Sleigh belles singing: All-female Scarborough group Raven to play Christmas concert at Stephen Joseph Theatre. Picture: Tony Bartholomew
SCARBOROUGH six-piece Raven will perform their socially distanced 2020 Christmas concert in the Round at the Stephen Joseph Theatre on December 15.
Noted for their enchanting harmonies and haunting melodies, Raven will take their 7.30pm audience on a magical Christmas ride through traditional festive songs and their own winter music.
In the all-female line-up are: Jaye Lewis, vocals, tenor recorder, flute and percussion; Karen Chalmers, vocals, keyboards, piano accordion, recorder and percussion; Nia Davidson, vocals, ukulele, recorder and percussion; Pat Edmond, vocals, guitar, recorder and percussion; Sally Lidgley, vocals and percussion, and Sarah Dew, vocals, keyboards, penny whistle, bass guitar and percussion.
The versatile sextet has performed across Yorkshire, from the Grassington Fringe Festival, Coastival, Woodend and Filey Festival, to the Spotlight Theatre, Bridlington, Helmsley Arts Centre, Selby Abbey and Castle Howard.
Raven have created original soundtracks for Scarborough’s Animated Objects Theatre Company’s large-scale community projects Leviathan and Orpheus The Mariner. Now they are working on The Odyssey, a three-year project for the Yorkshire Coast.
The SJT has introduced comprehensive measures for the safety and comfort of audiences (visit sjt.uk.com/were_back for more details) and has been awarded the VisitEngland We’re Good To Go industry standard mark and UK Theatre’s See It Safely standard mark.
Tickets for Raven cost £12 at sjt.uk.com/whatson or on 01723 370541. The SJT box office is open Tuesdays to Saturdays, 11am to 4pm, for both phone calls and in-person bookings.
Campbell scoop: Scarborough Open Air Theatre signs up UB40 featuring Ali Campbell and Astro for 2021 summer season
UB40 featuring Ali Campbell and Astro and Keane are the latest additions to Scarborough Open Air Theatre’s 2021 summer season.
Campbell and Astro, founding members of the Birmingham reggae and pop hit makers, re-united six years ago and will play with a seven-piece band on June 19 on their second visit to the Yorkshire coast.
East Sussex chart-toppers Keane, who returned from a six-year hiatus with last year’s album Cause And Effect, will head to Scarborough on July 9.
Tickets for both concerts will go on sale at 9am on Friday, October 23 at scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
Campbell and Astro played Scarborough OAT previously in 2017 and last year’s The Real Labour Of Love tour visited Australia, New Zealand, Europe and America.
They have been active during this year’s enforced hiatus, writing songs for their forthcoming album and reassembling their touring band remotely to record a lockdown single, a poignant cover of the late Bill Withers’ Lean On Me, in aid of NHS Charities Together.
Campbell and Astro will return to the road in 2021 with bassist Colin McNeish, guitarist Winston Delandro, keyboardist Michael Martin, drummer Paul Slowly, backing singer Matt Hoy and a brass section of trumpeter Colin Graham and saxophonist Winston Rose.
A handful of new songs will complement multiple UB40 classics, notably King, a hymn to the legacy of American Civil Rights leader Dr Martin Luther King and One In Ten, a paean to the rising tide of unemployment in Margaret Thatcher’s Britain, both as resonant today as they were when first sung in 1980 and 1981.
Campbell says: “We wrote King 40 years ago, but it’s still representative of what’s happening in America. It’s depressing that nothing has changed. It’s the same with One In Ten in the UK. With the impact the Coronavirus could have on jobs, we could soon be looking at unemployment figures on a par with the early Eighties.”
Campbell adds: “Those songs will feature in a show we’ve been honing for the past 12 years. We’ll always play the classics, like Red Red Wine and (I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You, but we like to change the beginning and end of the show.
Keaner than ever: Keane returned from a six-year hiatus with 2019 album Cause And Effect, peaking at number two last September. Picture: Jon Stone
“We’ll play Lean On Me and maybe add three or four new songs. The band members are all fantastic musicians and we’ve climbed back up to the biggest venues.”
The similarly rejuvenated Keane had been booked for Scarborough OAT’s 2020 season until Covid-19 put paid to their July 17 show.
Now singer Tom Chaplin, sparring partner Tim Rice-Oxley, bassist Jesse Quin and drummer Richard Hughes will perform on July 9 next summer
The birth of their fifth studio album in September 2019 came as a surprise even to the band from Battle. Chaplin had released two solo albums, 2016’s The Wave and 2017’s Twelve Tales Of Christmas, but nevertheless missed working with Rice-Oxley.
So, when Chaplin, Quin and Hughes heard the songs Rice-Oxley had been composing, they were immediately drawn to them, both sonically and lyrically, and Keane were reborn. “We’re not some heritage act,” says Rice-Oxley. “We’ve got a lot of great music in us.”
The comeback album, featuring the singles The Way I Feel, Love Too Much and Stupid Things, peaked at number two last autumn, adding to the success of a career that had chalked up 13 million album sales, four number one albums, two BRIT awards and one Ivor Novello award before coming to a halt in 2013 with The Best Of Keane compilation.
