Michael Head: Leading The Red Elastic Band at The Crescent. All concert pictures: Paul Rhodes
MICHAEL Head has packed a lot of living into his 63 years, and has more than earned the right to enjoy his very slow in-coming popularity. While the voice may be a shade less than before, the body seemed more than willing. Head was clearly loving being on tour.
No longer a loaded man (having also overcome heroin addiction twice), a sober Head is now a safer proposition live than he was in the past (when liquid lunches didn’t sit well with knock-out performances).
Martin Smith: His brass instruments were refreshingly to the fore
The 18-tune set at the sold-out Crescent featured his May 2024 album Loophole prominently. Ciao, Ciao Bambino was the pick of the new tunes and is also the title for Head’s autobiography (slated for release next August). Described by another reviewer as “Toxteth Tijuana”, Martin Smith’s different brass instruments were refreshingly to the fore.
Loophole is receiving both critical praise and has gone Top Ten. Rightly so. While it may not be a Christmas party banger, it is a record that repays multiple listens. The four-piece Red Elastic Band re-create the album with subtle backing that is full of interesting touches.
“Harmony heaven”: The Coral’s Paul Molloy performing his closing number with Fiona Skelly
Opening act Paul Molloy needed (nor received) any introduction for his tuneful conspiracies. The singer and guitarist for that other Liverpool/Wirral institution, The Coral, has a voice that was seemingly minted on the West Coast in the late 1960s.
Like Dylan or P.F. Sloane, Molloy’s voice has a certain quality that lifts anything. Dungaree Day was far better than its title, although his Arlo Guthrie-like tune Artificial Intelligence felt a bit laboured. The closing duet with Fiona Skelly was harmony heaven.
Head above the rest: “More than earned the right to enjoy his very slow in-coming popularity,” says reviewer Paul Rhodes
Head has always worn his Laurel Canyon influences proudly. “This one is for the believers,” he said as he introduced Comedy. This tune in some ways mirrors Head’s fortunes: written as his first band The Pale Fountains were splitting, it resurfaced on Shack’s over-produced HMS Fable (the unstable 1999 album that quickly sank).
Add a quarter of a century more perspective, however, and Comedy is now rightly held up as one of the finest jewels in Head’s career. More conker than diamond perhaps, since his unshowy songs have their own internal glow.
The cover artwork for Loophole, Michael Head’s May 2024 album
The best cast a blissed-out spell. Somethin’ Like You, from The Magical World Of The Strands, to this reviewer as good as anything by Burt Bacharach, was rather underwhelming live.
More effective in person were the comparatively up-tempo closing numbers, Pretty Child and Meant To Be. They finished, as is their habit, with a rousing A House Is Not A Motel by the Californian band Love before heading back to Liverpool to finish the tour on home turf.
Review by Paul Rhodes
Drumming home the band’s name at The Crescent on Tuesday
Writer-director Richard Kay rehearsing Badapple Theatre Company’s Sleeping Beauty And The Beast
THREE actors, two pantomimes, one hour, what could possibly go wrong in Badapple Theatre Company’s panto mash-up Sleeping Beauty And The Beast?
The intrepid trio of Richard Galloway (in his third Badapple show), Pip Cook (in her second) and Livy Potter (in her Badapple debut) will “go where no pantomimers have ever gone before” in the Green Hammerton touring troupe’s madcap marriage of Sleeping Beauty and Beauty And The Beast by York writer, director and composer Richard Kay
From tomorrow’s first preview in Sutton upon Derwent Village Hall until closing night at St John’s Church, Sharow, on January 5 2025, audiences can join Fairy Naturel and friends as they try to thwart the evil potion plant-poisoning plans of the Wicked Witch of The West (of Yorkshire) and save Belle and Beauty from their storybook fates.
Expect classic pantomime japes, songs and costume changes galore as Badapple, in association with Rural Arts On Tour, undertake a joyous rollercoaster panto mash-up for all ages, all from the safety and comfort of a village hall, as Galloway plays the Wicked Witch and Cook and Potter the roles of Belle and Beauty plus multiple more roles each.
“The real world can be pretty scary at the moment, so this pantomime will provide some much-needed escapism on your doorstep,” says Richard. “Filled with the magic and glitz of a larger-scale panto packaged into your local hall, featuring multi-talented performers, cheaper ticket prices and less need to travel, you’ve got a festive theatre experience you can bring the whole family to without breaking the Christmas budget!”
Livy Potter: York actress making her Badapple debut in Sleeping Beauty And The Beast
This autumn, buoyed by Arts Council England funding, Badapple are already on tour with company founder and artistic director Kate Bramley’s new show Polaris The Snow Bear: “a classic Badapple family show with the usual comedy, puppets, songs, mayhem and a touch of snowy wonder as Polaris and sidekick Sammy seek to save the Polar world – and Christmas itself”.
Now, after 26 years of performing original shows in the smallest and hardest-to-reach rural venues both regionally and nationwide, Sleeping Beauty & The Beast breaks new ground for Badapple. “This is the first Badapple show in which Kate has had pretty much no involvement,” says Richard. “That’s quite some trust in me to have that honour, but it’s still very much true to the brand.
“The show came about in a slightly roundabout way. I’d performed in pantomime for many years, and in terms of writing, I’ve done a lot for York Maize and the York Castle Museum, and storytelling shows for Brimham Brocks too, walking around the rocks.
