LIVERPOOL singer-songwriter Robert Vincent will
showcase his new album In This Town You’re Owned at Pocklington Arts Centre on
February 7, one week before its release on Thirty Tigers.
For this return visit, he will be accompanied on
stage by PAC favourites The Buffalo Skinners in his 8pm set.
“My last visit to Pocklington Arts Centre, supporting
Beth Nielsen Chapman, was such a great night with a lovely music-loving crowd.
So, I’m looking forward to being back and playing for the lovely folk of
Pocklington,” he says.
Vincent has been hailed by veteran BBC presenter “Whispering”
Bob Harris as “the real deal” for his Americana music. On seeing him play in
the Bluebird Café at the Bluecoat, Liverpool’s centre
for the contemporary arts, the legendary broadcaster immediately invited him,
to record an Under The Apple Tree Session in his home studio for his BBC
Radio 2 country show, describing his performance as “absolutely magnetic”.
Vincent
duly received the inaugural Emerging Artist Award from Harris in
2016 and the UK Americana Music Association’s UK Album of The Year in
2018 for 2017’s sophomore work I’ll Make The Most Of My Sins, recorded in his
hometown and mixed in Nashville by Grammy Award-winning producer Ray
Kennedy.
The Buffalo Skinners: playing with Robert Vincent at Pocklington Arts Centre
His 2013
debut, Life In Easy Steps, drew BBC airplay for its title track on Janice Long
and Radcliffe & Maconie’s shows.
He has
since toured the UK supporting Paul Carrack, James Blunt and Squeeze and The
Pretenders at the Royal Albert Hall. Last spring, he opened for Beth Nielsen Chapman
on her Hearts Of Glass tour, including the aforementioned Pocklington show.
Last
summer, Vincent was on the supporting bill for his hero, Pink Floyd’s Roger
Waters, in Hyde Park at British Summer Time and joined
“the Titan of Twang”, guitarist Duane Eddy, across the UK on his
80th birthday tour.
Now comes third album In This Town You’re
Owned, produced by BRIT Award-winning Ethan Johns.
Tickets for Vincent’s Pock gig are on sale at £13.50 on 01759 301547 or at pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk. Vincent has further Yorkshire gigs coming up at The Greystones, Sheffield, on March 25, and Leeds Lending Room the next night.
Martin Witts in happier times at the Great Yorkshire Fringe. Picture: Steve Ullathorne
THE comedy is over for the Great Yorkshire Fringe
after five summers in York, blaming “city-centre management” for the decision
to exit stage left.
In a formal statement, founder and director
Martin Witts said: “Our experience of sponsoring, curating and managing
an event in this small city of ours has led to the conclusion that until a
well-managed and efficient is implemented, a festival of our size cannot thrive
and does not have a place in York.”
Here Martin, who also runs the Leicester Square
Theatre and Museum of Comedy in London, answers Charles Hutchinson’s questions.
1.What made you take this decision, Martin?
“My patience with all the red tape ran out of time.
It was the same things every year, no matter what you try to do to address the
most critical things on the Parliament Street village green site. Access.
Drainage. The licence. Security. What we were required to do changed
every year.
“Right from the start, there were frustrations. We
wanted to start the festival in 2014, but it took a year to get the licence from
the city council for Parliament Street.”
2.What would constitute a “well-managed and
efficient city-centre management”?
“The City
of York Council, Make It York and York BID are all involved in how the city centre
is run. Everyone has great intentions, but there are too many chiefs, not
enough Indians, and it’s got too complicated. That’s the frustration.”
3.Sean Bullick, managing director of Make It York,
says he would “welcome the opportunity to discuss options with you to
bring the event back”. Will you have that discussion?
“I had a meeting with Sean and
Charlie Croft [assistant director of communities and culture at City of YorkCouncil] last year to say this needs to
be resolved, but we still had problems at last summer’s festival with the drainage
provision for the toilets.”
4. Last summer, some people said the ticket prices were high; some
reckoned the quality of the newer acts had lowered; others felt the same names
kept returning. Your thoughts?
“We had no complaints about the festival content or
the programming or the pricing. There were no negative comments from patrons on
our social media and in the box-office day book. Indeed, only positives. The
average ticket price remained the same.
