Category: Exhibitions

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 25, from Gazette & Herald

Making her point: Martha Godber’s Sally, left, in a contretemps with Chloe McDonald’s Nat as Emilio Encinoso-Gil’s Kyle seeks to intervene in John Godber’s Do I Love You?

CELEBRATIONS of Northern Soul and British comedy greats are right up Charles Hutchinson’s street for the week ahead.  

Weekender of the week: John Godber Company in Do I Love You?, York Theatre Royal, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees; post-show discussion on June 13

THE John Godber Company is on its third tour of John Godber’s hymn to keeping the faith in Northern Soul, with the same cast of Martha Godber, Chloe McDonald and Emilio Encinoso-Gil.

Inspired by Godber’s devotion to Northern Soul, Do I Love You? follows three twentysomethings, slumped in the drudgery of drive-through counter jobs, who find excitement, purpose and their tribe as they head to weekenders all over, from Bridlington Spa to the Blackpool Tower Ballroom, Chesterfield to Stoke. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

The fez, the spectacles and the bow tie: Damian Williams’s Tommy Cooper, Bob Golding’s Eric Morecambe and Simon Cartwright’s Bob Monkhouse in The Last Laugh, on tour at the Grand Opera House, York

Comedy legends of the week: The Last Laugh, Grand Opera House, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm matinees today, tomorrow and Saturday

WHO will have The Last Laugh at the Grand Opera House when British comedy triumvirate Eric Morecambe, Tommy Cooper and Bob Monkhouse reconvene in a dressing room in Paul Hendy’s play?

Find out in the Edinburgh Fringe, West End and New York hit’s first tour stop as Bob Golding, Damian Williams and Simon Cartwright take on the iconic roles in this new work by the Evolutions Productions director, who just happens to write York Theatre Royal’s pantomimes too. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

One of the Famous Faces on show in the Artistic Spectrum exhibition at Pocklington Arts Centre

Exhibition of the week: Artistic Spectrum: Famous Faces, Pocklington Arts Centre, on show until June 27

BOLD artworks feature in Famous Faces, a powerful, large-scale portrait project from Artistic Spectrum, co-created with more than 100 neuro-divergent and Special Educational Needs children and adults across East and South Yorkshire to challenge perceptions, champion inclusivity and put the power of representation into the hands of those too often left out of the frame.

Developed in group workshops over several weeks, participants created striking portraits of people who inspired them, from musicians and sports stars to activists and screen icons, using collage, found materials and personal objects to make works rich with texture, colour and personal meaning.

Comedian Scott Bennett and his daughter in the promotional picture for Blood Sugar Baby, on tour in York and Pocklington

Storyteller of the week: Scott Bennett, Blood Sugar Baby, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, tonight, 8pm; Pocklington Arts Centre, August 6, 8pm

ONE family, one condition, one hell of a hairy baby: Scott Bennett, from The News Quiz, relates how his daughter fell ill with a rare genetic condition, congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI).

Never heard of it?  Neither have new parents Scott and Jemma as they fight to achieve  the right diagnosis for their daughter and are plunged into months of bewildering treatment, sleepless nights, celebrity encounters and bizarre side effects, but a happy ending ensues. Box office: York, tickets.41monkgate.co.uk; Pocklington, 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.

Shed Seven: Off to the Yorkshire coast on Saturday to play Scarborough Open Air Theatre

Coastal gigs of the week: The Corrs and Natalie Imbruglia, tonight; Gary Barlow and Beverley Knight, Friday; Shed Seven, Jake Bugg and Cast, Saturday, all at Scarborough Open Air Theatre; gates open at 6pm

THE 2025 season of Cuffe & Taylor concerts in the bracing sea air of Scarborough opens tonight with the Irish band The Corrs and Australian singer  and Neighbours actress Natalie Imbruglia, followed by Take That and solo songwriter and The X Factor and Let It Shine judge Gary Barlow on his Songbook Tour 2025 on Friday, when Beverley Knight supports. Expect hits from both his band and Barlow back catalogues.

After two chart-topping 2024 albums in their 30th anniversary year, York band Shed Seven make their belated Scarborough Open Air Theatre debut on Saturday, supported by Jake Bugg and Cast. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.

Henry Blofeld: Wickets and wit in cricket chat at Helmsley Arts Centre

The sound of reporting on leather on willow: An Audience With Henry Blofeld, Sharing My Love Of Cricket, Helmsley Arts Centre, tomorrow, 7.30pm, rearranged from March 21

LEGENDARY BBC broadcaster and journalist, Henry Blofeld, former stalwart of the BBC’s Test Match Special commentary box, takes a journey through modern cricket, while looking back at the great games of yesteryear.

Blowers reflects on how cricket used to be and where it is headed: the theme of his September 2024 book Sharing My Love Of Cricket: Playing The Game And Spreading The Word, wherein he explores the big shifts, innovations and challenges facing the game. Box office: helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Saul Henry: On the Funny Fridays bill at Patch at the Bonding Warehouse, York

York comedy bill of the week: Funny Fridays at Patch, Bonding Warehouse, Terry Avenue, York, Friday, 7.30pm

THE second Funny Fridays comedy night at Patch features Saul Henry, Gemma Day, Ethan Formstone, Lucy Buckley and headliner Jack Wilson, hosted by founder and comedian Katie Lingo.

Formstone’s profile reveals he is a bricklayer from York, who grew bored and now, “using his natural stage presence and wild imagination, lays surreal stories that will delight you and leave you slightly confused”. Tickets: eventbrite.co.uk/e/funny-fridays-at-patch-tickets-1353208666549?aff=oddtdtcreator.

The poster for the SatchVai Band’s Surfing With The Hydra Tour, visiting York Barbican on Friday

Rock gig of the week: SatchVai Band, Surfing With The Hydra Tour 2025, York Barbican, Friday, doors 7pm

FOR the first time in nigh on 50 years of playing rock, guitarists and friends Joe Satriani and Steve Vai have united to tour as the SatchVai Band, opening their European travels in York before heading to London, Paris, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Istanbul and Athens.

Powerhouse drummer Kenny Aronoff, bassist Marco Mendoza and virtuoso guitarist Pete Thorn complete the stellar quintet. Box office: for returns only, yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Alex telling her story in EGO Arts’ You Know My Mum at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, on Friday

Cheeky comedy of life, loss and love for all the family: EGO Arts in You Know My Mum, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, Friday, 7.30pm.

LEADING EGO Midlands Creative Academy’s disabled and neuro-divergent cast, Alex is a 25-year-old woman with Down’s syndrome struggling with the death of her mum. One day, she discovers Bluey, a baby Blue Tit, in her garden.