“The three-hander York Maize shows are very pantomimic in style, and I also did a show for York BID and Little Vikings, just before Covid, called The Hunt For The Magical Chocolatey Chips.”
At the same time, Richard has played his part in Badapple for ten years, co-directing and performing in a couple of shows and running the youth theatre, writing and directing Christmas shows for casts of up to 30.
Richard Galloway’s Wicked Witch of the West (Yorkshire) and Pip Cook’s Belle in rehearsal for Sleeping Beauty And The Beast
“So we had some ideas for doing Sleeping Beauty and Beauty And The Beast and Kate thought it would work well on tour. We were very lucky that Rural Arts [based in The Courthouse, Thirsk] contacted us at the start of the year to ask us to pitch to do their Christmas tour offering. They liked the idea of how these two stories go together so nicely,” he says.
“The brief was to write an hour-long panto with all the familiar elements and all the usual capers but with a cast of only three.
“So we’re doing a show with multi-roling, puppetry, pop songs and some original songs that I’ve written. We love the idea of blending two pantomimes, and because we’re an eco-conscious company, it’s also a pantomime with an eco-theme, where the Wicked Witch is destroying the planet with her potion boiling but there is a prophesy that either Belle or Beauty will save the Earth, so the Wicked Witch wants to nobble both of them.”
What happened when he put the two stories together? “It’s been interesting to see where it went. Because Badapple tours to villages, I knew I wanted to set it in two neighbouring villages and then see how one could save the other,” says Richard.
“We’re also delighted to have a set design by William Fricker, an old friend of mine that I’ve worked with before, who co-designed Hansel & Gretel at Shakespeare’s Globe and has created a wonderful proscenium arch set for us.”
Pip Cook: Following up the autumn tour of Badapple’s The Regalettes with Sleeping Beauty And The Beast
Fresh from making her Badapple debut in the autumn tour of Kate Bramley’s The Regalettes, Pip Cook is piling up the roles in Sleeping Beauty And The Beast. “I’m playing seven!” she says confidently. “Belle, the King, the Queen, Mother, Father, David Dimwit, David Attenborough.”
Later in this conversation in a break at Tuesday’s rehearsal in Hunsingore, it turns out she will be playing a Prince too. “Oh yes! I forgot about that one!” she says.
“I play some of the characters at the same time: Mother and Father as puppets on each hand, and the King and Quen dashing on and off. It’s pretty manic.
“I absolutely love the Badapple style: I had loads of fun – and lots of moustaches – in The Regalettes, which was a typical Badapple show with a lot of heart and a message as well as comedy [in a play set in the 1930s in the fictional Yorkshire village of Bottledale, where a new movie premières at the tiny Regal cinema].”
Beauty is Livy Potter’s latest role as she settles into focusing on a freelance professional acting career, as well as writing and arts marketing, after working at York Theatre Royal and the University of York and being chair of the York Settlement Community Players.
Livy Potter’s Beauty, left, and Pip Cook’s Belle rehearsing a scene from Badapple Theatre Company’s Sleeping Beauty And The Beast
“I haven’t seen Badapple’s work in the past but I’m feeling very much part of the family now,” she says. “The friendliness and approachability have really struck me. Badapple are all about supporting local talent, which is really important to me,” says Livy, who also will be playing Fairy Naturel and Lord Hunk, who becomes the Beast.
“This show is something new in its style, and I’ve always wanted to do panto, so this is the perfect introduction for me – and the audience will definitely have a role to play, which will be fun.”
Like Pip and Livy in their matching blue and pink attire, Richard Galloway is dressed in character, in a skirt, in the rehearsal room for his principal role as the Wicked Witch. “I’ll also be playing the long-suffering French servant of Lord Hunk, and there’s a cuckoo puppet and a Prince in there for me too,” he says.
“This is my third Badapple show, after I did two last year, when I took over from Danny Mellor in Danny’s one-man show Yorkshire Kernel [a poignant war memorial comedy] and did the 25th anniversary tour of Kate’s play Eddie And The Gold Tops. Plenty of variety there!”
Badapple Theatre Company and Rural Arts On Tour present Sleeping Beauty And The Beast from December 17 to January 5 2025, preceded by previews at Sutton upon Derwent Village Hall tomorrow, 7pm, and Stillingfleet Village Institute, on Saturday, 6.30pm. For full tour and ticket details , head to ruralarts.org/whats-on/performances/ or email admin@ruralarts.org or phone 01845 526 536. Tickets for the previews and Green Hammerton Village Hall performance (January 2, 7pm) are on sale on 01423 331304 or at badappletheatre.co.uk.
Richard Galloway, right, in Badapple’s 25th anniversary tour of Kate Bramley’s Eddie And The Gold Tops, when he performed with Zach Atkinson and Emily Chattle. Picture: Karl Andre
Matt Price: Topping Friday’s Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club bill at York Barbican
NOT one, not two, but three Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club Christmas specials are lined up for York Barbican.
“Each show features a full bill of three top professional comedians plus a top-notch host MC,” says promoter and compere Damion Larkin.
Friday the 13th will be headlined by international touring sensation Matt Price. “Matt is known for having some of the most extraordinary and outrageous stories drawn from the wilder side of life,” says Larkin.
“Hailing from Cornwall, he brings true warmth and heart to the stage while finding some audacious laughs in the most unexpected places.”
Price has notched up five tours of Australia and 13 Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, played at most of the major British clubs and headlined in South East Asia. He has supported Stephen K Amos, Russell Kane and Norman Lovett and has been a warm-up act for both Channel 4 and the TLC Channel.
