The Brand New Heavies on stage at York Barbican. Picture: Paul Rhodes
WHAT do you do after the hit has gone? For the Brand New Heavies, who flew near the top of the Acid Jazz movement in the late-1990s, the answer has been to keep on playing. Now one of many acts riding the mature audience gravy train, this talented group are definitely not resting on their laurels.
This reviewer last saw The Brand New Heavies nearly 30 years ago, and the good feeling they generate feels no different three decades on.
Founding members guitarist Simon Bartholomew (perhaps wearing one of Prince’s slinky outfits, with his rock star locks) and bassist Andrew Levy (getting jiggy in tight sequined trousers) remain the focal points, and their love of improvisation helps to keep the music fresh. All of the nine-strong band members were listening closely to one another and enjoying being on stage.
N’Dea Davenport has been gone from the line-up for ten years. In her stead since 2018, Angela Ricci’s poise and vocals were flawless. There’s a lot of repetition in their tunes, but she never wavered and made for a poised contrast with Bartholomew’s showboating.
The hits were all present and correct, Midnight At The Oasis, You Are The Universe and Dream On Dreamer neatly spread throughout the set, leaving space for funky jams and a smattering of more recent numbers. At their best, the sound of The Brand New Heavies is like a light sunny breeze on your face.
The Brand New Heavies’ Andrew Levy, left, Angela Ricci and Simon Bartholomew
Their most loved songs are rightly regarded as feel-good anthems, tunes that will lighten the spirit. Music snobs may consider them inoffensive and superficial, but that would be to do them something of a disservice.
Their influences are in impeccable, classic soul and funk – and they work hard on the chops and the stage craft. The hip-hop influences in their later albums were downplayed.
In this they were the opposite of openers Galliano. Despite being a musical footnote, they provided a surprisingly good opening set, which was fun, funky, and had a lot of rapping.
Theirs was also a study of contrasts, the elegance of Valerie Etienne (despite her face being invisible beneath a golf visor) with Rob Gallagher’s latter-day Alf Garnett dancing (even if it is hard to imagine Garnett singing Everything Is Going to Get Better to Elsie…). Their set was much enriched by Ski Oakenfull’s keyboards and the propulsive bass of Erne McKone that never let up.
As the daffodils danced on the city walls outside, inside the crowd were definitely moved by these two fine bands, as welcome as Spring.
Leeds abstract surrealist Nicolas Dixon, front, spotted at the launch of the debut RARE v WET exhibition with WET proprietors James Wall and Ella Williams and RARE Collective organiser Sharon McDonagh
A SURREALIST wine bar exhibition, a comedy thriller in an hotel and Australian children’s games stir Charles Hutchinson’s interest.
Exhibition of the week: Nicolas Dixon, RARE v WET, at WET, Micklegate, York, until April 22
YORK artist and event organiser Sharon McDonagh and DJ/artist Sola launch their RARE v WET series of solo exhibitions in aid of York charity SASH (Safe and Sound Homes) at WET, James Wall and Ella Williams’ indie wine bar and restaurant, with Nicolas Dixon first up.
Leeds abstract surrealist Dixon’s murals and artworks have become landmarks in Leeds, including at Kirkgate Market, Trinity Shopping Centre and the University of Leeds, as well as Leeds United tributes to the 1972 FA Cup Winners at Elland Road and the iconic Bielsa the Redeemer in Wortley. On show is a mixture of new and older work, both prints and originals.
In the shadows: Michael Hugo in Claybody Theatre’s The Grand Babylon Hotel. Picture: Andrew Billington
Thriller of the week: Claybody Theatre in The Grand Babylon Hotel, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, tonight to Saturday, 7.30pm plus 1.30pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees; Harrogate Theatre, April 1 to 4, 7.30pm plus 2pm Saturday matinee
CONRAD Nelson directs an ensemble cast of multiple flamboyant characters in a rollicking comedy thriller of rapid-fire character changes, sharp humour and theatrical fun, presented in association with the New Vic Theatre.
