Tag: Howard Assembly Room Leeds

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More Things To Do in York and beyond the paranormal while eschewing the normal. Hutch’s List No. 18, from The York Press

Cone, by Alison Jagger, on show at WET Bar & Plates

FROM street photography to an introduction to ballet, sparring spiritualists to acidic German comedy about the English weather, Charles Hutchinson highlights all manner of cultural delights ahead.

Photographic show of the week: Alison Jagger, After The Crowds, WET Bar & Plates, Micklegate, York, until June 3

AS a lone traveller and self-confessed free spirit, York street photographer Alison Jagger draws inspiration from the urban landscape, whose vitality she loves to capture with her mobile phone camera.

“There is nothing better than waking up in an unfamiliar city and recording its character, colour and vibrancy through my curious lens,” says Jagger. After The Crowds is the second in RARE Collective’s programme of solo exhibition at James Wall and Ella Williams’ indie wine bar and restaurant in aid of SASH (Safe and Sound Homes), the York youth homelessness charity.

English National Ballet School students in My First Ballet: Cinderella, on tour at Grand Opera House, York

Children’s show of the week: English National Ballet & English National Ballet School, My First Ballet: Cinderella, Grand Opera House, York, today, 10.30am and 2pm; tomorrow, 1pm and 3pm

MEET the nature-loving Cinderella, who lives on the edge of an enchanted forest where she once gardened and sang with her mother. After loss and silence settle over her home, she is left with a sharp-tongued stepmother, two noisy stepsisters and a house full of chores and shadows.

However, when a letter arrives, inviting all to a garden ball, Cinderella’s journey to find her true self begins, guided by the spirit of her mother and the magic of the forest. Using a narrator to help the young audience follow the story, and a shortened, recorded version of Prokofiev’s score, this introduction to ballet is choreographed byGeorge Williamson and performed by English National Ballet School Graduate Artists Programme students. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Sparring spiritualists Sheila Gold (Eileen Walsh) and prickly mum Rosa (Frances Barber) in Rosa’s mobile home in York Theatre Royal’s world premiere of The Psychic. Picture: Manuel Harlan

World premiere of the month: The Psychic, York Theatre Royal, until May 23

“IS any of it real,” ask Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman in The Psychic, the latest spook-fest from the writer-director duo behind Ghost Stories. In their twisted new thriller, popular TV psychic Sheila Gold (Eileen Walsh) loses a high-profile court case that brands her a charlatan, costing her not only her reputation but also a fortune in legal fees.

When a wealthy couple ask Sheila to conduct a séance to attempt to make contact with their late child, she senses an opportunity to bleed them for money. What follows makes her question everything she has ever believed, leading her on a journey into the darkest corners of her life. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Tenor Christopher O’Gorman

Lunchtime concert of the week: York Late Music presents Christopher Gorman (tenor) & Mark Hutchinson (piano), Unitarian Chapel, St Saviourgate, York, today, 1pm

THE first complete performance of York composer Steve Crowther’s song settings of poems by late York writer Helen Cadbury will be given by tenor Christopher O’Gorman and pianist Mark Hutchinson this afternoon. The concert also features Richard Allain’s Three Shakespeare Sonnetsplus music by Emily Hall and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Songs Of Travel. Box office: latemusic.org or on the door.

Louise Davies in her Woolwich studio

Exhibition opening of the week: Louise Davies and Glassmakers, Journey In Colour, Pyramid Gallery, Stonegate, York, today, 11am to 2.30pm, until July 4

PAINTINGS and etchings by South East London artist and printmaker Louise Davies will be complemented by glass by Allister Malcolm, Madeleine Hughes, Margaret Burke, Charlie Burke and Amelia Burke.