While Bluey learns about fried chicken factories and joins a boot camp for birds, Alex battles Harry Potter monsters and dreams about life after death. As her wild imagination comes to life, she learns that the love she thought she lost is all around her. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

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Art Of Protest Projects to mark Rowntree legacy with North Street Gardens mural

A sneak peek of Art Of Protest Project’s North Street Gardens mural in honour of the Rowntree family’s legacy

ART Of Protest Projects is creating a bold new mural in celebration of the life and legacy of the Rowntree family in York.

Work on the installation began on June 2 in North Street Gardens, one of York’s most central – yet sometimes overlooked – green spaces. 

York street art collective Art of Protest Projects is known for creating meaningful public art that connects people and place. The latest artwork marks the centenary of Joseph Rowntree’s passing and honours his lasting contributions to the city, particularly the gift of North Street Gardens by the Joseph Rowntree Village Trust in April 1959.

The mural has been commissioned by York BID [Business Improvement District] in partnership with York Cares, the City of York Council, Nestlé, Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Rowntree Society, supported by generous funding by Nestlé. 

The project will become part of the York Art Trail, launched by York BID in 2024 to enrich the city with public art that celebrates York’s culture, history and people.

Rowntree’s Chocolates: Picture copyright of Joseph Rowntree Foundation Heritage Library

York BID project manager Rachel Bean says: “This mural is a celebration of everything Joseph Rowntree stood for: community, education and innovation. North Street Gardens is a hidden gem in our city, and we’re excited to see it revitalised through this artwork. I’d like to sincerely thank the project partners for helping to bring this exciting and important project to life.”

The mural will re-imagine the space with a 46ft typography mural and imagery inspired by Rowntree’s values and legacy. The installation is part of a wider initiative to enhance the gardens that began with the York Cares Big Community Challenge last autumn.

Jeff Clark, of Art of Protest Projects, says: “We are excited to be working on this project to help tell the Rowntree’s story through art. We hope the mural invites people to pause, explore and connect with the deeper history and purpose behind North Street Gardens.”

Leanne Cooper, market procurement manager at Nestlé UK and Ireland, says: “We are so pleased to be part of this project that honours the work of Joseph Rowntree and the profound impact he had on the place that Nestlé Confectionery calls its home: York.

“Our communities are what make Nestlé what it is, and we hope that this vibrant mural will bring joy to those who pass by. We are very proud to have supported this project and the vitality of North Street Gardens.”

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What’s On in Ryedale, York and beyond. Hutch’s List No. 23, from Gazette & Herald

The artwork for the 2025 York Festival of Ideas, making waves until June 13

A FESTIVAL full of bright ideas leads off Charles Hutchinson’s recommendations for cultural sustenance and enlightening entertainment.

Festival of the week: York Festival of Ideas, running until June 13

YORK Festival of Ideas 2025 explores the theme of Making Waves in more than 200 mostly free in-person and online events designed to educate, entertain and inspire. 

Led by the University of York, the festival features world-class speakers, performances, exhibitions, tours, family-friendly activities and much more. Topics range from archaeology to art, history to health and politics to psychology. Browse the programme at yorkfestivalofideas.com.

New Adventures in Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell, on tour at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Johan Persson

Dance return of the week: New Adventures in Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell, York Theatre Royal, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees

IN 1930s’ London, ordinary people emerge from cheap boarding houses nightly to pour out their passions, hopes and dreams in the pubs and fog-bound streets of Soho and Fitzrovia. Step inside The Midnight Bell, a tavern where one particular lonely-hearts club gather to play out their lovelorn affairs of the heart: bitter comedies of longing, frustration, betrayal and redemption. 

Inspired by the work of English novelist Patrick Hamilton, Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell returns to York Theatre Royal, where it first played in October 2021, with a 14-strong cast of New Adventures’ actor-dancers, music by Terry Davies and set and costume design by Lez Brotherston. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

The poster artwork for NE Theatre York’s fully staged concert performances of Carousel

Musical of the week: NE Theatre York in Carousel, Tempest Anderson Hall, Museum Gardens, York, tomorrow to Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

STEVE Tearle directs NE Theatre York in fully staged concert performances of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel with an 18-piece orchestra conducted by Joe Allen. The cast for this tale of hope, redemption and the power of love will be led by Kit Stroud as Billy Bigelow; Rebecca Jackson as Julie Jordan; Maia Beatrice as Carrie Pepperidge; Finlay Butler as Mr Snow and Perri Ann Barley as Aunt Netty. 

Cue such R&H classics as June Is Burstin’ Out All Over, If I Loved You, When I Marry Mister Snow, Blow High, Blow Low and the iconic Liverpool and Celtic terrace anthem You’ll Never Walk Alone. Box office: ticketsource.co.uk/netheatre-york.

King Creosote’s Kenny Anderson: Serving up a Storm In A Teacup at The Crescent, York

Scottish visitor of the week: Please Please You and Brudenell Presents host King Creosote, The Crescent, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm

KING Creosote follows up 2024’s springtime tour Any Port In A Storm with his Any Storm In A Teacup travels from April to June this year, again with a mix of modular synths, his back catalogue from 50 studio albums and his November 2023 album I Des, the first King Creosote recording in seven years.

As ever, Scotsman Kenny Anderson’s performance will be marked by his singular voice, allied to roguish, roving, ever-evolving, gorgeous songs in the key of Fife. Box office, for returns only: thecrescentyork.com.

Lady Nade: Paying tribute to Nina Simone. Picture: Joseph Branston

Celebration of a legacy: Lady Nade Sings Nina Simone, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 7.30pm,

KNOWN for paying homage to those who have influenced her journey  profoundly, Lady Nade holds Nina Simone in high regard  for leaving behind a legacy of liberation, empowerment, passion and love through her extraordinary body of work.

As a black woman, Lady Nade acknowledges Simone’s trailblazing role in paving the way for artists of her generation. Her high-energy performance is a heartfelt dedication to recreating the transformative sound that blended popular tunes of the era into a distinctive fusion of jazz, blues, gospel, and folk music. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Pink Floydian: Showcasing the golden era of progressive rock at Milton Rooms, Malton

Tribute gig of the week: Pink Floydian, Milton Rooms, Malton, Saturday, 7.30pm

PINK Floydian’s immersive experience transports fans back to the golden era of progressive rock in a two-and-a-half hour show that takes in the Syd Barrett, Roger Waters and David Gilmour eras.

From the lush landscapes of Shine On You Crazy Diamond to the haunting refrain of Great Gig In The Sky to the anthemic Comfortably Numb and Wish You Were Here, Pink Floydian undertake a magical journey through Pink Floyd’s illustrious recording career. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

Rachel Anderson’s Dolly Gallagher Levi, centre, and the ensemble in Pickering Musical Society’s Hello, Dolly! Picture: Robert David Photography

Goodbye to musicals: Pickering Musical Society in Hello, Dolly!, Kirk Theatre, Pickering, June 10 to 14, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

PICKERING Musical Society is preparing to raise the curtain on its final full-scale musical production, after more than a century, citing rising production costs and falling membership.

