YORK spoken-word poet, performer and cheesemonger Stu Freestone will launch his debut poetry collection, The Lights That Blur Between, at The Crescent on March 30.
A co-founder and associate artist of Say Owt, York’s “collective of gobby northern poets” since 2014, he writes in a playful style founded in everyday moments in works that walk the line between between grit and gentleness.
Or as Barmby Moor surrealist comedian Rob Auton puts it: “There’s so much momentum in Stu’s words. The images sprint into your head and your brain is a better place for it.”
Drawing from family stories, kitchen tables, pub corners and stages across the country, his poetry “celebrates ordinary lives with extraordinary care,” says Stu. “Blending conversational humour with emotional honesty, the writing explores love, loss, resilience, and the quiet lights that carry us through.”
The Lights That Blur Between has been written over more than a decade, shaped on stage and finally brought together “somewhere between a notebook, a pint and a deep breath”.
“The collection explores the nostalgia of adolescence, relationships and grief, and the ongoing work of processing life, as well as the occasional – and necessary – detours into the comedic themes of condiment addiction, festival trips gone wrong, cheesemonger battle raps and the perils of ‘after work’ drinking,” says Stu, summarising his “honest portrayal of life experiences”.
The cover artwork for Stu Freestone’s The Lights That Blur Between. The sea, its vastness and restorative powers, feature emotively in his writing
Freestone has performed across the UK, including multiple runs at the Edinburgh Fringe, and was shortlisted for Best Spoken Word Performer at the Saboteur Awards in 2015. He has shared stages with internationally renowned artists such as Shane Koyczan, Hollie McNish, Sage Francis, B. Dolan, Dizrael, and Harry Baker and has recorded live sessions for BBC Introducing and BBC Upload.
Now comes his debut book launch, promising an evening of powerful performance and heartfelt storytelling, including two sets from Stu, one accompanied by a band featuring guitarist (and shoemaker) Simone Focarelli, accordionist Ben Crosthwaite and drummer Joe Douglas, plus support slots from York performance poet and political satirist Sarah Armitage and emotive Grantham singer-songwriter Adam Leeson.
“It’s amazing really,” says Stu, reflecting on the book’s completion. “It’s been a journey since 2012-2013 to now, where I’ve always thought I should have done it before, but the writing wouldn’t be same.
“I’ve had a lot more experiences to collate into my writing, so there are more meaningful tendencies to what I want to write about: whether nostalgia or re-living that nostalgia, or resilience or getting over grief: things I had not experienced back then. So it’s ‘me on a page’ on 100 pages and it’s nice to have that proof in my hand, in the book, which is very different to having it on my laptop.”
Stu’s poetry differs in print from live performance too. “There’s a massive contrast because I was very aware of how to transpose it to the page, and where it would need an edit to a make it more book-friendly,” he says.
“There are pieces that have evolved for the page or been written expressly for the page. There is therapy here, from both the reader’s perspective and mine, where I feel I’m confiding in them amid the grief of everyday life, when there are things that don’t get spoken about in the spoken-word performance environment.
Stu Freestone’s self-portrait from The Lights That Blur Between as he looks at himself in the mirror
“The book is basically saying we’re all the same in how we grow through memories, reflecting on those nostalgic moments but then contrasting that with the everyday processes of normal life: the things that others don’t see.”
The book is divided into four sections: adolescent reflection, mental health, then comedic works that “try to find the light in life” and finally, our relationship with loss, encapsulated in Before The Lights Go Out and the closing poem, title work The Lights That Blur Between.
“We try to get through loss with courage and empathy, where we can grow from our memories, but inevitably we walk through these lines between ‘breaking’ and ‘becoming’,” says Stu.
“I lost a friend, Nick,to suicide two years ago and wrote Before The Lights Go Out as an ode to our home town of Grantham and then the desperate bleakness of him no longer being there. The only thing I can take peace from is he achieved what he need to achieve, which sounds very dark, when he felt help was not an option.
“I’m 40 now, and to have lost as many people as I have in my close circle is very unlucky, so it’s an interesting place for me to try to find the perspective on that. I’ve done that through processing and writing, and I’ve written poems that aren’t in the book that are angry, but the ones in there that mean most to me are testament to trying to find positivity, for men to know that it’s OK to talk. That’s why we’ll be fund-raising for CALM, the Campaign Against Living Miserably charity.”
Stu’s trademark playful positivity surges through two poems in particular, Bliss, his hymn to York, his home since York St John University days in 2005, and Heed The Cheese, a nod to his other life running The Cheese Trader in Grape Lane. “I wanted to write a ‘univocalic’ poem, where every word uses only one specific vowel, so it had to be ‘E’ for cheese!” he reasons.
It strikes the only cheesy note in the book.
York Literature Festival and Say Owt present Stu Freestone, The Lights That Blur Between: book launch, The Crescent, York, March 30, doors 7pm. Box office: yorkliteraturefestival.co.uk or https://thecrescentyork.com/events/say-owt-stu-freestone-book-launch/.
Darren Walsh: Puns by the punnet load at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York
A PLETHORA of puns, a dysfunctional American family musical, an alien invasion in film and theatre and a bakery burlesque night confirm variety is the spice of Charles Hutchinson’s arts life.
Comedy show like no other, bar pun: Darren Walsh: Do You Like Puns?, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, tonight, 8pm
WITNESS a pun Goliath in person when Darren Walsh brings his 8ft frame to York for his Do You Like Puns? show. Noted for his Jokes On The Street series on social media, he combines sound effects, videos, one-liners and improvised jokes spun off audience suggestions. “Book now, li is two short,” he says. Think about it. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Pianist David Hammond
Classical concert of the week: York Late Music: David Hammond, Unitarian Chapel, St Saviourgate, York, today, 1pm
PIANIST David Hammond’s recital celebrates Yorkshire and northern composers, brought together in an afternoon programme full of musical storytelling, ranging in mood and imagery from Patrick John Jones’s Eel and the world premiere of James Else’s Kitten’s Prelude, to butterflies, letters and birthday cards in works by Dawn Walters and Nicola LeFanu.
Two further world premieres, a new James Williamson piece, alongside Scarlatti’s Cat’s Fugue, echo the animal thread and electronic elements feature in Jake Adams’s Thirty In Eight, adding a contemporary edge to Hammond’s typically imaginative combination of local voices, strong themes and plenty of character. Tickets: latemusic.org or on the door.
Catrin Mai Edwards’ Martha, left, Estella Evans’ Mary Lennox and Dexter Pulling’s Colin in The Secret Garden The Musical at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Marc Brenner
Actor-musician show of the week: The Secret Garden The Musical, York Theatre Royal, until April 4
TONY Award-winning director John Doyle, artistic director of York Theatre Royal from 1993 to 1997, returns to pastures past in more ways than one to present his actor-musician staging of Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman’s Broadway musical account of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s story of love, loss, healing and hope, set on Yorkshire moorland in 1906.
Newly orphaned, Mary Lennox is sent to live with her widowed uncle at the secluded Misselthwaite Manor, a house in habited by memories and spirits from the past. On discovering her Aunt Lily’s neglected garden, she vows to breathe new life into its mysterious stasis as she learns the restorative magic of nature. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
The BudapestCaféOrchestra: Fronted by Christian Garrick at Helmsley Arts Centre
Snappiest attire of the week: Christian Garrick & The Budapest Café Orchestra, Helmsley Arts Centre, tonight, 7.30pm
CHRISTIAN Garrick (violin, darbuka), Murray Grainger (accordion), Kelly Cantlon (double bass) and Adrian Zolotuhin (guitar, saz, balalaika, domra) team up in this refreshingly unconventional and snappily attired boutique orchestra. Playing gypsy and folk-flavoured music in a unique and surprising way, The Budapest Café Orchestra combine Balkan and Russian traditional music with artful distillations of Romantic masterworks and soaring Gaelic folk anthems.
Established by British composer Garrick in 2009, BCO have 16 albums to their name, marked by an “astonishing soundscape and aural alchemy” characteristic of larger ensembles, evoking Tzigane fiddle maestros, Budapest café life and gypsy campfires. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
This charming man: Nigel Havers is ready to talk at the Grand Opera House. Picture: Matt Crockett
Laughter, nostalgia and charm equals: Nigel Havers Talking B*ll*cks, Grand Opera House, York, March 23, 7.30pm
LET esteemed actor and self-deprecating raconteur Nigel Havers introduce his touring talk show. “Join me, a stage, and a lifetime of gloriously ridiculous stories to share with you. You’ll get the full Havers experience: charm, wit, and absolutely no running in slow motion.
“Of course, there’ll be behind-the-scenes gossip, tales of triumph (and disaster), moments of sheer madness, and a fair bit of talking b*ll*cks. And just when you think you’ve got me figured out, I might surprise you.” Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Off Pat: Nevin is ready to talk at The Crescent
Football chat of the week: Pat Nevin, Football And How To Survive It, The Crescent, York, March 24, 7.30pm kick-off, doors 7pm
PAT Nevin, the “Wee Man” on the pitch but never short of opinions off it, shares stories and insights from 40 years in football, turning out on the wing for Clyde, Chelsea, Everton, Tranmere Rovers, Kilmarnock and Motherwell in a professional career from 1981 to 2000.
Now a familiar voice on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Premier League coverage, Nevin has seen the game from all sides, from playing for Scotland under Sir Alex Ferguson to being chairman of the players’ union and even a spell as a club chief executive, with a sideline in DJing at club nights too. Expect stories of Kenny Dalglish, Ally McCoist and ex-Chelsea chairman Ken Bates, Morrissey, Saddam Hussein and John Peel too, in conversation with journalist Duncan Steer. Audience questions will be welcomed. Box office: thecrescentyork.com.
Dale Vaughan, left, Ryan Richardson, Monica Frost, Niamh Rose, Fergus Green and Matthew Warry, at the back, in rehearsal for Pick Me Up Theatre’s Next To Normal
American musical of the week: Pick Me Up Theatre in Next To Normal, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, March 25 to April 4, 7.30pm except March 29 and 30; 2.30pm matinees, March 28 and 29, April 4
ANDREW Isherwood directs York company Pick Me Up Theatre in Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt’s Tony Award-winning musical exploration of family and illness, loss and grief as a suburban American household copes with crisis and mental illness.
Dad is an architect; Mom rushes to pack lunches and pour cereal; their daughter and son are bright, wise-cracking teens but their lives are anything but normal, because Mom has been battling manic depression for 16 years.Next To Normal presents their story with love, sympathy and heart. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Mike Wozniak: Coming off The Bench to perform twice at the Grand Opera House, York
Sit-down stand-up of the week: Mike Wozniak: The Bench, Grand Opera House, York, March 25 and September 12, 7.30pm
THE Bench is the new stand-up tour show from Mike Wozniak, wherein in a story about a bench will be prominent. Previous experience of or strong opinions about benches are not required. Let Wozniak worry about that.
