from my dreams at the time. Wake up and take whatever impression I had from what I could remember of my dream and write that.” He promises new material and Kloot songs too. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.

Sam Moss: Heading out on to the moors at The Band Room. Picture: Jake Xerxes Fussell

Moorland gig of the week: Sam Moss, The Band Room, Low Mill, Farndale, North York Moors, Saturday, 7.30pm

FINGERPICKING folk virtuoso guitarist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sam Moss heads to the North York Moors this weekend from Staunton, Virginia, USA, to showcase his February 2025 album Swimming, championed by the scribes of Uncut, No Depression and Paste and Los Angeles online magazine Aquarium Drunkward, no less. “For the record, he is a renowned woodworker too, particularly celebrated for his incredible spoons,” says Band Room promoter Nigel Burnham. Sofa Sofa support (as sofas always do!). Box office: 01751 432900 or thebandroom.co.uk.

Drag diva Velma Celli lights up Yorktoberfest at York Racecourse. Picture: Sophie Eleanor

Festival of the week: Yorktoberfest, Clocktower Enclosure, York Racecourse, Knavesmire, York, Saturday, 1pm to 5pm and 7pm to 11pm; October 24, 7pm to 11pm; October 25, 1pm to 5pm and 7pm to 11pm

MAKING its debut in 2021, Yorktoberfest returns for its fifth anniversary with beer, bratwurst and all things Bavarian. Step inside the giant marquee, fill your stein at the Bavarian bar with beer from Brew York and grab a bite from the German-inspired Dog Haus food stall.

The Bavarian Strollers oompah band will perform thigh-slapping music and drinking songs; York drag diva Velma Celli will add to the party atmosphere with powerhouse songs and saucy patter. Doors open at 6.30pm and 12.30pm. Tickets: ticketsource.co.uk/yorktoberfest.