Michael Legge headlines Saturday’s bill. “He’s a truly sought-after comedy mind, extremely in demand at an international level,” says Larkin. “Everyone wants a piece of Michael.
“His often improvised irreverence and spiky, tongue-in-cheek antics have been put to use on the likes of Sky One’s Street Cred Sudoku and MTV’s European Music Awards.”
Legge’s themes include the spontaneity of his surroundings. “This livewire performer has funny popping out of him at every opportunity,” says Larkin.
Legge has written for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, MTV, VH1 and other media and he has appeared in numerous venues throughout the UK, as well as in Australia, the United States, Canada, Singapore, the Netherlands, Germany and Dubai.
Legge has performed warm-up spots for television shows such as 8 Out Of 10 Cats and Would I Lie To You?. Before becoming a professional comedian, he featured in several TV commercials.
Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club promoter and master of ceremonies Damion Larkin
Legge co-founded and performed in the cult comedy sketch show The Real Daniel O’Donnell Show (2007–2008) at The Albany, London. The monthly show featured Legge alongside Paul Litchfield and Jeremy Limb, from the sketch group The Trap, and Margaret Cabourn-Smith and Zoe Gardner of The Congress of Oddities, complemented by stand-up comedian guests and live bands. The London show spawned the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe show The Clock Hour.
Legge was nominated for a BAFTA award for his writing on the MTV website of The Osbournes show and his blog won the 2009 Chortle award for Best Off-Stage Contribution
Mancunian Mike Newall takes top billing on December 20. “Regarded by many as having the best hair in the UK comedy scene with a throwback to Oasis in 1990, he’s one for the ladies and the gents too. As a result many are now calling him ‘The Real Magic Mike’,” says Larkin.
“He was a big hit on ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent, where he impressed the judges so much that Simon Cowell said ‘it was like an Oasis concert where the music ran out and Liam decides to tell a few jokes’!”
In 2010 Newall performed his Edinburgh Fringe show Mr Famous, followed in 2011 by Mike Newall’s Get Better Box. That same year he headlined the Big Value Comedy early show, then returned in 2013 with his show Six Weddings. In 2013 too, he was asked to be the support act for Alun Cochrane’s Moments Of Alun tour.
Mike Newall: “Consistently reliable comedy storyteller”, playing York Barbican on December 20
“Fortunately he’s also one of the country’s most consistently reliable comedy storytellers and proud possessor of a breezy, casual style that’s the envy of many of his contemporaries,” says Larkin.
“Frankly we’ve never seen a comedian so laid back and yet packing so much comedic power. Swiss clock timing and that certain knack for a sharp turn of phrase means he is living proof that you can’t learn to be funny; it’s a gift and he has it by the bucket load.”
Larkin further enthuses: “Manchester has had more than its fair share of comedy heritage over the years. Mike is without doubt the latest smooth talking, globe-trotting Manc export and could even go on to become the greatest.
“He has that rare knack of being like the boy the next door but with huge star quality. He’s like your best, most humorous friend – only funnier!”
Invitation to the ball: Grand Opera House announces Cinderella for next winter
TICKETS will go on sale at noon on Friday for next year’s Grand Opera House pantomime in York. The Cumberland Street theatre will present Cinderella from December 6 2025 to January 4 2026 in its fourth collaboration with UK Productions.
As with this winter’s panto, Beauty And The Beast, the show will feature a script by Jon Monie, winner of Best Script at the 2019 Great British Pantomime Awards.
Promising side-splitting comedy, lavish settings and adorable miniature ponies, Cinderella will be “more fun than you can shake a pumpkin at”. Star casting is to be announced but “expect stars from the West End and screen”.
Laura McMillan, the Grand Opera House theatre director, says: “As we open the spectacular Beauty And The Beast, we’re delighted that UK Productions will be returning next year with the most beloved of pantomimes of all time, Cinderella. I’m sure adults and children alike will be spellbound by this magical new show.”
UK Productions producer Martin Dodd says: “Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without pantomime, and pantomime wouldn’t be pantomime without Cinderella. We are delighted to be presenting this fabulous story at York’s beautiful Grand Opera House, building on the success of this year’s musical pantomime, Beauty And The Beast.”
To take advantage of early bird ticket savings, book by Saturday, February 1 2025 to save £8 per ticket on select performances and seats.
Beauty And The Beast will run until January 5 2025 with a West End cast featuring CBBC’s BAFTA award-winning Dani Harmer, from Tracy Beaker and Strictly ComeDancing, as Fairy Bon Bon; dameLeon Craig, fromEverybody’s Talking About Jamie, as Polly La Plonk,Jennifer Caldwell, from SIX The Musical, as Belle, andSamuel Wyn-Morris, fromLes Misérables, as The Prince. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
York Theatre Royal’s promotional poster for dame Robin Simpson’s return in Sleeping Beauty in 2025
ROBIN Simpson will return for his sixth season as the dame in York Theatre Royal’s pantomime for 2025-26, Sleeping Beauty, billed as “an enchanting tale of adventure, fun and spellbinding magic for the whole family”.
Co-produced with regular partners Evolution Productions, the show will run from December 2 2025 to January 4 2026, with “stunning costumes, gorgeous sets, dazzling special effects and all the spectacular magic of a York Theatre Royal pantomime”.
