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(More or less) everything you need to know about Love’s Labour’s Lost (More Or Less) as Stephen Joseph Theatre goes to Ibiza

The hen party heading for Menorca: Jo Patmore, left, Alyce Liburd, Annie Kirkman and Alice Imelda in Love’s Labour’s Lost (More Or Less). Picture: Patch Dolan

A STAG do in Ibiza. A hen do in Menorca. What could go wrong? Everything…in Love’s Labour’s Lost (More Or Less) at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough.

The stags have made a solemn promise to each other: this is a boys’ weekend. Don’t talk to any girls, don’t even think about any girls, and most importantly, do not contact the hens.

The hens are ready for fun in the sun when the resort calls to say they’ve had to relocate them…to a hotel in Ibiza. Both groups of revellers are stuck on the same Mediterranean island. Cue shoddy disguises, mislaid love letters and theatrical chaos.

Repeating the Hutch Award-winning formula of 2023’s co-production of The Comedy Of Errors (More Or Less) with Precot’s Shakespeare North Playhouse, set in the heat of a 1980s’ clash of Yorkshire and Lancashire,  Shakespeare’s riotous comedy is brought to life anew in the 1990s with belting musical numbers from the era of boy bands and Girl Power.

The same creative team reunites for Love’s Labour’s Lost (More Or Less): co-writers Nick Lane and Elizabeth Godber (daughter of playwright John Godber), director Paul Robinson and composer and sound designer Simon Slater. In the production team too are designer Jess Curtis, lighting designer Jane Lalljee, musical director Alex Weatherhill and choreographer Stephanie Dattani.

Co-writer Elizabeth Godber says: “I’m so excited to be back working with Nick, the SJT and Shakespeare North on another hilarious Shakespeare adaptation.

Unmasked: Alyce Liburd and Annie Kirkman in Love’s Labour’s Lost (More Or Less). Picture: Patch Dolan

“Love’s Labour’s Lost is one of my favourite Shakespeare plays, and to get the chance to play around with the language, develop the (already great) female characters, and add in plenty of 1990s’ pop classics, has been an absolute joy!

“I can’t wait for audiences to come and see the show. It’s funny, irreverent, and I’m sure Shakespeare would approve – he would have definitely been a Britpop fan!”

SJT artistic director Paul Robinson says: “We had the most enormous fun making The Comedy Of Errors (More Or Less) in the spring of 2023, and our audiences did too! We couldn’t resist following it up with another of the Bard’s early comedies, this time set a decade later in the midst of the party era that was the 1990s.

“We’ll again be including some great music from the period, and just wait until you see those 90s fashions again!”

Shakespeare North Playhouse creative director Laura Collier says: “After the success of our 2023 co-production – a show so entertaining that people kept coming back for more – we knew we had to join forces again. 

“We’re absolutely thrilled to be working with the Stephen Joseph Theatre again, alongside talented writers Nick Lane and Elizabeth Godber. We all share a deep love for Shakespeare and his timeless tales, and a passion for exploring and presenting fresh, exciting perspectives and reworkings – a perfect foundation for an outrageously fun Love’s Labour’s Lost. We can’t wait to see what lies in store when we’re all transported back to the ’90s.” 

Co-writer Elizabeth Godber: “I don’t think of it as a rewriting of Shakespeare; I think we’re twisting it, we’re putting a northern spin on it,” she says

Here co-writers Nick Lane and Elizabeth Godber discuss everything (more or less) about Love’s Labour’s Lost (More Or Less).

How were you  first brought together for The Comedy Of Errors (More Or Less)?

Nick: “I was asked by Paul [SJT artistic director Paul Robinson, the show’s commissioning director] if I’d be interested in teaming up with a writer to do a modern version of Shakespeare.

“He had this idea about making Shakespeare accessible, demystifying it, making it relevant and funny, and playing around with titles that people know but aren’t necessarily plays that people know.

“Independently of each other, we came up with Liz. I wanted to work with Liz because I’ve known her all her life, and I got my wish!”

Elizabeth: “I’d done some writing development work at Scarborough before, so Paul was aware of my work, so when they were looking for someone to team up with Nick, he called me.”

Co-writer Nick Lane: “If Shakespeare was writing now, he’d want to reflect the time and the politics,” he says. Picture: Tony Bartholomew

Do you have any qualms about rewriting Shakespeare?

Nick: “For me, initially, yes, but knowing that Liz knows lots more than I do about Shakespeare, I did feel like I was in safe hands, and it was a good partnership – we share a similar sense of humour. But we were both making it up as we went along.”

Elizabeth: “Yes, I had reservations, of course – it’s a big thing to do! But at the same time we both had this thought in our heads that we wanted to do something different, that was accessible and fresh. I don’t think of it as a rewriting of Shakespeare; I think we’re twisting it, we’re putting a northern spin on it.”

What is your process for writing – together or separately?

Elizabeth: “This time, for Love’s Labour’s Lost (More Or Less),  it’s been much more together than on Comedy Of Errors – we’ve learned and grown from that. We write some things separately, and we send emails and share, and we’ve got about a thousand voice memos on WhatsApp. Then we meet up multiple times, and we’ll spend a day going through everything we’ve written, tweaking and changing each other’s stuff.

Nick:  “And enjoying some very nice meals…

Elizabeth: “And eating lots of biscuits!”

Annie Kirkman and Jo Patmore in Love’s Labour’s Lost (More Or Less). Picture: Patch Dolan

What different qualities do you both bring to the writing?

Nick: “The fun thing for me is – well, the read-through is a perfect example. I sat through the read-through and laughed heartily at all the stuff Liz put in, and sort of smiled at my own bits and thought, ‘yes, that kind of works’. But I think we both find each other’s stuff funny.”

Elizabeth: “I would say that Nick brings a font of knowledge of random facts! He can pinpoint something exactly: ‘In August 1989, people weren’t doing that’.”

Nick “I do have a silly memory for things, it’s true. And Liz is cracking on all things Shakespeare – and when you have a silent third partner, that’s really, really useful.”

Why have you set Love’s Labour’s Lost (More Or Less) in 1990s’ Ibiza?

Elizabeth: “We knew we wanted to do Love’s Labour’s Lost, and we also had this idea for a stag-and- hen thing, which, if anyone’s read the original, it does kind of fit: there’s this kind of boys versus girls thing. That, and the club scene, and the ’90s, just felt like a good fit for the story.”

David Kirkbride punching the air in Love’s Labour’s Lost (More Or Less). Picture: Patch Dolan

Nick: “It helps that you’re in an era before mobile phones. It’s fascinating how quickly we’ve adopted these things – they’re so intrinsically linked with our everyday lives now, and only 25 years ago, they existed, of course, but they weren’t the all-encompassing tools that they are now.

“I guess if we’d set it a bit later, it would have been erroneous text messages instead of the misdirected letters, but there’s no romance in texts, is there?”

How difficult was it making the song choices? Any particular favourites?

Elizabeth: “I loved making the song choices! The ’90s are my childhood; it’s very, very nostalgic and takes me back to school discos and primary school and brings me great joy. My favourite is probably the Spice Girls.”

Nick: “The opening number is Girls & Boys by Blur.  If the Spice Girls were the ’90s for Liz, then Blur was kind of my thing – I was in my 20s.”

Where were you in the 1990s?

Elizabeth: “I was in Hull – being born and growing up!”

Nick: “Predominantly Doncaster, but I toured a lot – with Hull Truck, for Liz’s dad [playwright John Godber]!”