Their 2004 debut, Hopes And Fears, elicited the hits Somewhere Only We Know, Everybody’s Changing, This Is The Last Time and Bedshaped en route to being ranked among Britain’s 40 best-selling albums of all time. Next came Under The Iron Sea in 2006, Perfect Symmetry in 2008 and Strangeland in 2012.
Venue programmer Peter Taylor, of promoters Cuffe and Taylor, says: “Keane were obviously going to be one of the major highlights of our 2020 season and so we are delighted to have arranged for them to play a headline show here in 2021.
“This special arena was created for artists like Keane. Their songs are beautiful, anthemic, the soundtrack to many people’s lives over the last 20 years, and I’m sure their army of fans cannot wait to see these songs played live here.”
Confirmed for the Scarborough OAT 2021 diary so far are: June 19, UB40 featuring Ali Campbell and Astro; June 20, RuPaul’s Drag Race: Werq The World; July 9, Keane; July 10, Olly Murs, and August 20, Nile Rodgers & Chic. More shows will be added. Watch this space.
Joshua Burnell: Living room concert tomorrow night. Picture: Elly Lucas
THE future of folk, alias York multi-instrumentalist, singer and composer Joshua Burnell, will be joined by his partner, vocalist Frances Sladen, for a one-off online concert organised by the East Riding Theatre, Beverley, tomorrow night (October 17).
“We’ll be playing acoustic versions of songs old and new,” says Joshua, who released his futuristic new album, Flowers Where The Horses Sleep, on September 4.
What can viewers expect when they head to ERT’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/events/365072138001228/ for the free 7.30pm concert? “I’m still figuring out exactly how it’ll work!” said Joshua, when first announcing the folk-fused baroque’n’roll virtual gig.
The artwork for Joshua Burnell’s new album, Flowers Where The Horses Sleep
“But we’ll definitely be sharing tales that influenced the songs, as well as reflections on how the lockdown affected our musical process.”
Here Joshua, winner of the Rising Star award in the 2020 Folking Awards, answers Charles Hutchinson’s questions on this weekend’s Live In Your Living Room concert.
How did this living room gig come about?
“We were supposed to be playing a live show at East Riding Theatre as part of the album launch tour, which couldn’t go ahead. Then, Chris [music and comedy programmer Chris Wade] sent me an email out of the blue, asking if we’d like to do an online show in anticipation of a real show next year. Of course, we were delighted and said yes!”
“There’s a handful of new songs we’ve been desperate to share with an audience,” says Joshua
“I’m still figuring out exactly how it’ll work!” you said initially when contemplating playing an online gig. Have you figured it out yet?
“Just about. I’ve invested in some fancy wires that I can plug into my normal wires and then we’ll be on the internet. If that fails, we’ll just have to go round to every audience member’s house, stand in the garden and perform two metres away from their window.”
Which instruments will feature?
“I’m glad you asked! Especially for this show, I have acquired a piano. A real piano. With actual strings and wood and everything. I figured it’d be a relief having one thing I can’t forget to plug in… and it sounds beautiful too. I’ll have my trusty acoustic guitar to hand too.”
“For the first time, I’ve had a real affinity with the 17th century minstrels,” says Joshua
How prominent inthe set list will be songs from the new album?
“We’ll be opening the set with some favourites from Flowers Where The Horses Sleep. There’s also a handful of new songs we’ve been desperate to share with an audience: lots more stories and characters. Some of them are so new, it’ll be my first time hearing them live as well as the audience’s. I can’t wait!”
What do you most enjoy when performing as a duo rather than with your band?
“The first thought that comes to mind is that there’s less gear to carry. And now the commute consists of along the landing and down our staircase, it really is a dream.
“Especially for this show, I have acquired a piano,” says Joshua
“On a slightly more sensible front, it’s a completely different show, so that brings different styles and genres and arrangements to the table. When we approach material that we usually play with the band, it’s good fun finding stripped-back arrangements that work for us, as opposed to just playing them without the other instruments.”
Do you have any other shows in the pipeline?
“Nothing else online planned yet, but there’s a whole album-launch tour that’s been waiting to go for a while. It was meant for this autumn but has been postponed to next spring. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens with the ol’ Covid.
“For the first time, I’ve had a real affinity with the 17th century minstrels. Just imagine what it must have been like trying to rearrange a tour in the middle of the bubonic plague!”
Full of beans! The York Stage cast for Jack And The Beanstalk, from top left: Jordan Fox, May Tether, Ian Stroughair, Livvy Evans, Alex Weatherhill, Emily Taylor, Matthew Ives and Danielle Mullan
CHRISTMAS in York would not be complete without a family outing to the pantomime, reckons York Stage producer Nik Briggs.
No wonder he is excited to announce his company will be bringing a brand new professional staging of Jack And The Beanstalk to the city this winter, billed as “a panto made in York for the people of York”.
Running from December 11 2020 to January 3 2021 at Theatre @41 Monkgate, York, the 90-minute, Covid-secure show will feature Ian Stroughair, alias York’s international drag diva Velma Celli, in wicked mode in the cast of eight laden with West End talent from Yorkshire and the North East.