Set in the energetic bustle of 1890s’ New York, Jerry Herman’s Hello, Dolly! follows the irrepressible Dolly Gallagher Levi (society favourite Rachel Anderson) – a witty matchmaker, meddler and “arranger of things” – as she decides to find a match for herself. Box office:  01751 474833 or kirktheatre.co.uk or in person from the box office on Tuesdays, 11am to 1pm.

Christopher Simon Sykes’s photograph of Mick Jagger in concert on the Rolling Stones’ Tour of the Americas in 1975, on show at Sledmere House from June 13

Exhibition launch of the week:  On Tour With The Rolling Stones 1975, A 50th Anniversary Exhibition of Photographs by Christopher Simon Sykes, Sledmere House, Sledmere, near Driffield,  June 13 to July 6, except Mondays and Tuesdays, 10am to 5pm

IN June 1975, Christopher Sykes, of Sledmere House, joined the Rolling Stones Tour of the Americas, known as T.O.T.A ’75: his first rock’n’roll itinerary as a snapper after specialising in photographing stately home interiors.

“You know going on tour is not like country life, Chrissie,” advised Mick Jagger on his first day of accompanying the Stones on their three-month tour of North America and Canada, playing 40 shows in 27 cities. The photos were used in a tour diary published the following year, and this exhibition showcases a selection of the best of the behind-the-scenes and stage pictures in the Courtyard Room. Tickets: sledmerehouse.com.

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Friends Lesley Shaw and Steve Huison share animal admiration in Pyramid Gallery exhibition of beloved cats and dogs

Artists Lesley Shaw and Steve Huison at the launch of Reigning Cats And Dogs at Pyramid Gallery, York

IT’S reigning cats and dogs at Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York. Yes, you read that right. Reigning. Not raining.

Welcome to a show of animal art work in mixed media by Lesley Shaw and paintings by Steve Huison, the actor from The Full Monty -turned artist, on display until July 6.

Lesley and Steve first met at Pyramid Gallery in 2016 when Steve had his first portrait exhibition at Terry Brett’s gallery, A Year In Bay, featuring paintings of locals he met on moving to Robin Hood’s Bay on the Yorkshire coast.

“They quickly became friends and admirers of each other’s art work, purchasing pieces from each other and swapping techniques and ideas,” recalls Terry. “After a conversation here in the gallery, they decided they wanted to do an exhibition showcasing collective work with the subject matter of beloved pets”.

As an actor, Huison is best known for his portrayal of Lomper in the 1997 film The Full Monty and his reprisal of the same character, 25 years on, in Disney’s  eight-part series The Full Monty in 2023.

Among other acting work, Steve played Eddie Windass in Coronation Street from November 14 2008 to April 25 2011, having appeared previously in the Weatherfield soap as Andy Morgan in 2003.

Terry enthuses: “Steve is an exceptional artist. His subjects are usually people; he has an incredible ability to capture character in his work, whether it is a person, an animal or indeed a building.”

Between acting projects, Steve has been working on pet portraits. He works mainly with oil on canvas but has experimented with other media and has taken a class with Lesley to learn how to work with drypoint.

Lesley has been drawing as long as she can remember. “In her childhood, there was always a family pet cat or dog that had their images immortalised by her hand,” says Terry. “People and animals are her muse. She has been attending life drawing classes for more than  30 years and has studied both fashion and illustration.

“She begins with a sketch, then works quickly and instinctively in charcoal, pencil or ink, trying to capture the beauty and simplicity of the form. She then uses traditional printmaking techniques or mixed media to create her final images.”

Reigning Cats And Dogs in the front room at Pyramid  Gallery, Stonegate, York, until July 6, Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm; Sundays during summer months, but ring to check on 01904 641187.

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More Things To Do in York and beyond as ideas burst out of festival to make waves. Hutch’s List No. 24 from The Press, York

York Festival of Ideas: More than 200 events

FESTIVALS full of ideas and comedy lead off Charles Hutchinson’s recommendations for cultural sustenance and enlightening entertainment.

Festival of the week: York Festival of Ideas, today to June 13

YORK Festival of Ideas 2025 explores the theme of Making Waves in more than 200 mostly free in-person and online events designed to educate, entertain and inspire. 

Led by the University of York, the festival features world-class speakers, performances, exhibitions, tours, family-friendly activities and much more. Topics range from archaeology to art, history to health and politics to psychology. Browse the programme at yorkfestivalofideas.com.

Pocklington Comedy Festival: The headline show will be hosted by Kiri Pritchard-McLean, centre, tonight

Comedy event of the week:  Pocklington Comedy Festival, Pocklington Arts Centre, today, from 12 noon

KIRI Pritchard-McLean hosts tonight’s 8pm bill of Chris Cantrill, Joe Kent-Walters as alter ego Frankie Monroe, eccentric owner of The Misty Moon working men’s club in Rotherham, Seeta Wrightson, from Bradford,  and Lee Kyle.

Earlier today, in the studio, look out for work-in-progress Edinburgh Fringe previews of Seeta Wrightson’s It’ll Be Allrightson On The Night (12 noon); Chris Cantrill’s On Your Marks (1.30pm); Frankie Monroe’s Dead Good (3pm) and Newcastle’s Louise Young (4.30pm).

This afternoon’s Family Comedy Show, introduced by Lee Kyle, features the comically chaotic antics of York magician Just Josh (aka Josh Benson) and mischievous Hull duo Jeddy Bear & Gary. Box office: pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.

Kaiser Chiefs: Chief attraction at Temple Newsam, Leeds, today. Picture: Cal McIntyre

Yorkshire gig of the week: Kaiser Chiefs, Temple Newsam, Leeds, today, gates open at 1pm

LEEDS indie rock titans Kaiser Chiefs mark the 20th anniversary of March 2005 debut album Employment with a homecoming celebration. Employed on the bill too are: Ellur, 1.50pm; Hotwax, 2.45pm; We Are Scientists, 3.40pm; The Coral, 4.50pm; The Cribs, 6.05pm, and Razorlight, 7.20pm.

Kaiser Chiefs will be on stage from 8.50pm to 10.30pm with a special guest appearance by the Championship trophy won by Leeds United on May 4. Tickets update: still available at gigandtours.com; ticketmaster.co.uk or livenation.co.uk.

Rachel Croft: Heading back to York to play The Crescent. Picture: Michelle Fredericks

Welcome back: Rachel Croft, The Crescent, York, tonight, doors 7.30pm

AFTER re-locating from York to London, singer-songwriter Rachel Croft returns north to promote her vinyl EP A Mind Made Of Sky as part of a summer series of tempestuous shows across the UK. Expect drama, energy and thunderous alt-rock songs from Rachel “as you’ve never seen her before”. Stereo Cupid and Flat Number Two support. Box office: thecrescentyork.com.