Jo Patmore in Love’s Labour’s Lost (More Or Less)

Have you ever acted in Shakespeare?

Nick: “No, I never have. I’ve done verse – I was in Tony Harrison’s Passion and Doomsday, but never a Shakespeare.”

Elizabeth: “I was in a school production, a 20-minute version of Romeo and Juliet – and in that production, I met my now husband!”

Nick: “I can even quote you your one line in that. It was ‘No’.”

Elizabeth: “It was! I think I’m better on Shakespeare when I’m not acting in it.”

Will Shakespeare be spinning in his grave at the prospect of Love’s Labour’s Lost (More Or Less) or giving it a five-star review (more or less)?

Thomas Cotran in Love’s Labour’s Lost (More Or Less). Picture: Patch Dolan

Nick: “I would hope that if he is spinning, it’s to a 120 bpm dance track. He was a modernist in his day; he was satirical; he referenced things that were very of the time, and I think if he was writing now, he’d want to reflect the time and the politics. I think he’d be all right with it.”

Elizabeth: “We want to make a show that people come to see and have a great time, and I think that Shakespeare wouldn’t be against that – I think that’s what he wanted to do, too.”

Which Shakespeare play would you like to rewrite (more or less) next?

Nick: “One for Liz. I don’t know enough of them!”

Elizabeth: “I think I’d quite like to do A Winter’s Tale, because I really like the Shakespeare plays that are a little less done, that people don’t know as much about. I think that’s interesting. Love’s Labour’s Lost is one that people don’t know as well, and you can bring it to more people – that’s exciting. But my favourite is As You Like It, so…”

Stephen Joseph Theatre and Shakespeare North Playhouse present Love’s Labour’s Lost (More Or Less) at Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, until April 19, Monday to Saturday, 7.30pm, plus 1.30pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees. Box office: 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.

An ensemble scene from the Stephen Joseph Theatre and Shakespeare North Playhouse co-production of Love’s Labour’s Lost (More Or Less). Picture: Patch Dolan

Who’s in the cast for Love’s Labour’s Lost (More Or Less)?

Thomas Cotran; Alice Imelda; Linford Johnson; David Kirkbride; Annie Kirkman; Alyce Liburd; Timothy Adam Lucas and Jo Patmore. 

Four of the company have appeared at the SJT already: Linford Johnson was in Alan Ayckbourn’s The Girl Next Door in 2021, and Annie Kirkman appeared in 2023’s UK Theatre Award-winning Beauty And The Beast, returning in summer 2024 to play the title role in Dracula: The Bloody Truth. She also starred in John Godber’s Perfect Pitch, on tour.

David Kirkbride and Alyce Liburd were in the SJT’s first co-production with Shakespeare North Playhouse, the UK Theatre Award-nominated The Comedy Of Errors (More Or Less) in Spring 2023. Alice appeared in in Dracula: The Bloody Truth too.

Movin’ and groovin’ in Love’s Labour’s Lost (More Or Less). Picture: Patch Dolan

What’s on the playlist in Love’s Labour’s Lost (More Or Less)

 1. Blur: Girls & Boys

2. Britney Spears: …Baby One More Time

3. Shania Twain: Man! I Feel Like A Woman!

4. Meat Loaf: I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)

5. iNi Kamoze: Here Comes The Hotstepper

6. No Doubt: Don’t Speak

7. Aerosmith: I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing

8. Boyz II Men: I’ll Make Love To You

9. Backstreet Boys: Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)

10. Spice Girls: Stop

11. Cher: The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss)

12. Prince: 1999

13. Vengaboyz: We’re Going To Ibiza!

14. Take That (feat.Lulu): Relight My Fire

15. Vanilla Ice: Ice Bay Ice

16. Macarena: Los Del Rio

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Black Sheep Theatre unleash magic, music and mayhem on Shakespeare’s The Tempest at Theatre@41, Monkgate

Mark Simmonds in rehearsal for his role as Prospero in Black Sheep Theatre’s production of The Tempest

YORK company Black Sheep Theatre are promising to bring magic, music and mayhem to The Tempest from tonight  at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York.

William Shakespeare’s timeless tale of power, love and redemption is directed by company founder and composer Matthew Peter Clare in an innovative adaptation that “blends traditional Shakespearean drama with a dynamic theatrical approach”. “The First Encounters production that the RSC brought to York Theatre Royal in February was for children; ours is definitely not!”  he says.

Known for bold and impactful storytelling in their musical theatre shows, Black Sheep are applying an exciting new vision to Shakespeare’s melting pot of mistaken identity, magic, intrigue, murderous schemes, comedy and romance.

“The Tempest is famously Shakespeare’s last play, focusing on family and love, subjugation and bloody plots, reconciliation and forgiveness, euphoria and despair,” says Matthew.

“It’s a play that has been performed numerous times in as many ways. You can do anything with it, and we have!  With Black Sheep’s version, we aim to marry a more Brechtian theatre style for some of our more absurd characters with a grounded, naturalistic approach for the more plot-driven characters.

Matthew continues: “It’s an incredibly musical play, so we’ve utilised my musical background, alongside the incredible talent of Gregory Harper, to create a musical score for a live eight-piece band, featuring two violins, viola, cello, contrabass, guitar, harp and percussion, that will accompany the show and highlight the characters and their choices throughout.

“This will perfectly complement the singing of the island spirits, as well as our featured leading singers, such as Gemma-Louise Keane as Ariel and Josh Woodgate as Caliban.”

Both are well-known figures in York’s theatre and music scene, with Gemma-Louise being the lead singer in fellow cast member Mickey Moran’s band  KissKissKill and Josh regularly performing with Inspired By Theatre, starring in Green Day’s American Idiot last year and now rehearsing for Rent.

“Greg and I have created the score, working on it since December 26 and finishing it on Tuesday, for example deciding what parts of Ariel’s speeches we would turn into songs, such as Full Fathom Five, and what we needed to keep as speech, finding the happy medium for that and using underscore too,” says Matthew.

“We’re delighted to have Gemma, who used to do Shakespeare plays when she was younger and is now working with me for the first time.”

The band will be putting in a double shift, says Matthew, by not only supporting the actors with their playing but also “playing the character of the band”.

Look out too for the play within the play. “We always wanted to do that as a musical number,” says Matthew.

As for magic and mayhem, as embodied by the actions of Simmonds’s Prospero, “He’s really interesting among Shakespeare characters as the magic he uses is not intrinsically evil and there’s ultimately no cost to that magic, unlike in Macbeth, where Lady Macbeth goes mad and Macbeth dies,” says Matthew.

“But Prospero’s magic is cruel, how he treats Caliban and Ariel, his slaves. There is a lot of torture, with his power to control and subjugate them.”

Josh Woodgate reflects on his role as Caliban: “Prospero is forcing Caliban and Ariel to do his bidding through his magic. Caliban has no choice but to submit to his will because Prospero took over the island when Caliban believes it should be his. Prospero has power over everyone and everything.”

Expect a cracking pace. “We’re using a heavily abridged script that Peter Gould did for Get Thee To The Funnery in Craftsbury, Vermont, in 2010. It’s about half the length of the original, now just over two hours, and though it moves so briskly, you never feel you’re forgetting about any characters,” says Matthew.

“The strength of this production lies in the juxtaposition of absurd comedy and serious drama,” Matthew says of a play with three narrative strands running in parallel on one island.

