THE Stranglers, still going strong
after 46 years, have decided their 21 October and November dates will be their final
“extensive full production UK tour”.
“This is the last time we intend to
play together in this way,” they say, after announcing Yorkshire gigs at Sheffield City Hall on October 30 and Leeds O2 Academy on November 12. “While
we may not be checking out completely just yet, this will be the last
opportunity to see us playing together in a comprehensive touring format.”
No more heroes on the road on full UK
tours post 2020, autumn’s shows are a chance to enjoy peaches from a back
catalogue of 24 Top 40 singles and 18 Top 40 albums before they walk on by to
other ways of still gigging.
Responding to “overwhelming demand”
from Stranglers fans, the invitation went out to Ruts DC to be this autumn’s special
guests, so, yes, they will be Staring At The Rude Boys.
Meanwhile, The Stranglers – The Movie,
a crowd-funded documentary that “attempts to cram the band’s complex story, full of wild anecdotes, into one
film”, will be released imminently.
Tour tickets go on sale on Friday at gigsandtour.com and ticketmaster.co.uk.
Councillor Robert Webb, Kayleigh Oliver (playing Barbara Castle), Rachael Maskell MP, Martyn Hunter (playing Harold Wilson) and Councillor Anna Perrett at Sunday’s rehearsal run of Made In Dagenham
YORK Central MP
Rachael Maskell and West End musical theatre star Scott Garnham, from Malton,
popped along to Sunday’s rehearsal run of Made In Dagenham.
The session was
open to York Residents Festival visitors as the Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company
prepared for their fundraising musical production in aid of the Joseph Rowntree
Theatre.
Presented by the
JoRo’s in-house company, Made In Dagenham tells the true story of the beginning
of the equal pay for women movement, focusing on the Ford strike at Dagenham in
the 1960s.
The choice of show
could not be more relevant because the York performances coincide with the 50th
anniversary of the passing of Barbara Castle’s Equal Pay Act of 1970.
The Cortina girls and Buddy Cortina, from the Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company show, with Malton actor Scott Garnham, from the original West End production. of Made In Dagenham. Left to right: Lucy Plimmer, Jenny Jones, Ben Huntley, Scott Garnham, Karen Brunyee and Ashley Ginter.
The subject of equal pay and discrimination is close to Rachael Maskell’s heart, as the Labour MP spent many years as a union rep campaigning for equal rights. Re-elected at the December 12 General Election, she has been appointed as Shadow Secretary of State for Employment Rights.
Addressing the
company on the Rowntree Theatre stage, Ms Maskell said: “This is an
inspirational story you are telling, and it remains a story of women at work
today. If we don’t speak out, how do we expect things to change?”
She described the women of Dagenham as “sparky women who would not take no for an answer”, and urged the JoRo company to “go out there and keep fighting”.
Scott Garnham, who
has performed many times on the Rowntree Theatre stage, appeared in the original London production of Made in
Dagenham in the role of Buddy Cortina.
The Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company’s fabulous machinists of Dagenham meet York Central MP Rachael Maskell and York councillors Robert Webb and Anna Perrett
In York last week for Friday’s tribute show The Best Of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons at the Grand Opera House, on Sunday Scott said: “To come and support this local community theatre is really important to me. I learned a lot of my stagecraft here in this building.
“The venue is a real hub for performers of all ages and backgrounds, and theatre is a very unifying experience. I’m so pleased that the Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company have chosen to do this show as their annual fundraiser. It’s the story of a truly inspirational group of women, many of whom I had the great pleasure to meet.”
Despite its gritty
subject matter, Made In Dagenham is described as a heart-warming story, full of
humour, coupled with wonderful music. Although the show is not suitable for
young children, on account of “some very strong language”, the company hopes to
introduce a wide new audience to the sparky women of Dagenham.
Next week’s production runs from February 5 to 8 at 7.30pm nightly plus a 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Tickets are available on 01904 501935, at josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk or in person from the Haxby Road theatre’s box office.
The album artwork for Morrissey’s March 20 album, I Am Not A Dog On A Chain
MORRISSEY will preview his new album, I Am Not A Dog On A
Chain, at Leeds First Direct Arena on March 6.
This will be the northern marrow to his one southern gig,
The SSE Arena, Wembley, London on March 14.
Released on March 20 on BMG, the album will be preceded by
the single Bobby, Don’t You Think They Know?, featuring guest vocals by Seventies’
Motown legend Thelma Houston.