“But there was a drop in audience numbers certainly,
when the Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre, running at the same time at the Castle car
park, had an impact.”
5. Do festivals have a natural cycle, especially
when the fickle world of comedy is prone to “the new rock’n’roll” going in and
out of fashion?
“No, I disagree with that. Comedy always has a new
audience and new acts. You only have to see the popularity of the New Comedian of
the Year award we ran each year.
“Comedy is always changing, but people like to keep
seeing their favourite comedian too.”
6.Emotionally, how do you feel about calling a halt
to the Great Yorkshire Fringe after five years?
“I’m incredibly disappointed to be having to do this. You should see the messages I’ve had from the volunteers who worked for the Fringe saying it was the highlight of their career. It was the highlight of my career too.
“In an ideal world, if it had been easier, if there
wasn’t the problem of the structure of the city-centre management, we would
like to have continued the festival, but your patience runs out in the end when
you want things to run smoothly.”
7. What did you achieve?
”We were committed to running the festival for five years and you hope
that after those five years, you’ve covered your costs, broken even, and
established yourself, which we had – and we proved Parliament Street could be a
village green with shows and all the food and drink stalls.”
8. Would you consider taking the Great Yorkshire
Fringe to another great Yorkshire city?
“No, absolutely not. I’m not planning to move it to
Leeds. This festival was always designed for the city of York, the city where
my family is from. York is the capital city of Yorkshire; the second city of
the world.”
9. You say you will “continue to invest in the
cultural scene of York”. In what ways will you do this?
“We’ll continue to do events in York, but not hold
the festival, but do them in the spirit of the Great Yorkshire Fringe. We’ll
probably have a year off but we’ll support The Arts Barge by doing a couple of
things with them in York this summer.”
10. What else is happening in the world of Witts right now?
“We’re opening a scenery workshop in Pocklington, and I’ve bought the contents of the Goole Waterways Museum after it went into liquidation. We might look at doing something with antiquities and artefacts there.”
The Felice Brothers: two brothers, Ian and James Felice, and two friends, Will Lawrence and Jesske Hume
POCKLINGTON Arts Centre
has snapped up The Felice Brothers for a summer gig after director Janet Farmer
saw the Americana band at Willie Nelson’s ranch.
Brothers Ian and James Felice
and their friends, drummer Will Lawrence and bass player Jesske Hume, have crossed the Big Pond this month for a winter tour that visits
Leeds Brudenell Social Club on Monday.
They will return to these
shores for more dates in a summer of American and European gigs, among them
Pocklington Arts Centre on June 23.
A delighted Janet Farmer
says: “I was privileged to see them at Luck Reunion, held at Willie Nelson’s
ranch, and can highly recommend their unique brand of American folk rock. Expect
a raucous and energetic performance that will be something to truly treasure.
“Tickets for this show will sell fast, so I would encourage you to
get yours soon or risk missing out on what will be a sublime show.”
Ian and James Felice
grew up in the Hudson valley of upstate New York. Self-taught musicians,
inspired as much by Hart Crane and Slim Whitman as by Woody Guthrie and Chuck
Berry, they began in 2006 by playing subway platforms and sidewalks in New York
City.
They have gone on to release nine albums of original songs,
drawing comparison with Neil Young and Bob Dylan for their song-writing and
lawless sound. Last year they returned from a three-year hiatus with Undress,
whose songs will be complemented by a selection from their back catalogue on June
23.
Tickets for their 8pm Pock gig cost £20 on 01759 301547 or at pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
Did you know?
The Felice Brothers served
as the backing band for Conor Oberst’s 2017 album Salutations and subsequent tour.
York Town Crier Ben Fry hails the York Dungeon’s five millionth visitor, Denise Pitts, and her mother, Jeanette
THE York Dungeon is celebrating its five millionth visitor since opening
its doors in Clifford Street, York, in 1986.
Denise Pitts hit the jackpot as the landmark intrepid visitor when she took her mother, Jeanette, to York for her birthday celebrations and accusations of naked dancing!
Their trip to the theatrical dungeon attraction made that day extra special when they were given VIP treatment: coffee and cake while they waited for their tour to begin, free pictures and goody bags.