Nik says: “Join us this December for some magical Christmas entertainment as we present Jack And The Beanstalk in the Theatre @41 building in the heart of York on Monkgate.
York Stage’s poster for Jack And The Beanstalk, the pantomime where “giant magic can grow in the smallest places”
“Our traditional family pantomime will be performed in a traverse setting in the John Cooper Studio, with the audience placed either side of a central stage with a capacity of 80 and no interval in the show.”
“Covid-secure safety measures will be in place and, for the first time at a York Stage show, Perspex safety screens will be placed between households and support bubbles so that our audiences can safely enjoy the show.”
Introducing his cast, Nik says: “We’re so excited to be bringing a sensational show to York this Christmas with the most exciting casting!”
Taking on the challenge of climbing the beanstalk will be West End actor Jordan Fox (from Kinky Boot, Friendsical, Beautiful) as Jack, who must take on the evil Flesh Creep, played by Ian Stroughair (Cats, Fame, Chicago and Rent, as well as award-winning drag vocalist Velma Celli).
Ian Stroughair, pictured here in Velma Celli drag diva mode, will switch to the dark side as the villainous Flesh Creep in Jack And The Beanstalk
Supporting Jack on his quest will be another York-born West End talent, Livvy Evans (Tina, Motown, Soho Cinders), as Fairy Mary and Alex Weatherhill (Chicago, All Male G&S) as Dame Trott.
York Stage are thrilled to be giving May Tether, a favourite of past York Stage Musicals shows, her first professional contract, playing Jill, following her graduation from London drama school Trinity Laban in July.
Completing the cast will be Matthew Ives (The Boyfriend, Closer to Heaven, La Cage Aux Folles); Emily Taylor (Great British Pantomime Award nominee and regular choreographer of the Grand Opera House pantomime) and Danielle Mullan, the North Easterner who captained the dance team in Berwick Kaler’s York Theatre Royal pantomimes for many years.
Looking forward to York Stage adding a new string to their bow after this summer’s open-air musical theatre concerts in Rowntree Park, Theatre@41 board chairman Alan Park says: “Christmas isn’t Christmas without panto. We’re delighted York Stage are taking full advantage of Theatre@41’s flexible space to ensure York families will still be able to safely enjoy a full all-singing and all-dancing pantomime.
May Tether: Signed her first professional contract after drama school to play Jill in Jack And The Beanstalk. Here she is pictured singing in York Stage Musicals’ first summer concert at the Rowntree Park Amphitheatre in August. Picture: Charlie Kirkpatrick
“We can’t wait to welcome audiences back and for the building to echo with music and laughter again.”
Summing up what lies in store in Jack And The Beanstalk, Nik says: “With an exciting cast filled with West End talent, all born and bred in Yorkshire, and a creative team made up from those who brought shows such as Shrek, The Sound Of Music and Hairsprayto York, audiences can be assured of a show of true panto magic!”
“Expect glitzy sets and costumes, a show filled with singing and dancing, lots of laughs and, of course, a huge beanstalk! Audiences can book now for a giant slice of traditional Christmas fun at one of the city’s most magical, bean-sized theatres for all the family!”
Tickets for the 40 performances are on sale at yorkstagepanto.com
Jack And The Beanstalk in a nutshell…
Writer, director and producer Nik Briggs and musical director Jessica Douglas
PANTOMIME: Jack And The Beanstalk, presented by York Stage Ltd.
WHERE: John Cooper Studio, Theatre @41, Monkgate, York, YO31 7PB.
WHEN: December 11 2020 to January 3 2021.
SHOW TIMES: Monday to Saturday, 2pm and 7pm; Sundays, 1pm and 6pm; Christmas Eve, 12 noon and 5pm; New Year’s Eve, 12 noon.
RUNNING TIME: 90 minutes with no interval.
AUDIENCE CAPACITY: 80, seated in household/support bubble groupings only.
PRICE: Ranging from £20 to £27.
TICKETS: Available online only, via www.yorkstagepanto.com
Writer, director and producer for York Stage Ltd: NIK BRIGGS
Musical director: JESSICA DOUGLAS
Cast: JORDAN FOX as Jack; MAY TETHER as Jill; IAN STROUGHAIR as Flesh Creep; LIVVY EVANS as Fairy Mary; ALEX WEATHERHILL as Dame Trott; EMILY TAYLOR, MATTHEW IVES and DANIELLE MULLAN, Ensemble.
Olly Murs: Hits and new material at Scarborough Open Air Theatre
OLLY Murs will play Scarborough Open Air Theatre on July 10 2021, completing a hat-trick of appearances on the Yorkshire coast .
Venue programmer Peter Taylor, of promoters Cuffe and Taylor, says: “Olly played two brilliant sold-out shows here in 2013 and 2017 and fans are constantly requesting we bring him back, which we are delighted to be able to do.”
The Essex singer, show host and talent-show judge, 36, will perform his biggest hits at Britain’s biggest purpose-built outdoor concert arena on a 25-date tour from June 5 to August 29 that will take in a further Yorkshire show at Harewood House, near Leeds, on August 11.
“I’ve missed seeing my fans and having that connection with them when I’m on stage,” says Olly, who promises a fun, upbeat, cheeky live show on his return next summer. “There’s nothing better than being on the road and actually being able to see your fans singing and dancing to your music.