This Oxford-born comedian, writer, actor and former medical doctor portrays Brian in Channel 4 sitcom Man Down, is part of the team that makes Small Scenes for BBC Radio 4 and co-presents the Three Bean Salad podcast with Henry Paker and Benjamin Partridge. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Gorillaz: Bringing The Mountain to Leeds next Wednesday
Yorkshire gig of the week: Gorillaz, supported by Trueno, Leeds First Direct Bank Arena, March 25, 7.30pm; doors 6pm
DAMON Albarn and Jamie Hewlett’s BRIT and Grammy-winning British band showcase their chart-topping ninth studio album in Leeds after two warm-up shows at Bradford Live. Spanning 15 songs that embody the collaborative Gorillaz ethos, The Mountain creates a “playlist for a party on the border between this world and whatever happens next, exploring the journey of life and the thrill of existence”. Box office: gorillaz.com.
Bonnie Baddoo, Gareth Cassidy, Amy Dunn and Morgan Bailey in Imitating The Dog’s War Of The Worlds. Picture: Ed Waring
All’s Wells that ends in the worst nightmares of the week: Imitating The Dog in War Of The Worlds, Leeds Playhouse, March 25 to 28, 7.45pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees
FOUR performers enter the stage and construct an epic road movie before your eyes in Imitating The Dog’s re-invention of H G Wells’s apocalyptic tale of alien invasion and the unfolding destruction of everything we hold dear as extraterrestrial life-forms land from the skies.
Using miniature environments, model worlds, camera tricks and projection, the ever-audacious Leeds company mixes the live and the recorded, the animate and the inanimate to ask “What would you do if order broke down? What would you do to survive? How far would you go to protect your own?” Box office: 0113 213 7700 or leedsplayhouse.org.uk
Vitamin String Quartet: Eroding boundaries between classical, dance, hip-hop and pop at Grand Opera House, York
Billie Eilish, Bridgerton & Beyond concert of the week: Vitamin String Quartet, Grand Opera House, York, March 27, 7.30pm
ERASING the boundaries between classical, dance, hip-hop and pop, Vitamin String Quartet perform renditions of everything from Billie Eilish to BTS, Taylor Swift to The Weeknd and Danny Elfman to Daft Punk. Formed in 1999, this Los Angeles group comprises Tom Lea, viola, Wynton Grant and Rachel Grace, violins, and Derek Stein, cello. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Freida Nipples: Baps & Buns burlesque on board a baguette at Rise@Bluebird Bakery
Cabaret of the week: Freida Nipples presents Baps & Buns Burlesque, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, March 27, 8pm, doors 7pm
YORK’S queen of burlesque, Freida Nipples, swaps teas for tease as she turns the bakery cafe into a cabaret joint for a night of fun, frolics and freedom of expression in all shapes and sizes.
On the fabulously zesty menu will be Donna Divine, Ezme Pump, Callum Robshaw and Freida herself, hosted by Harvey Rose. Box office: bluebirdbakery.co.uk/rise.
Elizabeth Marsh in rehearsal for The Secret Garden The Musical at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Marc Brenner
A MAGICAL Yorkshire garden, an hotel comedy thriller, a surrealist wine bar exhibition and Pulp confessions exhibition stir Charles Hutchinson’s interest.
Musical of the week: The Secret Garden The Musical, York Theatre Royal, March 17 to April 4
TONY Award-winning director John Doyle, artistic director of York Theatre Royal from 1993 to 1997, returns to pastures past in more ways than one to present his actor-musician staging of Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman’s Broadway musical account of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s story of love, loss, healing and hope, set on Yorkshire moorland in 1906.
Newly orphaned, Mary Lennox is sent to live with her widowed uncle at the secluded Misselthwaite Manor, a house in habited by memories and spirits from the past. On discovering her Aunt Lily’s neglected garden, she vows to breathe new life into its mysterious stasis as she learns the restorative magic of nature. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Leeds abstract surrealist Nicolas Dixon, front, spotted at Thursday’s launch of his RARE v WET exhibition with WET proprietors James Wall and Ella Williams and RARE Collective organiser Sharon McDonagh, right
Exhibition of the week: Nicolas Dixon, RARE v WET, at WET, Micklegate, York, until April 22
YORK artist and event organiser Sharon McDonagh and DJ/artist Sola launch their RARE v WET series of solo exhibitions in aid of York charity SASH (Safe and Sound Homes) at WET, James Wall and Ella Williams’ indie wine bar and restaurant, with Nicolas Dixon first up.
Leeds abstract surrealist Dixon’s murals and artworks have become landmarks in Leeds, including at Kirkgate Market, Trinity Shopping Centre and the University of Leeds, as well as Leeds United tributes to the 1972 FA Cup Winners at Elland Road and the iconic Bielsa the Redeemer in Wortley. On show is a mixture of new and older work, both prints and originals.
Stephen Joseph Theatre favourite Bill Champion as American billionaire Theodore Racksole in Claybody Theatre’s The Grand Babylon Hotel, on tour at the SJT next week. Picture: Andrew Billington
Thriller of the week: Claybody Theatre in The Grand Babylon Hotel, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, March 18 to 21, 7.30pm plus 1.30pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees
CONRAD Nelson directs an ensemble cast of multiple flamboyant characters in a rollicking comedy thriller of rapid-fire character changes, sharp humour and theatrical fun, presented in association with the New Vic Theatre.
In Deborah McAndrew’s adaptation of Arnold Bennett’s novel, Nella Racksole discovers steak and beer are not on the menu for her birthday treat at the exclusive Grand Babylon Hotel, prompting her American millionaire father to buy the chef, the kitchen, the entire hotel. Cue kidnapping and murder. Have Theodore and Nella bitten off more than they can chew? Box office: 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.
Baroque Alchemy’s Lyndy Mayle and Piers Adams: Playing NCEM tonight
Classical-electronic concert of the week: Baroque Alchemy, National Centre for Early Music, York, tonight, 7.30pm
ANCIENT and modern meet in a spectacular musical fusion in Baroque Alchemy, the realisation of recorder virtuoso Piers Adams and keyboard player Lyndy Mayle’s long-held dream. Ever since the rise of synth-led bands and New Age music in the 1980s, Red Priest frontman Adams has nurtured a vision to combine the drama of baroque music with the expansive sound-world of the electronic era. Now Baroque Alchemy turn the traditional early music recital on its head for the 21st century. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.
Dominic Halpin & The Hurricanes: Evoking the Grand Ole Opry in A Country Night In Nashville at the Grand Opera House
Tribute gig of the week: A Country Night In Nashville, Grand Opera House, York, Sunday, 7.30pm
A COUNTRY Night In Nashville re-creates the scene of a buzzing Honky Tonk in downtown Nashville, capturing the energy and atmosphere of a night in the home of country music in a journey through the history of its biggest stars past and present. Hits from Johnny Cash to Alan Jackson, Dolly Parton to The Chicks, Willie Nelson to Kacey Musgraves are showcased by Dominic Halpin & The Hurricanes. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
The book cover for Mark Webber’s I’m With Pulp, Are You?, under discussion by the author and guitarist at York Literature Festival
Book event of the week: York Literature Festival, I’m With Pulp, Are You?, An Evening With Mark Webber, The Crescent, York, March 17, 7pm
PULP guitarist and avant-garde film curator Mark Webber discusses I’m With Pulp, Are You?, his visually rich chronicle of the Sheffield band’s history from the perspective of a fan-turned-manager-turned-guitarist.
In his music memoir, 40 years of archived material comes to life as Chesterfield-born Webber recalls his fascination with David Bowie, The Velvet Underground, Andy Warhol and counterculture, writing fanzines and organising concerts from the age of 15, joining Pulp in 1995 and playing on Different Class, This Is Hardcore, We Love Life and More, 2025’s recording renaissance after a 24-year hiatus. Box office: 01904 623568, yorktheatreroyal.co.uk or yorkliteraturefestival.co.uk.
Bluey’s Big Play: Australian fun and games for children at the Grand Opera House
Children’s show of the week: Windmill Theatre Co in Bluey’s Big Play, Grand Opera House, York, March 19 to 22, 10am, Thursday and Friday; 10am, 1pm and 4pm, Saturday and Sunday
COMBINING puppets and original voices from Ludo Studios’ Emmy Award-winning Australian children’s television series, including Dave McCormack and Melanie Zanetti as Dad and Mum, this theatrical adaptation is based on an original story by Bluey creator Joe Brumm, featuring music by series composer Joff Bush. When Dad wants a bean bag time-out, Bluey and Bingo have other plans as they pull out all the games and cleverness at their disposal. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Scouting For Girls: Re-visiting Everybody Wants To Be On TV at York Barbican
York Barbican gigs of the week: Scouting For Girls, Everybody (Still) Wants To Be On TV Tour 2026, March 17, doors 7pm; The Brand New Heavies, March 19
AS Scouting For Girls’ vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Roy Stride puts it: “I can’t believe we’re already celebrating the 15th anniversary of our second album [Everybody Wants To Be On TV], and I’m beyond excited to get back on the road in 2026! The shows are going to be immense: a massive nostalgic Scouting singalong every night.” Expect further hits to feature too.
Ealing Acid Jazz pioneers The Brand New Heavies – Simon Bartholomew, vocals and guitar, Andrew Levy, bass and keyboards, and Angela Ricci, vocals – mark their 35th anniversary with a 12-date tour that takes in York Barbican as their only Yorkshire destination. Expect joy, funk, love and fancy clothes. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
The Brand New Heavies: Acid Jazz joy, funk, love and fancy clothes at York Barbican
Comedy classic of the week: Rowntree Players in The Importance Of Being Earnest, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, March 19 to 21, 7.30pm plus 2pm Saturday matinee
ROWNTREE Players bring Oscar Wilde’s cherished 1895 farcical comedy of manners to the York stage in the original four-act version reconstructed by Vyvyan Holland, under the direction of Hannah Shaw.
Lizzie Lawton’s John Worthing and Jorja Cartwright’s Algernon Moncrieff lead double lives under the false name of “Ernest” to escape social obligations, leading to romantic entanglements and comedic misunderstandings, played out by a cast featuring Jeanette Hambridge’s Lady Bracknell, Bethan Olliver’s Gwendolen Fairfax, Katie Shaw’s Cecily Cardew, Wayne Osguthorpe’s Reverend Canon Chasuble, Rebecca Thomson’s Miss Prism and Max Palmer’s Lane/Merriman. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
A collage from the rehearsal photo-shoot for Rowntree Players’ production of The Importance Of Being Earnest
Comedy gig of the week: Rob Rouse, Funny Bones, Helmsley Arts Centre, March 20, 8pm; Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, March 21, 7.45pm
FRESH from being picked as the Comics’ Comic Best Act of the Year 2025, Rob Rouse is touring Funny Bones: a daft whirlwind of craftily spun tall tales, a bucketful of manic energy, canny stagecraft, eerily convincing characters and a barrage of one-liners.