“The experience was great,” said Denise. “We loved that the show was
informative with a dash of terror and a hint of humour; also some unexpected
surprises along the way! Thoroughly enjoyable.
“My mum was put into a cage for pleading insanity when accused of naked
dancing and she found this absolutely hilarious. The actors were great and
really got into their characters.
“We would highly recommend this attraction when visiting York and would
like to thank everyone for making us feel so special.”
Dungeon manager Stuart Jarman said: “The York Dungeon has been a
must-see since opening in 1986 and over the past 34 years we have welcomed,
scared and provided amazing immersive experiences to five million visitors.
“This is a significant milestone in the history of the York Dungeon and
it was great to surprise Denise and Jeanette as the visitors that hit the
milestone, particularly with the help of York Town Crier Ben Fry.”
Looking ahead to 2020’s attractions, Stuart said: “2020 is another
exciting year for the York Dungeon with a new show for the February half-term, War
Of The Roses: The Bloody Battle, Guy Fawkes in May and Séance in October for
Halloween.”
THE second selection from a nationally important collection of new
prints will go on show at Scarborough Art Gallery next month.
Running from February 8 to April 26, the Printmakers Council 1992-2019 exhibition
will feature work by leading printmakers, including prize winners from the
council’s biannual competition.
Beach Bodies by Theresa Pateman
The new show follows on last summer’s PmC Mini Prints display. Once more,
all the work has been donated to Scarborough Art Gallery by the prestigious
Printmakers Council, marking the start of an ongoing relationship between the
gallery and the PmC.
This will involve regular donations of work to create an important
national archive of fine art printmaking in Scarborough.
Meteor Storm Over St Ives by Graham Cooke
The PmC, a national association for
the promotion and encouragement of printmaking in all its forms, was founded in
1965. One of its founding objectives was the creation of a comprehensive
national print archive of contemporary printmaking.
The work for The Printmakers Council
1992-2019 has been selected from PmC members, with one print from each participating
member. No restrictions were placed on subject matter, method or date, except
that the artist must have been a member of the PmC when the print was produced.
The Ancestral Heritage Emporium by Trevor Dance
Simon Hedges, head of curation, collections
and exhibitions at Scarborough Museums Trust, says: “The exhibition will
include a wide and rich variety of contemporary prints showcasing many
different print processes.”
The Printmakers Council 1992-2019, Scarborough Art Gallery, February 8 to April 26. Opening hours: Tuesdays to Sundays, 10am to 5pm. Entry is free with an Annual Pass, which costs £3 and gives the bearer unlimited access to both Scarborough Art Gallery and the Rotunda Museum for a year.
Storyteller John Osborne performing You’re In A Bad Way
STORYTELLER, poet and BBC Radio 4 regular John
Osborne returns to Pocklington Arts Centre on February 13 to present his
beautiful, funny and uplifting new show about music and dementia.
Last March, he performed a double bill of John Peel’s
Shed and Circled In The Radio Times in Pocklington. Now, inspired by seeing a
friend’s father face a dementia diagnosis and the warmth, positivity and
unexpected twists and turns the family went through, he has put together You’re
In A Bad Way.
“This is the fifth theatre show I’ve made and it’s
definitely my favourite,” says Osborne. “I loved performing it every day
at the Edinburgh Fringe last summer, and I’m really excited to be taking it on
tour.
“For the past few years, I’ve made storytelling
theatre shows that are funny, true stories of things that I feel are important
to people. This one is a story about what happened to my friend’s dad when
he was diagnosed with dementia a couple of years ago.”
Osborne continues: “It was a really interesting
thing to observe, because although it was horrific and terrifying and sad,
there was so much warmth and positivity and unexpected twists and turns.
“As soon as I started writing the show, it came
together so beautifully and audience members who have had their own personal
experiences of caring for people with dementia have been incredibly positive
about the show having been to see it.”
The poster for John Osborne’s show You’re In A Bad Way
Osborne spent time at a dementia care centre in
Edinburgh to ensure he was fully informed about the experience of caring for
someone with dementia.