Strictly between us: Dance couple Aljaž Škorjanec and Janette Manrara promise A Night To Remember at York Barbican

Strictly show of the week: Aljaž And Janette: A Night To Remember, York Barbican, Sunday, 7.30pm  

STRICTLY Come Dancing husband-and-wife duo Aljaž Škorjanec and Janette Manrara team up in their new show with their live big band, fronted by boogie-woogie maestro Tom Seals and an ensemble cast of dancers and singers.

Strictly regular Aljaž and It Takes Two and Morning Live host Janette take to the York Barbican dancefloor to perform routines to music from the Great American songbook to modern-day classics. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Stephen Smith in One Man Poe. Picture: Cat Humphries

Edinburgh Fringe 2024 Best Horror Solo Show winner: One Man Poe, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, Sunday, 6pm

USING Edgar Allan Poe’s original text from the 1840s, actor-director Stephen Smith brings to life the most terrifying examples of the gothic genre from the pioneering Godfather of Gothic Horror.

In Act One, The Tell-Tale Heart, a madman strives to convince you of his sanity, while explaining the meticulous details of a murder he committed. Then, in The Pit And The Pendulum, a prisoner seeks to escape the various torture devices of the Spanish Inquisition.

In Act Two, arguably Poe’s darkest tale and definitely not one for the faint hearted, The Black Cat, documents an alcoholic’s last confession on the eve of his death. Last comes the poem that made Poe famous: The Raven. In the midnight hour, as an elderly man laments the loss of his love, an ominous visitor is heard tapping on his chamber door. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

New Adventures in the 2025 tour of Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell, on tour at York Theatre Royal next week. Picture: Johan Persson

Dance return of the week: New Adventures in Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell, York Theatre Royal, June 4 to 7, 7.30pm plus 2pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees

IN 1930s’ London, ordinary people emerge from cheap boarding houses nightly to pour out their passions, hopes and dreams in the pubs and fog-bound streets of Soho and Fitzrovia. Step inside The Midnight Bell, a tavern where one particular lonely-hearts club gather to play out their lovelorn affairs of the heart; bitter comedies of longing, frustration, betrayal and redemption. 

Inspired by the work of English novelist Patrick Hamilton, Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell returns to York Theatre Royal, where it first played in October 2021, with a 14-strong cast of New Adventures’ actor-dancers, music by Terry Davies and set and costume design by Lez Brotherston. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

Steve Tearle: Directing NE Theatre York in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel

Musical of the week: NE Theatre York in Carousel, Tempest Anderson Hall, Museum Gardens, York, June 5 to 7, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

STEVE Tearle directs NE Theatre York in fully staged concert performances of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel with an 18-piece orchestra conducted by Joe Allen. The cast for this tale of hope, redemption and the power of love will be led by Kit Stroud as Billy Bigelow; Rebecca Jackson as Julie Jordan; Maia Beatrice as Carrie Pepperidge; Finlay Butler as Mr Snow and Perri Ann Barley as Aunt Netty. 

Cue such R&H classics as June Is Burstin’ Out All Over, If I Loved You, When I Marry Mister Snow, Blow High, Blow Low and the iconic Liverpool and Celtic terrace anthem You’ll Never Walk Alone. Box office: ticketsource.co.uk/netheatre-york.

King Creosote’s Kenny Anderson: Serving up a Storm In A Teacup at The Crescent, York

Scottish visitor of the week: Please Please You and Brudenell Presents host King Creosote, The Crescent, York, June 5, 7.30pm

KING Creosote follows up 2024’s springtime tour Any Port In A Storm with his Any Storm In A Teacup travels from April to June this year, again with a mix of modular synths, his back catalogue from 50 studio albums and his November 2023 album I Des, the first King Creosote recording in seven years.

As ever, Scotsman Kenny Anderson’s performance will be marked by his singular voice, allied to roguish, roving, ever-evolving, gorgeous songs in the key of Fife. Box office, for returns only: thecrescentyork.com.

In Focus: International collaboration of the week: Say Owt presents chamæleon,  So Many Ways To Move, Fulford Arms, Fulford Road, York, Sunday, 5.30pm

chamæleon: Collaboration of Palestinian poet Farah Chamma and Brazilian electronic musician Liev at the Fulford Arms on Sunday

SAY Owt, York’s champions of raucous performance poetry and sizzling spoken word, play host for the first time to an Arabic artist and South American musician, Palestinian poet  Farah Chamma and Brazilian electronic soundscape producer Liev, on Sunday.

In their poetic and political collaboration as chamæleon, Chamma and Liev explore the intersection between spoken word and musical texture, diving into the unknown to search for belonging and identity in So Many Wayes To Move.

Since 2014, Say Owt has hosted poets from Sweden, Nigeria, the United States and Canada, now adding Brazil and Palestine to that list. chamæleon have performed in Portugal, Holland, Spain and the United Arab Emirates and this weekend they make their York debut in their only performance in the UK outside London on their 2025 travels.

So Many Ways To Move encapsulates their belief in the power of art not only to reflect the times but also to move with them. “We see art as a force of transformation, a channel for resistance and renewal,” say chamaeleon. “By weaving together sound, text and imagery, we illuminate our shared experiences and struggles.”

Farah Chamma: “Speaking truth to power from festivals to demonstrations”

Farah Chamma’s performances are described as “vital and urgent, speaking truth to power from festivals to demonstrations”. “If ever words could tear down the gates of power, it would be those spoken by Farah. Besides her native Arabic, she also writes and performs in English and French and speaks German, Spanish and Portuguese,” Say Owt states

Chamma holds a master’s degree in Performance and Culture from Goldsmiths, University of London and a BA in Philosophy and Sociology from the Sorbonne in Paris.

Based in Brazil, multi-instrumentalist and electro-organic music producer Liev uses his research to “dive into the intersectionality between machine and human-made sounds”.

Within his body of work, everyday noises and the human voice – mostly in spoken word pieces – are the raw material that ends up mixed with more complex machine and AI-generated sounds, birthing soundscapes and music that delves into the contemporary human experience.

Sunday’s support acts will be Nadira Alom and electro riot grrl act Doberwoman. Box office: https://www.fatsoma.com/e/5b1ew8fs/la/jt04.

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Micklegate Arts Trail combines art with music, spoken word and film from today to June 15 as part of York Festival of Ideas

Micklegate Arts Trail: 35 artists, 20 free events, one festival of art, music film and poetry

YORK creative collective Navigators Art launches the 2025 Micklegate Arts Trail today featuring works by 35 York artists on display in 14 shops, pubs, cafes and restaurants until June 15.

The launch day, running from 12 noon to 5pm, will present street buskers Joel Wilson (The Typing Poet), Borgia Trio, Jasmine Lowe and Nathan Kirby, along with music improvisations by Joe Allen, Desmond Clarke, Fin O’Hare, Tom Maynard (The Sounen Project) and Nick Walters at Holy Trinity Church, where Walters has coordinated the display of 3D sculptures and events.