In Deborah McAndrew’s adaptation of Arnold Bennett’s novel, Nella Racksole discovers steak and beer are not on the menu for her birthday treat at the exclusive Grand Babylon Hotel, prompting her American millionaire father to buy the chef, the kitchen, the entire hotel. Cue kidnapping and murder. Have Theodore and Nella bitten off more than they can chew? Box office: Scarborough, 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com; Harrogate, 01423 502116 or harrogatetheatre.co.uk.
Bluey’s Big Play: Australian bean bags, games and cleverness at Grand Opera House, York
Children’s show of the week: Windmill Theatre Co in Bluey’s Big Play, Grand Opera House, York, 10am, tomorrow and Friday; 10am, 1pm and 4pm, Saturday and Sunday
COMBINING puppets and original voices from Ludo Studios’ Emmy Award-winning Australian children’s television series, including Dave McCormack and Melanie Zanetti as Dad and Mum, this theatrical adaptation is based on an original story by Bluey creator Joe Brumm, featuring music by series composer Joff Bush. When Dad wants a bean bag time-out, Bluey and Bingo have other plans as they pull out all the games and cleverness at their disposal. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
The Brand New Heavies: Acid Jazz joy, funk, love and fancy clothes at York Barbican
York gig of the week: The Brand New Heavies, York Barbican, tomorrow, doors 7pm
EALING Acid Jazz pioneers The Brand New Heavies – Simon Bartholomew, vocals and guitar, Andrew Levy, bass and keyboards, and Angela Ricci, vocals – mark their 35th anniversary with a 12-date tour that takes in York Barbican as their only Yorkshire destination. Expect joy, funk, love and fancy clothes. Galliano support. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Lizzie Lawton’s Jack Worthing, front, and Jorja Cartwright’s Algernon Moncrieff in Rowntree Players’ The Importance Of Being Earnest
Comedy classic of the week: Rowntree Players in The Importance Of Being Earnest, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tomorrow to Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2pm Saturday matinee
ROWNTREE Players bring Oscar Wilde’s 1895 farcical comedy of manners to the York stage in the original four-act version reconstructed by Vyvyan Holland, under the direction of Hannah Shaw.
Lizzie Lawton’s Jack Worthing and Jorja Cartwright’s Algernon Moncrieff lead double lives under the false name of “Ernest” to escape social obligations, leading to romantic entanglements and comedic misunderstandings, played out by a cast featuring Jeanette Hambridge’s Lady Bracknell, Bethan Olliver’s Gwendolen Fairfax, Katie Shaw’s Cecily Cardew, Wayne Osguthorpe’s Reverend Canon Chasuble, Rebecca Thomson’s Miss Prism and Max Palmer’s Lane/Merriman. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Jessica Fostekew: “The silliest of comedy for the scariest of days”in Iconic Breath at Pocklington Arts Centre
Comedy gig of the week: Jessica Fostekew: Iconic Breath, Pocklington Arts Centre, Friday, 8pm
ICONIC Breath, Jessica Fostekew’s most rousing and uplifting show yet, provides the silliest of comedy for the scariest of days as The Guilty Feminist, Hoovering and Contender Ready podcaster discusses tolerance and temperance.
“I can feel myself becoming an emotional wildebeest right when my world (and the whole world, thanks) demands cool, collected, ultra detached, saint-like kindness and understanding,” says Fostekew, who has hosted two series of Sturdy Girl Club on BBC Radio 4. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
This won’t hurt: Andrew Margerison, Rebecca Vaughan and Gavin Robertson in General Medical Emergency Ward 10
Hospital drama homage of the week: Dyad Productions and Company Gavin Robertson in General Medical Emergency Ward 10, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, Friday, 7.30pm
UNITING for the first time, Dyad Productions and Company Gavin Robertson’s Rebecca Vaughan, Andrew Margerison and the aforementioned Gavin Robertson knit every cliché-ridden doctors-and-nurses TV and film drama into a pacy comedy mash-up spoof that promises to leave you in stitches.
