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Aljaž and Janette move York date to April 2022…but here comes their streamed show

Strictly between us: Aljaž Škorjanec and Janette Manrara and a model of an Oscar

STRICTLY Come Dancing regulars Aljaž Škorjanec and Janette Manrara are moving their Remembering The Oscars show at York Barbican for a second time.

The persistent pandemic has enforced a switch to April 7 2022, for the only Yorkshire performance of next year’s tour, after an earlier change from Spring 2020 to March 2021.

“Due to the continuing uncertainty regarding the unlocking of mass gatherings for events in the entertainment sector, it has been decided to reschedule the tour to Spring 2022,” the official statement reads, after the 41-date tour was postponed again, this time rescheduled for March 19 to May 7 2022.

All tickets will remain valid for the new dates. As announced earlier, the tour’s producers and Aljaž and Janette will be making ten free VIP tickets available to NHS staff at every venue as a way of showing their gratitude to front-line workers, with a meet & greet with the two dancers as part of the package. Information on how to claim these tickets will be announced “as soon as normal services resume”. 

In Remembering The Oscars, husband and wife Aljaž and Janette will give the red-carpet treatment to Oscar-winning songs, dances, movies and stars.

Slovenian-born dancer and choreographer Aljaž, 31, says: “We’re devastated to have to postpone for a second time what we truly believe is our best show to date. However, everybody’s health and safety comes first, so we know it’s absolutely the right decision to make.

“Equally, we’re thrilled audiences across the UK will still get to see our amazing show next year, by which point we all hope the pandemic will finally be behind us.”

Miami-born Cuban-American dancer and choreographer Janette, 37, adds: “Like all performers, we’re very much looking forward to the moment when we can all get back on the stage and put on a real show for everyone.

The poster for Aljaž and Janette’s rearranged Remembering The Oscars tour in 2022

“It will be a memorable and emotional moment for both the cast and audience that’ll be worth waiting for. In the meantime, stay safe everybody.”

Tickets remain valid for the new York Barbican date, but ticket holders unable to attend the April 7 2022 show should contact yorkbarbican.co.uk for refund details.

Meanwhile, in the wake of the latest tour postponement, Aljaž and Janette are to star in a streamed performance of the still-to-be-debuted Remembering The Oscars for a limited three-week season starting on March 27.

In this one-hour special, Aljaž & Janette will celebrate the greatest award-winning songs, films and dance routines from the Golden Ages of Hollywood through to Disney family favourites and beyond.

The Strictly duo will be joined by a cast of singers and dancers on a specially constructed stage, backed by a large LED screen that will show brand-new filmed content, as they dance their way through bespoke and original and musical arrangements of more than 25 songs.

Among the films in the spotlight will be Dirty Dancing, Mary Poppins, Flashdance, Cabaret, The Wizard Of Oz, An American In Paris, The Lion King, La La Land, Toy Story, Singin’ In The Rain, Frozen, A Chorus Line, William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet and Scent Of A Woman, among others.

The performance will be intercut with commentaries from Aljaž and Janette, complemented by backstage behind-the-scenes content; their personal account of how the show and its routines were created; why they picked certain songs; how they devised each of the show’s sections and the influences behind their performances.

Shot using ten high-definition cameras, the pay-per-view event will premiere on Saturday, March 27 at 7.30pm and can be watched on demand via Smart TVs, computers, tablets and phones until April 17.

Up stream: Aljaž and Janette announce “the streaming event of the year!”

All tickets come with a free digital 32-page programme, packed with exclusive photos, interviews, Oscar trivia and much more. Options to upgrade include an after-show pass to an In Conversation with Aljaž and Janette and an exclusive 30-minute behind-the-scenes film, featuring additional footage with access to the dressing rooms, rehearsals and backstage.

Aljaž and Janette say: “We feel awful having to postpone our Remembering The Oscars tour for a second time due to the pandemic, but we’re delighted to have been given the opportunity to film some of the highlights from the show.

“Hopefully this will give our audience and fans a taster of what is to come next year. We love and miss you and hope you enjoy the show.”

Many of the postponed tour’s venues, such as Birmingham Symphony Hall, Newcastle Theatre Royal and Northampton’s Derngate Theatre, have come together to help to promote the stream.

The show’s co-producers, Steven Howard for The TCB Group and David Shepherd, have commented jointly: “The support we have from our friends in the regions is invaluable. While venues remain closed, they are working with us to promote this very special streamed performance of Remembering The Oscars to their respective audiences.