Pink Moors, oil on canvas, by Louise Davies

Davies, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, combines fluid lines and rich colour in vibrant landscape prints and oil paintings. Gallery owner Terry Brett drove to Stourbridge to pick up glass works by Malcolm and his workshop assistant, Hughes. Margaret Burke, son Charlie and his wife, hot glass specialist Amelia, run the hand-blown glass studio E&M Glass at The Old Bakery, Sarn Bridge, Malpas, Cheshire.

Bradley Creswick: Violin soloist at York Guildhall Orchestra’s concert tomorrow

Classical concert of the week: York Guildhall Orchestra Spring Concert, York Barbican, Sunday, 3pm

YORK Guildhall Orchestra continues its celebration of the works of German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist and critic Carl Maria von Weber, this time recognising his considerable input into the world of opera with the overture to Der Freischütz.

Tomorrow afternoon’s soloist will be Bradley Creswick, leader emeritus of the Royal Northern Sinfonia, playing the Bruch Violin Concerto No 1. The second half features Verdi’s overture to his opera The Force Of Destiny, Britten’s Sea Interludes and Passacaglia from Peter Grimes and Ravel’s orchestral showpiece La Valse. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Martha Godber’s Jesse North in her play Jesse North Is Broken. Picture: Ian Hodgson

Solo show of the week: John Godber Company presents Martha Godber in Jesse North Is Broken, York Theatre Royal Studio, May 11 to 14, 7.45pm plus 2.30pm Thursday matinee

JESSE North, 25, from Hull, is a carer on minimum wage, keeping the elderly alive while trying to live her own messy, chaotic life. Told over one night, writer-performer Martha Godber’s play follows Jesse from care shift to the dance floor, from the late-night kebab to an early-morning call-out as she battles the system that undervalues her and the city that shapes her, all while her ADHD-fuelled thoughts and anxious mind crave order in the chaos.

“Both political and personal, the show shines a light on working-class survival in Britain today – where carers are underpaid, the care system is crumbling and young women are left to piece themselves together in a society that keeps breaking them,” says Martha, whose solo play is directed by Millie Gaston. A post-show discussion follows Wednesday’s performance. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

The poster for James Morrison’s 20 Years Of Undiscovered tour

Anniversary of the week: James Morrison, 20 Years Of Undiscovered, York Barbican, May 13, doors 7pm; Sheffield City Hall, May 23, doors 6.30pm

UNDISCOVERED was the number one debut album that changed everything for Rugby soul singer-songwriter and guitarist James Morrison (or James Morrison Catchpole to give him his full name). Back then, he was fitting carpets by day, playing open mics by night and driving up and down to London at any spare moment, taking meeting after meeting with multiple record companies.

On his 18-date May and June tour, 2007 British Male Solo Artist BRIT award winner Morrison is playing Undiscovered in its entirety in a set taking in big hits such as You Give Me Something and Wonderful World, fan favourites The Pieces Don’t Fit Anymore and This Boy, rarely performed gems One Last Chance and How Come and highlights from his six-album songbook, topped off by 2025’s Top Five success Fight Another Day. Cordelia supports. Tickets update: York, limited availability at yorkbarbican.co.uk; Sheffield, https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/james-morrison-sheffield-23-05-2026/event/35006367D9B1B6C6.

Wehn and where? Henning squeezing every German joke out of the British weather at Grand Opera House, York

Comedy gig of the week: Henning Wehn, Acid Wehn, Grand Opera House, York, May 14, 7.30pm

GERMAN Comedy Ambassador Henning Wehn takes an unbiased look at climate change. “It’s a topic sure to delight audiences and no surprise,” he says. “After all, everyone loves talking about the weather. Rain or shine, all will be fine. Or maybe it won’t. Who knows?! Come along. Or else.” Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Tim Lowe: Launching 2026 York Chamber Music Festival with NCEM recital with Stephen Gutman

Festival launch of the week: Tim Lowe (cello) & Stephen Gutman (piano), Gems Of The Romantic Cello, National Centre for Early Music, York, May 15, 7.30pm

DIRECTOR and cellist Tim Lowe previews the 2026 York Chamber Music Festival (September 11 to 13) in concert with pianist Stephen Gutman in a passionate exploration of expressive and beautiful works from the cello and piano repertoire.