On Dr Ann Fleming’s first day at St David’s, her unfortunately-named mentor, Dr Death, is determined to show her who’s boss. As medical emergencies overload the hapless staff, Dr Fleming must juggle a complicated budding love affair with a kidney and a nosey hospital boss. Not literally, of course. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
The Budapest Café Orchestra: Fronted by Christian Garrick at Helmsley Arts Centre
Snappiest attire of the week: Christian Garrick & The Budapest Café Orchestra, National Centre for Early Music, York, Friday, 7.30pm, sold out; Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, 7.30pm
CHRISTIAN Garrick (violin, darbuka), Murray Grainger (accordion), Kelly Cantlon (double bass) and Adrian Zolotuhin (guitar, saz, balalaika, domra) team up in this refreshingly unconventional and snappily attired boutique orchestra. Playing gypsy and folk-flavoured music in a unique and surprising way, The Budapest Café Orchestra combine Balkan and Russian traditional music with artful distillations of Romantic masterworks and soaring Gaelic folk anthems.
Established by British composer Garrick in 2009, BCO have 16 albums to their name, marked by an “astonishing soundscape and aural alchemy” characteristic of larger ensembles, evoking Tzigane fiddle maestros, Budapest café life and gypsy campfires. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Hope & Social: Unforgettable spectacle, energetic songs and chaotic moments at Milton Rooms, Malton
Ryedale gig of the week: Hope & Social, Milton Rooms, Malton, Saturday, 8pm
LEEDS band Hope & Social’s eight musicians pour their heart and soul into creating exuberant, high-energy tunes in gigs full of pure joy, infectious enthusiasm, unforgettable spectacle and chaotic moments.
Each performance by “Yorkshire’s own E-Street Band” is spiced up with Northern wit and self-deprecating humour as a powerhouse three-piece horn section and intricate five-part harmonies contribute to a massive sound that spans genres, drawing influence from soul, indie, folk, disco and art rock. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Crosscut Saw’s Alex Eden : Leading his blues band at Milton Rooms, Malton
Blues gig of the week: Ryedale Blues Club presents Crosscut Saw, Milton Rooms, Malton, March 26, 8pm
YORKSHIRE blues trio Crosscut Saw’s Alex Eden (lead singer, guitarist and harmonica player), Richard Ferdinando (drums) and Richard Green (bass) draw inspiration from Magic Sam, RL Burnside, Taj Mahal and Dr John in performances marked by raw energy and unpredictability.
They hold a monthly residency at the Duck & Drake in Leeds, have played the Great British Blues Festival and Tenby Blues Festival, collaborated with TJ Norton, Paddy Wells and The Haggis Horns and worked as a backing band for Jake Walker and King Rollo. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
The Brand New Heavies’ Andrew Levy, left, Angela Ricci and Simon Bartholomew
ACID Jazz pioneers The Brand New Heavies are marking their 35th anniversary with a 12-date tour that takes in York Barbican on March 19 as their only Yorkshire destination.
From Dream On Dreamer, Midnight At The Oasis, Back To Love and Spend Some Time to Sometimes, You Are The Universe and You’ve Got A Friend, they created a fusion of jazz, funk and hip-hop that fuelled their chart and airplay domination en route to 2.5 million album sales.
Introducing themselves with their self-titled debut in 1990, followed by fellow Top 40 album Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1 in 1992, The Brand New Heavies exploded with 1994’s Brother Sister, peaking at number four, followed by further Top Five entrant Shelter in 1997.
Now, founder members Simon Bartholomew, vocals and guitar, and Andrew Levy, bass and keyboards, will be joined on tour once more by Angela Ricci, vocalist with the Ealing band since 2018.
“We can’t wait to hit the road across the UK again!” said Simon and Andrew, when announcing the tour. “There’s nothing quite like the connection we feel when we play these songs together. Celebrating 35 years of The Brand New Heavies has been incredible, and this tour is all about sharing that joy, funk and love with everyone who’s been part of the journey – old friends and new faces alike.”
Rolling back to when school friends Simon, Andrew and Jan Kincaid formed the band, they needed a name, “In a nutshell, it was the pressure of being about to sign a record deal with Chrysalis. We were in my basement, weren’t we, in Hackney?” recalls Andrew, speaking from his kitchen near Wimbledon.
“No, I remember, actually, there was another time – I think there were a few discussions – we were parked in your Morris Minor,” says Simon. “And this guy who was in the band at the time, Lascelle Lascelles, he was a DJ, and he had this vinyl, a James Brown vinyl, and it said on the back, ‘James Brown is the minister of a super new, heavy, heavy funk’. We literally had to deliver the name the next day.