“We all know how important local venues are to the cultural fabric of the UK, so we hope this goes someway to supplement the public’s craving for live performance.”

Tickets are available at £15 from: https://tcbtv.ticketco.events/uk/en/e/remembering_the_oscars or www.rememberingtheoscars.com.

Further offers:

In Conversation with Aljaž and Janette: £5

Aljaž and Janette answer all your questions and talk about the show, their dreams and aspirations for the future. In Conversation is a revealing insight into their Remembering The Oscars journey and the inspirations behind their choice of songs and dance routines. They will be joined by “some very special guests”.

Behind The Scenes with Aljaž and Janette: £5

Exclusive 30-minute film featuring additional footage with access to the dressing rooms, rehearsals and backstage of Remembering The Oscars.

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Paul Carrack is good and ready for York Barbican gig in 2022 and summer album

Paul Carrack: new single, new tour and 2022 tour

SHEFFIELD soul stalwart Paul Carrack will play York Barbican on February 17 2022 on his 24-date Good And Ready Tour.

Further Yorkshire gigs are in next year’s diary for Hull City Hall on January 22 and a home-city finale on March 19.

Carrack, the golden voice of Ace’s How Long, Squeeze’s Tempted and Mike + The Mechanics’ The Living Years and Over My Shoulder, will release new single You’re Not Alone on Friday (19/2/2021) across all digital platforms via his independent label, Carrack-UK.

The live years before Covid: Paul Carrack at York Barbican in February 2018. Picture: Simon Bartle

His 18th studio set of a 50-year career, One On One, will follow in the summer, on a date yet to be confirmed for his first album since These Days in 2018, a year when he performed at York Barbican on February 16.

The single and album are the results of Carrack heading into his recording studio since the first pandemic lockdown in March 2020. He not only wrote, recorded and produced every song on One On One, but he also played all of the instruments, making his latest work the very definition of a solo record, made when he was very much alone.

Carrack, who will turn 70 on April 22, says of You’re Not Alone: “I’d say the song is self-explanatory, but the sentiment is one of unquestioning commitment and support. I very much hope I get the chance to perform this song live with my band when we get the green light to start touring again, which we all hope will be at some point this year.”

Tickets for his York Barbican show are on sale at £42.75 to £48.35 at yorkbarbican.co.uk; Hull tickets, hulltheatres.co.uk; Sheffield, sheffieldcityhall.co.uk.

“I’d say the song is self-explanatory, but the sentiment is one of unquestioning commitment and support,” says Paul Carrack, introducing his new single, You’re Not Alone
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Agnew, Tufnell and Vaughan confirmed for Test Match Special chatter at York Barbican

Test Match Special chat show: Jonathan Agnew, left, Phil Tufnell and Michael Vaughan

BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan “Aggers” Agnew is to join triumphant Ashes captain Michael Vaughan and maverick spinner Phil Tufnell for a chat at York Barbican on May 7 2022.

The trio will be embarking on a 20-date BBC Radio 5 Live Test Match Special: The Live Tour itinerary next year, “taking you inside the famous BBC commentary box and sharing memories from their remarkable playing careers”.

Among the topics will be: What was it like facing Australian spinning ace Shane Warne in his Pommie-bashing pomp? Which member of the TMS team never buys dinner? What really happened on the infamous night of celebration after the 2005 Ashes victory at The Oval?

Jonathan Agnew

Test Match Special has been the home of cricket commentary on BBC radio since 1957, with Agnew, Vaughan and Tufnell to the fore in the wake of John Arlott, Brian “Johnners” Johnson and Sir Geoffrey Boycott.    

The TMS three will tell stories of life on the road as players, and now as commentators, from Barbados to Birmingham and Christchurch to Kolkata, on a tour promising never-before-seen footage of iconic commentary moments and revelations of how the commentary team kept their emotions in check on air at the 2019 World Cup Final between England and New Zealand at Lord’s. Find out, too, “what life is really like watching England from the finest seat in the house”.

Phil Tufnell. Picture: Guy Levy

BBC cricket producer Adam Mountford says: “Test Match Special is so fortunate to have a unique and special relationship with its audience, and this is a wonderful opportunity for three of our stars to hit the road and meet some of those who make the programme what it is: the listeners.

“I’m looking forward to catching some of the shows, too, and share in a celebration of cricket, radio commentary and perhaps a little cake!”