“Warning: this show has been meticulously assembled to make you laugh as much as possible,” says Rouse. “However, you will not learn anything from it. You may even come out stupider than when you came in.” Box office: Helmsley, 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk; Scarborough, 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.
Super scooper: Funny Bones comedian Rob Rouse and his skeleton dog on tour at Helmsley and Scarborough
Elliot Mackenzie and Henry Jenkinson in rehearsal for John Doyle’s actor-musician production of The Secret Garden The Musical at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Mark Brenner
A MAGICAL Yorkshire garden, two cases for Sherlock Holmes, daft Funny Bones and chocolate cookery tips hit the sweet pot for Charles Hutchinson.
Musical of the week: The Secret Garden The Musical , York Theatre Royal, March 17 to April 4
TONY Award-winning director John Doyle, artistic director of York Theatre Royal from 1993 to 1997, returns to pastures past in more ways than one to present his actor-musician staging of Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman’s Broadway musical account of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s story of love, loss, healing and hope, set on Yorkshire moorland in 1906.
Newly orphaned, Mary Lennox is sent to live with her widowed uncle at the secluded Misselthwaite Manor, a house in habited by memories and spirits from the past. On discovering her Aunt Lily’s neglected garden, she vows to breathe new life into its mysterious stasis as she learns the restorative magic of nature. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Josh Jones: Striving to earn his cat’s respect at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York
Wrestling with humour: Josh Jones, I Haven’t Won The Lottery So Here’s Another Tour Show, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, tonight, 8pm
MANCHESTER comedian Josh Jones follows up Gobsmacked with I Haven’t Won The Lottery So Here’s Another Tour Show as he finds himself knee deep into his 30s, where nothing thrills him more than a Greggs’ Sausage Roll.
Living a more sedate life is not without its challenges, however, as he is yet to earn his cat’s respect. “I’ll be keeping it light: nothing super-political, nothing controversial, and it’s definitely not going to change your life,” he says of a set brimful of history, felines and his love of wrestling. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Cookery book talk of the week: Kemps Books presents Edd Kimber In Conversation, Milton Rooms, Malton, tomorrow, 7.30pm
EDD Kimber, 2010 winner of the inaugural Great British Bake Off, discusses his new book, Chocolate Baking, The Ultimate Guide To Cakes, Cookies, Desserts & Pastries (Quadrille Publishing, March 5), a celebration of the world’s most-loved ingredient in 100 recipes that showcase chocolate in all its forms, sometimes rich and bold, sometimes subtle and surprising.
Expect delicious insights, behind-the-scenes baking stories and possibly a little tasting and demonstration too from Bradford-raised, London-based Kimber. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Jazz singer Claire Martin: Teaming up with IG4 at NCEM, York
Jazz gig of the week: IG4 with Claire Martin, National Centre for Early Music, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm
VOCALIST Claire Martin joins IG4 pianist and composer Nikki Iles, saxophonist Karen Sharp and rising star bassist Ewan Hastie, 2022 BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year, to perform Iles’s new arrangements of Tom Waits, Burt Bacharach, Anthony Newley and Joni Mitchell songs, complemented by her stylish reworking of the American songbook, including Cole Porter and Johnny Mandel. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.
Super-scooper: Rob Rouse going walkies with his skeletal dog in Funny Bones at Pocklington, Helmsley and Scarborough
Comedy gig of the week: Rob Rouse, Funny Bones, Pocklington Arts Centre, tomorrow, 7.30pm; Helmsley Arts Centre, March 20, 8pm; Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, March 21, 7.45pm
FRESH from being picked as the Comics’ Comic Best Act of the Year 2025, Rob Rouse is touring Funny Bones: a daft whirlwind of craftily spun tall tales, a bucketful of manic energy, canny stagecraft, eerily convincing characters and a barrage of one-liners.
“Warning: this show has been meticulously assembled to make you laugh as much as possible,” says Rouse. “However, you will not learn anything from it. You may even come out stupider than when you came in.” Box office: Pocklington, 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk; Helmsley, 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk; Scarborough, 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.
The poster for Ready Steady 60’s Show at Helmsley Arts Centre
Tribute gig of the week: Ready Steady 60’s Show, Helmsley Arts Centre, Friday, 7.30pm
READY Steady 60’s Show celebrates the best of the Mod 1960s and British Beat boom in the four-piece tribute band’s two-hour show, paying homage to The Kinks, The Who, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Small Faces, The Move, The Hollies, and The Animals. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Baron Productions’ cast members at St Mary’s Church, Bishophill Junior, York, where they will perform Friday and Saturday’s Sherlock Holmes double bill
Thriller double bill of the week: Baron Productions in Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal In Bohemia and The Speckled Band, St Mary’s Church, Bishophill Junior, York, Friday and Saturday, 7.30pm
SHERLOCK Holmes and Dr Watson embark on two of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most captivating cases, presented by York company Baron Productions. London private detective Holmes has always despised love, until the day he pits his wits against mysterious blackmailer Irene Adler, who has a powerful hold over the King of Bohemia, one that could turn Holmes into a changed man if he dares do battle with her.
Then, when a desperate young woman begs Holmes for protection against her cruel stepfather, he and Watson must face a deranged doctor – who can commit horrible murders without entering his victims’ rooms – and a sinister “speckled band”. Box office: ticketsource.co.uk/baron-productions.
The 309s: Bringing together Hank Williams, Bob Wills and Louis Jordan at Milton Rooms, Malton
Swing jive gig of the week: The 309s, Milton Rooms, Malton, Saturday, 8pm
WEST Yorkshire five-piece The 309s have spent 14 years purveying their swing jive repertoire all over the country. Think Hank Williams, Bob Wills and Louis Jordan joining forces to make a classic 20th century sound at the roots of rock’n’roll.
The 309s pick songs mostly from the southern States of America from 1925 and 1955, from Western Swing, created by Wills in Texas, through to rock’n’roll’s early days in Memphis, Tennessee, while taking in country boogie and jump blues too. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Scouting For Girls: Marking 15th anniversary of platinum-selling Everybody Wants To Be On TV album at York Barbican
Anniversary gig of the week: Scouting For Girls, Everybody (Still) Wants To Be On TV Tour 2026, York Barbican, March 17, doors 7pm
AS Scouting For Girls’ vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Roy Stride puts it: “I can’t believe we’re already celebrating the 15th anniversary of our second album [Everybody Wants To Be On TV], and I’m beyond excited to get back on the road in 2026! The shows are going to be immense: a massive nostalgic Scouting singalong every night.” Expect further hits to feature too. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
JAPANESE prints, a Belgian detective, a Tudor queen and a West Riding pioneer are all making waves in Charles Hutchinson’s early March recommendations.
Exhibition of the week: Making Waves, The Art of Japanese Woodblock Print, York Art Gallery, until August 30, open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm
MAKING Waves: The Art of Japanese Woodblock Print presents Japanese art and culture in more than 100 striking and iconic works from renowned artists such as Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Hiroshige and Kitagawa Utamaro, among many others.
At the epicentre of this intriguing insight into the history and development of Japanese woodblock printing is the chance to see Hokusai’s The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, one of the most recognisable and celebrated artworks in the world. Tickets: yorkartgallery.org.uk.
York Community Choir Festival 2026: Showcase for choirs aplenty at Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York
Festival of the week: York Community Choir Festival 2026, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tonight to Friday, 7.30pm; Saturday, 2.30pm and 7.30pm
THE annual York Community Choir Festival brings together choirs of all ages to perform in a wide variety of singing styles on each bill. Across the week, 43 choirs are taking part in nine concerts, making the 2026 event the largest yet. Concert programmes feature well-known classical and modern popular songs, complemented by show tunes, world music, folk song, gospel, jazz and soul. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Death On The Nile: European premiere of Ken Ludwig’s new adaptation of Agatha Christie’s murder mystery at Grand Opera House, York. Picture: Manuel Harlan
Murder mystery of the week: Fiery Angel presents Agatha Christie’s Death On The Nile, Grand Opera House, York, March 3 to 7, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday and Saturday matinees
AFTER tours of And Then There Were None and Murder On The Orient Express, Death On The Nile reunites director Lucy Bailey, writer Ken Ludwig and producers Fiery Angel for the European premiere of a new adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Death On The Nile.
On board a luxurious cruise under the heat of the Egyptian sun, a couple’s idyllic honeymoon is cut short by a brutal murder. As secrets buried in the sands of time resurface, can Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (Mark Hadfield), untangle the web of lies? Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Nick Patrick Jones’s Henry VIII and Lara Stafford’s Anne Boleyn in Black Treacle Theatre’s Anne Boleyn. Picture: John Saunders
Historical drama of the week: Black Treacle Theatre in Anne Boleyn, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
YORK company Black Treacle Theatre presents Howard Brenton’s account of one of England’s most important and intriguing historical figures: Tudor lover, heretic, revolutionary, queen Anne Boleyn (played by Lara Stafford).
Traditionally seen as either the pawn of an ambitious family manoeuvred into the King’s bed, or as a predator manipulating her way to power, Anne – and her ghost – re-emerges in a very different light in Brenton’s epic play, premiered by Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in 2010. Box office: https://tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Poetry event of the week: York Poetry Society, Poetry Pharmacy launch celebration, Jacob’s Well, Trinity Lane, York, Friday, 7.30pm to 9.30pm
TO mark Friday’s opening of the third Poetry Pharmacy, part bookshop, part apothecary, part reading room, and venue for readings, workshops, creative writing clubs in Coney Street, founder Deborah Alma talks about its concept of fostering the therapeutic effects of poetry.
Local poets are invited to read poems with this aim in mind in the second half. “Normally we ask of non-members a £3 entry fee, but on this occasion, if you write a poem relevant to the evening, all we will ask is that you read it to us as part of the programme,” says programme secretary Marta Hardy.
Irish dance and magic combine in Celtic Illusion, on tour at York Barbican
Magical experience of the week: Celtic Illusion, York Barbican, Friday, 7.30pm
AFTER dazzling audiences across Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Canada and the USA, this thunderous Irish dance and grand-illusion magic show is making its premiere UK tour in 2026.