The show will be written by Evolution producer Paul Hendy and directed by Theatre Royal creative director Juliet Forster, the team behind Aladdin this winter, Jack And The Beanstalk in 2023, All New Adventures Of Peter Pan in 2022, Cinderella in 2021 and the community-touring Travelling Pantomime in Covid-shadowed 2020.
Forster says: “We’ve been delighted to see so many people returning year after year to enjoy the magic of a York Theatre Royal pantomime. We are so proud of the quality of the pantos we make and can’t wait to continue our panto adventures with Sleeping Beauty. It’s so brilliant to have Robin on board again too to bring the hilarity and fun as our dame!”
Hendy says: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be working with the fabulous team at York Theatre Royal again for our spectacular production of Sleeping Beauty. We are delighted Robin will be returning as our wonderful dame, and we can’t wait to share with you more exciting casting news in the New Year!”
Simpson enthuses: “I am overjoyed to be playing the dame in next year’s Sleeping Beauty. I love the York audiences and it’s such a special place to perform every year at Christmas time. I’m looking forward to all the high jinks the dame will get up to in Sleeping Beauty!”
Tickets are on sale on 01904 623568 or at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk. Early birds who book before the end of March 2025 can benefit from a price freeze on ticket prices, with options ranging from £15 to £43.50.
Family ticket discounts can be booked for £90 (for three including at least one child) and £120 (for four including at least one child.) Schools discounts are available when booking via the St Leonard’s Place box office.
YTR Members receive an extra ten per cent off up to four tickets. For details of how to join YTR Membership, visit yorktheatreroyal.co.uk or contact the box office.
Jools Holland: Boogie woogie pianist returns to York Barbican tonight
SEAGULLS, a rabbit, a winter sprite and The Animals, plus another solo version of A Christmas Carol, are among the highlights of the festive week ahead, recommends Charles Hutchinson.
No year would be complete without…Jools Holland and His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, York Barbican, tonight, 7.30pm
BOOGIE woogie pianist supreme Jools Holland makes his obligatory winter outing to York in the company of his top-notch rhythm & blues players and vocalists Ruby Turner, Louise Marshall and Sumudu Jayatilaka.
His special guests will be Soft Cell singer Marc Almond, who previously toured with Holland in 2018, and blues guitar prodigy Toby Lee, his guest on last year’s tour too. Holland will be performing songs from the former Squeeze keyboardist and television presenter’s long-running solo career. Box office for returns only: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
The Animals: 60 years of rhythm & blues celebrated at Selby Town Hall
60th anniversary concert of the week: The Animals & Friends, Selby Town Hall, tomorrow, 7.30pm
THIS year marks the 60th anniversary of Newcastle rhythm & blues icons The Animals’ self-titled debut album and their seminal crossover hit The House Of The Rising Sun. Still in the line-up is drummer, founding member and Rock And Roll Hall of Fame inductee John Steel, who will be joined by Danny Handley on guitar and lead vocals, Milltown Brothers’ Barney Williams on keys and Norman Helm on bass.
The set list can draw on such favourites as We Gotta Get Out of This Place, Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, Baby Let Me Take You Home, Boom Boom, Around And Around and The Right Time. Box office: 01757 708449 or selbytownhall.co.uk.
Pocklington Arts Centre cast members Levi Payne, left, Caitlin Townend and Dylan Allcock in Jack Frost’s Christmas Wish
Ryedale Christmas play of the week: Jack Frost’s Christmas Wish, Pocklington Arts Centre, tomorrow to December 24
ELIZABETH Godber’s second Christmas show for Pocklington Arts Centre invites everyone aged three to 103 to join Jack Frost (Levi Payne) and his friends Oslo the Rabbit (Dylan Allcock) and Blue the Winter Sprite (Caitlin Townend) as they race across the world to make his one wish come true: to be home for Christmas. Could that home be in East Yorkshire?
Wrap up warm for a frosty adventure from the team who delivered The Elves And The Shoemaker: Save Christmas last winter, steered by director Jane Thornton. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
Stephen Brailsford: Playing Captain Cliff in the CU Scarborough cast for Captain Cliff & The Seagull Squad at Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough
Coastal children’s play of the week: Captain Cliff & The Seagull Squad, The McCarthy, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, tomorrow to December 21
ON a busy day at Scarborough’s South Bay, judges from Britain’s Best Beach are soon to arrive, but after a big rush of tourists, the bins are overflowing with rubbish in a play for children aged up to six, written and directed by Rob Salmon for the SJT and CU (Coventry University), Scarborough.
Faced by litter everywhere and a pile of something sticky by the rock shop, who can save Scarborough? Step forward Captain Cliff and the Seagull Squad, but can they clear up all the mess in time as they seek to complete four missions, one for each season? Cue a rescue adventure full of songs, silliness and festive fun. Box office: 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.
Ryedale School musicians: Performing at Kirk Theatre, Pickering, on Friday
School performance of the week: Ryedale School Music Concert, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, Friday, 7pm
THIS night of music performed by Ryedale School musicians features Ryedale Concert Band Shining Brass and Ryedale Stray Notes. Proceeds will go to Ryedale School Performing Arts and Rotary funds. Tickets are on sale on 01751 474833 or at kirktheatre.co.uk.
Mat Jones: Solo rendition of A Christmas Carol for two nights at Friargate Theatre, York. Picture: Vintage Verse
Solo show of the week: Mat Jones in A Christmas Carol, Friargate Theatre, York, Friday and Saturday, 7.30pm
RING in the Christmas season with Mat Jones’s spellbinding rendition of Charles Dickens’s Victorian festive classic, brought to life in vivid detail from Dickens’s original performance text as Scrooge encounters the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet To Come en route to the redemption of London’s most miserable miser.