For tickets, go to: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Michael Vaughan. Picture: Guy Levy
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More Things To Do in and around York and at home in 2021, whatever barriers may yet lie ahead. List No 23, courtesy of The Press

Grayson Perry: Two shows in York in 2021; one an exhibition of “Lost Pots” at York Art Gallery, the other, his existentialist gig, A Show For Normal People, at York Barbican

AFTER a year where killjoy Covid-19 re-wrote the arts and events diary over and over again, here comes 2021, when the pandemic will still have a Red Pen influence.

Armed with a pantomime fairy’s magic wand rather than Madame Arcati’s crystal ball from Blithe Spirit, when what we need is a jab in the arm pronto, Charles Hutchinson picks out potential highlights from the New Year ahead that York will start in Tier 3.

Velma Celli: Had planned to present A Brief History Of Drag at Theatre @41 Monkgate in January; now heading online at home instead

Back on screen: Velma Celli, Large & Lit In Lockdown Again, streaming on January 8

AFTER his “Fleshius Creepius” panto villain in York Stage’s Jack And The Beanstalk, Ian Stroughair was planning to pull on his drag rags for a live Velma Celli show in January, and maybe more shows to follow, at his adopted winter home of Theatre @41 Monkgate.

Instead, he writes: “Darlings, as we head back into a lockdown in York, I am back on the streaming! My first show is next Friday at 8pm. I would love you to join me for an hour of camp cabaret fun! Get those requests and shout-outs in!” Tickets for Virtual Velma start at £10 via http://bit.ly/3nVaa4N; expect an online show every Friday from Ian’s new riverside abode.

Shed Seven: Headlining all-Yorkshire bill at The Piece Hall, Halifax, in the summer

Open-air one-off event of the summer: Shed Seven, The Piece Hall, Halifax, June 26

FRESH from releasing live album Another Night, Another Town as a reminder of what everyone has had to miss in 2020, Shed Seven have confirmed their Piece Hall headliner in Halifax has been rearranged for next summer.

The Sheds have picked an all-Yorkshire support bill of Leeds bands The Wedding Present and The Pigeon Detectives and fast-rising fellow York act Skylights. For tickets, go to lunatickets.co.uk or seetickets.com.

Cocktail Party 1989, copyright of Grayson Perry/Victoria Miro, from the Grayson Perry: The Pre-Therapy Years exhibition, opening at CoCA, York Art Gallery, in May

Most anticipated York exhibition of 2021: Grayson Perry: The Pre-Therapy Years, York Art Gallery, May 28 to September 5

CHANNEL 4’s  champion of people’s art in lockdown, Grayson Perry, will present his Covid-crocked 2020 exhibition of “lost pots” at the Centre of Ceramic Art (CoCA) next spring and summer instead.

The Pre-Therapy Years reassembles Perry’s earliest forays into ceramics; 70 “explosive and creative works” he made between 1982 and 1994. Look out too for the potter, painter, TV presenter and social commentator’s existentialist September 6 gig at York Barbican: Grayson Perry: A Show For Normal People, wherein he will “distract you from the very meaninglessness of life in the way only a man in a dress can”.

Chris Moreno: No festive cheer at Christmas, but now he looks forward to presenting The Great Yorkshire Easter Pantomime, Aladdin, on Knavesmire, York, in spring 2021

A pantomime in the spring? Yes, The Great Yorkshire Easter Pantomime in a tent on Knavesmire, York, March 19 to April 11

CHRIS Moreno, director of Three Bears’ Productions four pantomimes at the Grand Opera House from 2016 to 2019, will direct York’s first ever “tentomime”, Aladdin, this spring with a cast of “21 colourful characters”.

The Great Yorkshire Easter Pantomime will be presented in the luxurious, heated Tented Palace, Knavesmire, in a socially distanced configuration compliant with Covid-19 guidance.

The big top will have a capacity of 976 in tiered, cushioned seating, while the stage will span 50 metres, comprising a palace façade, projected scenery and magical special effects. Look out for the flying carpets.

Going solo: Julie Hesmondhalgh in The Greatest Play In The History Of The World at York Theatre Royal from February 16

Falling in love again with theatre: The Love Season at York Theatre Royal, February 14 to April 21

ON December 15, York Theatre Royal announced plans to reopen on St Valentine’s Day for The Love Season, with the audience capacity reduced from 750 to a socially distanced 345.