“One of the biggest joys for me
in this business is getting the opportunity to collaborate with other top
artists,” says Thelma, now 73. “I love the challenge to see if what I
do can work with what they’re doing.
“Sometimes it works, and sometimes
it doesn’t. I think the blend of what Morrissey is singing
and what I’m singing really works on ‘Bobby’. And it was a lot of fun
working with Morrissey in the studio too!”
Produced by Joe Chicarelli, whose credits
include Beck, The Strokes and The Killers, I Am Not A Dog On A Chain was
recorded at Studio La Fabrique in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France, and
Sunset Sound in Hollywood, California.
“I’ve now produced four studio albums
for Morrissey,” says Chicarelli. “This is his boldest and most adventurous
album yet. He has pushed the boundaries yet again, both musically and
lyrically. And once again proving that as a songwriter and singer, he is in his
own category. In truth, no one can
be Morrissey but… Morrissey.”
IAm Not A Dog On A Chainfollows last May’s California Son, a covers album that featured Ed Droste, of Grizzly Bear, Billie Joe Armstrong, of Green Day, LP (aka Laura Pergolizzi), Broken Social Scene’s Ariel Engle, Petra Haden and Young The Giant’s Sameer Gadhia.
Morrissey’s last album of original
compositions was Low In High School in 2017. The new one has a track listing of
Jim Jim Falls; Love Is On Its Way Out; Bobby, Don’t You Think They Know?; I Am
Not A Dog On A Chain; What Kind Of People Live In These Houses?; Knockabout
World; Darling, I Hug A Pillow; Once I Saw The River Clean; The Truth About
Ruth; The Secret Of Music and My Hurling Days Are Done.
I Am Not A Dog On A Chain arrives
against the backdrop of The Smiths’ former frontman, 60, sparking controversy
with his latter-day political views.
Tickets for his Morrissey Live In Concert 2020 gig in Leeds are on sale at gigsandtours.com, ticketmaster.co.uk and axscom/uk.
Kacy & Clayton: cosmic alt-country on the North York Moors at The Band Room on Friday
KACY
& Clayton are the first act to be confirmed for The Band Room’s 2020
concert programme at Low Mill, Farndale, near Kirkbymoorside, on the North York
Moors.
Promoter Nigel Burnham has announced a 7.30pm shows for Friday,
when the Canadian duo will be supported by Arborist. Given the capacity of only
100, he recommends booking at thebandroom.co.uk/gigs or on 01751 432900.
“I think our gig on January 31 – Brexit night!
– could be the alternative double bill of the year,” says Nigel. “Kacy &
Clayton brought the house down when they played here last March and we’ll be
rolling out the red carpet for their return, this time with a full band line-up.
“Support act Arborist, from Belfast, are
getting fantastic reviews for their debut album, Home Burial, too.”
Kacy & Clayton, from Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan, are returning to Low Mill after releasing
their fifth album, Carrying On, last October. “In the band are Kacy Anderson –
alias the missing link between Sandy Denny and Emmylou Harris – and her second
cousin Clayton Linthicum, a multi-talented guitarist who could have played on
The Byrds’ Sweethearts Of The Rodeo album if he’d been around at the time,”
says Nigel.
“Some call them ‘folk
roots’, others ‘psychedelic folk’ or ‘cosmic alt-country’. Honestly! They’re
destined for great things. Their fourth album, 2017’s The Siren’s Song, was
produced by Americana icon Jeff Tweedy; they’ve toured with Wilco and The
Decemberists and been mentioned in the same hallowed breath as Grievous
Angel-era Gram Parsons and country rock pioneers Buffalo Springfield.”
Singer-songwriter Benjamin Francis Leftwich,outside York MInster. Picture: Esme Mai
The next date in the Band Room diary is York troubadour Benjamin Francis Leftwich on March 6: his first North Yorkshire gig since the very contrasting York Minster nave on March 29 last year.
“We’re delighted that Ben, such a peerless super-cool singer-songwriter, will be making his long-awaited debut here,” says Nigel, who will welcome Wounded Bear as the support act.
Leftwich, who lives in North London these days, released his third album, Gratitude, on March 15 last year with a launch gig that night at an even more intimate solo show, playing to 50 at FortyFive Vinyl Café, in Micklegate, York.