“I never
planned to write about something as personal as dementia, and have never
written about a big topic before, but this felt like such a beautiful story
that I wanted to tell,” he explains. “Just because you’ve been diagnosed with something, it doesn’t mean it’s
the end.
“The things we know about dementia
are so sad, but within that there are some special moments. Every time I
perform the show, I feel like I learn new things about dementia.”
Describing the tone of You’re In A Bad Way, Osborne
says: “As it’s such a big topic, I’ve tried to make the show funny and life
affirming and relatable.
“I don’t want it to be sad or serious; I think it’s
important for it to be a good story to someone who has no association with
dementia, as well as being sensitive to those who live surrounded by the
illness.”
Pocklington Arts Centre director Janet Farmer says:
“I was fortunate to see this show at the Edinburgh Fringe last August and
thought it was just so beautifully written and truly uplifting, I knew we had
to bring it to Pocklington. It tackles a tough topic with such humour and
warmth, it really is a must-see.”
Tickets cost £10 on 01759 301547 or at pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk or £12 on the door, with a special price of £9 for a carer of someone with dementia.
Mamma Mia! is on its way to Leeds Grand Theatre on its 20th anniversary tour
MAMMA Mia! will return to Leeds Grand Theatre from November 24 to December 5 on the tour to mark 20 years since the Abba musical’s London premiere.
Tickets will go on
general sale on January 29 on 0844 848 2700 or at leedsgrandtheatre.com.
Built around the music
and lyrics of Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus,Mamma Mia!revels
in Judy Craymer’s vision of staging the story-telling magic of Abba’s songs
with a sunny, funny tale of a mother, a daughter and three possible dads
unfolding on a Greek island idyll.
To date, Mamma Mia! has been seen by more than 65 million people in 50
productions in 16 languages. In 2011, it became the first Western musical
to be staged in Mandarin in China.
Mamma Mia!became the eighth longest-running show on Broadway,
where it played a record-breaking run for 14 years and it continues to play in
London’s West End at the Novello Theatre, where the 20th anniversary
fell on April 6 2019.
The first British tour of Mamma Mia! visited Leeds Grand
Theatre from May 30 to July 8 in 2017.
Close-up of Viking clasps being worn at the Jorvik Viking Festival in York
YORK’S Norse settlers will aim to be the most stylish
Vikings in the world when the 2020 Jorvik Viking Festival runs from February 15
to 23.
Event manager Gareth Henry explains how this might be achieved: “The Vikings cared about their appearance and personal hygiene. Combs to keep their hair and beards in order were prized possessions carved out of bone and sometimes beautifully decorated, while beautiful beads and jewellery were a sign of wealth and status,” he says.
“During the festival, you’ll see many superb examples
of adornments on the clothing of the re-enactors who come to take part.”
At next month’s nine-day festival, visitors can join costumed interpreters in showing off their Viking style with a number of events aimed at creating and expressing traditional Norse style:
Viking Costume Competition, St Sampson’s Square, February 15, 3pm. Open to the public, a judging panel will consider those who believe they are York’s best dressed, with Viking and Viking-inspired fashion welcome to take to the main stage for the ultimate Project Norseway. An expert panel of judges will share their views on the best male, female and children’s Viking attire in this free event.
Best Beard Competition, St Sampson’s Square, February 22, 3pm. A traditional favourite, where the audience chooses the best facial hair on show. Open to men, women, children and this year, for the first time, bearded canines, expect some genuine chin growth, re-purposed head tresses and even some man-made creations as competitors vie for the coveted trophies.
Trichinopoly. Not some kind of Viking board game, but the art of wire weaving to create jewellery and adornments by one of Jorvik Viking Centre’s team of historic educators. The workshops run on Tuesday, February 18, 2pm to 5pm, and Wednesday, February 19, 10am to 1pm, in the York Medical Society on Stonegate, priced at £30 per person, including all materials and refreshments.
An adult leather-working workshop. This will introduce participants to some of the skills required to make simple leather items inspired by archaeological finds from Coppergate. The session takes place on Tuesday, February 20 from 10am to 12 noon at the York Medical Society on Stonegate.