“I feed off people’s energy, so going back on the road all around the country, to places I don’t often get to go will be amazing. Also playing live with my band and having them all on stage with me bringing my music to life is the best feeling.”
Reflecting on the pandemic’s impact on the live music industry, Olly says: “It’s been a tough year for everyone, so it’s nice to have something to look forward to for next summer.
“I’m very aware that not only am I looking forward to it as playing live is the best part of my job, but also for all the people I employ to put on the shows – from my band, crew, sound, lighting, producers, riggers – so many people that rely on live music to make a living. To go around the UK playing at loads of amazing outdoor venues is going to be pretty special.”
In this year’s unwelcome hiatus from performing, Olly’s thoughts turn to choosing his favourite tour memory. “It’s so hard to pick as I’ve been lucky enough to have so many amazing memories on tour but playing at Wembley Stadium with Robbie Williams really stands out for me,” he says.
“I was supporting him on his European tour in 2013, and to have 60,000 people singing back to me and waving their hands in the air to my music was pretty special. I was overwhelmed with the reaction.”
This year, Olly will be looking to retain his crown as winning judge on his third series of The Voice, at present postponed at the semi-final stages.
This year too, Olly captained the England team for Soccer Aid. “It was an honour to do so as we raised a record amount of money – over £9m – in the midst of a global pandemic. I played shocking, to be fair, probably my worst personal performance, but it will still be one of my most memorable Soccer Aids because of the circumstances in which we still managed to put it on.”
During lockdown, Olly underwent a body transformation, working in tandem with personal trainer Rob Solly. “To see the results of your hard work is obviously the rewarding part, but for me it was more important in how it made me feel,” he says.
“At the start of lockdown, while still recovering from knee surgery, I was eating anything and everything out of boredom, but that made me feel less productive and more sluggish, so having Soccer Aid as a focus to get me fit again was a real drive.”
As for upcoming recordings, Olly is working on new material for 2021. “It’s been a while since I released my own music, so that’s the plan for next year,” he says. “I’m starting to work on writing now and figure out what the next sound is for me, so watch this space.”
Scarborough tickets for Olly Murs can be booked at scarboroughopenairtheatre.com; Harewood House tickets at AXS.com and ticketmaster.co.uk.
Forming, by Nick Loaring, on show at the Flourish exhibition at Woodend Gallery, Scarborough
CINEWORLD, York, and City Screen, York are both closed temporarily until further notice after the new James Bond film, No Time To Die, was put back in cold storage until next April, a full year after its original planned release date.
However, despite the rising second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic, Charles Hutchinson continues to track and trace signs of artistic life, drive-in events and home entertainment.
Exhibition of the week outside York: Flourish, Woodend Gallery, Scarborough, until January 31 2021
RUN by Huddersfield’s West Yorkshire Print Workshop, Flourish brings together prints made by 13 nationwide artists shortlisted for this year’s Flourish Award.
Those artists are: Paulette Bansal; Suzanne Bethell; Louisa Boyd; Tony Carlton; Louise Garman; Pam Grimmond, from Markington, near Harrogate; Ian Irvine; Nick Loaring; Lucie MacGregor; Flora McLachlan; Lucy May Schofield; Claire Willberg and Susan Wright.
Back in Black: Chris While and Julie Matthews are to play an exclusive online concert for York’s Black Swan Folk Club
Online folk concert of the week: Chris While and Julie Matthews, Black Swan Folk Club, York, October 15, 7.30pm
BLACK Swan favourites Chris While and Julie Matthews will be playing this online concert exclusively for the York folk club and will conclude the night with a live question-and-answer session.
Tickets are on sale at: whileandmatthews.com/virtual-tour. “Once you’ve purchased a ticket, you’ll be able to watch the streamed performance whenever you want,” says organiser Chris Euesden. “Chris and Julie have been guests at the club and played for us in concert at the NCEM many times over the years and it’s always been a great evening.”
Joshua Burnell: One-off online concert presented by East Riding Theatre, Beverley. Picture: Elly Lucas
Folk-fused baroque’n’roll virtual gig of the week ahead: Joshua Burnell & Frances Sladen, Live In Your Living Room, October 17, 7.30pm
THE future of folk, alias York multi-instrumentalist, singer and composer Joshua Burnell, will be joined by his partner, vocalist Frances Sladen, for a one-off online concert hosted by the East Riding Theatre, Beverley.
“We’ll be playing acoustic versions of songs old and new,” says Joshua, who released his futuristic new album, Flowers Where The Horses Sleep, last month.
What can viewers expect when they head to ERT’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/events/365072138001228/ for the free concert? “I’m still figuring out exactly how it’ll work!” says Joshua, winner of the Rising Star award in the 2020 Folking Awards. “But we’ll definitely be sharing tales that influenced the songs, as well as reflections on how the lockdown affected our musical process.”
One man on a downer: Simon Slater as Derek Eveleigh in Douglas Post’s thriller Headshot. Picture: Marc Brenner
In search of a thriller this autumn? Head to Bloodshot, in The Round, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, October 21 to 24, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
SIMON Slater, the Scarborough-born actor and composer with West End credits galore to his name, returns home to perform Bloodshot, Douglas Post’s one-man thriller.