“A Christmas Carol is not just a story; it’s a celebration of the human spirit and the power of kindness,” says Jones. Box office: 01904 613000 or friargatetheatre.co.uk.
Jo Walton setting up her exhibition at Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York
Exhibition of the week: Jo Walton, Steel, Copper, Rust, Gold, Verdigris, Wax, Bluebird Bakery, Acomb Road, Acomb, York, until January 23 2025
WHEN Rogues Atelier artist, interior designer, upholsterer and Bluebird Bakery curator of exhibitions Jo Walton asked poet Nicky Kippax to put words to images she had sent her, she responded with “The heft of a cliff and a gathering of sea fret”. Spot on, Nicky.
Into the eighth month of recovery from breaking her right leg, Jo is exhibiting predominantly large works that utilise steel, copper, rust, gold, verdigris and wax in the bakery, cafe and community centre, whose interior she designed in 2021.
Kate Rusby: Winter Light tour arrives at York Barbican on December 17
Christmas concert of the week: Kate Rusby, Winter Light Tour, York Barbican, December 17, 7pm
BARNSLEY folk songstress Kate Rusby draws on her seven Christmas albums – she released her latest, Light Years, in 2023 – for her annual celebration of South Yorkshire carols sung in pubs through the winter months.
Spreading Yuletide joy, Kate will be joined by her regular band, featuring her husband, producer, guitarist and banjo player Damien O’Kane, and the Brass Boys quintet. Look out for the fancy-dress finale. Tickets update: Closing in on a sell-out; hurry, hurry to yorkbarbican.co.uk.
The Corrs: Heading to the Scarborough coast next summer
Gig announcement of the week: The Corrs and Natalie Imbruglia, TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, June 11 2025
THE Corrs, Irish sibling purveyors of sleek pop rock, lush harmonies and Celtic folk trimmings, will line up as ever with Andrea on lead vocals, piano and tin whistle, Sharon on violin, piano and vocals, Caroline, on drums, piano and vocals, and Jim on guitar, keyboards and vocals.
Former Neighbours soap actress, Torn hit-maker and The Masked Singer 2022 winner Natalie Imbruglia will support. The Corrs join Shed Seven, Gary Barlow, Basement Jaxx, Pendulum, Rag’n’Bone Man, Blossoms, Texas, UB40 featuring Ali Campbell and The Script among next summer’s Scarborough OAT headliners. Tickets go on general sale at 9am on Friday at ticketmaster.co.uk.
AT first glance, this seems to be an unlikely meeting of minds.
Sean Shibe is a classical guitarist, former BBC New Generation Artist specialising in contemporary classical music. Aidan O’Rourke, on the other hand, learned the fiddle in the West Highland style and has his roots firmly planted in Scottish and Irish music. Lùban, the project name, means ‘loops’ (in Scottish Gaelic).
The fear, well, my fear when two very different musical cultures combine, is that we find an all too often lazy ‘cross-over’ music or, as Aidan O’Rourke puts it: a “classical world …trying to reverse-engineer the blurring of boundaries”. Lùban, however, is an entirely different experience.
Joining the party were guests John Dowland and Robert Johnson, both famous 16th-century English Renaissance composers, lutenists and singers, Mr O’Rourke himself and, it goes without saying, John Cage.
The programme opened with Aidan O’Rourke taking centre stage and performing a continuous flow of Scottish folk-inspired tunes and understated dances or reels. As there were no programme notes or playlist, one had to rely on the softly spoken Mr O’Rourke for steerage, I quickly decided to focus solely on the music itself. And it was quite magical.
A lovely folk tune, sometimes singing free and sometimes accompanied, harmonised in a way that had echoes of Bach, transformed into a dance, a jig – all understated yet utterly engaging.
We then returned to the song and accompaniment. I found the playing so poignant. Mr O’Rourke closed this medley (for want of a better term) with a fast, rhythmically-driven dance to round things off.
We then welcomed Sean Shibe to the stage. He began with a Dowland song, well, what sounded like one. He teased out the most beautiful of lute melodies emerging from various lute textures.
The two performers combined to perform some 17th-century dance tunes, jigs. The initial lead was very much fiddle driven where the syncopated, hemiola rhythms added variety, complexity and energy.
The first half closed with a delightful set of violin and lute duets. Each instrument had a distinct musical identity whilst still cohabiting with and enriching each other.
A sober processional ushered in the start to the second half. It wove a kind of minimalist, hypnotic spell, the violin playing just two notes throughout (a major second interval if memory serves). Tonally this demanded resolution, instead it transformed into a lovely Dowland-esque song infused with folksong flavours.
The instrumental roles were then exchanged with the violin singing a gentle, melancholic jig and the lute breathing the air of Dowland. However, it was once again the quirky rhythmic twists that really added to the vitality of the performance.
Now then, seated on a stool on the stage was the elephant in the room in the form of an electric guitar. I was reminded of the ‘infamous’ Bob Dylan response to a folksy heckler (Manchester Free Trade Hall in 1966) objecting to the electric betrayal: “Play it …loud,” he said to the band. I omitted Dylan’s expletive. No such concerns here, though.