The Band Room will kick
off a new year buoyed by the Lonely Planet travel guide placing the moorland hall
at number seven in its survey of Britain’s Quirkiest Music Venues. To discover
where else made the list, go to lonelyplanet.com/articles/quirkiest-music-venues-uk.
“People travel from
across the world to see gigs in this picture-perfect Yorkshire hut,” writes Lonely
Planet’s Lucy Lovell. “The wood-panelled Band Room was originally built as a
brass band practice room in the 1920s, and aside from new management and a well-curated
line-up of bands, little has changed since then.
“There’s still no bar,
so don’t forget to bring your own drinks, and enjoy chatting with others who
made the journey across the North York Moors.” All very true, except that the pedant
police would point out the Band Room used to house silver band practice sessions,
not brass band ones.
The tour poster for Viva La Divas starring Katya Jones, Nadiya Bychkova and Janette Manrara. Picture: Colin Thomas
STRICTLY Come Dancing professional trio Janette Manrara, Katya
Jones and Nadiya Bychkova will be on tour this summer, making a
song and dance of Viva La Divas at the Grand Opera House, York, on June 16.
Collaborating with the original producers of Viva La Diva, first
performed in 2007 with dancer Darcey Bussell and singer Katherine Jenkins, this
glamorous show will pay tribute to stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood,
Broadway and West End musical theatre, modern pop divas and female icons with
the greatest impact on the Strictly dancers.
In this all-singing, all-dancing musical extravaganza, Katya, Nadiya and
Janette will star with a cast of dancers and singers as they celebrate Marilyn
Monroe, Madonna, Beyonce, Judy Garland, Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez and many
more.
Running from June 14 to July 16, the tour has further Yorkshire dates at
Halifax Victoria Hall on June 23 and Bridlington Spa on the last night.
Miami-born Janette Manrara became a Strictly professional in 2013 after performing at the 2009 Academy Awards, appearing in season five of the American version of So You Think You Can Dance, being a principal dancer on Glee and starring in the stage show Burn The Floor for three years.
Among her Strictly highlights was lifting the Christmas Glitter Ball trophy twice with celebrity partners Aston Merrygold and Melvin Odoom. Looking ahead to the summer tour, Janette says: “I’m so excited to be touring the UK with two of my best friends, Katya and Nadiya – and what a show it’s going to be.
“We’ll be celebrating the glitz, the glamour and style of the greatest
divas in showbiz. We’re going to have so much fun bringing this show to
audiences across the UK and I can’t wait. It’s going to be a blast.”
Before making her Strictly debut in 2016 , Russian dancer Katya Jones and her dance partner Neil Jones won the WDC World Show Dance Championships and three titles at the World Amateur Latin Championship.
After her Strictly partnership with politician Ed Balls in 2016, for her second series Katya was partnered with actor Joe McMadden, the pair duly lifting the Glitterball Ball trophy as 2017 champions.
“To tour Viva La Divas across this beautiful country this summer with two incredible dancers, who happen to be my very close friends, is a dream come true,” says Katya.
“How the three of us managed to keep everything a secret for
so long I’ll never know. Finally, we can shout it from the roof tops:
girls on tour! It’s going to be epic.”
Ukrainian-born Nadiya Bychkova made her Strictly debut in 2017 as a
two-time world champion and European champion in ballroom and Latin ‘10’ Dance,
partnering former England goalkeeper David James in the 2019 series.
“I’m thrilled to be part of the Viva La Divas tour this summer,” she
says. “We have an incredible team working on what will be a dazzling show that
I can’t wait for audiences everywhere to see.
“It’s going to be a stunning spectacle full of the elegance, style and
attitude, befitting of the greatest divas’ legacies. And to be touring with two
incredible friends in Janette and Katya is simply the dream team.”
Tickets for the tour go on general sale at 10am on Friday at ticketmaster.co.uk and vivaladivasshow.com; York tickets on 0844 871 3024 or at atgtickets.com/york.
Keaner than ever: Keane are back after a six-year hiatus
KEANE, the rejuvenated East Sussex
chart toppers, are off to the East Coast for a Friday night out at Scarborough Open Air
Theatre this summer.
Tickets for their July 17 gig go on general
sale on Friday at 9am at scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
Singer Tom Chaplin, sparring partner Tim
Rice-Oxley, bassist Jesse Quin and drummer Richard Hughes returned from a
six-year hiatus last September with the album Cause And Effect.