In a story of vaudeville, murder, magic and jazz set in London in 1957, Derek Eveleigh is a skilled photographer but very down on his luck.
A mysterious envelope arrives from a stranger, asking him to take secret pictures of an elegant young woman as she walks in Holland Park. The reward is handsome, but the irresistible assignment takes a sudden, shocking turn. Entangled and compelled to understand, Derek is led into a seedy Soho nightlife populated by dubious characters.
Bang on! The poster for Autumn Lights’ drive-in spectacle of light on Guy Fawkes Night
Drive-in fireworks event on Guy Fawkes Night: Autumn Lights, Elvington Airfield, near York, November 5, 5pm to 8.30pm
ELVINGTON Airfield will be the setting for Autumn Lights’ spectacle of light on Guy Fawkes Night in a drive-in event billed as “York’s biggest fireworks extravaganza”.
Look out for a hot air balloon nightglow (albeit with the balloon inflation dependant on the weather), fire shows and street food at this Covid-secure evening with car parking and space to get out and enjoy the show. Find out more at Facebook.com/autmunlightsuk and Instagram @autumnlightsuk.
Arm in arm: Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman reflect on 25 years of making music together
Rearranged concert of the month ahead: Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman, National Centre for Early Music, York, November 17, 6pm and 8.30pm
KATHRYN Roberts and Sean Lakeman, partners in life and music, had to postpone their April 22 show at the NCEM. Now, instead, they will play not one, but two, hour-long shows, each featuring the same set list, as they mark 25 years of making folk music together.
To celebrate this milestone, the couple will revisit and reinterpret songs from the early days of folk supergroup Equation through to 2020’s album, On Reflection, with a nod or two along the way to their extracurricular musical adventures, in a whistle-stop tour through their artistic journey to date.
Limited seating will be available, each household/support bubble up to four people to be seated around small tables positioned at a two-metre social distance from others. Tickets go on sale tomorrow (October 9) at be on sale at blackswanfolkclub@yahoo.co.uk.
Visage voyage: Michelle Visage will be “spiralling through time with no way of returning home” from Scarborough Open Air Theatre next summer
Looking ahead to next summer: RuPaul’s Drag Race: Werq The World, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, June 20 2021
COMBINING music, comedy, sassiness and lavish set-pieces to “create the biggest, brashest, most utterly glorious party night of the year”, the fourth UK and European RuPaul Drag Race tour show will see “an experiment gone wrong that sends Drag Race judge and 2019 Strictly Come Dancing contestant Michelle Visage spiralling through time with no way of returning home”.
Newly crowned Season 12 Drag Race winner Jaida Essence Hall, Asia O’Hara, Kameron Michaels, Plastique Tiara, Vanessa Vanjie and Yvie Oddly will be joined by stars from the latest latest USA, UK and Canadian seasons to “journey through iconic periods of history in the hope they will find their way back to the present day”.
Tickets for the only RuPaul’s Drag Race British outdoor show next summer, plus Olly Murs on July 10 and Nile Rodgers & Chic on August 20, are on sale via scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
Reflections on an autumn day at Holkham Beach in Norfolk. Picture: Celestine Dubruel
And what about?
Taking an autumn break in Norwich, Norfolk and on the Suffolk coast.
“VERY flat, Norfolk,” opined Noel Coward in Private Lives.
Seeking rather more than flatness, CharlesHutchPress will be on vacation Broadly speaking for a week.
Hopefully, the arts world will have been delivered world-beating, but delayed Cultural Recovery Fund grants by then. Over to you, Mr Dowden, before it is too late and the world of live theatre, music and comedy is flatlining.
Hannah Wakelam: The Joseph Rowntree Theatre’s inaugural Young Ambassador
THE Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, has appointed Hannah Wakelam as its first Young Ambassador.
Musical theatre performer Hannah, 19, was responsible for setting up and running the online Yorkshire’s Got Talent contest reached its final last weekend, won by York performer and composer Ed Atkin.
Through this virtual contest and other online competitions, Hannah raised more than £1,200 for the Haxby Road theatre’s £90,000 Raise Tthe Roof appeal and boosted the theatre’s youth following.
She approached the JoRo theatre early on in its campaign to suggest ways she could help in raising funds for the roof appeal for the Art Deco building. The Yorkshire’s Got Talent online contest quickly attracted entrants and followers and membership of its Facebook group surged to almost 4,000.
Graham Mitchell, the JoRo’s events and fundraising director, says: “Hannah’s enthusiasm and support for our cause are infectious. She’s achieved huge things in a short space of time and has brought the theatre’s Raise The Roof appeal to the attention of thousands of people.”
In recognition of those achievements, the theatre has decided to name Hannah as its first Young Ambassador. “This new role will see Hannah supported by the board of trustees as she continues to raise awareness of the theatre among younger theatregoers,” says Graham.
A delighted Hannah says: “The support for the Yorkshire’s Got Talent competition and the money it raised blew me away! I absolutely love this theatre, I’ve performed in it so many times and we need it to survive so that it can exist as a training ground for young people, both on and off stage.”