Keep an eye out for the Extreme Knitting demonstration with giant needles by Hippystitch, alias Sally Stone in the church grounds. All these events are free.

Coordinated by Steve Beadle and George Willmore, Micklegate Arts Trail has expanded from last June’s inaugural Micklegate Art Trail – note the change from ‘Art’ to ‘Arts’ – to embrace music, film and poetry as well as art in a festival run in tandem with York Festival of Ideas that opens on the same day.

On show for the next fortnight will be works by:

Sinead Corkery: Work on show at No 84 Deli & Cafe

Raginie Duara at Lucius Books; Mark Kesteven at Old School Barber Shop; Barry Lewis, Desmond Clarke, Lu Mason, Nick Walters, Peter Baker, Richard Mackness, Sally Stone and Tom Maynard at Holy Trinity Church and Bill Oakey and Julia Leonard at Cads of Micklegate.

Look out for Nick Kobyluch, Sharon McDonagh and Sola at Skosh; Jane Dignum, Jo Rodwell and Lois Folkard at The Falcon; Chalky the Yorkie, Jasmine Foo, Jude Redpath and Sinead Corkery at No 84 Deli & Cafe; Susan Bradley at Divine Coffee Roasters; Fiona Kemp and Ali Hunter at Hudson Moody and Skulldog at Mack & Lawler Builders.

Isabel Bullon Benito and Marc Godfrey-Murphy (Marco Looks) can be found at Oxfam Bookshop; Chrissy Buse at Cafe Fleur; Elizabeth Smallman and Linda Combi at the Amnesty Bookshop and Melisaa Hill, Michael Campbell, Richard Thompson and Sarah Schiewe at The Hooting Owl in Rougier Street. Opening times may vary between venue.

“Micklegate Arts Trail is a rare community event of its kind in York,” says Navigators Art co-founder Richard Kitchen. “It’s been hard work to put it together, probably harder work than last year, because it’s not just an art trail now but we also have spoken-word and music events, taking place in three pubs, The Artful Dodger, The Falcon and The Hooting Owl.

“The great thing about the art trail is that all the work on show is chosen is chosen by the traders and shops themselves, and not by a panel. So the work is what they like and what suits their premises. That means there are no preconceptions about who will be chosen, and some quite big York names are missing out this year – the selection process is what makes it a true community event.”

Collage drop-in session at The Artful Dodger on June 8

Richard continues: “Our starting point for the festival is that Navigators Art likes Micklegate as a street, an historic street, but some people just see it as a cut-through, and some shops and traders are struggling, especially after the parking price increases, so we want to draw attention to what Micklegate has to offer.

“Hopefully the arts trail will attract pedestrians to visit the street. We’re very much doing this festival to support both Micklegate traders and the York artists they chose to display. That’s why it exists and we hope this second trail is a step to making it an annual event.”

Arts Trail events will include free live music sessions at The Falcon and The Hooting Owl on June 1, 8 and 15 at 2pm and 7pm featuring Andy Bowen and Liv Quigley, One Iota, Jasmine Lowe, Mike Amber and Will Martin.

Martin will return to The Falcon on June 4 and 11 at 7pm and further sessions will follow at The Hooting Owl on June 5 and 12 at 7pm.

The Falcon will play host to board game (in house or bring your own) on June 3 and 10. A spoken word, music and open-mic session will be held upstairs at The Artful Dodger on June 5 at 7.30pm when invited guests will include poets Janet Dean and Jessica Van Smith and singer Mike Amber. Bring your poem, an original song, guitar, or whatever, for the open-mic in a safe, supportive, non-discriminatory environment.

The poster for tonight’s YO Underground 3 bill of live & left-field music words & performance at The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse

Experimental short films by Timothy Marvell, Nick Walters and Tom Walters will be shown in the Nativity hut at Holy Trinity Church on June 7 from 9pm to 10pm.

To coincide with the arts trail launch, Navigators Art presents YO Underground 3, a night of live new music and words at The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, tonight from 7.30pm to 10pm.  

Step forward Desmond Clarke, improvisers Joe Allen & Friends, Spartacus T ruth, University of York students Katie Laing and Dan Fishwick and The Jammingtons Experience  (Tom Nightingale and Mark Stokes), purveyors of idiosyncratic songs that take an ironic look at life. Tickets are on sale at bit.ly/nav-events or on the door.

In the first art demonstration, George Willmore will hold collage sessions on June 8 at 1.30pm and 3.30pm upstairs at The Artful Dodger. Two days later, upstairs at The Hooting Owl at 7.30pm, artist Melissa Hill and poet-researcher Becca Drake will team up for Creative Arrangements, where Melissa will discuss her three vases on display for the arts trail that inspired Becca to write and perform her new work.

You are invited to draw or write verses in response to the vases, poetry and talk. Free materials will be provided at both demonstrations but you can bring your own too.

Further details will follow on two more Navigators Art contributions to the Festival of Ideas: the Making Waves art exhibition at City Screen Picturehouse from June 8 to July 4 and About Time Too!, a concert of music and words to complement a day of free talks celebrating ‘Time’ at St Olave’s Church, Marygate, on June 14 at 7pm.

Navigators Art’s music programme for the Micklegate Arts Trail

Navigators Art’s inclusivity policy

NAVIGATORS Art rejects racism, misogyny and other forms of bigotry. “We strive to achieve gender balance and across-the-board inclusivity at all times,” says co-founder Richard Kitchen.

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More Things To Do in York and beyond as wizards and Stars Wars take over. Here Hutch’s List No. 21 from The York Press

The Wizard of York, Dan Wood, sets his spellbinding WizardFest in motion for three magical days. Picture: The Story Of You

NOT only a new festival of wizardry, but Charles Hutchinson has plenty more wizard ideas too for the Bank Holiday weekend and beyond the wand.

Enchanting festival of the week:  WizardFest, waving a wand over York, today to Monday

ORGANISED by The Wizard of York, Dan Wood, York’s first ever festival of wizardry promises 25 activities, events, workshops and fantastical food and drink, featuring  the city’s most magical businesses.

Highlights include Wizard Walk of York walks; a Brick Magic LEGO workshop; screenings of the first three Harry Potter films at City Screen Picturehouse; Professor Kettlestring’s Puzzling World needing  help to defeat dark wizard Mortius Darktrix; The Cat Gallery’s Black Cat Trail and Make It York’s Owl Trail; Monday’s Magical Night Market at Shambles Market and a fancy dress parade between St Helen’s Square and York Minster at 3pm on Monday. Plan your magical itinerary and make bookings at wizardwalkofyork.com/wizardfest.

York Printmakers’ poster for the 2025 Festival of Print

“More than an exhibition” of the week: York Printmakers, Festival of Print, 22 High Petergate, York, until July 20, open every Friday and Saturday, 10am to 5pm, and Sundays, 10am to 4pm

YORK Printmakers celebrate creativity, craft and community in a curated exhibition of original prints, from linocut and etching to screenprint and collagraph, complemented by demonstrations, talks and workshops. Visitors can explore the stories and processes behind each piece and meet the makers behind the art.