Created by Anthony Street, illusionist and former lead of Lord Of The Dance, Celtic Illusion brings together dancers from Riverdance and Lord Of The Dance, who perform to a soaring original score and remastered classics by composer Angela Little. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, as Anne Lister, rehearsing for Northern Ballet’s Gentleman Jack. Picture: Colleen Mair
Dance premiere of the week: Northern Ballet and Finnish National Opera and Ballet in Gentleman Jack, Leeds Grand Theatre, Saturday to March 14, except Sunday and Monday, 7.30pm, plus 2.30pm matinees on March 12 and 14
THIS groundbreaking new ballet marks a trio of ‘firsts’: the first time the story of Anne Lister has been told through ballet, the first large-scale commission for Northern Ballet since 2021 and the first under artistic director Federico Bonelli.
Yorkshirewoman Anne, the “first modern lesbian”, lived, dressed and loved as she desired, not as 19th century society expected of her. Northern Ballet’s interpretation of her life is choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, leading a female artistic team that includes Sally Wainwright, writer of the BBC/HBO television series Gentleman Jack. Box office: 0113 243 0808 or leedsheritagetheatres.com.
The poster for the Merely Players’ Fakespeare exposé at Helmsley Arts Centre
The Great Shakespeare Fraud of the week: Merely Players, Fakespeare, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 7.30pm
THERE are two problems with deception: being found out and not being found out. In 1794, noted antiquarian Samuel Ireland is delighted when his son William brings him unknown documents in the hand of Shakespeare, obtained from an anonymous source. However, scholars question their authenticity and denounce Samuel as a forger. The household is thrown into turmoil and family skeletons come tumbling out of cupboards.
Roll forward to 2026, when Samuel, William and their housekeeper Mrs Freeman meet again to sort out the truth of it all, if such a thing is possible. So runs Stuart Fortey’s tragicomic, scarcely believable, deceptively truthful tale of 18th century literary fraud and family deceit. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Very Santana: Celebrating Carlos Santana’s songs and guitar mastery at Milton Rooms, Malton
Tribute gig of the week: Very Santana, Milton Rooms, Malton, Saturday, 8pm
VERY Santana’s musical time travel experience celebrates the beautiful guitar melodies and creatively diverse, challenging songs of Carlos Santana, performed with room for extra improvisation.
The set list spans the Santana legacy, from the Abraxas album early peaks of Black Magic Woman, Oye Como Va and Samba Pa Ti, through the late 1970s’ hits such as Europa and She’s Not There, to the modern-era Grammy winners Smooth and Maria-Maria. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Harry Enfield: No Chums but a cornucopia of comical characters at Grand Opera House, York
Comedy gig of the week: Harry Enfield And No Chums, Grand Opera House, York, Sunday, 2.30pm and 7.30pm
FROM the meteoric rise of Loadsamoney, a Thatcherite visionary, to the fury of Kevin the Teenager, satirical comedian and self-styled “stupid idiot” Harry Enfield reflects on 40 years in comedy, bringing favourite characters vividly back to life on stage.
Then comes your chance to ask how it all works for the former University of York politics student (Derwent College, 1979 to 1982), discover what makes him most proud and find out what would he say to the many who ask, “You wouldn’t be allowed to do your stuff today, would you?”. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Elvis Costello: Revisiting his 1977-1986 back catalogue in Radio Soul! at York Barbican in June. Picture: Ray Di Pietro
Gig announcement of the week: Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Charlie Sexton, Radio Soul!: The Early Songs Of Elvis Costello, York Barbican, June 17
ELVIS Costello will return to York Barbican for the first time since May 2012’s Spectacular Singing Book tour, joined by The Imposters’ Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas and Davey Faragher and Texan guitarist Charlie Sexton.
Costello, 71, will focus on songs drawn from 1977’s My Aim Is True to 1986’s Blood & Chocolate in 1986, complemented by “other surprises”. Tickets go on sale at 10am on Friday at https://www.yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/elvis-costello/.
York landscape artist, printmaker, workshop tutor and now author Michelle Hughes in her garden studio. Picture: Jackson Portraiture
YORK printmaker and workshop tutor Michelle Hughes’ debut art book, Printing Birds And Wildlife In Linocut, is published today by the Crowood Press.
“The slow boat from India must have sped up significantly as my publisher has emailed me to say it’s arrived at the distributors,” says a delighted Michelle, of St Swithin’s Walk, Holgate, York. “It’s all a bit of a surprise that it’s here because there’d been a delay.”
That delay led Michelle to decide to arrange the official launch for Wednesday, April 15 in the Harriet Room at York Cemetery, where doors will open at 6.30pm for the 7pm start.
“It will be by invitation only due to space constraints,” says landscape artist Michelle, who makes limited-edition linocut prints inspired by the Yorkshire coast, Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors and the Lake District and the wildlife observed from her garden studio.
“Partly because of the date, the launch will have an element of a ten-year celebration too to thank everyone who’s supported and been part of my journey as a printmaker since June 2016, when I launched my business. I’ll probably do a short talk and have examples of the prints and blocks. Plus, of course, I’ll be signing books.”
As of today, Printing Birds And Wildlife In Linocut is available from online retailers and bookshops. Alternatively, to order the book for delivery or to pre-order signed copies to collect from Michelle’s studio, visit: https://www.michellehughesdesign.com/printing-birds-and-wildlife-in-linocut-book.
Michelle Hughes’s book cover artwork for Printing Birds And Wildlife In Linocut
“In August 2023, I was approached by the Crowood Press [independent publishers of specialist books at The Stable Block, Ramsbury, Marlborough] to write a book on making linocut prints,” she says. “It took me 20 months to write, make the linocut prints, photograph each step, edit it, and have friends proof-read it.
“As I went along, I laid it out in line with Crowood’s in-house style and formatted it as I wanted it to appear in the book, to understand how it would visually look to the reader. I’ve poured my heart and soul into it.”
Last May, Michelle handed in her 42,000-word, 660-photograph manuscript and lay-out to the publishers. Several rounds of proof-reading and lay-out by a professional typesetter ensued, and now the 176-page book is not only published at £18.99 but has been selected as one of the top 25 books to have generated the most support for independent bookshops in the past month.
“This beautiful book explains how to capture the joy of nature in the versatility of linocut,” says Michelle. “From a simple idea or sketch, it guides you through the process of planning designs, carving and then successfully printing your work.
“Projects with detailed step-by-step instructions further demonstrate the process with one-colour and jigsaw prints, before advancing to reduction and multi-block prints. All are shown with the most endearing images that capture the enchanting characteristics of our much-loved British birds and wildlife.”
She continues: “With clear instructions, detailed demonstrations and expert tips developed from years of teaching, this book is designed to help you grow with confidence at any stage of your creative journey.
A close-up of Michelle Hughes carving a linocut. Picture: Jackson Portraiture
“Inside the book, you’ll discover 15 newly created linocut prints celebrating British birds and wildlife, alongside a selection of much-loved favourites. Each print is inspired by wildlife which visits my own garden and memorable encounters on countryside walks.”
Michelle grew up making things, sewing, not least crafting, and creating her own clothes, then studied for an ND in Design at Mid-Warwickshire College of Further Education, Leamington Spa, from 1987 to 1989 and an HND in Fashion Design at Southampton Solent University from 1989 to 1991.
After 25 years of designing fashion, textiles and homeware for major high-street brands, a fourth redundancy in 2016 gave her the space to experiment and play with linocut printmaking, becoming a self-taught printmaker.
She now exhibits at open studios and print fairs, works on commissions, including for the National Trust, and has taught more than 1,000 students worldwide through small group workshops in her print studio since July 2017 and online linocut courses since the Covid pandemic of 2020-2021.
“My creative process starts with photographs taken while walking and cycling,” she says. “I then transform landscapes and wildlife into simplified graphic shapes, applying a limited colour palette. I create limited-edition prints using the multi-block linocut method, hand-carving lino blocks for each colour and printing with oil-based inks.”
Michelle will be demonstrating that technique when participating in York Open Studios 2026 at 67, St Swithin’s Walk on April 18 and 19, when 150 artists and makers will be taking part at 107 venues, including 27 new artists in the 24th year of the annual art festival. Full details can be found at https://yorkopenstudios.co.uk/artists-makers/.
Michelle’s book will be on sale at York Open Studios, where once more she will be signing copies.
Michelle Hughes printing a linocut in her St Swithin’s Walk studio
Michelle Hughes: back story
Education
1971: Born in Coventry and grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon.
1987-1989: ND in Design at Mid-Warwickshire College of Further Education, Leamington Spa.
1989-1991: HND in Fashion Design at Southampton Solent University.
Fashion, textiles and homeware career
1991: Moved to London.
1991-2003: Fashion and textile design for Gable Clothing Company UK Ltd, H.A. Clothing Company, Principles and Evans (The Arcadia Group), Freemans Plc and River Island.
2003-2005: Regional creative manager for Disney Home Europe.
2005-2006: Career break, volunteering for Rajana Arts and Crafts, Cambodia, and travelling in Southeast Asia.
2006: Moved to York.
2006-2009: Design manager, for Shared Earth, Fair Trade homeware and giftware retailer.
2009-2011: Senior graphic designer for Room for Design.
2011-2016: Design manager for cook and dine range at George Home, Asda Stores Ltd.
Michelle Hughes Design business
Jan 2016: Redundancy for fourth time.
June 2016: Started own business, Michelle Hughes Design.
April 2016: Joined York Printmakers.
Oct 2016: First exhibition at Blossom Street Gallery in York with York Printmakers.
July 2017: Started teaching linocut workshops in garden studio.
April 2018: First exhibited at York Open Studios.
March 2020: Launched e-commerce shop.
July 2020: Launched How To Make A Linocut Print For Beginners online course.
May 2021: Launched How To Make A Multi-block Linocut Print online course.
August 2023: Approached by independent publisher The Crowood Press to write book about how to make linocut prints.
February 24 2026: Publication of first book Printing Birds And Wildlife In Linocut.
Michelle Hughes holding a copy of her newly published book
Michelle Hughes’s creative journey
Growing up: A childhood of making things
“I’VE always loved making things and being creative. My favourite phrase was, and still is, ‘I could make that’. If I don’t know how to, I’ll certainly have a go,” says Michelle.
“Sewing, crafts and baking were my biggest interests. In my early teens, I made soft toys that I would sell to a local gift shop opposite Shakespeare’s birthplace in my home town of Stratford-upon-Avon. I still have the costing and sales book. I kept track of it all! An early entrepreneur in the making!! I went on to make all my own clothes.
“As a child of the 1970s, Tony Hart and Blue Peter greatly influenced my childhood. I loved making a Sindy doll clothes shop, filled with clothes I’d made too. I also liked drawing. I would spend hours sketching Disney characters. Ironically, I ended up working for Disney!”
Studying design and fashion
“MY strongest subjects at school were Maths, sewing, art and the sciences. I didn’t have a particular ‘I want to be something’ growing up. I just knew I liked making things.