The birth of their fifth studio album
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.”
Ahead of Cause And Effect’s release,
Keane returned to the stage last summer with a string of live shows, not least two
nights at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
The comeback album 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.
Promoters
Cuffe and Taylor are delighted to have added Keane to this summer’s Scarborough
OAT programme. “As soon
as Keane announced last year they were back and ready to take to the stage
again, we knew we had to bring them to Scarborough,” says director Peter
Taylor.
“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. I know I certainly can’t.
“Keane are an incredible live band and
this is unquestionably going to be one of the gigs of the summer.”
Tickets for this summer’s shows can be
booked in person from the Scarborough Open Air Theatre box office, Burniston
Road, and the Discover Yorkshire Coast Tourism Bureau, Scarborough Town Hall,
St Nicholas Street; on 01723 818111 and 01723 383636, as well as at scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.
SCARBOROUGH
OPEN AIR THEATRE: 2020 LINE-UP
Tuesday
June 9 – Lionel Richie
Wednesday
June 17 – Westlife
Saturday
June 20 – Supergrass
Saturday
July 4 – Snow Patrol
Friday
July 10 – Mixtape (starring Marc Almond, Heaven 17 and Living in a Box
featuring Kenny Thomas)
LIVERPOOL singer-songwriter Robert Vincent will
showcase his new album In This Town You’re Owned at Pocklington Arts Centre on
February 7, one week before its release on Thirty Tigers.
For this return visit, he will be accompanied on
stage by PAC favourites The Buffalo Skinners in his 8pm set.
“My last visit to Pocklington Arts Centre, supporting
Beth Nielsen Chapman, was such a great night with a lovely music-loving crowd.
So, I’m looking forward to being back and playing for the lovely folk of
Pocklington,” he says.
Vincent has been hailed by veteran BBC presenter “Whispering”
Bob Harris as “the real deal” for his Americana music. On seeing him play in
the Bluebird Café at the Bluecoat, Liverpool’s centre
for the contemporary arts, the legendary broadcaster immediately invited him,
to record an Under The Apple Tree Session in his home studio for his BBC
Radio 2 country show, describing his performance as “absolutely magnetic”.
Vincent
duly received the inaugural Emerging Artist Award from Harris in
2016 and the UK Americana Music Association’s UK Album of The Year in
2018 for 2017’s sophomore work I’ll Make The Most Of My Sins, recorded in his
hometown and mixed in Nashville by Grammy Award-winning producer Ray
Kennedy.
The Buffalo Skinners: playing with Robert Vincent at Pocklington Arts Centre
His 2013
debut, Life In Easy Steps, drew BBC airplay for its title track on Janice Long
and Radcliffe & Maconie’s shows.
He has
since toured the UK supporting Paul Carrack, James Blunt and Squeeze and The
Pretenders at the Royal Albert Hall. Last spring, he opened for Beth Nielsen Chapman
on her Hearts Of Glass tour, including the aforementioned Pocklington show.
Last
summer, Vincent was on the supporting bill for his hero, Pink Floyd’s Roger
Waters, in Hyde Park at British Summer Time and joined
“the Titan of Twang”, guitarist Duane Eddy, across the UK on his
80th birthday tour.
Now comes third album In This Town You’re
Owned, produced by BRIT Award-winning Ethan Johns.
Tickets for Vincent’s Pock gig are on sale at £13.50 on 01759 301547 or at pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk. Vincent has further Yorkshire gigs coming up at The Greystones, Sheffield, on March 25, and Leeds Lending Room the next night.
The Felice Brothers: two brothers, Ian and James Felice, and two friends, Will Lawrence and Jesske Hume
POCKLINGTON Arts Centre
has snapped up The Felice Brothers for a summer gig after director Janet Farmer
saw the Americana band at Willie Nelson’s ranch.
Brothers Ian and James Felice
and their friends, drummer Will Lawrence and bass player Jesske Hume, have crossed the Big Pond this month for a winter tour that visits
Leeds Brudenell Social Club on Monday.
They will return to these
shores for more dates in a summer of American and European gigs, among them
Pocklington Arts Centre on June 23.
A delighted Janet Farmer
says: “I was privileged to see them at Luck Reunion, held at Willie Nelson’s
ranch, and can highly recommend their unique brand of American folk rock. Expect
a raucous and energetic performance that will be something to truly treasure.