Sean Shibe created a gentle cushion of support for the fiddle lament. The electric guitar playing gradually evolved, using a foot pedal and harmonics – the violin lament remaining a constant, into a world of contemporary otherness. Quite brilliant, ingenious and rewarding.
Following a return to the lute and the musical wonderland of 16th-century English Renaissance John Dowland or Robert Johnson, a contemporary musical window reopened. This time it was Aidan O’Rourke playing a violin ostinato or loop, exploiting the colour of the strings and harmonics. How we arrived here was quite as mysterious as the sound-world being expressed: eerily beautiful.
So we met Dowland and, presumably Robert Johnson, and Aidan O’Rourke seemed to be omnipresent. But no sign of John Cage. I suspect, however, that for Cage the sounds of the odd empty beer bottles being knocked over would constitute the ambient sound intended to contribute to the performance. Maybe not.
Finally, Sean Shibe and Aidan O’Rourke promised us a “shared language [we] might find in the backstreets, byways and marginalia of ancient Scottish lute and fiddle manuscripts”. And thanks to their quite remarkable musicianship and insight, we did just that.
Little Shambles: Digital artwork in the Gifts of Christmas exhibition at Bar Convent Living Heritage Centre
BAR Convent Living Heritage Centre is sparkling with dazzling tree decorations and a new exhibition on this year’s festive theme of Gifts of Christmas, organised in conjunction with York arts charity New Visuality.
On show at Britain’s oldest-surviving Catholic convent, in Blossom Street, York, is a collection of digital art inspired by Viborg, York’s fellow UNESCO City of Media Arts, where heritage intersects with cutting-edge technology, while young creatives from Blueberry Academy, Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, St George’s RC Primary and York College (ESOL students) are exploring the theme too.
In addition, glass cabinets showcase pop-punk tributes to the Book of Kells and the works of William Blake.
Jump for joy: Bar Convent lit up in a digital artwork made with AI technology for Gifts of Christmas
“Gifts of Christmas provided just the glittering gauntlet our cohorts of young artists would enjoy,” says New Visuality co-director Greg McGee, “It became obvious throughout the sessions that the young people were responding to the theme with the idea that we can all be gifts, or, as one of our advocates, Hope Fomekong, put it, ‘your presence is a present’.”
Working in creative sessions that engaged with Blueberry Academy and young people from across York, New Visuality oversaw the production of drawings, paintings and even small ceramics.
Greg knew that a diverse display might not be the kind of exhibition that would most suit the space at Bar Convent, “Bar Convent Living Heritage Centre is just that. It is ‘living’. It encapsulates what York does best and intersects the past and the future,” he says.
Exhibition co-ordinator Greg McGee and Sister Patricia Harriss at Bar Convent. Picture: McGee Photography
“Our advocates, led by Hope and Isla McGee and Rowan McGee, distilled the artwork created into digital compositions. We were left in an exciting position where our young people were experimenting with the latest in innovative AI software and bringing a new type of energy to creating art.”
Co-director Ails McGee agrees: “AI is at such a fascinating juncture, we were in many ways relieved of our artistic duties. The young people evolved their reverential cityscapes into Pop Punk Heritage, and we all had a lot of fun whilst they did it.
“However, New Visuality has at its heart the human touch, and so we ensured the art was unified and shared a top-quality aesthetic. The individual compositions, the huge collage incorporating the art, the artists, the theme as well as a depiction of Bar Convent in a wintry landscape, all have coalesced into making an unmissable exhibition.”
The Lord Mayor of York, Councillor Margaret Wells, left, Sister Patricia Harriss, Ails McGee, Greg McGee, Isla McGee and the Sheriff of York, Ms Fiona Fitzpatrick, at the launch of Gifts of Christmas. Picture: McGee Photography
To help ensure the output remained on brand, New Visuality collaborated with York design agency Mode, whose director, Doug James, says: “The Gift of Christmas provided a springboard for York’s young artists to express their ideas, sometimes via poetry. We had a homage to William Blake from Isla and Rowan created a wittily dystopian diatribe on the day when robots will take over York’s All Saints Catholic School.
“It was important to stay true to the initial idea of the young people, so I prioritised ensuring that the designs actually looked like the Book of Kells or had the contemporary feel of a William Blake pamphlet. Rowan’s futuristic poem needed a touch of a jaded Space Age, so we utilised a vintage Apple Mac. It was a lot of fun.”
Greg adds: “Like all of our most successful exhibitions, it’s multifaceted. It’s a tribute to Bar Convent, but it’s also a celebration of York, and indeed counterpart UNESCO City of Media Arts member Viborg.
The Lord Mayor of York, Councillor Margaret Wells, left, Sister Patricia, Mode design agency director Doug Jamesand the Sheriff of York, Ms Fiona Fitzpatrick, at the launch of Gifts of Christmas. Picture: McGee Photography
“What seemed to galvanise our young artists was the opportunity to reinvent previously monolithic icons and bring a bit of digital steampunk. Their trips to Bar Convent, as well as the chance to exhibit here, helped make that happen.”
Gifts Of Christmas, Bar Convent Living Heritage Centre, Blossom Street, York, until December 19, open 10am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday; last admission 4pm.Tickets: Exhibition: adult £7, concessions £5, children £2, under 6s free. Family £14; Chapel and Georgian Parlour. free. Box office: barconvent.co.uk. Check out Greg McGee’s video at https://fb.watch/wiR8lMADhV/
Did you know?