 “There’s a mixture of the comedy of Much Ado About Nothing or A Midsummer Night’s Dream; the love story of Romeo And Juliet and also the tragedy of death plots and the treatment of Caliban. The tempest itself is a tragedy.

“In our production, the comedic energy of Charlie Clarke as Trincula, Molly Whitehouse as Stephana, Dan Poppitt as Alonso and Rocks Smith as Francisca is sharply contrasted against the more sinister and thought-provoking portrayal of Mark Simmonds’s Prospero.

“We had several auditions for Prospero, and Mark really brought an energy to the dialogue  that shone out above everyone else that felt like a deeper character; why Prospero is doing the things he’s doing.”

Matthew is joined in the production team by Mikhail Lim, as he was for Black Sheep’s production of Jason Robert Brown’s Songs For A New World at the National Centre for Early Music, York, last October.

“Our adaptation of The Tempest is set to be an unmissable experience, blending Shakespeare’s genius, innovative staging and an evocative live musical score to bring the story to life in a bold, fresh, and deeply engaging way,” concludes Matthew.

Black Sheep Theatre Productions in The Tempest, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, March 26 to 29, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Who is in Black Sheep Theatre’s cast for The Tempest?

Mark Simmonds as Propsero; Freya McIntosh, Miranda; Gemma-Louise Keane, Ariel; Dan Poppitt, Alonso, Spirit; Megan Conway, Antonia; Chloe Pearson, Ferdinanda; Isaac McAndrews, Gonzalo; Rosie Stirling, Sebastian: Josh Woodgate, Caliban; Charlie Clarke, Trinculo; Molly Whitehouse, Stephana: Mickey Moran, Adrian, Spirit; Ellie Carrier, Francisco, Juno, Spirit; Rocks Smith, Boatswain, Ceres, Spirit, and Justine Hughes, Master of Ship, Iris and Spirit.

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Lost in time, mysterious Punch Porteous finds new home at Friargate Theatre

Punch Porteous writer Robert Powell and creative practitioner Ben Pugh

WRITER Robert Powell and creative practitioner Ben Pugh are reviving Punch Porteous – Lost In Time! at Friargate Theatre, York, from tomorrow to Saturday as part of York Literature Festival.

Originally commissioned by All Saints North Street for its October 2023 premiere with support from York Theatre Royal, Powell’s poetic multi-media experience depicts Punch Porteous, a mysterious and ordinary man with an extraordinary predicament, lost in time in York, where he is catapulted unpredictably into different eras from c.70 to c.2025 while the city shape-shifts around him.

“He keeps waking up at various points of the city’s past, dazed and confused, but also with a disturbing knowledge that he’s been there before,” says Canadian-born Robert.

Punch seems to remember Romans, Vikings, Saxons, seeing Henry VIII and meeting Dick Turpin. Now a prophecy says he is to appear at the site of an ancient Friary to find his lost wife Eve – and tell all in Powell and Pugh’s imaginative journey in words, music, film and sound featuring the recorded, “disembodied”  voice of York poet Kitty Greenbrown, as well as Powell as Narrator, Nicholas Naidu as Alistair and Imogen Wood as Beatrice.

Nicholas Naidu, as Alistair, and Imogen Wood, as Beatrice, in Punch Porteous – Lost In Time! Picture: Ben Pugh

Inspired by the history of York, Robert first recounted a story of Punch in his poem Punch Porteous Goes To York Races, with further poetic stories in his 2023 commission for York Civic Trust, Time Town, Some Poems Of York.

“We’re totally delighted to be bringing Punch back,” says Robert. “I thought Punch had some more breath left in him after All Saints and we had the sense that there was more of an audience to see it.

“Friargate Theatre is an artistic asset to York with new management, and what better place could we find to stage it: a theatre space, rather than a church, though it was the church [All Saints North Street] that commissioned it, and the church provided a rich, deeply resonant space.

Kitty Greenbrown: Lending her voice to this week’s performances of Punch Porteous – Lost In Time!

“We’re also delighted to be taking part in York Literature Festival, which I was part of for a long time. We talked to Friargate Theatre first, absolutely the right place for it, and then approached the festival about featuring a piece based on poetry, and they responded very positively, especially when you consider they don’t usually have plays.”

Robert has re-written his drama to take in the history of the Friargate Theatre site as a friary. “We now have Punch ‘predicting’ that it was friarage from the tenth century up until Henry VIII’s boys tore it apart, leaving only the wall along the river. We will now be reopening the Friarage, with Punch determined to get there from Baile Hill.”

How will the audience experience differ from the All Saints premiere? “I think that being in a theatre space, rather than a church, the audience will need to use their imagination more, and we will need to work their imagination more to imagine the historic buildings of York, whereas previously we had the incredible prop of the church building,” says Robert.

Robert Powell in his role as Narrator for Punch Porteous – Lost In Time! Picture: Ben Pugh

“Now we have to use our ‘prop’ box to bring to life this semi-visible everyman who had bumped into some famous people but mainly lived among the ordinary people of York, creating that sense of Punch being grounded and having a working man’s sensibilities.”

Describing Punch’s character, Robert says: “He’s comic but serious; he gets drunk but is very philosophical. He’s seen a lot and suffered a lot, as the people of York have.

“With Dick Turpin, for example, what happens is that he becomes like a fairytale figure, but in Punch Porteous, Punch remembers attending Turpin’s public execution, seeing the horror of his feet turning in the air, so I’ve tried to bring the harsh reality to folk tales. Turpin’s death would have been horrendous.

“In Punch Porteous, I’m conveying the friction between the heritage myth and the darker reality that people have had to live with in York over the centuries.

The poster for Punch Porteous – Lost In Time at Friargate Theatre, York

“It’s a story told in a somewhat different way from the historical, heritage way that the story of the city is so often told. So, in a sense, without being too heavy about it, I wanted to disrupt that norm, to think about history from the ‘ordinary’ perspective that most of us experience it from.

“Writers can bring an understanding of history where I think there’s a role for the imagination that runs parallel with the facts. It’s not enough to have the testimonies and the photographs. You need your imagination to bear witness. Hilary Mantel thought a lot about this, about the role of fiction to engage with people, as opposed to documentary evidence. Where documentary leaves off, the imagination takes over, but rooted in experience.”

Robert loves the experience of walking through York, “passing through veils, where one minute you are in the 21st century, and then in the past”. “As a Canadian boy, from an early age, I had a hunger for what York offered,” he says. “Here I am, this little kid in Ottawa, digging in the fields next door, hoping to find Roman remains, so I had to come to York to do that. It’s been a very personal journey for me, and York gives you that in a very intense way.

“What is a Canadian doing fooling around with York’s precious history? To me, from that perspective, as a writer, it’s a heavenly place to be, and as a writer, I’m fascinated by time. Punch Porteous is a great opportunity to have someone who slips and slides through York and time, and so though I’m not originally from York, I hope it has resonance for true Yorkists.”

The cover to Robert Powell’s latest poetry collection, Time Town, Some Poems of York

Punch Porteous may have further life beyond this week’s performances. “I’ve had this niggling thought that might bring a further bit of spark to the exercise,” says Robert. “Was Punch Porteous a real person?

“Since my tales of Punch were inspired by a story told to me about an actual York man called Punch Porteous in the 1920s, who won a small fortune at York Races, it would be fun to ask The Press readers if they’ve ever heard of such a person. I would love to hear from you and I can be reached at https://www.rjpowell.org/.