“Tickets for this show will sell fast, so I would encourage you to
get yours soon or risk missing out on what will be a sublime show.”
Ian and James Felice
grew up in the Hudson valley of upstate New York. Self-taught musicians,
inspired as much by Hart Crane and Slim Whitman as by Woody Guthrie and Chuck
Berry, they began in 2006 by playing subway platforms and sidewalks in New York
City.
They have gone on to release nine albums of original songs,
drawing comparison with Neil Young and Bob Dylan for their song-writing and
lawless sound. Last year they returned from a three-year hiatus with Undress,
whose songs will be complemented by a selection from their back catalogue on June
23.
Tickets for their 8pm Pock gig cost £20 on 01759 301547 or at pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
Did you know?
The Felice Brothers served
as the backing band for Conor Oberst’s 2017 album Salutations and subsequent tour.
Storyteller John Osborne performing You’re In A Bad Way
STORYTELLER, poet and BBC Radio 4 regular John
Osborne returns to Pocklington Arts Centre on February 13 to present his
beautiful, funny and uplifting new show about music and dementia.
Last March, he performed a double bill of John Peel’s
Shed and Circled In The Radio Times in Pocklington. Now, inspired by seeing a
friend’s father face a dementia diagnosis and the warmth, positivity and
unexpected twists and turns the family went through, he has put together You’re
In A Bad Way.
“This is the fifth theatre show I’ve made and it’s
definitely my favourite,” says Osborne. “I loved performing it every day
at the Edinburgh Fringe last summer, and I’m really excited to be taking it on
tour.
“For the past few years, I’ve made storytelling
theatre shows that are funny, true stories of things that I feel are important
to people. This one is a story about what happened to my friend’s dad when
he was diagnosed with dementia a couple of years ago.”
Osborne continues: “It was a really interesting
thing to observe, because although it was horrific and terrifying and sad,
there was so much warmth and positivity and unexpected twists and turns.
“As soon as I started writing the show, it came
together so beautifully and audience members who have had their own personal
experiences of caring for people with dementia have been incredibly positive
about the show having been to see it.”
The poster for John Osborne’s show You’re In A Bad Way
Osborne spent time at a dementia care centre in
Edinburgh to ensure he was fully informed about the experience of caring for
someone with dementia.
“I never
planned to write about something as personal as dementia, and have never
written about a big topic before, but this felt like such a beautiful story
that I wanted to tell,” he explains. “Just because you’ve been diagnosed with something, it doesn’t mean it’s
the end.
“The things we know about dementia
are so sad, but within that there are some special moments. Every time I
perform the show, I feel like I learn new things about dementia.”
Describing the tone of You’re In A Bad Way, Osborne
says: “As it’s such a big topic, I’ve tried to make the show funny and life
affirming and relatable.
“I don’t want it to be sad or serious; I think it’s
important for it to be a good story to someone who has no association with
dementia, as well as being sensitive to those who live surrounded by the
illness.”
Pocklington Arts Centre director Janet Farmer says:
“I was fortunate to see this show at the Edinburgh Fringe last August and
thought it was just so beautifully written and truly uplifting, I knew we had
to bring it to Pocklington. It tackles a tough topic with such humour and
warmth, it really is a must-see.”
Tickets cost £10 on 01759 301547 or at pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk or £12 on the door, with a special price of £9 for a carer of someone with dementia.
Mamma Mia! is on its way to Leeds Grand Theatre on its 20th anniversary tour
MAMMA Mia! will return to Leeds Grand Theatre from November 24 to December 5 on the tour to mark 20 years since the Abba musical’s London premiere.
Tickets will go on
general sale on January 29 on 0844 848 2700 or at leedsgrandtheatre.com.
Built around the music
and lyrics of Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus,Mamma Mia!revels
in Judy Craymer’s vision of staging the story-telling magic of Abba’s songs
with a sunny, funny tale of a mother, a daughter and three possible dads
unfolding on a Greek island idyll.
To date, Mamma Mia! has been seen by more than 65 million people in 50
productions in 16 languages. In 2011, it became the first Western musical
to be staged in Mandarin in China.
Mamma Mia!became the eighth longest-running show on Broadway,
where it played a record-breaking run for 14 years and it continues to play in
London’s West End at the Novello Theatre, where the 20th anniversary
fell on April 6 2019.
The first British tour of Mamma Mia! visited Leeds Grand
Theatre from May 30 to July 8 in 2017.