GREG and Ails McGee’s charity New Visuality raises funds to empower youth in York through eco-art projects, conserving green spaces and boosting biodiversity.
THE recital opened with Eugène Bozza’s En Forêt. This was written as an examination piece for the Paris Conservatory in 1941, and it showed.
The demands in this virtuosic work are considerable, and Zoë Tweed treated us to a masterclass in horn technique covering: agility, range, lip trills, hand stopping, fast tonguing, control of extreme registers and glissandi.
I thought it took a moment or two for Ms Tweed to get into the groove, but maybe it was my ear getting acclimatised to the natural harmonics. But the performance showed that En Forêt works perfectly fine as a duet. It was atmospheric and full of life and the piano accompaniment was quite impressionistic. The obligatory call and response hunting calls or tropes added a sense of fun, for me anyway.
In complete contrast to En Forêt, Jean-Michel Damase’s Berceuse is a short, relaxed affair. I thought the performance was enjoyable, but the piece itself didn’t really contribute much to the programme. And to be honest, the same could be said of Charles Koechlin’ s 1925 Sonata for Horn and Piano (1st Movement). The performance did deliver a simple, even quite serene Moderato (sounding more like a traditional Andante).
Sat in between the two was the more interesting Tre Poemi: Lamento D’Orfeo by Volker David Kirchener. The piece is Romantic, well, in its character anyway, but embraced a modernistic style regarding both horn colour and technique. This was evident right at the opening, Ms Tweed pointing the bell of the horn at, or into the open piano lid, with the effect of using the piano’s soundboard and sustaining pedal to lengthen the horn notes.
The duo closed the first half with a fabulous performance of Paul Dukas’s Villanelle. This too was written as an exam piece, but the technical challenges – stopped notes, fast scales, playing without valves using natural horn techniques – were secondary to the piece of music itself.
I absolutely loved the delightful sharing of the musical spoils, warm and sunny with ripples of brilliance. This was easily the most rewarding horn and piano work in the programme.
Astor Piazzolla’s Ave Maria proved to be a cosy introduction to the second half with fine playing from both performers. Wolfgang Plagge’s Monoceros is a piece for solo horn about the legendary unicorn, an animal everybody has heard about but mercifully never seen.
Zoë Tweed delivered an evocative, technically flawless performance; the cute ending depicting the unicorn disappearing into the legendary mists was just lovely. However, I found the piece itself pretty underwhelming; each to our own, I know.
The programme closed with York Bowen’s Horn Sonata, Op. 101. This is a seriously well-crafted work, which in itself is rewarding. Of the three movements, it was the energetic Allegro con Spirito finale that really impressed.
The players were clearly relishing the challenges; wide interval leaps with an evenness of tone (horn) and dazzling ‘orchestral’ textures (piano). What stayed with me was the distinctive timbre of the horn’s low register.
There was a touching mother (Karen Street) and daughter (Zoë Tweed) signing-off, Epilogue. The work was a composed as a tribute to the Prologue in Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings.
This concert clearly demonstrated what an exceptional performer Zoë Tweed is. But without doubt the best and most satisfying contribution came from pianist Mark Rogers’ playing of the two Schumann selections from Kinderszenen, Op.15 and Waldszenen, Op. 82. Well, it is Schumann after all, and Mr Rogers played them beautifully.
Michael Cornell’s dame, Gertrude Gander, making her point to Gemma McDonald’s Jack in Rowntree Players’ Mother Goose. Picture: Howard Ella
IN the words of director Howard Ella, Mother Goose is “the dame’s pantomime”. Boldly, he casts Michael Cornell in the role of Gertrude Gander in his dame debut after his Ugly Sister double act as Miranda to Jamie McKeller’s Cassandra in last winter’s Cinderella.
These are big boots to fill after the years of Graham Smith and, before that Barry Benson, father of Josh, comedy turn Muddles alongside Su Pollard’s Carabosse and Lee Mead’s Prince Lee in Darlington Hippodrome’s Sleeping Beauty this winter, should you be wondering.
Cornell’s dame is taller, younger, more elegant on initial impression, than his more rumbustious predecessors, his dame style still finding its feet and tone and his voice its pitch. Whether singing or talking, he shows off a wide vocal range, spectacularly so with his singing, full of operatic drama to go with his natural stage presence. He can carry a dress with aplomb too.
Ella likes an eggy pun and a political jab, also parading a meta-theatre awareness that Mother Goose is not exactly thick with plot by mentioning it brazenly, instead building his pantomime around set-pieces, bright-coloured characterisation and songs aplenty, both familiar and less so.
For those about to rock: Jamie McKeller’s guitar-wielding Demon Blackheart and Laura McKeller’s Bob Bingalong in Mother Goose. Picture: Howard Ella
A topical thread runs through the show’s core as Gertie comes to realise the folly of pursuing fame and fortune, after swapping scratching a living from her Wolds farm’s hen pens for the bright lights of Doncaster’s club scene. Doncaster?!
Meanwhile, co-writer and comic turn Gemma McDonald loves the sound of breaking wind, letting rip at every mention of dishy farmer Kev (principal boy Sara Howlett) being the King of Kale. Her daft lad Jack, with his Billy Bremner hair, strawberry cheeks and looning clown face, is as irrepressible as ever, bonding delightfully with Cornell’s Gertie, Jack mucking about at every opportunity when the dame is seeking to assert motherly authority.