“So we sort of somehow came up with ‘The Brand New Heavies’, which, over the years, a lot of people think is a rock band – until you know – but it’s stuck, it’s quite an unusual name, and there you go. People knew our songs, but didn’t know the name of the band, but that’s sorted itself out over the years.”
As for “Acid Jazz”, “Basically Giles Peterson and Eddie Piller formed a label; Acid House had come out and so they wanted to call it ‘Acid Jazz’,” explains Simon. “So they took the logo, the smiley face logo, synonymous with Acid House, and draw a moustache on it, and glasses and stuff, and it was all very fun. Very much like the name of The Brand New Heavies, we just were having a laugh.
“And then Chris Bangs was DJing at the Watermans Arts Centre in Ealing, near where we live and grew up. There was a rave before they played, playing Acid House. . .and there’s a song called Iron Leg by Mickey And The Soul Generation, an American band; it’s a proper old rare groove. They said, ‘that was Acid House, this is Acid Jazz’. They made it up on the spot, and they used it for their label name. That was the provenance, right there.”
Recalling The Brand New Heavies’ roots, Simon says: “When when we first started jamming together, we’d go around to the drummer’s house every Sunday. His mum and dad were thrilled!”
“They were thrilled that he was making friends,” says Andrew.“Oh, no, I think they probably were a bit thrilled,” rejoins Simon. “We would play just one groove, do you remember, Andrew, for ages. So all the parts sort of fitted in. You go, ‘oh, there it is’, and that became the groove, when the parts, the puzzle, fits together, the bass, drums and guitars. You go, ‘that’s a groove, that’s the groove’.”
The Brand New Heavies’ poster for their 2026 tour
Andrew says: “Yeah, it’s like cooking. Different measurements of, you know, maybe you put in more sugar, more flour, a little bit more cayenne, and you stir it for a bit longer. But because we were untrained musicians, in retrospect, I saw that as almost a way of learning.
“Listen to your fellow musicians, and how to learn how to play your instrument. Because music, in terms of playing in a band, I reckon it’s 90 per cent listening. The rest is just technique.”
Simon adds: “Especially with jazz, you know, if you’re not listening to everyone else, it’s like, that’s really where the listening is quintessential. I mean, there’s so many nuances, and it’s almost like Maths as well, the groove. You syncopate or play on top of each other, and it can be really simple. If you listen to early James Brown records, everything around the bass lines builds up into this phenomenal thing. It’s really lovely, kind of like a bowl of fruit.”
“Space” in the music is important too, suggests Andrew:“The amount of space you put into this genre of music, funk, disco, whatever, is the space that you can connect with through dance. So you don’t play all the beats, you leave a little bit of space so you can dance to it, you can put your foot in that space, or you can shake your bum to that little bit of space in the groove.”
Simon concurs: “Absolutely. I mean, one of my favourite examples of that is, because I was kind of a rock player before, playing big bar chords…but when I got into this funk, it was like, I was playing…[he makes the sound of musical notes]…space!
“And this amazing song called Green Onions by Booker T & The MGs, the guitar part is really crucial because it adds a sort of sonic thing, and without that, the record wouldn’t be the same – and that is probably the most spacious example of a groovy, funky thing. Within that, there’s different bits of space for someone else to play in.”
The space for free-form expression applies to each and every Brand New Heavies concert. “We get some complaints…but I’m not gonna name names!” says Andrew. “But, do you know what, there’s something that we do sometimes between songs, at the end of songs, or the beginning of songs, where we just make up a completely new groove arrangement, and maybe that will last for a couple of minutes, and then we go on to the actual song, but we’re very good at that.
“I suppose it’s a form of live remixing, we just change the beat, and maybe start in a different, slightly different voicing of a key of the song. And that can go on for 64 bars, or a couple of minutes, or whatever. And then we finally start the actual song that people know. We love it! I think people really like that, because we’re don’t use tapes, we don’t use any form of backing tracks or anything like that.
“Everything is off the cuff, and there’s a level of vulnerability that comes with that, because no-one exactly knows what to do next – and I think the crowd really like that.”