“I would love Punch Porteous to become one of the urban myths of York and hopefully we are moving in that direction.”

York Literature Festival presents Punch Porteous – Lost In Time!, Friargate Theatre, Lower Friargate, York, tomorrow until Saturday, 7pm plus 2pm Saturday matinee. Box office: ticketsource.co.uk.

For Ben Pugh’s film trailer of Punch Porteous – Lost In Time!, head to:  https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ky2ym8uovcqisjmyahpjt/Punch-Trailer-1.mov?rlkey=0twzzrbektny13v2tu3oe2hkz&dl=0

Robert Powell: Writer, curator and cultural consultant with background in the arts, place-making, photography and journalism. Picture: Owen Powell

Robert Powell: the back story

WRITER, curator, and cultural consultant with more than 40 years’ experience in the arts, built environment, community engagement and media in England, Scotland and his native Canada.

Director of Stills Gallery of Photography in Edinburgh from 1986 to 1989. Worked for Canada Council for the Arts from 1989 to 1997.

Director of Beam, arts, architecture and education charity in Wakefield, from 1997 to 2015, working with many leading artists, architects, and urban designers.

Established Wakefield Lit Fest, festival of reading & writing, in 2012. Made Honorary
Fellow of RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) in 2017.

Robert’s creative writing has been published widely in Canada and UK. Since 2007, produced five poetry collections, plus performances and film-poems inspired by buildings, rivers and other places.

In 2018, artist in residence with Kone Foundation at Saari, Finland. In 2019, undertook community-based artistic project on Irish border during Brexit negotiations.

In 2023-24, writer in residence with York Civic Trust. Wrote and performed in Punch Porteous – Lost In Time!, poetic drama inspired by history of York, at All Saints North Street.

Resident in York for ten years, based in South Bank. Latest publication, Time Town, Some Poems of York, features poetry about a Georgian museum and a man lost in time from his York Civic Trust residency.

The first knock-out Punch poem by Robert Powell: Punch Porteous Goes to York Races

ONE Saturday afternoon, in summer 1930,
at York Races, Punch won a fortune, £17,
tramped back into town, bought a tin hip bath
and took it to the Red Lion, where Uncle John’s wife Rose
was publican and the boatmen-gypsies supped;
required of John to fill it full with drink, then
helped him and two others lurch it, slopping
on cobbles in the early evening light,
to the tram stop, calling on all and sundry
Come take wine with me!
though in truth it was ale;
and cupping its contents for free
to drivers, passengers, passers-by;
and the bath, once emptied,
by a drunken Punch
tossed into the Foss.
Gaze down from the bridge, they say,
in certain light, on certain days,
in the shallows, in the depths,
you can still see it,
among the vagrant
shopping carts,
the swans.

© Robert Powell

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Laura Veirs is bursting with creativity, from songs to art to a book, as she heads to The Crescent. Oh, and she is tying the knot too

Laura Veirs: Portland singer, songwriter, children’s author, Midnight Lightning podcaster, visual artist , songwriting workshop leader, teacher and mother

LAURA Veirs’ diary for 2025 is filling up. Not only is the Portland, Oregon singer-songwriter working on an instrumental guitar album, new paintings and a book on creativity, but she is tying the knot and doing up her house too.

All that on top of  playing her latest British tour, heading to The Crescent in York on Thursday in her 22nd year of visiting these shores. She last released an album, Found Light, her first without long-time producer and ex-husband Tucker Martine, in July 2022, so what brings her here this time?

“I just need the money,” she says frankly, on her morning phonecall from the USA. “That’s how a lot of musicians make their living these days. This year I’m getting married in the summer, going on honeymoon, and we’re remodelling the house.

“I’ll be trying out new material in the shows, going on this trip with my fiancé (Morgan Luker], my first with just the two of us. He’ll be selling the ‘merch’, as he likes talking to the locals! He’s a music professor, an ethnomusicologist, at Reed College, who I met when I taught a songwriting workshop in his class.

“Back home, we’ll be adding two bedrooms and a bathroom to the house as we’re blending two families. There’ll be four teenagers and two adults: we’re very outnumbered!”

By way of contrast, 51-year-old Laura will be playing solo on tour, performing songs drawn from 14 albums spanning 25 years on her trusty nylon string guitar. “I like to keep my materials limited, my paints, my palettes, the tools at my disposal, so I have only three guitars,” she says.

“One is the nylon string guitar that used to lie around in the house, which my dad had bought from a thrift shop in Chicago. It dates from the Fifties or Sixties; it’s my family guitar, my favourite guitar, that’s been on all my records, except for the first one.

“I also have a Martin steel string guitar and an electric Les Paul, and they’re kind of equal on the albums. I just don’t have the urge to get more instruments as I feel I haven’t explored these ones deeply enough – and I do have a piano too.”

She is not drawn to the infinite possibilities of multiple tracks on recording studio equipment. “I’m getting a four-track,” she says. “I did an album of demos recorded on my phone [November 2023’s Phone Orphans], so they were one-track recordings! You can become overwhelmed by all the tracking, when it should be,’what is the song?’. ‘Can you write the lyrics?’. That’s why I like to keep my tools minimal.

“I just feel like it’s so easy to get lost in overdubs, when you can lose the core of what matters, which is to write a compelling song, and that’s the hardest part. Then you can add other stuff. It requires focus, discipline.”

Constructing a set list from 25 years of songwriting, “at this point it’s a combination of my choices and giving people what they want. I always take requests as that adds an element of surprise for me and it makes them happy too,” says Laura.

“It means I stay engaged with my material, bringing in songs I haven’t played for years, modifying them, harmonising with them, improvising new guitar stuff and vocal stuff while playing, improvising my set list and my banter, all of this to keep me from feeling that I am ‘puppeting’.”

Artist Laura will be selling new paintings on her tour. “I can bring paintings on the road as I make works on paper, so they’re easy to transport. I’ve been doing that for the last couple of years, and I bring prints too, and I can personalise them by signing them,” she says.

“I want to keep exploring myself as a multi-faceted artist. I’m not sure where that’s taking me next, but I’m remodelling the house, I’m painting, I’m working on the instrumental album, I’m being the mother to four teenagers in the house now.

“I’m not an artist whoever sees myself retiring, and I feel grateful for that, though I do sometimes feel confused about my direction but that’s all part of being an artist, Like, what is my next big project with all these irons in the fire?”

Laura continues: “I’ve been in this business long enough to know that sometimes I’ll be in a dabbling phase, and I’m more than comfortable now to allow projects to percolate. I realise that sometimes you need to pause and collect thoughts and move on to do the next thing.”

She is collating such thoughts for her book on creativity, now 18,000 words into its own creation. “It’s both about learning about myself and helping others: how I’ve done things and how I would recommend people to do things; how I write songs; how I schedule what I do,” says Laura, who is also a children’s author and host of the Midnight Lightning podcast. “It’s a book about how to do it, how I’ve done it, and how you feel less dead, more alive, more fulfilled, by doing it.

“I like to see how other people do things, learning better methods, reading about how to write – Stephen King has written a cool book on writing – and I think it’s always interesting to read about creative processes.

“I don’t know when the book will come out. It’s still a pretty young project, but I’m a persistent person, so it will happen.”

Over the years, Laura has collaborated with such musicians as kd lang, Neko Case, Sufjan Stevens, Bill Frisell, Jim James, Colin Meloy, This Is The Kit’s Kate Stables, Sam Amidon, Karl Blau and Shahzad Ismaily: experiences she can bring  to providing her Stanford University songwriting workshops and teaching her weekly lessons too.