“This year’s festival is more than an exhibition,” say the organisers. “It’s an invitation to discover, to ask questions and to support York artists keeping traditional and contemporary printmaking alive.” Entry is free.

Festival Of The Force: The Star Wars convention from another galaxy, here in York

Film convention of the week: Festival Of The Force, York Railway Institute, Queen Street, York, Sunday, 10am to 5pm

MAY the Force be with you for this Star Wars convention, Festival Of The Force, whose mission is to deliver an immersive experience in celebration  of the Star Wars universe while building a strong sense of community among collectors, fans, and cosplayers of all ages. Look out for a galaxy of merchandise, celebrity appearances and fan-led events. Box office: eventbrite.co.uk/e/festival-of-the-force-tickets.

Wanted in York: Julian Clary swaps guns for puns and putdowns in A Fistful Of Clary on Sunday

Camp sight of the week: Julian Clary in A Fistful Of Clary, Grand Opera House, York, Sunday, 7.30pm

JULIAN Clary goes Western as he saddles up for entendres at the double, sure that the men in the audience won’t be able to keep their hands off his Rawhide.

The lucky few will play with him on stage in the Hang‘em Low saloon, but life in the Old West was tough. Not all of Julian’s wild bunch will be around to witness the final shoot-out when he gives himself selflessly at high noon to the last man standing. Tickets update for Clary’s pun fight: still available at atgtickets.com/york.

Sophie Ellis Bextor: Disco nights at York Barbican and York Racecourse

Dancefloor diva at the double: Sophie Ellis Bextor, York Barbican, May 26, Spring Bank Holiday Monday, 7.30pm; York Racecourse Music Showcase Weekend 2025, July 25, after 8.23pm last race  

“IT will be wonderful to bring the disco fun to everyone,” says Sophie Ellis Bextor, lockdown queen of the Kitchen Disco online sessions, as she heads to York twice. Buoyed by Murder On The Dancefloor’s appearance in the final scene of Emerald Fennell’s film Saltburn returning her 2001 smash to number two in the UK charts, she takes to the road with a career-spanning set also featuring  Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love), Take Me Home (A Girl Like Me) and Freedom Of The Night.

The former lead singer of theaudience will be joined by special guest Natasha Bedingfield for the post-racing concert on Knavesmire in July. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk (last few tickets); yorkracecourse.co.uk.

Jon Mills’s cast for Miles Salter’s short play One Step Beyond, premiering at the Black Swan Inn next week

Premiere of the week: Yortk Settlement Community Players presents Miles Salter’s One Step Beyond, Black Swan Inn, Peasholme Green, York, May 26 to 28, 7.30pm

STEVE and Kerry have been married a long time. Steve’s vinyl collection may tear them apart. Luckily they have a counsellor…and Steve’s friend Boring Ryan on hand to help them out. It must be love, love, love. Jon Mills directs Stuart Green, Pamela Gourlay, Liz Quinlan, Chris Meadley and Jess Murray in York writer Miles Salter’s short play for YSCP’s Direct Approach project. Tickets to enter this House of Fun:  £5, pay on the door, cash or card.

Victoria Delaney, left, and Clare Halliday in rehearsal for York Actors Collective’s production of Tiger Country at Theatre@41, Monkgate

Hospital drama of the week: York Actors Collective in Tiger Country, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, May 27 to 31, 7.30pm, Tuesday to Friday; 2.30pm and 6pm, Saturday

NINA Raine’s doctors-and-nurses drama, last performed at Hampstead Theatre, London, in 2014, is revived by Angie Millard’s company York Actors Collective.

This fast-paced play considers doctors’ dilemmas as a range of clinical and ethical issues come under the spotlight in a busy hospital. Professionalism and prejudice, turbulent staff romances, ambition and failure collide as Raine depicts an overburdened health service and the dedicated individuals that keep it going. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Nick Mohammed’s alter-ego, Mr Swallow, in Show Pony, cantering into the Grand Opera House next week and in the autumn. Picture: Matt Crockett

Comedy gig of the week: Nick Mohammed Is Mr Swallow in Show Pony, Grand Opera House, York, May 28 and October 23, 7.30pm

COMEDIAN, writer, Ted Lasso regular and Taskmaster loser Nick Mohammed transforms into his alter-ego, Mr Swallow in Show Pony, a new show that will “cover everything from not having his own sitcom to not having his own sitcom… and everything in between (critical race theory). As per – expect magic, music and a whole load of brand-new mistakes”.  Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Sir Tim Rice: Mulling over a life in musicals at the Grand Opera House, York

Musical knight of the week: Sir Tim Rice, My Life In Musicals – I Know Him So Well, Grand Opera House, York, May 29,7.30pm

LYRICIST supreme Sir Tim Rice reflects on his illustrious career at the heart of musical theatre, sharing anecdotes behind the songs, both the hits and the misses, complemented by stories of his life and live performances by leading West End singers and musicians, led by musical director Duncan Waugh. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

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Into The Light exhibition at York Explore library highlights Britain’s black ballet pioneers. Look out for workshops too

Island Movements at Tang Hall Library in 2024. Picture: David Harrison for Explore York

EXPLORE York invites you to celebrate the untold stories of Britain’s black ballet dancers, brought centre stage for the first time in a new touring exhibition at York Explore Library.

The exhibition is free to view with no need to book, so just come along. In addition, during the May school half-term, it will be accompanied by a workshop programme, including dance, storytelling, photography, VR and more.

Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Into The Light: Pioneers Of Black British Ballet is the result of a partnership between creative agency Oxygen Arts and Libraries Connected.

The exhibition bring together archive photography, film, newspaper articles and posters, alongside new video and audio interviews, to trace the history of black British ballet from the  1940s to the present day. 

Into The Light showcases these dancers at the height of their careers, performing across Europe, Asia and North America during a time of profound global change—including the civil rights movement, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of apartheid in South Africa.

Dave Fleming, Explore York’s lead for innovation, creativity and learning, says: “Last year’s ballet performance, Island Movements, was a sell-out with an enthusiastic audience from five-year-olds to 80-year-olds packed into Tang Hall Library.

Black British Ballet exhibition, on display at York Explore. Picture by permission of Libraries Connected

“That was such an inspiring and unforgettable occasion. This exhibition and the accompanying events programme will offer people another chance to connect with the remarkable history of black British ballet. It’s an absolute pleasure to bring the Into the Light exhibition and events programme to York.”

The story of black dancers in British ballet is rich, complicated and inspiring. Its history stretches back to 1946, when Berto Pasuka, who had trained in classical ballet in Jamaica, founded Europe’s first black dance company, Les Ballet Nègres, alongside fellow Jamaican dancer Richie Riley.