“I took a two-year National Diploma in Design, specialising in fashion design in my second year. I excelled at the pattern-cutting and making part of the course and created a wedding dress collection for the end-of-year show.
“I then moved to Southampton to study for a two-year Higher National Diploma in Fashion Design. I graduated in 1991 at the age of 20. I have been lucky enough to be working as a designer ever since.”
Designing for well-known high street brands
“FROM 1991 to 2005, I worked my way up the career ladder in fashion, textile design and homeware. I designed for high-street retailers such as The Arcadia Group, Freeman’s catalogue and Disney. You may own something I’ve designed!”
London calling
“MY tutor recommended me for a junior textile design job in London. I had been hopeless at textile design at college and wasn’t a city girl at all. I did need a job, though. I applied, did the application design project for my second interview and got the job!
“So, at 20, I moved to London. It was a steep learning curve, and I was way out of my comfort zone. Back then, textile design concepts were still painted by hand using gouache paints. Each colour was mixed to the exact Pantone shade of the retailer’s palette. This is where I developed my strong eye for colour. I also learned how to create textile patterns and graphics.
“I worked my way up the career ladder in fashion and textile design, designing for high-street retailers such as Principles and Evans, part of The Arcadia Group, and Freeman’s catalogue.”
A change in direction: Homeware design
“AFTER 15 years in fashion design, I felt the need for change. I’d had enough of fast fashion and wanted to move into designing homeware. That seemed easy, as I had all the transferable skills, but I met a lot of resistance from recruitment agencies.
“I was contacted about a new role being created at Disney Consumer Products. As someone with a broad, adaptable skill base, I fit right in. I went on to set up the Pan European Creative Managers role for Disney Home and Disney Baby.
“My role was to develop the creative direction for Disney characters and films. I worked with the local European teams to create a cohesive look across Europe. Developing ranges on everything from Disney Princess bedding to Winnie the Pooh lunch boxes was great fun.”
In search of more meaning: Travel and designing for Fair Trade
“I’D climbed the career ladder and had a successful career, but something was missing. I longed to do something with more meaning and give something back. I also wanted to travel more as I hadn’t taken a gap year after graduating.
“In 2015, I quit my job to go backpacking around Southeast Asia for a year. I spent four months in Cambodia volunteering for a Fair Trade company in Phnom Penh.
“They had three gift shops and worked with an in-house team of artisan makers, as well as small producers and craftspeople across the country. I worked with them to develop their ranges and help improve their marketing. I loved every minute of it.”
Moving to York: A happy accident
“RETURNING to the UK, I didn’t want to return to city life or return to the rat race in London. At 35, I moved back in with my mum and dad to look for a design job in Fair Trade. It wasn’t easy, as most companies are pretty small.
“Months of cold calling led me to a design vacancy at Shared Earth in York. I came up for an interview and got the job. A few weeks later, I moved up here without a sense of where this new chapter in Yorkshire would take me.
“Shared Earth was one of the UK’s largest fair trade retailers and wholesalers. We developed ranges with more than 30 producers, craftspeople, and artisan makers worldwide.
“I became their had of design, developing homeware and gift ranges. I also created a fresh, cohesive look for Shared Earth’s branding and marketing materials. Communicating how the products were made, by whom, and the difference the purchase made was very important.”
Not everything goes to plan.
“THE recession hit, and many of the senior management roles were made redundant.
“I put a ‘help, I need a job’ post on Facebook, and a few days later, I had an interview for a maternity cover graphic design role at a design agency. I got it. Phew! Not being a formally trained graphic designer, I felt I had a lot to prove, which was another steep learning curve.
“When that ended, I was looking for work again. The design world is very London-centric, so it’s not easy.
“A role emerged at George Home at Asda, designing home accessories and lighting. It wasn’t right in my heart, but I had bills to pay. I remember crying when I got the job. It meant I was back designing in the commercial world again. Don’t get me wrong, it was a brilliant role.
“I became the design manager for the Cook and Dine range. We designed everything from the graphic illustrations on mugs and tableware to all-over prints on tea towels. They hadn’t had a designer on the team before, but I enjoyed the challenge.
“I worked with a team of in-house designers, freelancers, buyers and merchandisers on multiple ranges each year. We developed thousands of products each season.”
Sewing the seeds of change
“THE corporate world was all I’d ever known. I’d already tried to escape the rat race once before but had got sucked back in.
“I couldn’t imagine working in highly stressful head-office environments for the rest of my career. In design manager roles, I had lost sight of hands-on design work. My time was spent on strategic direction, planning what the trends and ranges would look like and overseeing designers or briefing freelancers to make that come to life. Plus, there are lots of meetings and endless emails!
“I’m a great fan of vision boards. I took two days off after ‘Barmoor’, a weekend yoga retreat near Hutton-le-Hole in the North York Moors. I created mood boards showing what I’d achieved, my strengths, and elements that could be part of a future business. I used pictures of things I’d designed or made, brands or products I adored or aspired to and inspirational quotes.
“I create vision boards or mood boards a lot. They’re a good idea because they clarify everything. They cemented what I had done so far and how I view myself. Although I didn’t know what would come next, I was clearer about what was important to me and what I liked. I also knew that my true inner confidence was rock bottom. Only one thing for that was to get help, and that’s what I did.”
Leap of faith: Starting own business in 2016
“MY fourth redundancy in January 2016 was an opportunity to make a significant lifestyle change, be it a scary one.
“Although it was, in part, what I’d been planning, I wasn’t ready; I didn’t have a plan (I’m a big planner). How on earth would I make a living? I hated the thought of working alone, as I loved being part of a team, bouncing ideas and bringing them to life. I’m a worrier, too and dreaded the thought of financial insecurity.
“I was in China on a buying trip when we heard about redundancies. I’d said, ‘If my role is one of them, then that’s it. I’m not working for anyone else ever again’. It had been my fourth redundancy. I’d become more resilient, as you have to be, and proactively found something else each time, but in my heart, I meant what I said.
“So, with one big shove, off I went. This was the beginning of my journey into self-employment. I started my own business in June 2016.”
Following dreams: A tale of two halves
“I INITIALLY set my business up purely as a graphic designer, offering design support to local businesses. That made sense, and in time, I would pay the bills.
“I had no intention of becoming an artist. I’d always seen making crafts or art as a hobby rather than a career choice. Plus, it’s tough to make a living from it. Sadly, we don’t seem to value handmade things and traditional crafts as much as we should.”
First graphic design briefs
“TO build my portfolio for my new business, I offered to refresh Hawthorn’s logo. They said yes in exchange for printmaking inks and tools. Win-win! This led to Hawthorn’s recommending me to Angela at Beetle Bank Farm. I went on to create their branding and marketing materials, using linocut to develop the initial design concepts.”
Time to play creatively: The craft of print
“THE craftsmanship of printmaking appealed. I’m a maker at heart. I love making things by hand and feeling that connection through all my senses. Linocut seemed like the natural choice. It’s also a craft or art form which is easy to get started with at home, with just a few simple tools and materials. Lino cutting at home doesn’t have to be expensive.
“I’d always been a fan of Angie Lewin’s linocuts and woodcut prints, and I’ve always loved mid-century design, whether that’s 1950s’ clothing or salvaging vintage furniture for my home. I love vintage railway posters and Japanese woodblock prints, too. There’s something about their graphic style and colour use.”
Learning to linocut: First linocut print
“IN terms of timelines, I’m going back a bit here. I first tried lino print in July 2013. There was a craft fair at the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall in York. One of the makers had a ‘have a go’ table. I’d always liked the style of linocut and thought I’d have a go.
“With a full-on design career, there wasn’t much creative time for me outside of work. Apart from a few simple cards and gifts for friends. It wasn’t until I was made redundant in January 2016 that I found the time to play with lino properly.
“I’m entirely self-taught. I’d play and experiment. Some things worked, and others did not, but it was good to be back ‘playing’ with creativity.
“I used soft-cut lino for my early designs as I had basic lino tools. I also used what I’ve coined as ‘the jigsaw method’. Back then, I thought I’d made it up, but it seems a few others had been making prints that way too. My first series of Yorkshire Dales linocut prints was all created this way.”
Finding own style
“SINCE I started my career at 20, I’d always designed for other brands and didn’t have my own personal style. The focus had been on what was right for their brand, customers, style and trends.
“Using basic beginner’s tools, I played with ideas in my cold, dusty garage. I had my Eureka moment when I created my Yorkshire Dales and Teal Sunflowers linocut prints.
“Since then, my style has evolved and refined. I’m known for my use of colour and simple stylised silhouettes, particularly of local Yorkshire landscapes. I often use paths to draw your eye through the picture. I draw on my textile and graphic design experience for my use of colour and composition.”
Inspired by nature: Desire for adventure
“MY work reflects my love of nature and the great outdoors. My desire to rekindle the freedom of travel from my backpacking days in Asia has led me to explore what’s on my doorstep.
“I walk and cycle to gather inspiration. I don’t like to just grab a photo from Google. I need to see, feel and experience the landscape for myself. Observing my surroundings, I capture the colours, shapes and textures of nature, landscapes, wildlife, and building styles on my camera before returning to my studio to sketch ideas that capture the essence of the place.
“On walks, friends often say that they now ‘experience a view through the eyes of Michelle’, which is rather lovely.”
Joining the York Printmakers creative community
“IN April 2016, I joined York Printmakers. I felt like a fraud. I’d dabbled with linocut, but nothing that was any good.
“The group formed in 2015 and was in the process of creating its logo. Not a dry corporate one, but one where each member had created a letter in their style and printmaking technique.
“To begin with, I volunteered to design their logo, incorporating the letters the group’s members had created through various printmaking techniques. I made the linocut letter Y.
“Graphic design and bringing ideas together were something I could do. The group is incredibly friendly and welcoming to printmakers of all levels, but my own self-doubt wasn’t having that.
“Going through redundancy is mentally quite challenging, and no matter how much I’ve told myself not to take it personally, I do, and it knocks my confidence. In many ways, designing the logo gave me a sense of purpose, and I felt that I could offer something useful to the group.”
Exhibiting for the first time
“YORK Printmakers’ support and encouragement spurred me on to create new lino prints. Joining the group’s first exhibition at Blossom Street Gallery in York in October 2016 gave me something to work towards. I was bitten by the bug and asked to exhibit my work there again.”
Living the dream: Garden studio
“LIKE many artists and makers, I started working on my kitchen table. I often used my very cold and dusty garage for printing.
“In March 2017, I converted my dusty, cold garage into a bright, light, warm, inspiring workspace. Back then, I’d lived here for ten years and had always dreamed of making better use of the space.
“Redundancy money allowed me to convert my garage into a light, airy, insulated garden studio. I live in a quiet suburb of York, with a view of Holgate Windmill.