“They can sign up on Zoom. I’m teaching a woman in her 70s how to make her first album, a guy in Boston, who’s doing his first record, and a woman in Australia, who’s writing a book,” says Laura, who also has an ongoing workshop residency at Rancho Loa Puerta in Tecate, Mexico.

Inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame in October 2024, in her songs Laura draws on her childhood in Colorado Springs, Colorado, spending summers camping with her family, as much as her fascination with the intersection of art and science from days of studying geology (and Mandarin Chinese) at Carleton College in rural Minnesota.

“Nature is a huge part of my work, from my background in science and going to  perfect places in Oregon. Whether you want it or not, nature is everywhere, and I’ve found it a fruitful place lyrically, so it’s a full-on regular inspiration.”

In turn, her songs have been an inspiration for a French children’s choir, run by an old friend of hers, Patrice, in Angeloume, where she will travel to perform with the choir on May 25. “They’re a choir of around 30 children, almost all of them girls. Patrice has chosen 18 songs and arranged them for the choir, I’ll be on guitar, Patrice on keyboards,” says Laura.

“He’s sent me a video of them singing one of the songs, Black Butterfly, and it’s beautiful. We first did a concert of my songs with the choir 17 years ago, before I had kids, which we put out on CD – it’s sold out now – and we’re going to record this one too. If it sounds good, I’ll release it.”

Laura is in good company. Patrice has presented choral concerts of grunge iconoclasts Nirvana and Modesto, California indie rock band Grandaddy songs too.

Please Please You & Brudenell Presents present Laura Veirs at The Crescent, York, supported by London soul/rock’n’roll singer Lucca Mae, on March 27, 7.30pm. Box office thecrescentyork.com/events/laura-veirs-2/. Also playing Upper Chapel, Sheffield, March 26, 8pm; doors 7.30pm; wegottickets.com/event/638480.

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Wizard of York magics up WizardFest, York’s spellbinding May half-term festival

The Wizard of York, Dan Wood: Founder, host and programmer of York’s inaugural WizardFest. Picture: The Story Of You

YORK’S first festival of wizardry, WizardFest, will fizz with fun from May 24 to 26.

The magical new festival is the spellbinding idea of Phoenix the Red, the award-winning host of the Wizard Walk of York, who will co-host the city-wide event with Little Vikings, the guide to York for families.

“Although it isn’t until May half-term, I’m promoting it now, so that families visiting York can plan their magical trip in advance!” reasons the Wizard of York, alias Dan Wood, fresh from winning  Experience of the Year 2025 at the Visit York Awards.

A magical myriad of attractions, both paid and free, will be on offer with the promise of “more magical fun than you can shake a wand at”.

“Since announcing WizardFest, I’ve had lots of exciting companies come forward for an event that will appeal to wizard fans of all ages,” says Dan. “We’re flying the flag for all things magical in this enchanting city, and of course we’ll be running plenty of extra Wizard Walks to meet demand.” 

York company Story Craft Theatre’s Cassie Vallance, left, and Janet Bruce: Hosting A Kind Of Magic sessions

Working closely with independent businesses, the festival is supported by Visit York and sponsored by Loopy Scoops Ice-Cream Parlour, Totally Awesome Toys, The Cat Gallery and The Society of Alchemists.

Little Vikings will help to promote the attractions on offer. ““This magical event is the perfect opportunity for families to explore the enchanting experiences York has to offer,” says Little Vikings’ Polly Bennett. “We’re thrilled to be supporting it.”

Some events are yet  to be confirmed, but confirmed so far are extra Wizard Walks; Harry Potter films at City Screen Picturehouse; Lego workshops with The Brick Box; A Kind Of Magic sessions with Story Craft Theatre’s Janet Bruce and Cassie Vallance; Witch and Wizard crafts with Avocado Events; bird of prey experiences, dragon meet-and-greets and more.

A purr-fect partnership with The Cat Gallery, in Low Petergate, will see families searching for cats around shop windows and spelling a magic word to receive their own mini magical cat. A permanent Wizard of York cat will be added to their regular Cat Trail, complemented by a competition to name the magical moggy.

From Visit York and Make it York, visitors can peruse a Magical Night Market in Shambles Market on the Monday evening, with interested traders invited to email York-markets@makeityork.com to book a stall.

Wizard Of York ice creams at Loopy Scoops

The free Owl Trail will return to Shambles Market and a Wizard Activity Area will appear on Parliament Street. Expect majestic birds of prey to meet, face painting, wizard props and more.

Hungry witches and wizards are in for a treat too at themed specials across the city. Wizard Afternoon Teas will be available at Plush Café, in Stonegate, and monstrously good Beastly Burgers from Baby Boys Burgers at Spark:York. Wanderers can be all ‘fired up’ about Phoenix cocktails and mocktails at Ate O’ Clock, in High Ousegate, too.

Wizards with a sweet tooth can enjoy a chocolate Magic Minster or Mystic Macaron from Florian Poirot, in Shambles, chocolate shots at Monk Bar Chocolatiers or the Wizard of York ice-creams at Loopy Scoops. New to this Church Street ice-cream parlour will be the Wizard’s Butter Brew Soda Float, an ice-cream twist on a drink that wizard fans go Potty for.

Elsewhere, many shops will offer discounts to visitors dressed as wizards and The Puzzling World of Professor Kettlestring, in Merchantgate, will have a new quest to lift the curse of dark wizard Mortius Darktrix. York surrealist artist and illustrator Lincoln Lightfoot will create an exclusive Wizard of York print.

Bird of Prey experiences with York Bird Of Prey Centre, being held in Parliament Street

The festival will culminate in a fancy-dress parade on May 26 at 3pm from St Helen’s Square, with a contest for Best Dressed Witch or Wizard. Prizes include a Phoenix Lego set and family Wizard Walk tickets, dragon hatchlings from The Society of Alchemists and magical goody bags from The Shop That Must Not Be Named.

A dedicated web page is being made for the wizardwalkofyork.com site. Wizard fans are advised to check in closer to the event, as the festival programme is subject to change. In the meantime, you can follow facebook.com/wizardwalkofyork for WizardFest updates and booking links.

“Many activities are already bookable, so locals are advised tobook early as tickets are expected to vanish…as if by magic,” advises Dan.

2024 was a busy year for The Wizard Walk, winning Best Tour of York for the third time alongside myriad further accolades. At the Visit York Awards, the team won both Best of York and New Tourism Business Award, followed by winning gold at the VisitEngland Awards in Liverpool.

Lego workshops with The Brick Box at York Medical Society

The Wizard Walk also scooped TripAdvisor’s Best of the Best for the second year running as one of only a handful of UK attractions making the cut.

Dan says: “It’s been absolutely spellbinding to win so many awards, and we’re thrilled to have so much support locally too. We love working with business who are doing great things in the city, and we’ve already waved a wand over some magical partnerships, with many more to come.”

In response to tours continuing to sell out, Dan cast a duplication spell last May to conjure up a second guide, Viridian the Green, and he is now looking for a third. 

“We have big plans for 2025 and beyond, and WizardFest is an event that I aim to build on year after year,” says Dan. “If you’re interested in being involved, you can send an owl of enquiry to info@wizardwalkofyork.com or contact us via www.wizardwalkofyork.com.” 

The logo for WizardFest

Summary of events at Wizard Fest, May 24 to 26

 The Wizard Walk of York. Booking at www.wizardwalkofyork.com.