Home & Away: Fashion and identity in the Viking Age, Jorvik Viking Centre, Tuesday, February 18, 7pm to 8.30pm. Presented by Dr Gareth Williams, of the British Museum, whose talk will explore how fashion varied across the Viking world, including how it fused with other styles as the Vikings explored the globe. Tickets cost £25.
The use of
black jet in Viking jewellery will be explored by Sarah Steele, of Ebor
Jetworks, during the symposium that rounds off the festival on Sunday, February
23 with a series of talks and presentations on the latest Viking research
around the world.
For more information on events during the 2020 Jorvik Viking Festival, and to book tickets, visit jorvikvikingfestival.co.uk.
Pepper & Honey: opening Visionari’s Studio Discoveries season on February 4
WHAT happens if the audience selects
the shows? Find out when York Theatre Royal presents a week of theatre in the Studio
chosen by the Visionari community programming group.
This will
be Visionari’s second such season of Studio Discoveries, this one featuring six
shows from February 4 to 8.
“What if the story was retold by the woman at its heart? ” asks Debbie Cannon in her version of Sir Gawain And The Green Knight
Pepper & Honey, on February 4 at
11am and 2pm, is a new play from Not Now Collective, told through the baking of
Croatian pepper biscuits – known as paprenjaci – that will be baked live in
front of the Studio audience as the story of Ana’s preparations to start a new
life in the UK unfolds. Babes-in-arms are welcome and biscuits are included.
Debbie Cannon is both writer and
performer of Green Knight, on February 5 at 6.30pm, a one-woman version of the
medieval poem Sir Gawain And The Green Knight. “It’s Christmas at Camelot and a
monstrous green warrior issues an unwinnable challenge to Arthur’s finest knight.
But what if the story was retold by the woman at its heart?” asks Debbie.
One of Picasso’s women in Picasso’s Women on February 5
Picasso’s Women, on February 5 at
8.30pm, looks at Spanish artist Pablo Picasso’s life through the voices of his
wives, mistresses and muses. The three monologues feature French model
Fernande, Russian ballerina Olga and 17-year-old mistress Marie-Therese.
Originally produced for the National
Theatre and BBC Radio 3, the women’s stories provide an insight into the
influence these women had on Picasso’s life and art.
Nathaniel Hall in First Time: humorous but heart-breaking
After last summer’s Edinburgh Fringe
debut, HIV+ theatre-maker and activist Nathaniel Hall is on tour, presenting a
humorous but heart-breaking show about growing up with HIV in First Time on
February 6 at 7.45pm.
The show is based on Nathaniel’s
personal experience of living with HIV after contracting the virus from his
first sexual encounter aged only 16. First Time accompanies Hall’s on-going activism
to break down the stigma associated with the disease through talks,
participatory projects, education and outreach.
York company Cosmic Collective Theatre in Heaven’s Gate
Inspired by true events, Heaven’s Gate,
on February 7 at 7.45pm, is an intergalactic new show from Cosmic Collective
Theatre that imagines the final hour of four members of a real-life religious
UFO group.
The excitement is palpable as they
prepare for their graduation into the Kingdom of Heaven but soon the cracks
begin to appear. “Whatever you do, don’t say the C-word – ‘Cult’,” says writer,
director and performer Joe Feeney, a York Theatre Royal Youth Theatre alumnus,
along with fellow cast member Anna Soden.
Preacherman in One Foot In The Rave, the closing show of Visionari’s Studio Discoveries programme
Visionari’s final choice is One Foot In
The Rave, on February 8 at 7.45pm. Written and performed by Alexander Rhodes, it
follows a disillusioned Jehovah’s Witness as he breaks free from the cult and
lands on the ecstasy-fuelled floors of 1990s’ clubland. Shunned by everyone he
knows, he is not prepared for what lies ahead.
Looking forward to the season ahead, York Theatre Royal producer Thom Freeth says: “It’s been amazing working with Visionari over the past few months to select and bring together a really impressive line-up of unique Studio shows. The group have chosen shows that will undoubtedly appeal to regular theatregoers and new audiences alike.
Cyberdog in One Foot In The Rave
“We’re pleased to be showing
award-winning work as part of the week, alongside work by an exciting new York company,
Cosmic Collective Theatre. Whether you’re out to sample the intensity of Nineties’
clubland, gain an insight into the life of Picasso or just enjoy a complimentary
Croatian biscuit, we think you’ll have a fantastic experience in our intimate
Studio theatre.”