The supporting programme runs from May 27 to 31; bookings can be made at https://www.tickettailor.com/events/exploreyorklibrariesandarchives?srch=Into+the+Light.

May 27, 10.30am: Dance workshop, York Explore.

May 27, 2pm, Onisere And The Ballet Queen, book workshop, York Explore.

May 28, 10am, Onisere And The Ballet Queen, book workshop, Tang Hall Explore.

May 28, 2pm, Creative writing workshop, Tang Hall Explore.

May 29, 2pm, Creating A VR Experience online with BOM Media, online.

May 30, 2pm, Dance photography workshop, York Explore.

May 31, 2pm, Classical ballet workshop, Tang Hall Explore.

Box office:  buytickets.at/exploreyorklibrariesandarchives/. 

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More Things To Do in York and beyond Gary Oldman as chocolate hits the sweet spot. Hutch’s List No. 16, from The York Press

Gary Oldman in rehearsal for Krapp’s Last Tape, opening at York Theatre Royal on April 14. Picture: Gisele Schmidt

GARY Oldman’s return to York Theatre Royal tops the bill of Charles Hutchinson’s recommendations. Chocolate is in the air too.

York theatre event of the year: Gary Oldman in Krapp’s Last Tape, York Theatre Royal, April 14 to May 17

ONCE the pantomime Cat that fainted thrice in Dick Whittington in his 1979 cub days on the professional circuit in York, Oscar winner Gary Oldman returns to the Theatre Royal to perform Samuel Beckett’s melancholic, tragicomic slice of theatre of the absurd Krapp’s Last Tape in his first stage appearance since the late-1980s.

“York, for me, is the completion of a cycle,” says the Slow Horses leading man. “It is the place ‘where it all began’. York, in a very real sense, for me, is coming home. The combination of York and Krapp’s Last Tape is all the more poignant because it is ‘a play about a man returning to his past of 30 years earlier’.” Tickets update: New availability of returns and additional seats on 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Margaret Beech: Making “paper magic” for York Open Studios in Oaken Grove, Haxby, York

Art event of the week: York Open Studios, Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 5pm

YORK Open Studios showcases 163 artists and makers at 116 locations in its largest configuration yet in its 24 years. Artists and makers, including 38 new participants, span ceramics, collage, digital art, illustration, jewellery, mixed media, painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, textiles and wood, Full details and an interactive map can be found at yorkopenstudios.co.uk; brochures in shops, galleries, cafes and tourist hubs. Admission is free.

Wrongsemble: Performing Three Little Vikings, a tale of cooperation, bravery and making your voice heard, at Helmsley Arts Centre

Ryedale children’s show of the week: Wrongsemble in Three Little Vikings, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 2.30pm

LEEDS company Wrongsemble present a bold and funny adventure story for little rebels by Bethan Woollvin, creator of Little Red and I Can Catch A Monster.  

Once upon a time in a Viking village, everything seems to be going wrong. Chickens are disappearing, trees are falling down. When the silly Chieftain won’t listen, can the three littlest Vikings figure out how to save the day in a 50-minute tale of cooperation, bravery and making your voice heard. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.

Mark Stratford in Macready! Dickens Theatrical Friend, on tour at Theatre@41, Monkgate

Dickens of a good show of the week: Mark Stratford in Macready! Dickens’ Theatrical Friend, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, tonight, 7.30pm

WRITER-PERFORMER Mark Stratford’s solo play tells the story of Macready, the Victorian actor-manager to whom Charles Dickens dedicated his novel Nicholas Nickleby. Capturing the joy, graft and tribulations of a life lived in theatre with passion, humour, emotion and multiple characters, Stratford journeys through the fascinating world of Victorian theatre and the extraordinary, conflicted life of Macready, from his first tentative steps on stage in a tatty country theatre to his final Drury Lane performance. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Daniele Coombe, left, Rebecca Wheatley, Maureen Nolan and Carli Norris in Menopause The Musical 2 – Cruising Through The Menopause at the Grand Opera House

Musical of the week: Menopause The Musical 2 – Cruising Through The Menopause!, Grand Opera House, York, Sunday, 6pm

CARLI Norris, from Doctors, Hollyoaks and EastEnders, Maureen Nolan, of The Nolans, Rebecca Wheatley, from Casualty, and West End actress Daniele Coombe star in the final UK tour of this menopausal sequel.

Fast forward five years as the same characters set off on the high seas in this heartfelt, reassuring look at the “joys” of the menopause. Cue hot flushes, mood swings, memory lapses and weight gain on a bumpy trip of self-discovery, love and friendship, backed by a soundtrack of parodied hits. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

The Storm Whale: Returning to York Theatre Royal next week after its first plunge in 2019. Picture: Northedge Photography

Revival of the week: The Storm Whale, York Theatre Royal Studio, April 15 to 19, 10.30am and 1.30pm

YORK writer and director Matt Aston revives his 2019 stage adaptation of Benji Davies’s tales of loneliness, love and courage, The Storm Whale, in a show built on puppetry, original songs and dialogue.

Noi lives with his dad and six cats by the sea. One summer, while dad was busy at work, Noi rescued a little whale, washed up on the beach. A friendship began that changed their lives forever. The following winter, his dad takes one last trip in his fishing boat. Alone once more, Noi longs to see his friend again. Will it take another storm to bring them back together? Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

York Chocolate Festival: City centre will be chock-a-block with chocs’n’eggs for Easter

Festival of the week: York Chocolate Festival 2025, April 16 to 20, 10am to 5pm

YORK Chocolate Festival showcases everything sweet and chocolate from independent businesses in Parliament Street and around the city.

Highlights include the York Chocolate Festival Market; Chocolate Taste Trail; Ashley McCarthy’s Chocolate Sculpture and Family Easter Egg Hunt. Entry to the festival and market is free; some activities and events require tickets. Full programme at: yorkfoodfestival.com/programme.

Showaddywaddy: Rock’n’roll revivalists standing under the moon of love at the Grand Opera House

Rock’n’roll nostalgia of the week: Showaddywaddy, Grand Opera House, York, April 17, 7.30pm

SHOWADDYWADDY make the bold claim to be “the greatest rock’n’roll band in the world”, living up to that title for the past five decades, they say.

Formed in 1973 in Leicester, they have sold more than 20 million records. Here come Hey Rock And Roll,  Under The Moon Of Love, Three Steps To Heaven, When, Blue Moon, Pretty Little Angel Eyes et al. Box office: atgtickjets.com/york.