 Brick Magic Lego workshops with The Brick Box – York Medical Society. Booking at brickboxyorkshire.com/brick-magic-york.

 Harry Potter film screenings – City Screen Picturehouse. Booking at www.picturehouses.com/cinema/city-screen-picturehouse.

 Totally Wicked craft workshops – Avocado Events (Monday only). Booking at www.bookwhen.com/avocadoevents.

 A Kind Of Magic workshops – Story Craft Theatre (Saturday only). Booking at www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

 The Curse of Professor Kettlestring – Professor Kettlestring’s Puzzling World. Booking at www.puzzlingworldyork.co.uk.

 Wizard Activity Area – Parliament Street.

 Magical Night Market – Shambles Market (Monday only).

 Owl Trail – Shambles Market.

 Black Cat Quest and naming of new Wizard of York cat – The Cat Gallery.

 Bird of Prey experiences with York Bird of Prey Centre – Parliament Street.

 Dragon meet-and-greets – St. Crux Churchyard (Monday only).

 Wizard Afternoon Teas at Plush Café.

 Phoenix cocktails and mocktails – Ate O’ Clock.

 Wizard of York Ice-Creams and Wizard’s Butter Brew – Loopy Scoops.

 Beastly Burgers – Baby Boys Burgers, Spark:York.

 The Magic Minster and Mystic Macaron – wondrous creations by Florian Poirot.

 Chocolate Shots at Monk Bar Chocolatiers.

 Fancy Dress Parade and Best Dressed Witch or Wizard competition. 

 Exclusive Wizard of York art print by Lincoln Lightfoot.

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Rising costs force Pickering Musical Society to say ‘goodbye, musicals’ after 106 years with Hello, Dolly! farewell in June

Say Hello, wave goodbye: Pickering Musical Society’s poster for its final musical in June. Pantomimes and music from the shows productions will continue

PICKERING  Musical Society will stage its final musical after 106 years in a spectacular farewell production of Hello, Dolly!, at the Kirk Theatre, Pickering, from June 10 to 14.

However, the society’s annual pantomime will continue to thrive, after a growth in popularity in recent years, and the October concert of music from the shows – a staple of the Ryedale theatre calendar – will move into the June slot from next year.

The society has made the difficult decision to terminate its musical productions in response to rising production costs and a decline in membership.

Theatre manager and director Luke Arnold says: “It is with a heavy heart that we’ve made this choice, but production costs have now exceeded those of the pantomime, despite only running for six performances compared to the panto’s 15.

“This, combined with a dwindling membership, has made it harder to cast these productions in recent years. However, we must look to the future. We have a fantastic venue in the Kirk Theatre, which is going from strength to strength, as we continue to introduce new genres of musical entertainment, as well as a full programme of speakers and a vibrant pantomime tradition that will continue to flourish.

“We have much to look forward to, and I’m particularly excited about the development and build phase of our Sylvia Allanson Studio project.”

Joined in the production team by musical director Clive Wass, Arnold is at the directorial helm for Jeremy Harman’s Broadway musical Hello, Dolly!, set in New York City at the turn of the 20th century, when irrepressible Dolly Gallagher Levi, widow, matchmaker and professional meddler, decides to find a match for herself.

Packed with charm, humour and show-stopping numbers such as Before The Parade Passes By, It Only Takes A Moment, Put On Your Sunday Clothes and Hello, Dolly!, Arnold’s production will feature Rachel Anderson as the charismatic Dolly Levi; Michael O’Brien as Horace Vandergelder; Pickering stage favourites Marcus Burnside and Stephen Temple as comedic duo Cornelius Hackl and Barnaby Tucker;  Paula Cook as Irene Molloy; Danielle Long as Minnie Fay; Courtney Brown as Ermengarde and John Brooks as Rudolph Reisenweber.

June 10 to 14’s 7.30pm performances will be complemented by a 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Ticket demand is expected to be high for this grand and emotional send-off for Pickering Musical Society’s rich tradition of musical theatre. Box office:  01751 474833, at kirktheatre.co.uk or in person from the Kirk Theatre on Tuesdays from 11am to 1pm.

Pickering Musical Society: the back story

Courtney Brown in Pickering Musical Society’s production of Oklahoma!

PICKERING Musical Society can trace its origins back to the beginning of the First World War.

During the early Edwardian period, Pickering’s inaugural amateur musical groups were formed by like-minded individuals who fuelled their interest in music by meeting at each other’s homes and performing in drawing rooms.

In response to the outbreak of the Great War, groups and charities nationwide raised funds for the war effort at home and abroad. Many of the smaller groups in Pickering gathered together to put on larger “glee” performances in church halls.

In 1919, members of this larger group decided to create a musical society in the town for all ages that had an interest in music and performance.

Pickering Musical Society continued throughout the first half of the 20th century. By the early 1970s, the society had grown, prompting a need to seek a move from the War Memorial Hall to a permanent home.

In the late 1970s, the society purchased the old Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, on Hungate, and set about converting the derelict building into a fully operational theatre. By 1982, the conversion from chapel to theatre was complete and the inaugural performance was staged there that  year.

Until now, the society has presented three productions each year: a pantomime in January, a musical in May and a Music From The Shows production in October.

Membership is drawn Whitby, Scarborough, Malton and beyond, as well as Pickering.

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What’s On in Ryedale, York & beyond when not only Poirot exercises the little grey cells. Hutch’s List No. 12, from Gazette & Herald

Printmaker Pamela Knight: Exhibiting at Bluebird Bakery in Acomb, York

SPRING has sprung, the cue for the arts world to have an extra spring in its step, much to Charles Hutchinson’s joy.

Exhibition of the week: Three Printmakers, Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, until May 7

YORK Printmakers members Pamela Knight, Vanessa Oo and Sandra Storey are taking part in the Three Printmakers: Energy, Atmosphere & Light exhibition. York artist and former theatre set and costume designer Knight specialises in collagraphy, enjoying the textures and effects she creates using this process, often enriched with monoprint and chine colle.

Oo, from York, is displaying monotypes for the first time. “My work is about capturing the magic of the moment; an unseen energy and rhythm,” she says. Harrogate artist Sandra Storey’s work evokes the “talisman-like quality” of plants, birds and natural objects found within the North York Moors landscape. Admission is free.

Lucy Bailey’s cast for the Fiery Angel production of Agatha Christie’s Murder On The Orient Express, on tour at the Grand Opera House, York

Thriller of the week: Fiery Angel in Agatha Christie’s Murder On The Orient Express, Grand Opera House, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday and Saturday matinees

FIERY Angel follow up November 2023’s visit of And Then There Were None with another Agatha Christie murder mystery directed by Lucy Bailey, this time with Michael Maloney on board for a “deliciously thrilling ride” as Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot.

In Winter 1934, an avalanche stops The Orient Express dead in its tracks. Cue a murder. A train full of suspects. An impossible case. Trapped in the snow with a killer still on-board, can the world’s most famous detective crack the case before the train reaches its final destination?