“I love the quality of light, even on the greyest day. I have windows overlooking my garden, so it brings the outdoors in. It’s such a relaxed place to work. Listening to birdsong is quite idyllic.”
Learning new linocut techniques
“IN 2017, I started experimenting with making multicoloured prints using the multi-block technique. Usually, a separate lino block is carved for each colour layer within a linocut print. “It takes a lot of planning to ensure the registration of each lino block line up when printed. I’m very mathematical and enjoyed pattern cutting at fashion college, so I guess I use a lot of those skills. Now, I mainly use the multi-block method to create my linocut prints.”
York Open Studios
“I APPLIED for the 2017 York Open Studios but sadly wasn’t accepted. I applied the following year and was accepted, taking part in my first event in April 2018. I’ve applied and taken part each year since then, as well as hosting my own open studio events. It’s a wonderful opportunity to meet people and share how I create my linocut prints.”
Sharing a passion through linocut workshops and online courses
“I WANTED to inspire others to make more time in their lives for a creative hobby, and in July 2017, I started running linocut workshops from my York studio.
“I teach small groups of four, so everyone gets lots of one-to-one attention. I thoroughly enjoy teaching them. The look on people’s faces when they peel back the paper from the lino block for the first time is an absolute joy, even more so when someone has started the day saying they’re not arty or can’t draw.
“Initially, I taught beginners through my introduction to linocut workshops. Participants learn how to use lino tools to create various marks and print them. With my background so strongly rooted in design, I love helping evolve their ideas from a photo or inspiration image into a sketch and a design that works well for lino print.
“I now offer follow-on workshops where participants learn how to make multicoloured linocut prints using either the Jigsaw or Multi-block linocut methods. I have more ideas for different lino print workshops, so watch this space!”
National Trust commission
“IN December 2018, I was contacted by a graphic design agency about creating a series of 12 linocut prints for the National Trust’s Sutton Hoo. These were to be used, and still are, across a range of marketing materials. The curlew linocut print has since been used on gift ranges for the National Trust shop too.”
Adapting during the pandemic: Teaching online
“IN March 2020, the pandemic lockdown meant everything came to a standstill overnight. Events, exhibitions and workshops were cancelled and postponed; graphic design work dried up, and I had to adapt quickly.
“The Design Trust launched an online course called Learn How To Teach Online, which was invaluable. The approach to teaching online in different formats is very different.
“I spent another three months writing, filming and editing my first online course. I had a wealth of experience to draw on from the in-person workshops I’d been teaching.
“In July 2020, I launched my first online linocut course, Beginners’ Guide to Linocut printing, followed by How to Make a Multi-block Linocut Print in May 2021. I continue to teach online, with students joining from all around the world.
“I host monthly Zoom Q&As for my students, and it’s been a joy to help so many people discover the craft of traditional printmaking.”
Adapting during the pandemic: E-commerce online shop
“UNTIL the pandemic, I’d focused on selling my original prints through local art galleries, print fairs and events. With all these being cancelled, I was stuck.
“I built my online shop and, to my surprise, realised that people all over the country wanted to buy my lino prints of Yorkshire.
“Alongside my online shop, I now continue to take part in two main events a year, York Open Studios in April and the York Printmakers Print Fair in September.”
Becoming a full-time professional printmaker
“THE challenges I faced during the pandemic became the silver lining.
“Adapting my business during the pandemic was a success, and I realised I could make a living solely as a professional printmaker.
“As the world returned to normal, I decided to leave graphic design behind and hand over my clients to a friend who’s a graphic designer, so I could focus solely on printmaking.”
Commissions
“IN addition to the National Trust project, I have been privileged to work on a number of commercial commissions. Two of my favourites have been:
“In 2019, Jim Leary commissioned me to create a series of ten linocut print illustrations for his forthcoming book, Footmarks: A Journey Into Our Restless Past.
“In January 2022, I was commissioned by The Chase Creative Consultants to create artwork for The Rawcliffe Bridge Award for Sustainability. The illustration is composed of 16 individual linocut prints. Each quadrant of the plate depicts a season in the farming year and the natural cycle of farming.”
Licensing
“AS well as commissions, I license linocut prints for book covers, homeware, interiors and editorial projects.
“It’s quite a privilege to have your art chosen for the front cover of a book and an absolute delight to see it in print!”
Launching first book!
“IN August 2023, I was approached by The Crowood Press to write a book on making linocut prints. I was blown away!
“I’m proud to be launching my first book, Printing Birds and Wildlife in Linocut, on February 24 2026.
“It took me 20 months to write, make the linocut prints, photograph each step, edit it and have friends proofread it. As I went along, I laid it out in line with Crowood’s in-house style and formatted it as I wanted it to appear in the book, to understand how it would visually look to the reader. I’ve poured my heart and soul into it.
“Last May, I handed my 42,000-word, 660-photograph manuscript and layout to my publishers. Since then, it’s undergone several rounds of proofreading and has been laid out by a professional typesetter.
“My book covers all the basics you need to make linocut prints, from planning designs to carving techniques, mixing colours, and printing. Plus registration, jigsaw prints, reduction prints, multi-block linocut prints, stamping with lino blocks and printing on fabric.
“Inside the book, you’ll find 15 newly created linocut prints of birds and wildlife, along with a selection of favourites.”
One final question: What next?
“WITH the successes I’ve had over the last ten years, I often get asked what next. I find that a tricky question. I’ll always have drive and passion to learn more and move things forward, but I love the mountain I’ve climbed over the past ten years, and I’m so proud of what I’ve achieved in that time.
“It’s important to me to have a sustainable business, one in which there’s a balance between my work and my personal life. Spending time in nature not only inspires my work, but it’s what brings so much joy and well-being to my life.
“It’s important to me to create new print collections and teach with quality and integrity, inspiring and encouraging others.
“I’d like to create linocut prints of so many places and views. Yorkshire always holds my heart, especially the Yorkshire Dales. I’ve got lots of ideas from inspiration trips to Northumberland and Scotland too.
“I have plans for new workshops and courses up my sleeve, too.
“I just love what I do, just as it is.
“Having said all of that, I’m always open to ideas!”
Sally Ann Matthews in the role of supermarket boss Patricia in Here & Now, The Steps Musical, on tour at Grand Opera House, York. Picture: Danny Kaan
MUSICALS aplenty and a posthumous debut exhibition for two York artists are among Charles Hutchinson’s choices for February fulfilment.
Comedy and Tragedy show of the week: Here & Now, The Steps Musical, Grand Opera House, York, tonight to Saturday, 7.30pm; Wednesday & Saturday, 2.30pm; Sunday, 3pm
PRODUCED by Steps, ROYO and Pete Waterman, Here & Now weaves multiple dance-pop hits by the London group into Shaun Kitchener’s story of supermarket worker Caz and her fabulous friends dreaming of the perfect summer of love.
However, when Caz discovers her “happy ever after” is a lie, and the gang’s attempts at romance are a total tragedy, they wonder whether love will ever get a hold on their hearts? Or should they all just take a chance on a happy ending? Look out for Coronation Street star Sally Ann Matthews as supermarket boss Patricia. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Josh Woodgate’s Pilate in Inspired By Theatre’s Jesus Christ Superstar. Picture: Dan Crawfurd-Porter
Boundary-pushing theatre show of the week: Inspired By Theatre in Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tonight to Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
YORK company Inspired By Theatre’s gritty, cinematic and unapologetically powerful staging of Jesus Christ Superstar presents director Dan Crawfurd-Porter’s radical new vision of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s 1971 musical.
On Gi Vasey’s shifting building-block set design, part temple, part battleground, the story unfolds through visceral movement, haunting imagery and a pulsating live score, capturing Jesus’s final days as loyalties fracture, followers demand revolution and rulers fear rebellion. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Annabel van Griethuysen’s Miss Hannigan in York Light Opera Company’s Annie. Picture: Matthew Kitchen Photography
The sun’ll come out tomorrow: York Light Opera Company in Annie, York Theatre Royal, tomorrow until February 21, 7.30pm, except February 15 and 16; matinees on February 14, 15 and 21, 2.30pm; February 19, 2pm
MARTYN Knight directs York Light Opera Company for the last time in the company’s first staging of Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin and Thomas Meehan’s Annie in 25 years.
This heart-warming tale of hope, family and second chances, packed with such knockout songs as Tomorrow, Hard Knock Life and You’re Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile, stars Annabel van Griethuysen as Miss Hannigan, Neil Wood as Daddy Warbucks and Hope Day and Harriet Wells, sharing the role of Annie. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Jez Lowe & The Bad Pennies: Northern English folk at Helmsley Arts Centre
Folk gig of the week: Jez Lowe & The Bad Pennies, Helmsley Arts Centre, Friday, 7.30pm
JEZ Lowe & The Bad Pennies have been playing their northern English and Celtic folk and acoustic songs and tunes for more than two decades around folk festivals, clubs and concert stages, while making a dozen albums.
Touring the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Holland and Belgium, as well as Great Britain and Ireland, singer, guitarist and composer Lowe performs with fiddle player, vocalist and Badapple Theatre writer-director Kate Bramley, Northumbrian small-pipes, accordion and whistle player Andy May and fretless bassist David De La Haye. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
The poster for Al Murray’s All You Need Is Guv tour show at York Barbican
Comedy shake-up of the week: Al Murray, All You Need Is Guv, York Barbican, Friday, 7.30pm
HEY cool cats! Hot on the heels of last year’s Guv Island tour of these green and groovy isles, The Guvnor is back with a new stand-up show for 2026. There’s no denying the world’s a mess, daddio, but here comes a glimmer of hope as the globe’s favourite pub landlord returns with his common sense hot-takes for the masses, offering a much-needed truth tonic for these whacked out and troubled times. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Fladam Theatre duo Florence Poskitt and Adam Sowter in Astro-Norma And The Cosmic Piano at Helmsley Arts Centre
Children’s show of half-term week: Fladam Theatre in Astro-Norma And The Cosmic Piano, Helmsley Arts Centre, Sunday, 2.30pm
FLADAM Theatre, the actor-musician York duo of Adam Sowter and Florence Poskitt, returns with an intergalactic musical adventure ideal for ages four to ten. Meet out-of-this-world pianist Norma, who dreams of going into space, like her heroes Mae Jemison and Neil Armstrong, but children can’t go into space, can they? Especially children with a very important piano recital coming up.