Vulnerability? “Oh, definitely, and that keeps it interesting for us,” says Simon. “It makes every show unique.” “Like, we don’t remember these jams,” adds Andrew. “Some are sort of songs, some might even turn into songs, occasionally.”
“We might take a song like Stay This Way, where, with the outro, we’ll just go on longer, because we’ll just break it down and let Angela have a sort of diva moment, in a positive way,” further explains Simon. “We don’t know what’s going to happen…but we’re treading the boards, and it keeps it fresh. That’s definitely a thing, so you’ll never see the same Brand New Heavies show twice, that’s for sure – but with some bands you do, you know.”
“That moment of intensity is performance, and that’s what differs from plodding away at a 9-to-5 job,” says The Brand New Heavies’ Simon Bartholomew, above, right
When Angela Ricci took on the lead vocalist’s role, occupied previously by N’Dea Davenport and Siedah Garrett, what drew Simon and Andrew to her voice? “At this point, I have to say that it’s really hard to find a singer for The Brand New Heavies,” says Andrew. “What you’re doing is kind of letting go of your own dreams and passions, or maybe ego, a little bit, because when you’re singing, it’s like being in a theatre production: you’re actually singing songs that have already been developed and sung by someone else.
“So you have to reinterpret songs that were sung by Siedah Garrett, and it’s hard to find a singer that’s willing to let go of their own own dreams or whatever. Fortunately, Angela does it so, so well – and she’s an ex-model, so she knows how to carry herself on stage.”
Simon adds: “Angela had a cassette when she was younger, an Acid Jazz compilation thing that had our song Brother Sister on it, so she’s known the band for a long time, and she’s, like, a fan, you know.”
“She’s done a lot of session work, so she’s used to that sort of role, singing someone else’s songs and interpreting,” says Andrew, who recalls Angela being thrown in at the deep end.
“I thought, ‘oh my god, I hope she can handle it’. We were playing to 5,000, supporting Soul II Soul. We were worried, and she was worried, but we pulled through, and we supported each other, and, you know, eight years later, she gets it. She slots in with what the crowd expects, she’s very poised and very good at engaging with them”… “And with putting up with us,” chips in Simon.
How have the band founders’ priorities changed from 35 years ago? “My main priority is having enough energy and resting enough, so we can deliver, because we’re not spring chickens anymore,” says Andrew, now 59. “So you’ve got to rest, and you’ve got to look after yourself, as everything’s about walking on stage at a half past eight in the evening.
“It’s also remembering that people have got so much choice in live music now and in what to do with their money. So we need to deliver: we do like to dress up a little bit, put some fancy clothes on, and do the nice lighting and pyrotechnics and stuff like that. Our main focus is putting on a good show so that people will hopefully come back and see us again.”
The thrill of performance is alive as ever in Simon and Andrew: “If you’re backstage, it’s something no-one really talks about, it’s an ongoing rule, but there’s a certain level of energy and nervousness and vulnerability that builds up and builds up and builds up three hours before the show,” says Simon.
“Running around backstage, and dressing up, and sharing jewellery, I love it,” says Andrew. “I always start shouting, I start getting loud. I can’t help myself; I think I’ve got Funk Tourette’s,” says Simon. “I get loud, I try and control it. I’m like, ‘come on, go! Whoo!’, and I just start doing stupid voices and things like that.
“It’s part of the build-up, because the whole day is based around almost everything you eat and drink. It’s all leading up to this moment. No-one talks about it but from that point, it is kind of like when sportsmen prepare over a day to go out to perform. It could be a tennis player, it could be a footballer, whatever. That moment of intensity is performance, and that’s what differs from plodding away at a 9-to-5 job. You know you have a part of the day that really matters above all else.”
Andrew concludes: “It’s that concentration on getting it so perfect and right on stage in that moment. I mean, if you’re in a relationship, you’re married, and have kids and stuff, they all have to deal with that. I’m in a new relationship, and I’ve had to explain that, yeah, Andrew might be a little bit tetchy, a little bit short, distant, but it’s just transforming from being maybe daddy or boyfriend into funky bass player.”
The Brand New Heavies, with special guests Galliano, York Barbican, March 19. Doors 7pm. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk or aegpresents.co.uk.