Meanwhile, Wise Children’s world premiere of Emma Rice’s theatrical take on Alfred Hitchcock’s North By North West continues at York Theatre Royal until April 5. Box office: GOH, atgtickets.com/york; YTR, 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Mark Simmonds in rehearsal for his role as Prospero in Black Sheep Theatre’s The Tempest at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York

Shakespeare debut of the week: Black Sheep Theatre in The Tempest, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

AFTER making their mark with musical theatre productions, York company Black Sheep Productions branch out into Shakespeare territory under Matthew Peter Clare’s direction. “Prepare for The Tempest like you’ve never seen it before,” he says, promising magic, music and mayhem in a dark re-telling of the one with “a storm, a shipwreck and the torment of it all”, featuring Mark Simmonds as Prospero, Freya McIntosh as Miranda, Mikhail Lim as Gonzalo, Deathly Dark Tours guide and Kisskisskill singer Gemma-Louise Keane as Ariel, Meg Conway as Antonia and Josh Woodgate as Caliban.

“With a phenomenal cast and a live eight-piece band, our production re-imagines Shakespeare’s tale of power, revenge, and redemption in a truly immersive and unforgettable way.” Box office:  tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Public Service Broadcasting: York Barbican debut tomorrow

Past meets future in the present: Public Service Broadcasting, York Barbican, tomorrow, doors 7pm

PUBLIC Service Broadcasting make their York Barbican debut with  J. Willgoose, Esq on guitar, banjo, other stringed instruments, samples and electronic musical instruments; Wrigglesworth on drums, piano and electronic instruments; J F Abraham on flugelhorn, bass guitar, drums and vibraslap and Mr B on visuals and set design.

“Teaching the lessons of the past through the music of the future” for more than a decade, the corduroy-wearing Londoners will select material from their five themed albums, 2013’s Inform – Educate – Entertain, 2015’s The Race For Space, 2017’s  Every Valley, 2021’s Bright Magic and 2024’s The Last Flight. She Drew The Gun support. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Laura Veirs: Art meets science via geology in her songs at The Crescent, York, tomorrow

Folk gig of the week: Please Please You and Brudenell Presents present Laura Veirs, supported by Lucca Mae, The Crescent, York, tomorrow, doors 7pm

PORTLAND, Oregon, folk singer, songwriter, children’s author, artist, Midnight Lightning podcaster, Stanford University songwriting teacher and mother Laura Veirs draws on her 14 albums in her Crescent set. Growing up in Colorado Springs, Colorado, she spent summers camping with her family, inspiring her songwriting as much as her fascination with the intersection of art and science from days of studying geology (and Mandarin Chinese) at Carleton College.

This year, polymath Veirs is working on new paintings, an instrumental guitar album and a book about creativity. Box office: thecrescentyork.com.

Kiki Dee & Carmelo Ruggeri: Playing together for 25 years, bound for All Saints Church, Pocklington, this weekend

Acoustic duo of the week: Kiki Dee & Carmelo Luggeri, All Saints Church, Pocklington, Saturday, 7.30pm

JOIN Bradford-born  singer Kiki Dee and guitarist Carmelo Luggeri for an acoustic journey through their songs and stories, taking in songs from 2022 album The Long Ride Home, Kate Bush and Frank Sinatra covers and hits from Kiki’s 55 years and more in the music business,  Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, I Got The Music In Me, Loving & Free and Amoureuse. Box office:  kikiandcarmelo.com.

Top brass: Brighouse & Rastrick Band at Pocklington Arts Centre on Sunday afternoon

Brass concert of the week: Brighouse & Rastrick Band, Pocklington Arts Centre, Sunday, 2pm

FOREVER associated with 1977 number two hit and “unofficial encore”The Floral Dance, West Yorkshire’s Brighouse & Rastrick Band presents a highly entertaining concert suitable for casual listener and connoisseur alike.

The majority of premier band championships have been held by ‘Briggus’, most recently becoming the 2022 British Open and Brass in Concert champions. ‘Briggus’ are noted too for collaborations outside the brass band tradition, from the late Terry Wogan to Kate Rusby, classical actor Simon Callow to The Unthanks at York Minster in 2012. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.

Lynne Hanson: “Hard-living brand of porch music” at Milton Rooms, Malton, on Sunday

Here comes Canada’s queen of Americana: Lynne Hanson, Milton Rooms, Malton, Sunday, 8pm

TOO tough for folk and too blues-influenced for country, Lynne Hanson’s hard-living brand of porch music with a little red dirt can turn from a sunshine, blue sky ballad to a thunderstorm of gritty Americana swamp from one song to the next.

Her deep, bluesy croon has drawn comparisons with Lucinda Williams and Gillian Welch, but the poetry of her lyrics sets her apart. In concert, she is noted for her high energy, roots guitar-driven performances, whether playing solo or with her band The Good Intentions. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

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Return Of The Oaks mural and tree-inspired benches launched by Art Of Protest’s return to nature project in Front Street, Acomb

The launch of the Return Of The Oaks mural in Acomb

THE launch of Art Of Protest’s new mural and street benches drew a big community turnout to Front Street, Acomb, York, last Saturday .

The Return Of The Oaks mural is part of the wider project designed to return nature to the high street. 

Eight public benches have been painted to denote the trees in Acomb, each featuring a carved-out leaf emblem. The trees’ names feature on the benches, serving as a reminder of the diverse ecology in the area. 

In the week leading up to last Saturday’s launch, residents and visitors praised the installation for its brightness and welcoming vision.

The views of the Acomb community were central to the designs. A comprehensive engagement programme featuring 17 events and street art workshops at locations in Acomb captured residents’ wishes. This conveyed the community’s strong voice, now reflected in the geometric design. 

An innovative Street Art Academy trained up the community and four residents were chosen to take part in the talent development programme and assist on the mural. This has created a legacy, boosting the skills and confidence of the participants.

Art Of Protest creative director Jeff Clark said: “I’m beyond pleased to say that this public art project has been a huge success. Getting to know the Acomb community was not only paramount to influencing the design of the artwork but also a real pleasure in itself.”

Art Of Protest lead artist Tom Jackson said: “Working on a project in the place where I live is a privilege. My children and I will walk past this mural almost every day, and I’m fortunate that the people of Acomb have embraced it in such a positive way.”  

A mood of celebration and excitement marked the weekend event at the mural. The Lord Mayor of York, Sheriff and councillors took part in the pop-up street art workshops.

Art Of Protest organised an exhibition of the community art produced from the engagement sessions, held at Rise@ Bluebird Bakery in Acomb Road.

The Rt Hon Lord Mayor of York, Councillor Margaret Wells, said: “It was great to be at the event at the weekend to see the amazing new artwork and other changes around Acomb. This is an incredible piece of work which speaks volumes about working together as a community.

“It is wonderful to see the links to Acomb’s heritage and the local woodland within the paintings. Thank you to everyone involved.”

Councillor Katie Lomas, City of York Council executive member with responsibility for finance and major projects, said: “I am very proud of Acomb and the way the local community has come together to shape these recent changes. This new artwork is a fantastic addition and really pulls together all the work that has been going on to improve the area.

“The wider scheme, funded through the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund, has seen some real investment in the area over recent months. It has brought not only this incredible artwork but also upgraded seating, planting, wayfinding and many other improvements to help ensure Front Street is a great place to be for years to come.

“I would like to thank everybody involved in making this happen and anyone who has got involved along the way. I especially want to pay tribute to the wider engagement work done by the Art Of Protest team to engage and inspire young people across the Acomb area, making sure they know that art is for them too.”

Acomb resident Kat Hunt, mother of one of the talent development students, said: “Throughout the project and the community engagement sessions, my daughter has developed new skills and she has so much more confidence in her artwork as a result. It’s really inspired her. It’s fantastic that Acomb now has such vibrant artwork, inspired by the views of the community.”