Their programme will be the same as they played at St Mary le Strand, London, on Wednesday: Beethoven’s 12 Variations on See The Conquering Hero Comes from Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus; Saint-Saëns’ Cello Sonata No 1 in C Minor; Richard Strauss’s Cello Sonata in F Major and Schumann’s Adagio and Allegro. Box office: eventbrite.co.uk.

Cowboy Junkies: 40 years and counting

In Focus: Cowboy Junkies, Celebrating 40 Years And Beyond Tour, Howard Assembly Room, Leeds, tonight; doors 7pm for 7.45pm start

Cowboy Junkies: 40 years and counting

TORONTO’S Cowboy Junkies are playing British venues for the first time since 2022 on April and May’s Celebrating 40 Years and Beyond tour, promoted by Hurricane Promotions. Next stop, Howard Assembly Room, Leeds, tonight.

Coinciding with the 11-date itinerary, the Canadians have released a triple LP/ double CD/digital collection of songs from their 21st century releases, Open To Beauty.

Released on May 1 on Cooking Vinyl, this ‘Best Of’ set revisits selected tracks from the albums Open, One Soul Now, Early 21st Century Blues, At The End Of Paths Taken, Renmin Park, Demons, Sing In My Meadow, The Wilderness, All That Reckoning, Songs Of The Recollection and 2023’s Such Ferocious Beauty.

Speaking of the new compilation, Cowboy Junkies’ Michael Timmins says: “We are now 25 years into this century, the beginning of which saw us leave the world of major labels and return to making music as an independent band.

“We figured this was as good a time as any to look back, reassess and reflect on the music that we have recorded over these past two and a half decades and, hence, Open To Beauty – The Best of the 21st Century.”

Tour tickets are on sale at: https://cowboyjunkies.com/tour/. Tonight’s show has sold out: for returns only, https://www.operanorth.co.uk/whats-on/cowboy-junkies/.

Did you know?

COWBOY Junkies’ signature performance of Lou Reed’s Velvet Underground composition Sweet Jane was featured in the final episode of Netflix TV series Stranger Things.

Cowboy Junkies’ Peter Timmins, Margo Timmins, Michael Timmins and Alan Anton

Cowboy Junkies: back story

SOMETIMES revolutions begin quietly. In 1988, Canadian alt. country band Cowboy Junkies proved there was an audience waiting for something quiet, beautiful and reflective. The Trinity Session was like a whisper that cut through the noise – and it was compelling, standing out amid the flash and bombast that defined the late 1980s. 

The now classic recording – made live at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Toronto in November 1987 – combined folk, blues and rock in a way that had never been heard before and went on to sell more than a million copies. 

Cowboy Junkies’ ability to communicate volumes before the lyrics kick in defines an enduring career. Where most bands chase trends, the Junkies have stayed their course, maintaining a low-impact excavation of melody and evocative language delivered sotto voce in singer Margo Timmins’s feathery alto.

Forming in Toronto in 1985, Margo was joined by siblings Michael Timmins on guitar and Peter Timmins on drums, plus Michael’s life-long friend Alan Anton on bass, to begin a journey that has evolved over 29 albums.

“I’ve known Alan longer than I’ve known Pete,” says Michael. “We were friends before Pete was born.”

 Unlike most long-lasting groups, Cowboy Junkies have never had a break-up or taken a sanity-saving hiatus. There’s an appreciation of each other that keeps them constantly working. “It’s that intimacy and understanding of what each one of us brings to the table,” says Michael.

The oldest, Michael is the chief architect; songwriter, and guitarist, who works with Margo on sculpting the emotional planes and vocal performances before bringing in Peter and Alan to create the soundscapes that have made Cowboy Junkies a band that defies categories.