Although Yorkshire’s Got Talent may be over, Hannah continues to work with the theatre’s fundraising and marketing teams, creating online content for Facebook and Instagram.
Video tours of the JoRo will be available to view soon, seen through Hannah’s eyes and in her words, and soon too she will be launching a huge raffle for the appeal. Already she is on the lookout for prize donations.
Highlighting the opportunities that the JoRo offers to young people, only last week York-born actor David Bradley lent his support to the roof appeal.
“The Joseph Rowntree Theatre has been a vital part of the city for many years,” says the Harry Potter and Game Of Thrones star. “I know from personal experience that it has provided opportunities for so many young people and I will always be grateful for that. I fully support the Raise The Roof appeal and wish it every success.”
Last Sunday’s Yorkshire’s Got Talent final was decided by a public poll, the contest judges and six other West End and Broadway industry professionals. Ed Atkin emerged as the winner, beating Fladam (silly-song duo Florence Poskitt and Adam Sowter) and Jordan Wright.
The judges were Wakefield performer Laura Pick, who was playing Elphaba in Wicked in the West End until lockdown, West End regular and cruise ship vocal captain Nathan Lodge and Ripon vocal coach Amelia Urukalo.
Industry professionals involved in judging were Rachel Tucker, Kerry Ellis, Natalie Paris, Matthew Croke, Nicholas McClean and Paul Taylor-Mills.
For the Raise The Roof campaign, the JoRo has set up a Just Giving page and is encouraging donations of “even just the amount of a takeaway coffee” at: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/Raise-the-Roof
C’est Chic: Nile Rodgers and his band will play Scarborough Open Air Theatre next summer
NILE Rodgers & Chic are the third act to sign up for next summer’s season at Scarborough Open Air Theatre after Olly Murs and RuPaul’s Drag Race: Werq The World.
Disco luminaries Rodgers & Chic will play Britain’s largest purpose-built outdoor concert arena on Friday, August 20 2021 after the Covid-19 pandemic ruled out their Scarborough show this summer.
Chic co-founder Rodgers and his band previously performed at a sold-out Scarborough OAT in 2018 and once more will roll out such favourites as Le Freak, Good Times and Everybody Dance next summer.
When booked in for August 21 2020, Rodgers had said: “As most people know, the UK is my home from home. Myself and Chic had a brilliant time when we played Scarborough OAT in 2018 and we cannot wait to come back again this summer. It’s going to be another amazing night, so bring your dancing shoes!” Those same sentiments now will apply in 2021.
New Yorker Rodgers, 68, is a Grammy Award-winning composer, producer, arranger and guitarist with more than 200 production credits to his name, for David Bowie, Diana Ross and Madonna et al, as well as inductions into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, an organisation he now chairs. He has been appointed the first chief creative advisor for the Abbey Road Studios, in London, too.
His innovative, trend-setting collaborations with Daft Punk, Avicii, Sigala, Disclosure and Sam Smith reflect his continuing influence on the vanguard of contemporary music.
RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Michelle Visage: “Spiralling through time with no way of returning home”
Next August’s show will be presented by regular Scarborough OAT programmers Cuffe and Taylor. “We were absolutely devastated to cancel this year’s summer season, including Nile Rodgers & Chic’s eagerly awaited return here,” says promoter Peter Taylor.
“Their show in 2018 was just sensational – they never fail to get an entire arena on their feet dancing – and we’ve had so many fans asking us to bring them back. We are delighted to announce Nile and Chic will be returning in 2021. They are global superstars, Nile is behind some of the best known songs ever written and this is going to be a night not to be missed.”
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Werq The World, billed as the biggest drag show on the planet, will sashay into Scarborough OAT on Sunday, June 20 for its only outdoor British date in 2021.
Combining music, comedy, sassiness and lavish set-pieces to “create the biggest, brashest, most utterly glorious party night of the year”, the fourth UK and European RuPaul Drag Race tour show will see “an experiment gone wrong that sends Drag Race judge and 2019 Strictly Come Dancing contestant Michelle Visage spiralling through time with no way of returning home”.
Newly crowned Season 12 Drag Race winner Jaida Essence Hall, Asia O’Hara, Kameron Michaels, Plastique Tiara, Vanessa Vanjie and Yvie Oddly will be joined by stars from the latest latest USA, UK and Canadian seasons to “journey through iconic periods of history in the hope they will find their way back to the present day”.
RuPaul’s Drag Race drag queens: Ready to Werq The World
Along with Cardiff Motorpoint Arena on June 18 and Brighton Centre on June 19, Scarborough is one of three British shows being added to the European leg of the world tour, presented on the East Coast by Cuffe and Taylor and Voss Events.
Programmer Peter Taylor says: “We are delighted to be able to bring RuPaul’s Drag Race’s world tour to Scarborough. The demand for tickets across the UK and Europe has been phenomenal.
“The show is always a huge hit and we are really looking forward to be working with the Voss Events team to present what will be an outrageously entertaining evening on the beautiful Yorkshire coast.
“This is going to be an unmissable party night and arguably the most lavish production we have staged at Scarborough OAT since we welcomed Britney Spears and Kylie [Minogue] to the venue.”