Art Of Protest, York’s urban art and engagement specialists, are experts in ‘placemaking’ and approved ‘Alternative Providers’, offering a Street Art Academy through the Danesgate Community Pupil Referral Unit. “We are driven by partnering with the local community, public sector and businesses to transform spaces through public art,” says Jeff. “If you would like to work with us, please contact us at info.aopprojects@gmail.com.”  

The Return Of The Oaks art project is part of the broader scheme to improve Front Street and create a more accessible, vibrant, people-friendly space. City of York Council received £570,000 of UK Shared Prosperity Funding to deliver Phase 2 improvements that include new seating and planters, improved Blue Badge parking, wide and level pedestrian crossings, wayfinding signs and upgraded public loos.

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Lightning Seeds to play York Barbican on October 9 on extended 35 Years Greatest Hits Tour. When do tickets go on sale?

Ian Broudie: 35 years of Lightning Seeds at York Barbican. Picture: Peter Ashworth

LIVERPOOL singer, songwriter and producer Ian Broudie is extending Lightning Seeds’ 35th anniversary tour with 11 more dates this autumn, taking in York Barbican on October 9. Tickets go on sale on Friday at 10am at https://www.yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/the-lightning-seeds/.

The first tranche of Tomorrow’s Here Today: 35 Years Greatest Hits Tour dates took in Scarborough Spa Grand Hall last November and The Welly, Hull, and Leeds Beckett Students’ Union in December among 22 sold-out shows to accompany the release of the 20-track Tomorrow’s Here Today compilation album.

Broudie, 66, says: “Wow, I can’t believe it’s been 35 years! Our first single Pure really opened the door to a life’s worth of songs, shows and recordings. I owe everything to Pure and I’m really looking forward to celebrating the 35th anniversary of its release.”

Here come Pure, The Life Of Riley, Change, Lucky You, Sense, All I Want, Sugar Coated Iceberg, You Showed Me, Emily Smiles, Three Lions et al and many more, not only at York Barbican but also in a second Yorkshire gig at Holmfirth Picturedrome on October 11 (box office: picturedrome.net).

Earlier in 2025, Lightning Seeds will support York band Shed Seven at Millennium Square, Leeds, on July 11.

The poster for Lightning Seeds’ extended Tomorrow’s Here Today 35 Years Greatest Hits Tour, visiting York Barbican on October 9

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Public Service Broadcasting take The Last Flight to York Barbican on Thursday

Public Service Broadcasting: Raiding the archives at York Barbican

PUBLIC Service Broadcasting make their York Barbican debut on Thursday on their ten-date March itinerary.

The spring tour follows last October’s release of the ever-evolving Londoners’ Top Three-charting fifth studio album, The Last Flight, with its exploration of the final voyage of American female aviator Amelia Earhart on July 2 1937 in a study of adventure, speed, freedom and the psychological depths of this pioneering life-force.

Recorded in the band’s southeast London studio, with strings added by the London Contemporary Orchestra at The Church in north London, the album was prompted by band leader J Wildgoose Esq’s desire to do a woman-focused story, “because most of the archive we have access to is overwhelmingly male”.

“I was initially drawn in by Earhart’s final fight, rather than the successes that she had, but the more I read, the more I became fascinated by her,” he says. “Her bravery and her aeronautical achievements were extraordinary, but her philosophy and the dignity that she had… she was an outstanding person. 

“The final flight is the spine of the journey: the story jumps off at different points and examines different facets of her personality, her relationship with her husband, her attitude to flying, her attitude to existing.”

The artwork for Public Service Broadcasting’s October 2024 album The Last Flight

Wildgoose continues:  She gave herself, I think, less than a 50 per cent chance of survival when she flew the Atlantic alone. To put yourself, willingly, in those situations…I think it says something about that drive at the heart of humanity.

“However The Last Flight isn’t doom-laden or covered in grief. There’s adventure, freedom, the joy of being alive. The reason why she wanted to fly was to find the beauty in living:  ‘to know the reason why I’m alive, and to feel that every minute’. The flight did fail, but she was right. Of all the people we’ve written about, I have the deepest respect and admiration for her.”

Thursday’s set list will draw on all five themed Public Service Broadcasting albums:  2013’s Inform – Educate – Entertain, 2015’s The Race For Space, 2017’s Every Valley, 2021’s Bright Magic and 2024’s The Last Flight. “Naturally, the most focus is on the new one with six or seven from that one and plenty of space for songs we couldn’t leave out, like Go!, Spitfire and Everest,” says Wildgoose.

“But we change it every night, maybe changing three or four songs a night or maybe the order. I don’t know how some bands play the same set every night on a tour. The bands who I’ve loved over the ages, like Radiohead  at the Roundhouse [London] on three May nights in 2016, they changed the set every night. One of my favourite bands, My Morning Jacket, they always change the set.

“The only thing it does require is a lot more work to make sure the musicians can play the songs to the right standard; and Mr B, who does our visuals and set design, has to be sure the visuals are right for every show.

“It’s the fullest, richest and most varied sound we’ve had,” says J Wildgoose Esq of Public Service Broadcasting’s 2025 configuration

“The musicians are equipped to play 37 songs with 12 that we can’t leave out. We normally have a bit of a chat at the soundcheck, and if there’s anything we’re not comfortable to run with, we’ll try it out.”

Since the conceptual art exploits of Bright Magic, Public Service Broadcasting have four core members: Wildgoose on guitar, banjo, other stringed instruments, samples and electronic musical instruments; Wrigglesworth on drums, piano and electronic instruments; J F Abraham on flugelhorn, bass guitar, drums and vibraslap and the aforementioned Mr B.

“Back in the early days, it was just me, and actually it was really lonely, just me packing things into the car and thinking, ‘this is too lonely’. You need someone else to be there with you to share it,” says Wildgoose.

On this month’s tour, the staple quartet are joined by Norwegian singer EERA and three brass musicians. “It’s the fullest, richest and most varied sound we’ve had. We always try to enrich every album with more upbeat numbers, slower numbers. In the early days, we could only play the same songs each show, but now we have so many more options.”

“We will always wear corduroy: it’s the thread that’s woven through our career,” says Public Service Broadcasting’s J Wildgoose Esq

Each album takes considerable preparation. “Each time it has to be something that intrigues me as it’s a big undertaking to write a record. The world is not short of stories, but  it’s also that thing of how do we tell that story; whether we use archive material or material that’s not recorded, or forsaking any narrative, as we did for Bright Magic [the history, myth and nightlife of Berlin album], and then returning to a really narrative album for The Last Flight,” says Wildgoose.

“I think I have something in mind for the next one, which is exciting, but daunting, especially the time frame involved. I’ll start in July this summer and bring it out in 2027. Why so long? Other bands don’t need such a long build –up that I do for the research.”

As ever, Public Service Broadcasting will be wearing corduroys at York Barbican on Thursday. “Absolutely! That will never change. We even wore white corduroys that we had specially made for Bright Magic,” says Wildgoose. “We will always wear corduroy: it’s the thread that’s woven through our career.”

Should you be wondering whether  Public Service Broadcasting have played York previously, the answer is yes. “Fibbers, twice, maybe three times,” says Wildgoose. “Once was for DV8, a Goth trance festival. I did wonder if they knew who we were!”

Public Service Broadcasting, supported by She Drew The Gun, York Barbican, Thursday, doors 7pm. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk. Also playing Sheffield Octagon Wednesday, doors 7pm. Box office: ticketmaster.co.uk.

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