Howlett’s farmer Kev is a classic principal boy, each slapping of a thigh being met with Kev being framed in a spotlight and breaking into a toothpaste-perfect smile. There is a pleasing self-awareness to this handsome performance, coupled with chemistry with Laura Castle’s ever-enthusiastic, humorous Jill, recalling their performance in John Godber’s Teechers Leavers ’22 at the JoRo in 2023.
Partnerships abound in Ella’s production, always a good resource for engendering humour, and key to this show are two such double acts: Cornell’s Gertie with American Abbey Follansbee’s Priscilla the Goose and Jamie and Laura McKeller, from the Deathly Dark Tour ghost walks, teaming up as the villainous Demon Darkheart and his deadpan sidekick Bob Bingalong.
Whisking up egg puns: Gemma McDonald’s Jack with Laura Castle’s Jill in Mother Goose
Follansbee has graduated from the Cinderella chorus line to being the golden egg-laying goose on the loose, American accent, big bustle, orange leggings et al, and she brings a song-and-dance flourish to Priscilla in tandem with Cornell.
The McKellers spend time aplenty on the dark side in their nocturnal version of a Deathly day job, but always delivered with more than a dash of humour, and that sense of dark comedy infuses both Jamie’s thespian, shock-haired Darkheart, debt collector and purveyor of the dark arts, and Laura’s dogsbody Bob, a Yorkshire spin on Tony Robinson’s Baldrick in Blackaddder, and no less full of dim suggestions. Laura reveals rather a fine singing voice too.
The principal cast is completed by Holly Smith’s Fairy Frittata with her flow of rhyming couplets and perennially perky interjections. Throughout, choreographer Ami Carter keeps principal dancers, senior chorus and junior teams busy with ensemble routines that fill the stage with more buzz than a beehive, while the animated James Robert Ball is a highly watchable, always engaged musical director.
He extracts fantastic musicianship from his players, who include fellow keyboardist Sam Johnson, whose outstanding musical arrangements are surely worthy of a professional production.
Holly Smith’s Fairy Frittata, left, Sara Howlett’s Kev, the King of Kale, Laura Castle’s Jill, Michael Cornell’s Gertrude Gander, Gemma McDonald’s Jack, Laura McKeller’s Bob Bingalong and Jamie McKeller’s Demon Darkheart in Rowntree Players’ Mother Goose
Out of view but deserving a sustained round of applause are Katie Maloney on reeds, James Lolley on trumpet, James Stockdale on trombone, Micky Moran on guitar, Georgia Johnson on bass and Joel Fergusson on drums. Lena Ella and her costume team deliver the goods as ever.
A quick mention too for a welcome innovation: last Saturday’s matinee was the first interpreted and captioned performance of a panto at the JoRo, presented with interpreter Dave Wycherley and captioner Margaret Hansard in collaboration with York charity Lollipop, Stage Text and ToylikeMe.
Likewise, touch tours for blind and visually impaired theatregoers were provided on Sunday and will be again tomorrow night (10/12/2024). Always a community show, these new additions make it all the more so.
Rowntree Players present Mother Goose at Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm nightly, Tuesday to Saturday, plus 2pm Saturday matinee. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Matt Goss: The Hits And More at Sheffield Oval, York Barbican, Hull Connexin Live and Leeds Grand Theatre in Spring 2025. Picture: Paul Harris
THE “New King of Las Vegas”, Matt Goss will play four Yorkshire venues on his 2025 tour, The Hits And More, including York Barbican on April 25.
The 21-date itinerary also will take in Sheffield Oval on March 14, Hull Connexin Live on April 24 and the tour’s closing night at Leeds Grand Theatre on April 28.
Pre-sale tickets will be available via on Wednesday (11/12/2024) at ticketmaster.co.uk; general sale from Friday at mattgossofficial.co.uk.
The Hits & More will be a “celebration of all Matt has achieved in his music career and beyond”, from pop pin-up days in Bros to Las Vegas, not forgetting the 2022 series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Initially he headed to Palms Casino for one year only, but the South Londoner has been performing in the United States for more than 11 years now after his show became an instant success.
He moved to Caesars Palace for the remainder of his Vegas residency and has since played such iconic New York venues as Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Garden. He even hailed August 8 as “official Matt Goss Day” in Las Vegas.
“Trust me, what I’ve learnt over the years, being on countless stages around the world, this will be your best night of the year!” says Matt Goss. Picture: Paul Harris
Next spring’s tour will mark Goss’s return to the UK concert stage after his hit tour in 2023, when the Matt Goss Experience, with the MG Big Band and Royal Philharmonic, played York Barbican on April 23.
“Trust me, what I’ve learnt over the years, being on countless stages around the world, this will be your best night of the year!” says Goss, who promises sensational songs and an electric atmosphere.
In his Bros days, frontman Matt and drummer brother Luke played to 77,000 fans as the youngest ever band to headline Wembley Stadium in August 1989, with support from Salt’n’Pepa and Debbie Gibson on the Bros In 2 Summer bill.
Bros also played 19 shows at Wembley Arena between 1987 and 1992, later re-uniting for two concerts at the O2 Arena, London, in 2017, when the 40,000 tickets sold out in seven seconds, the fastest ever sell-out for any Live Nation show there.
Best known for their November 1987 number two When Will I Be Famous?, Bros split up in 1992 after releasing their third and final album, Changing Faces.
In 2018, the BAFTA-winning documentary film about Matt and Luke’s lives together and apart, After The Screaming Stops, became that year’s most downloaded BBC production.