Tickets for Nile Rodgers & Chic, RuPaul’s Drag Race and pop singer Olly Murs’ July 10 show will go on general sale at 9am on Friday, October 9, via www.scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
Plenty more shows will be added to the Scarborough OAT 2021 season.
“With the lack of actually experiencing live music in people’s lives, the timing of this live album might just be right,” says Heather Findlay. Picture: Kennedy
YORK folk/prog singer and songwriter Heather Findlay is to release a live album this autumn, Live White Horses, “to document the whole Wild White Horses experience”.
Signed copies of the “double-disc jewel” can be pre-ordered exclusively from Heather’s official website at www.heatherfindlay.co.uk/shop.
The general release date will be confirmed by Heather once her wait for the final masters is over. Keep an eye on her website and CharlesHutchPress for an update.
“Earlier this year, I was fortunate to have been able to tour Wild White Horses in the UK with an absolutely stellar bunch of hugely talented and wonderful souls,” says the former Mostly Autumn and Mantra Vega vocalist, who toured in a seven-piece line-up. “We recorded some of those shows, from which I’m delighted to be able to offer a new live album.”
Released on Black Sand Records, Live White Horses combines a first disc of a 17-song January concert recording with a complementary disc of live sessions, bootlegs and rare and secret gems from throughout the Wild White Horses ride, beginning in Nashville, Tennessee, in July 2019, travelling onward across Europe, with stops in London and Germany, and then heading back home again.
Making up Disc 2 are Broadway Bootlegs: She Rocks Showcase, recorded live at Tin Roof, Broadway, Nashville, in July 2019; Secret Sari Sessions, Unplugged, Live at Total Rock Radio, London, August 2019; Das Bootlegs, Live at Vinyl Cafe Schwazes Gold, Dorsten, Germany, with guitarist Martin Ledger, August 2019; Live in Session at York St John University Chapel, York, February 2020, and Acoustic Solo Sessions, live at home in York during lockdown, Summer 2020.
Here Heather saddles up her Wild White Horse for a ride through Charles Hutchinson’s questions.
Releasing a live album can only remind you of what you cannot do at the moment. What are you missing most about live performances?
“I miss my band mates and connecting with a live audience! There’s nothing that can replace that collective mood, or vibration if you like, of a live performance. When all elements come together, there’s a certain magic that happens which, once any element is removed, it’s very hard to recreate.”
When and where did you last perform on an indoor stage with your band?
“My last show with the band was the last night of the Wild White Horses tour earlier this year at the Robin 2 in Wolverhampton. That was on January 22. The last time I was on a York stage was at Big Ian’s A Night To Remember charity fundraiser at York Barbican on February 29.”
Those were the days pre-Covid lockdown: Heather Findlay, left, Jess Steel, Beth McCarthy and Annie Donaghy giving their all to I Feel Like A Woman on A Night To Remember at a sold-out York Barbican in February . Picture: David Harrison
Was a live album always in the pipeline or did lockdown’s enforced blockade of concerts make you think this would be a good time for one?
“During our shows, my friend and support band leader Hughes Taylor announced he’d not only been recording his own band’s performances but, in stealth, he’d managed to capture ours too! We hadn’t planned to record any of the shows, so that was a real surprise!
“Once Hughes got back to the USA, he sent over the files, so I sent them to my engineer to throw up some draft mixes and I was thrilled to find the performances had been really well captured.
“Like most, I really wasn’t sure what on Earth to do at a time like this. I pondered over many things, but in a sudden moment of inspiration I just decided to go for it.
“It was a risk as I had no idea how new music would be received at a time when so many are struggling and suffering, but it really seemed that with the lack of actually experiencing live music in people’s lives, the timing of this might just be right.
“I was then pretty overwhelmed when the Limited Edition sold out so fast, but I was really glad I’d gone with my gut and taken the leap! Music can be such balsam and, seemingly, exactly what people need to help see them through tough times.”
Capturing the essence of a live concert on an album is always a challenge. What makes you feel that these recordings have captured that essence?
“That’s very true! Well, in this case, the whole band had worked really hard in rehearsals and the musicians I was blessed to have with me throughout the tour really are world class and super-reliable. The chemistry between us from the get-go was fantastic too.
“Lots of laughter and a sense that everyone was really giving it their all and truly enjoying being there, with the common goal of lifting hearts and roofs! Then, of course, there’s the audience who were just amazing. So generous and the icing on the cake!”
The artwork for Heather Findlay’s autumn album, Live White Horses
Did you have loads of recordings from which to choose the live sessions, bootlegs and rare, secret gems from your Wild White Horses travels for Disc 2?
“I didn’t have a vast amount to choose from, to be honest, and it’s not something I consciously planned either. Getting Wild White Horses off the ground and into production was all consuming. I kind of wear all the hats, so there’s often very little headspace to forward-plan alongside that.
“In some ways, it’s quite mysterious how it all came together for this live album really, but I was fortunate that the whole journey had been documented in some way or other from that first show in Nashville.
“For someone who finds it quite hard to stop doing and just be, lockdown in some ways provided the permission to do just that. Once my schedule allowed me to actually slow down and get in the flow, I found that I was able to let go of worrying about how things would unfold and this is when the inspirations and, in turn, solutions appeared.”