When a bizarre-looking contraption crash-lands in the garden, is it a bird? Or a plane? No and twice no, it’s a piano, but no ordinary piano. This is a cosmic piano! Maybe Norma’s dreams can come true in a 45-minute show packed with awesome aliens, rib-tickling robots, and interplanetary puns that will have children shooting for the stars. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Crime fiction author Elly Griffiths: Discussing new novel The Killing Time at Milton Rooms, Malton
Kemps Books’ literary event of the week: An Evening With Elly Griffiths, Milton Rooms, Malton, February 16, 7.30pm
ELLY Griffiths, award-winning crime fiction author of The Ruth Galloway Mysteries, The Brighton Mysteries and The Postscript Murders, discusses new novel The Killing Time and the inspirations behind her time-twisting mysteries, compelling characters and gripping storytelling. Expect lively conversation, fascinating insights and a book-signing finale. Tickets: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Jodie Comer’s lawyer Tessa in Prime Facie, on tour at Grand Opera House, York. Picture: Rankin
Recommended but sold out already: Jodie Comer in Prima Facie, Grand Opera House, York, February 17 to 21, 7.30pm plus 3pm Thursday and Saturday matinees
JODIE Comer returns to her Olivier and Tony Award-winning role as lawyer Tessa in the “Something Has To Change” tour of Suzie Miller’s Prime Facie in her first appearance on a North Yorkshire stage since her professional debut in Scarborough as Ruby in the Stephen Joseph Theatre’s world premiere of Fiona Evans’s The Price Of Everything in April 2010.
Comer’s Tessa is a thoroughbred young barrister who loves to win, working her way up from working-class origins to be at the top of her game: prosecuting, cross examining and lighting up the shadows of doubt in any case. An unexpected event, however, forces her to confront the lines where the patriarchal power of the law, burden of proof and morals diverge. Box office for returns only: atgtickets.com/york.
Craig David: PerformingTS5 DJ set at York Racecourse Music Showcase Weekend in July
Gig announcement of the week: Craig David presents TS5, York Racecourse Music Showcase Weekend, Knavesmire, York, July 24
SOUTHAMPTON singer-songwriter and DJ Craig David will complete this summer’s music line-up at York Racecourse after earlier announcements of Becky Hill’s June 27 show and Tom Grennan’s July 25 concert.
David, 44, will present his TS5 DJ set on Music Showcase Friday’s double bill of racing and old-skool anthems, from R&B to Swing Beat, Garage to Bashment, plus current House hits, when he combines his singing and MC skills. Tickets: yorkracecourse.co.uk; no booking fees; free parking on race day.
Kara Tointon as Constance Middleton in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s The Constant Wife. Picture: Mihaela Bodlovic; set and co-costume designer Anna Fleischle and co-costume designer Cat Fuller
LAURA Wade’s new adaptation of The Constant Wife for the RSC leads off Charles Hutchinson’s latest selection of cultural highlights.
Play of the week: Royal Shakespeare Company in The Constant Wife, York Theatre Royal,January 26 to 31, 7.30pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees
SET in 1927, The Constant Wife finds Constance as a very unhappy woman. “Nonsense,” says her mother, who insists “she eats well, sleeps well, dresses well and she’s losing weight. No woman can be unhappy in those circumstances”.
Played by Kara Tointon, she is the perfect wife and mother, but her husband is equally devoted to his mistress, who just happens to be her best friend. Tamara Harvey directs the new adaptation by Home, I’m Darling playwright and Rivals television series writer Laura Wade. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Aesthetica Art Prize winner Tobi Onabolu’s Danse Macabre, on show at York Art Gallery
Last chance to see: Aesthetica Art Prize and Future Tense: Art in the Age of Transformation, York Art Gallery, today and tomorrow, 10am to 5pm
YORK arts movers and shakers Aesthetica present two landmark exhibitions, the 2025 Aesthetica Art Prize and Future Tense: Art in the Age of Transformation, featuring large-scale immersive installations by prize alumni Liz West and Squidsoup.
On show among work by 25 shortlisted entries are main prize winner, London artist-filmmaker Tobi Onabolu’s exploration of spirituality, mental health and the human psyche, Danse Macabre, and Emerging Prize winner Sam Metz’s bright yellow structures in Porosity, reflecting his sensory experience of the Humber Estuary.
Squidsoup’s Submergence immerses audiences in an ocean of 8,000 responsive LED lights, blurring the line between digital and physical space, while Liz West’s Our Spectral Vision surrounds visitors with a radiant spectrum of colour in a sensory encounter. Tickets: yorkartgallery.org.uk/tickets.
Ceramicist Emily Stubbs, left, and seascapes artist Carolyn Coles showcase their new work in The Sky’s The Limit at Pyramid Gallery, alongside Karen Fawcett’s bird sculptures
Exhibition launch of the week: Carolyn Coles, Emily Stubbs and Karen Fawcett, The Sky’s The Limit, Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York, today until mid-March
SOUTH Bank Studios artist Carolyn Coles and PICA Studios ceramicist Emily Stubbs will be on hand from 11.30am to 2.30pm at today’s opening of The Sky’s The Limit, their joint exhibition with wildlife sculptor Karen Fawcett.
Like Carolyn, Emily has been selected to take part in York Open Studios 2026 on April 18 & 19 and April 25 & 26. Look out too for work by Pyramid Gallery’s Jeweller of the Month, Kate Rhodes, from Hebden Bridge. Gallery opening hours are: 10am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday.
Anna Hale: Killer punchlines, musical flair and spiky resilience in Control Freak at The Crescent on Sunday
Comedy gig of the week: Anna Hale: Control Freak, The Crescent, York, Sunday, 7.30pm
ANNA Hale, comedian, singer-songwriter and unapologetic control freak, likes to write the jokes and the songs, plan the lighting cues and even sell the tickets for her gigs. When life spins out of control, however, can one perfectionist keep the show together, and, crucially, not let anyone else have a go?
Find out when encountering the killer punchlines, musical flair and spiky resilience of the 2024 Musical Comedy Awards Audience Favourite winner’s debut tour show. Box office: thecrescentyork.com.
Glenn Moore: So many Moore jokes at The Crescent on Tuesday
Show title of the week: Glenn Moore: Please Sir, Glenn I Have Some Moore, The Crescent, York, January 27, 7.30pm (doors 7pm)
EDINBURGH Comedy Award nominee Glenn Moore has written too many jokes again, so expect a whirlwind of punchlines from the Croydon stand-up and presenter on Tuesday. Here comes more and more of Moore after appearances on Live At The Apollo, Have I Got News For You, Mock The Week, 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown, The News Quiz, Just A Minute and his own BBC Radio 4 series, Glenn Moore’s Almanac. Box office: thecrescentyork.com.
Snow and frost in Cuba: Carlos Acosta’s Nutcracker In Havana brings heat and ice to the Grand Opera House, York. Picture: Johan Persson
Dance show of the week: Carlos Acosta’s Nutcracker In Havana, Grand Opera House, York, now January 30 and 31, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
UPDATE 27/1/2025: Cast illness has put paid to January 28 and 29’s performances.
DANCE superstar Carlos Acosta’s Nutcracker In Havana turns up the heat in his modern Cuban twist on the snow-dusted 1892 Russian festive ballet. Built on Cuban composer Pepe Gavilondo’s arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s score, Acosta moves the celebration of joy, life, love and family to modern-day Havana.
More than 20 dancers from Acosta’s Cuban company Acosta Danza perform the familiar story of a young girl transported to a magic world, but one newly incorporating the culture, history and music of his home country. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Mike Joyce: Tales from his drumming days for The Smiths at Pocklington Arts Centre
On the beat: Mike Joyce, The Drums: My Life In The Smiths, Pocklington Arts Centre, January 28, 7.30pm
DRUMMER Mike Joyce has been asked numerous times, “What was it like being in The Smiths?”. “That’s one hell of a question to answer!” he says. Answer it, he does, however, both in his 2025 memoir and now in his touring show The Drums: My Life In The Smiths.
To reflect on being stationed behind singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr from 1982 to 1987, Joyce will be interviewed by Guardian music journalist Dave Simpson, who lives near York. Audience members can put their questions to Joyce too. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
The poster for Country Roads’ celebration of Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Kenny Rogers et al at York Barbican
Country celebration of the week: Country Roads, York Barbican, January 30, 7.30pm
COUNTRY Roads invites you to a celebration of country superstar royalty featuring such hits as 9 To 5, The Gambler, I Walk The Line, Ring Of Fire, King Of The Road, Crazy, Rhinestone Cowboy, Jolene, Dance The Night Away, Walkin’ After Midnight and many, many more as the stars of fellow tribute show Islands In The Stream return in this new production. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Mishmash’s delightful musical adventure Ruby’s Worry, easing worries at the NCEM
Family show of the week: Mishmash: Ruby’s Worry, National Centre for Early Music, Walmgate, York, January 31, 11.30am and 2.30pm
RUBY had always been happy, perfectly happy, until one day she discovered a worry. The more she tries to rid herself of that worry, the more it grows and grows. Eventually she meets a boy who has a worry too. Together they discover that everyone has worries, and that if you talk about them, they never hang around for long! Mishmash’s Ruby’s Worry is told through live music, song, puppetry and physical theatre, taking the audience on a delightful musical adventure. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.
Baz Warne: “Not just ‘a book tour’ and not quite ‘a gig’, hopefully Convivial is more than the sum of its parts,” he says
THE Stranglers’ longest-serving frontman, Baz Warne, will visit Pocklington Arts Centre on February 26 and Leeds Brudenell Social Club on March 8, the closing night of his 12-date Convivial tour.
Still out front for the “Men in Black” after more than 25 years, singer, guitarist and writer Warne has put together an evening of songs, stories and conversation as he embarks on such an itinerary for the first time, where all the unscripted, unconventional shows will be seated, topped off by ample opportunity for questions from the audience.
Last October, Warne launched his book No Grass Grows On A Busy Street, a charming collection of tour diaries, stories and reflections on a quarter of a century of fronting The Stranglers, the veteran British post-punk and New Wave band, as well as his time in The Toy Dolls and Smalltown Heroes.
After taking part in a Q&A at the Louder Than Words music/book festival in Manchester, curated by rock journalist John Robb, Warne was inspired to assemble a package of songs, stories and conversation that could be toured across the UK.
“I wanted to put together a unique event of entertainment and memories in a relaxed setting, not just ‘a book tour’ and not quite ‘a gig’, hopefully more than the sum of its parts,” he says. “Who knows how the evening might unfold? One thing is guaranteed: every night on this run will be completely different!
Convivial? “‘That’s a good word, we don’t use it enough anymore, let’s call it [the tour] that’,” says Baz Warne
“When I was describing my idea for the show to management, and used the word ‘convivial’, I stopped myself and said ‘that’s a good word, we don’t use it enough anymore, let’s call it that’.”
Published in hardback, No Grass Grows On A Busy Street is a retrospective compilation of detailed tour diaries, interviews and stories that give an until-now unrivalled level of access to The Stranglers.
As a proud son of the North East, Warne reflects poignantly on his life in music, from humble beginnings to the world’s biggest stages, not least joining The Stranglers at such a tumultuous time and later coming to terms with the loss of original bandmates and dear friends, keyboardist Dave Greenfield and drummer Jet Black.