“The expectations and responsibilities of our roles are a big part of the band’s ethos,” says Michael. “We’re still amazed that we’re doing things our way and continuing to grow the band, but the longer we are at it, the more fun it’s become. We don’t take it for granted.”

Margo adds: “We do what we do and it feels right for all of us. After 30-plus years of playing together, the band and its music are more important to us than ever. The music we make brings each of us a great sense of contentment, a knowledge of place, and a sense of doing what we were meant to do.”

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Teddy Thompson to play All Saints Church in Pocklington on Never Be The Same Tour. Howard Assembly Room, Leeds, awaits too

Teddy Thompson: Releasing 11th album, Never Be The Same, on May 15

TEDDY Thompson will bring his Never Be The Same UK Tour to All Saints Church, Pocklington, in a June 6 show promoted by Hurricane Promotions.

The London-born, Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter will play a second Yorkshire gig on his 13-date British and Irish itinerary at Howard Assembly Room, Leeds, on June 11.

Thompson, 50, will be showcasing Never Be The Same, his 11th album, featuring his first collection of original material since Heartbreaker Please in 2020, to be released on May 15 on RPF Records/Royal Potato Family on CD, digital, and vinyl formats.

Across ten tracks, Thompson refines his craft via an exploration of music’s enduring preoccupations: love, longing and the uneasy passage of time.

The album was not built on a grand narrative. There was no self-imposed exile, no forced reinvention. Instead, it is centred around an exhortation threaded through the songs like a refrain, namely “Never Be The Same”, whose title only revealed itself to Thompson after he had completed the recording.

“It’s a phrase that, unconsciously, I used twice,” he says. “And when I saw it on the page, I realised, this is the message of this album. Don’t ever be the same. Change. Grow! Even when the sentiment is, ‘woe is me’, I’ll never recover after that love or loss. The message is still, change. Don’t get too comfortable. Everything is temporary, so evolve or perish!”

This pull and tension between comfort and change runs quietly throughout the album, produced by Grammy Award–winning musician/producer David Mansfield.

At the core is Thompson’s longstanding commitment to songwriting as a form, inspired by early influences such as Chuck Berry, Hank Williams and Crowded House, as well as the towering figures of the craft, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, The Beatles and, certainly, his parents, British folk icons Richard and Linda Thompson.

The poster artwork for Teddy Thompson’s gig at All Saints Church, Pocklington

For Thompson, the search for this truth starts with authenticity and personal experience. “Songwriting is magical,” he says. “You can hear 100 people sing ‘I love you,’ and you know which one is telling the truth. If the root of the sentiment is authentic, it will resonate.”

The album’s first single, So This Is Heartache, is a bruised waltz for the broken- hearted. Reminiscent of the golden age of Stax Records, it weds Thompson’s keening tenor and soaring falsetto with a classic soul feel and a warm horn section.

“If you sit down to write the most raw emotion you can summon, most of the time it’s going to touch on some kind of loss,” he says. “People will say, ‘Oh, you poor thing,’ but it’s not that I’ve had more heartbreak than anybody else; I just wrote it down.”

A crucial presence throughout the album is Mansfield, who also helmed My Love Of Country, Thompson’s 2023 country covers project. Mansfield once again presents Thompson with a deft touch, framing his vocals in elegant and understated arrangements.

“He’s a big part of the aesthetic. We work very well together; we are simpatico,” says Thompson. “It’s a great feeling to put someone else in charge after having the songs rolling around in your head for ages. Once you’ve done the writing, you’re able to just be the singer. The sound of the record is down to him; he did an amazing job.”

On Come Back, Thompson begs for redemption with a departed lover whom he did not do enough to retain, alternately grappling with the need for self-improvement and pleading for a return. Baby It’s You is the album’s most tender moment, a yearning ballad juxtaposed by a chorus that could fill a stadium and punctuated by John Grant’s wicked, percolating synthesisers.