What made you decide to add the second disc?
“I liked the idea of offering up rare stuff from the archives that doesn’t normally get released, but as I’m quite a perfectionist in my work, I’m usually way too self-critical for anything like that to be released!
“This time though, I liked the challenge of forcing myself to get over that, because what I realised I was missing was that many fans really love experiencing some of those things they’d have ordinarily missed out on. The unpolished, fly-on-the-wall stuff, if you like.
“The bootlegs on Disc 2 really are just that! Bootleg recordings captured by loving fans, so by no means the polished, multi-track experience Disc 1 offers. The Secret Sari Sessions are great and showcase some of the Wild White Horses album tunes in a different, more unplugged format, whereas the recording of Firefly is a beautifully intimate recording of just Emily Lynn and me around the grand piano at the York St John University Chapel.
“After the tour, it was suggested that we make a live recording of that song as it was such a special moment in the set. I got talking to Chris Johnson about it and that’s when he offered to record us there. The secret part about that track is that we filmed it for a video too, but now it’s no longer a secret! Oops!.More on that soon.”
“Naturally, people are very scared at such uncertain times as these, but I felt strongly that I wanted to promote hope and an optimism that we would get through this,” says Heather
What have you been up to in lockdown and beyond? Recording at home, for example.
“Recording Here’s To You, Already Free and a new song, Solitaire, with just me and an acoustic guitar at home felt like an authentic 2020 snapshot, or time stamp if you like. I was really back home again, like everyone else, but as I’d never released anything that featured just me and my guitar before, I felt I wanted to capture that and offer it as a full circle moment in the Wild White Horses story, as that’s really how all of my songs actually begin.
“Solitaire was written around the same time as some of the Wild White Horses material, but being a different flavour didn’t quite fit with the rest of the album.
“It’s a song inspired by Solitaire, the mystical seer and tarot woman played by Jane Seymour in Live And Let Die. My kids and I went through a Roger Moore Bond phase around that time and Live And Let Die ended up being our favourite. I liked how the last song on the album, recorded in an unforeseeable, solo lockdown situation is actually called Solitaire!”
What else have you done?
“A bit before I got the idea to release Live White Horses, I’d been brainstorming, trying to come up with a way that I could help people while still staying at home. As a lone parent, I had to put caring for my two kids first – home-schooling and all! – so volunteering was out of the question.
“The idea then came to launch a campaign calledLove For Sale, whereby I would send out free, signed ‘care package’ albums to fans who ordered them as cheer-up gifts for their friends and loved ones during lockdown. I offered ‘PS I Love You’s’ too, which were specially handwritten notes offered to someone’s loved one on their behalf.
“The campaign ran throughout the lockdown period and to my surprise I was totally inundated with orders. I loved that old-school connection with people that this brought. Actually writing in pen and ink! I think this is really what reinvigorated my faith in the power that music has to uplift and connect people.”
“There’s nothing that can replace that collective mood, or vibration if you like, of a live performance,” says Heather. Picture: David Harrison
What did you learn in lockdown?
“Despite the current restrictions imposed across music worldwide, I was just really grateful I was still in a position to both help in some way and to remain connected with the outside world in a way that avoided the darkness and drama that seemed to be taking hold of people.
“Naturally, people are very scared at such uncertain times as these, but I felt strongly that I wanted to promote hope and an optimism that we would get through this. This is also what gave me the idea to create something a bit more special and personalised for Live White Horses by offering dedications with the limited-edition version of the album.
“Other than this, I also enjoyed gardening with the kids, planting veggies and cat mumming. I also revisited creating art here and there. I’ve always been intrigued by astrology too, so I also began studying Vedic astrology, which has been fascinating, and along with my yoga practice, another way to connect with India.”
What were your plans for 2020 before Covid-19 changed all that?
“In February, I had no idea how the rest of the year would pan out. The plans at that point were to film one more video in April with my friends Danny and Luke from Thunder and, come November, to go back out on tour.
“Of course, both of those plans were halted due to the outbreak of the pandemic. Like everyone, I’ve had to think outside of the box as to how to move forward at this time.
“Especially as in music many avenues remain blocked, so I’m even more grateful that the Universe appears to have delivered me a clear pathway forwards and lined it with a very supportive audience who are excited to hear what is on offer!”
What are your plans for the rest of the year or is everything up in the air?
“Well, as up in the air as much of life still is, with further touring being halted, Angela Gordon and I have decided it’s time to finally begin recording the long awaited, second Odin Dragonfly album, Sirens!
“We’ve been writing for it over the past few years on the back burner and alongside our other projects. Recording proper has kept being put off until we both have more time to give it its due.
“For me, now the Wild White Horses chapter is drawing to a close, it feels like that time is here. It’s a beautiful and mystical collection of songs, which strangely I’ve always envisioned getting stuck into the recording of once the leaves are turning and days are crispy, cold and witchy faery again…
… “Somewhere between Faeryland and Jiffy Bag mountain is where you’ll find me!”
Soon to fly again: Heather Findlay and Angela Gordon are to record their second Odin Dragonfly album, Sirens