Looking back on a career spanning five decades of music and popular culture, the book features untold anecdotes and newly written contemplative commentary from Warne that proves how time is often the best lens. Tickets for Pocklington Arts Centre (7.30pm) and Leeds Brudenell Social Club (doors 7.30pm) are on sale at crosstownconcerts.com.
The poster for Baz Warne’s Convivial tour, playing Pocklington and Leeds
York author Ben Porter with a copy of his latest book, Kids Just Wanna Fly, pictured at York Theatre Royal
YORK author, poet, photographer, filmmaker, publisher and York Creatives founder Ben Porter charts the growing pains and gains of life between age ten and 20 in his new photobook.
Published by his own independent publishing house, Overt Books, Kids Just Wanna Fly takes “a leap into the unknown, captured on disposable cameras, Polaroids, cheap point & shoots and early iPhones”.
“It’s a tale youthful ambition, aspiration and the quest to craft an identity through the tumultuous years of young adulthood,” says Ben. “Unfolding mostly between 2003 and 2013, it’s a raw portrait of youth in the pre-Smartphone era and life growing up in post-industrial northern England.
“The book asks you to consider how much of your ten-year-old self was left in you at 20? How the youthful energy of your teen years shaped the person you became, perhaps in spite of where society tried to direct it.
“It challenges you to think about the value of first-time experiences, of hazy memories that blend fact with fiction, and the advice you ultimately decide to pass on to the next generation.”
Launched at Patch@Bonding Warehouse as part of the Aesthetica Fringe at the 2025 Aesthetica Short Film Festival, Kids Just Wanna Fly complements 73 of Porter’s youthful photographs with “heartfelt” short stories and poems by eight contributing authors.
Seven hail from York: Kitty Greenbrown’s Stand And Face The Wind; Kathryn Tann’s The Sky Inside A Puddle; Atlas Rook’s Four Seconds; Luke Downing’s Snapshots; Bram Jarman’s Stood On Your Own Two Feet; Angel Jones’s Concerto and Jay Ventress’s Canvases, joined by Sheffield writer Oliver Manning’s When I Grow Up.
“Instead of doing the writing myself this time, I wanted to broaden it out to other people’s experiences, to go with my ‘roughly chronological’ photos (more in terms of telling the story, rather than when they were taken,” says Ben.
“Giving them a very loose brief to reflect on how much of their ten-year-old self was still there when they were 20, I gave them a set of images to respond to. Their contributions have beautifully brought to life the many emotions of young adulthood.”
Thanking everyone featured in his photographs for “contributing towards making my journey through life an utter thrill”, he says: “I took the images on disposable cameras, cheap consumer digitals and first-generation iPhones, before modern camera technology matured. Intimate and imperfect, they embody the raw possibility of a time when everything felt wide open.
Out of the blue: here comes Ben Porter’s book, Kids Just Wanna Fly
“Every picture was carefully selected because it represents an important part of the story – one of a child developing into adulthood, doing their best to navigate their own path in the face of so many conflicting directions,” he says.
Ben’s preface could not better express the vision and mission of a book “charged with youthful movement, capturing the exuberance, confusion and hopefulness of adolescence”. “We are reincarnated many times throughout our teenage years,” he writes. “We try on personas like outfits, switching between social circles that each have different cultures and expectations.
“We have no idea what the world wants from us, nor what we can reasonably offer. Our hopes of who we want to become hang delicately, forever at risk of being crushed before we grow the confidence to stand by them.
“We receive conflicting advice from elders, who we begin to realise have just as many questions as we do, and no convincing answers. All we can do is jump, and hope we fly, for a little while.”
Kids Just Wanna Fly follows Porter’s earlier photobook, Wanderings & Wonderings, his November 2024 exploration of the relationship between humans and nature that was marked by a meditative stillness that contrasts with the new book’s youthful exuberance.
“I’ve been a photographer all my life, but with no exhibitions at that point, but I really enjoyed doing that book, where I picked photos from a folder called ‘Nature, containing 300-400 from over 100,000 pictures I’d taken, spread 200 on the floor, then came up with the theme of our interaction with nature,” says Ben, whose book combined images with his poetic ‘reflections and provocations”.
Wanderings & Wonderings’ release was accompanied by his debut exhibition at Angel on the Green, in Bishopthorpe Road, where Ben’s photos were on show from November 2024 to March 2025.
“When I thought, ‘what should I do next?’, I went through my hard drives, going back to 2003, and just grabbed stuff off there, anything that caught my interest or images that I didn’t think I could capture again, with a theme of memory.
“Looking back, I was pushing boundaries as a child in Sheffield, annoying my parents, trying to see what I could get away with, like spending our time climbing old industrial Sheffield buildings..
“We always took pictures on family holidays, and I really got the bug for photography when watching skateboarding videos. I’d go skateboarding, take the camera with me, do bad videos and then rather better photographs – and those images are now more interesting than they were back then.”
Two photographs from Ben Porter’s stock of images from 2003 to 2013 for Kids Just Wanna Fly
Explaining the choice of book title, Ben says: “The flight image kept coming up. I thought, ‘why was that’, but then I looked back at how you know what you want to be at ten, but at 20, we’re not so sure, when others might have influenced you. It’s about aspiration. At ten you want to project into the future, and it doesn’t come into your head that you might not succeed.
“It’s that lack of fear, and Kids Just Wanna Fly is such a wonderful metaphor for kids to keep on trying…until parents or teachers convince them not to do so.” How apt that Ben should sign his book for CharlesHutchPress with the message: “It’s never too late to keep trying to fly.”
Ben grew up as the eldest of five brothers, sons of the Right Reverent Matthew Porter. “Our father was the vicar of a small parish church and he was the reason we moved to York from Sheffield in 2008 when he took over as vicar of St Michael le Belfrey,” says Ben. “He’s now the Bishop of Bolton, one of three Bishops for Manchester, looking after Bolton and Salford.
“My dad was working a lot, and my mum had her hands full looking after the children. I remember being frustrated that my parents wouldn’t let me go further than ten minutes from the house until secondary school at Birkdale. That required two bus rides, which took an hour, or 90 minutes to walk, and if it wasn’t raining, I would walk back home.
“From the age of 12-13, I thought of myself as adult, as the leader, with my youngest brother, David, being 11 years younger than me. I’d find that we would sit around not making decisions unless I did, so often I’d make a decision without adults around, but at that age you don’t know what the best option is, so often you make terrible decisions and someone gets hurt.”
Ben’s folder of photographic images from his passage through teenage days was once called “Rebelliousness”. “That was the underlying theme, and the first title I came up with for the book was ‘Once We Were Beautiful’, but some people said that sounded too sad, and it didn’t quite capture what I wanted to get across, whereas Kids Just Wanna Fly does,” says Ben.
“The beauty of being young is trying to do something you might not able to do, and what we do as photographers is pick the ones that resonate the most. They tend to be the ones that are photogenic, which is also why I changed the title as I didn’t want it to be shallow.”
Kids Just Wanna Fly, by Ben Porter, is published by Overt Books at £22 in hardback, £14 in paperback, available from overtbooks.com.
More photographs from Ben Porter’s Kids Just Wanna Fly
Ben Porter on York Creatives
“THE precursor was Plastic Fortune, which we started in 2014 to showcase creativity and alternative culture in York,” says Ben. “In 2016 I renamed it as York Creatives and became managing director and chair. My vision was to assemble 50 people but it grew to 300 – it was at the time when the Arts Barge was being slagged of as a ‘vanity project’.
“People had said, ‘where do you get funding for York Creatives?’, when there was already York Professionals for professionals in the city, but I just thought, ‘I’ll start York Creatives anyway’.”
Founder Ben has stepped back, now that he has a six-month-old son, Jacob. “I can still be involved in the strategy of the group, but now Sarah Williams in the managing director and John Rose-Adams is the chair, ” he says.
York Creatives is a free-to-join network that provides an online forum for arts conversations and sends out a monthly newsletter of upcoming arts events to 3,500 people, with details of upcoming opportunities.
In-person events include Creative Drinks on the first Friday of each month at Patch@Bonding Warehouse (having been held previously at Spark:York, with the capacity now doubling from 50 to 100).
Pop-up events for different arts sectors are held too. Board members cover the fields of art, design, poetry, performance, film, gaming, photography, creative writing and literature. “They’re all encouraged to organise events for their sub-sectors,” says Ben.
The cover artwork for Benjamin Porter’s book, York’s Creative Spaces
“I see York Creatives as a hub for finding out what’s going on in the city, to sign-post other things that are going on and to link people new to the city with what’s happening.
“There’s also an option to become a York Creatives supporter for £2.50 a month, giving access to events, or otherwise entry to events costs £5. A Pro option costs £6.25 a month with a bunch of other benefits.”
Ben Porter on Overt Books
BEN Porter set up the independent York publishing house Overt Books to publish artist books.
“I founded it as the next step in the journey, to help local creatives put their ideas to the page in the form of beautiful yet affordable artist books,” he says.
Already Overt Books has released Ben’s first book, York’s Creative Spaces, a collection of photographs and interviews profiling the studios, workshops, galleries, creative offices and independent venues of York.
“This book documents the quirky, historic, repurposed spaces York’s creative community inhabits and creates work from,” says Ben.
York floral artist Lesley Birch, whose book Flower Power is published by Overt Books. Picture: Esme Mai Photography
Next came Ben’s Wanderings & Wonderings and, in 2025, York floral artist Lesley Birch’s Flower Power, whose release is accompanied by an exhibition at Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, that will run until mid-January.
“In 2026, we’ll be looking to publish works by a small number of local artists, which we hope to build upon each year. If you’ve got an idea for an artist book that you would like to discuss, contact me via hi@overtbooks.com. If you want to turn your work into a picture publication, I’d love you to get in touch.”
Coming next will be Katie Lou McCabe’s book of analogue photography, A Darkroom Exploration Of Ancient Egypt And The Quantum Void. “It’s a mixture of reflections on how she got into analogue photography, and the things she thinks about when processing in her darkroom on the North York Moors,” says Ben.
“She has linked together an Ancient Egypt creation myth about light and the sun with developments in quantum physics, discovering that if you keep breaking particles down, inside there is light, so as a photographer it’s fascinating to her that everything is made up of light.”
Did you know?
BEN Porter manages co-working office space for businesses in six rooms in premises next to the Golden Fleece, in Pavement, York.
Did you know too?
IN 2010, Ben Porter formed the band Likely Lads. “We were very much influenced by the indie bands of the time, such as Arctic Monkeys and The Libertines,” he says. “That band folded in late-2014, and we became The Blue Dawns. Our last album came out three years ago,” he says.