The Talkinator: Written by a human, performed by a human, Patrick Monahan

Comedy gig of the week: Patrick Monahan: The Talkinator, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, April 18, 8pm

IN 2024, amid much talk of about AI taking over humans, only one man can out-talk the chat-bots and robots. Step forward Irish-Iranian comedian Patrick Monahan for one hour of stand-up comedy written by a human, performed by a human. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

The Divine Comedy: New album and York Barbican tour date. Picture: Kevin Westerberg

Gig announcement of the week: The Divine Comedy, York Barbican, October 21

NEIL Hannon will promote The Divine Comedy’s 13th studio album, September 19’s Rainy Sunday Afternoon, on a 16-date autumn tour. Tickets will go on sale on Thursday, April 17 at 10am at https://www.yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/the-divine-comedy-2025/.

Written, arranged and produced by Hannon and recorded at Abbey Road Studios, the album spans his usual range of emotions – sad, funny, angry and everything in between – as he “works through some stuff”: mortality, memories, relationships and political and social upheaval. 

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XXX marks the spot for Harland Miller, man of letters of the Pop art variety on his home-city return to York Art Gallery

York Pop artist Harland Miller with his new work York from his XXX exhibition at York Art Gallery. Picture: Olivia Hemingway

IF brevity is the soul of wit – ironically a quote from Shakespeare’s longest play, the 40,000-word Hamlet – then that philosophy applies to Pop artist Harland Miller’s new exhibition in York.

“I wanted to use as little language as possible, to see if a short word like ‘If’ , for instance, could mean as much to someone as a long sentence,” he says, on his return to his home city the day after his 61st birthday to launch XXX at York Art Gallery: the gallery he first visited aged 16 on a lunch break from a job he had just started, setting him on his path to international acclaim as an itinerant painter in New York, New Orleans, Berlin and Paris as part of fellow Yorkshireman Jay Jopling’s stable of White Cube gallery artists.

“This show is entitled ‘XXX’ but it doesn’t flout any indecency laws so it should stay open longer than the last one [his Covid-curtailed 2020 show] , which was slated to run for six months but closed after only a few weeks (as was the whole of the city) due to lock down, so I never did find out what being given the keys to the city actually unlocked,” says Harland.

“But York is a city of perpetual mystery and history, including my own, and it always draws me back. It’s especially exciting to be sharing this with everyone – not once, but twice.”     

Harland Miller with his 2019 oil on canvas XXX at York Art Gallery. Picture: Olivia Hemingway

Coinciding with the publication of his new book of the same title by Phaidon, Harland is showcasing paintings and preparatory works on graph paper from his Letter Paintings series, topped off by the unveiling of several new oil paintings, not least York – a suitably short city name to match his project brief.  

He had built his 2020 York Art Gallery exhibition around its title work, York So Good They Named It Once, a work transformed into mugs, fridge magnets et al. “I knew I wanted to do something about York again, and I thought, ‘how can I bring York into the series I’m making?’. The answer was right in front of my face: all the works used letters that made short words and York is a short word!” says Harland.

“Then I thought, what is coming through that says ‘York’ to me. The white rose, though that was a bit obvious, and yellow from the daffodils that come out in the spring. When I was a kid, the Bar Walls were covered with them.

“My mother wasn’t the most positive person, but she equated the daffodils coming out with York regenerating each year in spring.”

Artist Harland Miller stands by his Oh No work, sporting his newly designed Oh No scarf, on sale at York Art Gallery. Picture: Olivia Hemingway

And so Harland Miller’s ‘York’ blossomed into life as his first ever flower painting:  York, so good he has now painted it twice. “Hopefully you see the rose and the daffodil in the white and the yellow, and not a fried egg,” he cautions.

York, a work created since the XXX book went to print, forms part of a hard-edged series that “melds the sacred seamlessly with the everyday”, drawing inspiration from medieval manuscripts, where monks often laboured to produce intricate illuminated letters to mark the beginning of chapters.

In these works, Miller applies bold colours and typefaces to accentuate the expressive versatility of monosyllabic words and acronyms such as ESP, If and Star, the series now expanding to take in Oh No (with an accompanying scarf among the exhibition merchandise), Kiss, Boss and Loop and his first hard-edged  diptych, Far Out.

The Letter Paintings present overlaid letter forms as their image, with a neutral band at the bottom in the form of a title alongside Miller’s own name as their author. By isolating, overlaying and reuniting individual letters, he creates a sense of depth in the image and encourages contemplation.

Far Out, Harland Miller’s first diptych from his Letter Paintings series at York Art Gallery. Picture: Olivia Hemingway

“From two letters, I moved on to three-letter words and favourite four-letter words and now a five-letter word, Eerie, though that’s cheating with three ‘E’s. I like to start with a word and then work with the feeling it evokes, like getting an eerie feeling from the word ‘eerie,” says Harland.

“I painted ‘Numb’ just a couple of years ago after my mother passed away. Yellow and purple felt natural colours for it, and I wanted that sense of walking through that numbness in the painting, which had come from that feeling.”

Yellow and purple might strike you as an unusual colour combination, but Miller had studied colour psychology back in the day when working in graphic design with Peter Turpin at Turpin Graphics.

“Yellow can make people feel violent, but what’s interesting is if you introduce purple, which can make people feel introspective, then by putting it with yellow, you can become violently introspective, which isn’t good for you, but part of my punk philosophy is to challenge that.”

Harland Miller, XXX, oil on canvas, 2019. Copyright: Harland Miller. Photo copyright: White Cube, Theo Christelis

The exhibition is defined by the letter X, so good he used it thrice. “Unlike any other letter in the alphabet, it’s also its own word without being a word. ‘X’ is more exciting than ‘I’. It sounds more exciting!  I don’t know if it’s exciting because it features in words we like, like ‘exciting’ or ‘sex’, but if was ‘secks’, you wouldn’t get a band called The Sex Pistols! Secks Pistols just wouldn’t look good. ‘X’ is a letter that makes a word look good and sound good.”

The exhibition’s themes will extend beyond the indoor gallery spaces into the gallery gardens, through a creative interpretation of Miller’s Far Out diptych, using a selection of flowering plants. Visible from the ground and the gallery’s balcony, the plantings will be sown on two wired raised planting beds on the sloping grass verge behind the gallery, leads up to the wildflower meadow. 

This floral installation will be planned so flowers appear from the end of June, peaking during the summer season, all adding to a show with the XXX factor.

Harland Miller: XXX, York Art Gallery, on show until  August 31. Opening times: Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm. Tickets: yorkartgallery.org.uk.

Beatrice Bertram

Dr Beatrice Bertram, senior curator at York Art Gallery, on Harland Miller’s XXXhibition:

“WE are delighted to welcome Harland back to York Art Gallery and his home city to show this extraordinary exhibition entitled XXX. The displays here in York explore his celebrated series of Letter Paintings, brought together for the first time alongside new work created exclusively for our exhibition.

“Harland’s distinctive, impactful paintings are instantly recognisable and repay close looking. His clever use of language and colour encourages us to encounter everyday words afresh, as he lays letters over one another in an intriguing process of deconstruction and reconnection.

“Don’t miss this unique opportunity to experience Miller’s bright, bold, brilliant body of work produced during an exciting new phase in his career.”