Tickets for Studio Discoveries shows are on sale on 01904 623568, at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk or in person from the box office. The price is £10 per show or £8 each if booking for two or more shows.
CULTURE vulture artist Jonny Hannah is teaming up with Lotte Inch Gallery and FortyFive Vinyl Café to bring “a unique Valentine” bond of music and love to York.
Songs For Darktown Lovers, his
exhibition of Double A-sides, will be split between the two independent York
businesses, on show from February 8 to March 7.
Having exhibited with Lotte Inch Gallery, in Bootham, over the years, one-of-a-kind Scottish artist, designer, illustrator and all-round creative spark Hannah is returning to York for his music-inspired collaboration with gallery curator Lotte Inch and her friends Dan Kentley and Dom White at FortyFive Vinyl Café in Micklegate.
Shoe by Jonny Hannah
“Songs For Darktown Lovers roots
itself in all things music, and of course, love,” says Lotte. “With Sinatra’s Songs
For Swinging Lovers playing in the background, this exhibition is an
alternative Valentine for the creatively minded.
“It’s also a love letter to
‘Darktown’, a fictional place that Jonny refers to when modern life becomes too
much, a place with countless retreats, all revealed in his book Greetings From
Darktown, published by Merrell Publishers in 2014.”
The exhibition in two places will
combine newly reinterpreted vinyl sleeves on display at FortyFive Vinyl Café with
prints and hand-painted wooden cut-outs at both venues.
Harmonium by Jonny Hannah
“This will be a rich double-exhibition
of work by a highly respected and totally unique artist,” says Lotte, curator
of both displays. “It will definitely not be your usual Valentine’s cliché,”
she promises.
BAFTA award-winning Jonny Hannah was
born and raised in Dunfermline, Scotland, and studied at the Cowdenbeath
College of Knowledge, Liverpool Art School and then the Royal College of Art in
London.
Pepe Le Moko by Jonny Hannah
Since graduation in 1998, he has
worked both as a commercial designer and an illustrator and printmaker. He lives
by the sea in Southampton, where he is a senior lecturer in illustration at
Southampton Solent University.
Hannah boasts an impressive list of
exhibitions, advertising projects and clients, such as Royal Mail, the New York
Times, the Guardian and Conde Nast, and he has published a series of “undeniably
Hannah-esque” books with Merrell Publishers, Mainstone Press and Design For
Today.
“Many local visitors to next month’s
York shows will recall Jonny’s Darktown Turbo Taxi solo exhibition at the
Yorkshire Sculpture Park, near Wakefield, in 2018,” says Lotte.
Shoe by Jonny Hannah
“For those curious to find out more,
we recommend looking out for the Darktown Turbo Taxi – a must see, even if only in retrospect, through
the website for his London and New York illustration agency, Heart Agency.”
A preview evening to launch Songs For Darktown Lovers will be held from 6pm to 9pm on February 7 at FortyFive Vinyl Café. “You can join Jonny, who will perform an acoustic set with friend, artist and illustrator Jonathan Gibbs before taking to the decks to celebrate our exciting collaboration,” says Lotte.
“It’s a
chance to get lost
in a world filled with art, music and just plain lovely people, with tickets
available at jonnyhannahpreview.eventbrite.com.”
Confederacy Of Dunces by Jonny Hannah
The exhibition’s Double A-side opens on February 8 at Lotte Inch Gallery, now moved to the first floor at 14 Bootham. “With coffee for those with sore heads, and art to further soothe the soul, the gallery will be offering up a selection of new and recently produced work from Jonny’s abounding studio in Southampton,” says Lotte.
“Coffee by FortyFive will be available that morning from 10am at
the gallery for those needing some solace from the previous night’s escapades!
Jonny Hannah will be in residence for the morning too, so be sure to drop by.”
Lotte Inch Gallery is open Thursday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm, or by appointment on 01904 848660. FortyFive Vinyl Café’s opening hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm; Saturday, 10am to 6pm; Sunday, 10am to 5pm.