I Remember is the stuff of nostalgia, wherein Thompson recalls the angst of childhood and the soothing “pale, rock pool eyes” of the one who set him on his path. There is even an appropriately dry kiss-off to unnamed vices with Worst Two Weeks Of My Life.

Ultimately, Never Be The Same is an album of steady evolution, a suite of deeply considered, carefully constructed songs rooted in lived experience. If one message prevails, it is that change is not only inevitable but essential, even when you would rather stay exactly where you are.

Tickets for Pocklington and Leeds are on sale at https://www.alttickets.com/teddy-thompson-tickets.

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REVIEW: Martin Dreyer’s verdict on Leeds Song, Roderick Williams & Andrew West, Howard Assembly Room, Leeds, April 6

Baritone Roderick Williams

BRITAIN’S  favourite baritone, the ubiquitous Roderick Williams, brought a typically eclectic programme to the Leeds Song festival under the banner “A touch of the exotic”, with Andrew West as his deft collaborator at the piano.

It involved ten composers from Schubert to Sally Beamish, four of them female. It was right to begin with Schubert: he has always been the yardstick against whom song composers measure themselves. His setting of Goethe’s Kennst du das Land? distils the Romantic poets’ infatuation with Eastern climes. Sure enough, Williams’s quickened pulse at ‘Dahin!’ (it’s there!) captured that excitement.

Even more exotic, as more Debussyan, was Denis Browne’s last song, Walter de la Mare’s Arabia (1914), with its delicate piano and opiate aura, a timely reminder of a great talent snuffed out by war.

Arthur Bliss’s pithy Siege and Rebecca Clarke’s elegy A Dream were but preludes to Amy Woodforde-Finden’s much-loved Kashmiri song, where our duo conjured nostalgia without undue sentimentality.

Duparc’s only two settings of Baudelaire, arguably his best songs, were finely drawn. The shimmering impressionism of L’invitation au Voyage was balanced by his last mélodie, the sonnet La Vie Antérieure, which boiled up into a sensuous climax reflecting the flashing foam. The gradual return of the painful secret in the poetry was complemented by West’s beautifully poised postlude.

Sally Beamish’s Four Songs from Hafez were a commission from Leeds Lieder in 2007; it was good to hear them again. They centre on three birds and a fish as translated from 14th century Persian by Jill Peacock.

Much of the composer’s illustrative talent is found in the piano, birdsong of course but also watery undercurrents of excitement in ‘Fish’ where Williams accentuated Hafez’s “wine of creation”. ‘Hoopoe’, a love letter, had some delicate touches here.

Hafez’s wine also featured in Wolf’s Erschaffen und Beleben (Creation and Animation), as answer to a clodhopper’s problems. Williams was well attuned to Goethe’s sense of humour both here and in Wolf’s First Coptic Song.

The Jamaican-born composer Eleanor Alberga’s star has been rising rapidly in recent years. Her early years as a pianist and involvement with dance are both assimilated into The Soul’s Expression (2017), four settings of 19th century female poets. Described as a piano sonata with linking songs, it is through-composed (running without a break).

The songs are wonderfully evocative of nature, with piano interludes that take the place of strings in the original version. After an ecstatic glimpse of heaven in a cornfield, there are two calmer sections involving a gentle breeze at sunset and a shower of rose petals, before the title song, to an Elizabeth Barrett Browning sonnet, delves into more spiritual territory, with the baritone briefly using falsetto against whispering keyboard. It was a touching experience.

More light-hearted, although no less powerful, were Harry Burleigh’s Five songs of Laurence Hope –the pseudonym of Adela Florence Nicolson – which are much influenced by negro spirituals. They include ‘Kashmiri Song’, but using all three of its verses (unlike Woodforde-Finden’s version) and tellingly repeat its ‘Where are you now?’ at the close. There was a glorious climax to ‘Worth while’ and especially strong emotion in the final song, ‘Till I Wake’. Williams and West are a superb duo.

Review by Martin Dreyer