Full details will be confirmed in the New Year with tickets going on sale on January 8, and that remains the case, says chief executive Tom Bird, after hearing yesterday afternoon’s statement to the House of Commons by Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

“We’re carrying on with our plans, including presenting Coronation Street and Broadchurch actor Julie Hesmondhalgh in husband Ian Kershaw’s one-woman play, The Greatest Play In The History Of The World, from February 16 to 20,” he confirmed.

Van Morrison: A brace of bracing nights at York Barbican in May

Six of the best at York Barbican in 2021

YORK Barbican has remained closed since the March lockdown, foregoing even the UK Snooker Championships in November and December.

A reopening date is yet to be announced but mark these shows in your diary, if only in pencil: Rob Brydon, A Night Of Songs & Laughter, April 14; Jimmy Carr, Terribly Funny, May 2; country duo The Shires, May 23; Van Morrison, May 25 and 26; Paul Weller, June 29, and Rufus Wainwright, Unfollow The Rules Tour, October 13.

Ceramicist Beccy Ridsdel: Looking forward to the 20th anniversary of York Open Studios

Anniversary celebration of the year: York Open Studios, April 17 and 18; 24 and 25, 10am to 5pm

2020 turned into a virtual Open Studios with displays online and in windows, but already 140 artists and makers are confirmed for the 20th anniversary event in the spring when they will show and sell their work within their homes and workspaces.

Many of 2020’s selected artists have deferred their space to 2021, but new additions will be announced soon, the website teases. “We’re channelling the optimism and enthusiasm from all our artists to ensure this year’s 20th show is one of the best,” says event co-founder and ceramicist Beccy Ridsdel.

Dr Delma Tomlin: Administrative director of the 2021 York Early Music Festival, running from July 9 to 17

And what about?

Festivals galore, as always, in the self-anointed “City of Festivals”. Coming up are the Jorvik Viking Festival; York Fashion Week; York Literature Festival; York Early Music Festival; York Festival of Ideas, the Aesthetica Short Film Festival and more besides. 

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Los Angeles singer Beth Hart will reveal dark secrets at York Barbican next October

GRAMMY nominee Beth Hart and her American band will play York Barbican on October 31 next year.

The Los Angeles singer-songwriter, 48, likes to throw down her cards and share her darkest secrets as she invites audiences to join her for the ride. Witness the DVD or Blu-ray of her sold-out Royal Albert Hall concert in London.

Hart last released an album, War In My Mind, in 2019. “More than any record I’ve ever made, I’m more open to being myself on these songs,” she said at the time. “I’ve come a long way with healing, and I’m comfortable with my darknesses, weirdnesses and things that I’m ashamed of, as well as all the things that make me feel good.”

From the extremes of her life come the heart, soul and blues of Hart’s songs. “A lot of subjects are covered on War In My Mind,” she reflected.

A year earlier, Hart teamed up with New York blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter Joe Bonamassa for the album Black Coffee.

Tickets are on sale at yorkbarbican.co.uk.

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Kate Rusby invites you to stay home for online Christmas concert Happy Holly Day

Kate Rusby At Christmas…now Kate Rusby At Christmas At Home for Saturday’s streamed concert, Happy Holly Day. Picture: David LIndsay

KATE Rusby At Christmas, her annual folk-spun South Yorkshire carol-singing service with fairy lights, Ruby the Reindeer, guest Brass Boys and a fancy-dress finale, will not be celebrated at York Barbican on December 20, ruled out by the Covid Grinch.

This rotten year, however, the Barnsley voice of Christmas past, present and yet to come is still determined to bring the joy of her usual Christmas tour to the comfort of tree-lit homes with the special delivery of a full-length concert, streamed worldwide on Saturday (12/12/2020) at 7.30pm GMT.

“Everyone will have a front row seat for Kate Rusby’s Happy Holly Day,” promises Kate, who has been counting down to her festive stream with a Who’s Behind The Window Today? teaser on a daily virtual Advent Calendar video with musician-husband Damien O’Kane since December 1. In a roasted chesnutshell, tickets are available now at katerusby.com.  

In August, Kate achieved her highest-charting album to date with Hand Me Down, her Lockdown 1-recorded recorded collection of cover versions, from Manic Monday and Friday I’m In Love to Shake It Off and Three Little Birds, all newly embossed with the Rusby folk alchemy.

Debuting in the Official Album Charts at number 12 – number three in the CD album chart and number four in the Independent release chart – Hand Me Down will have a second life on vinyl from January 15 2021. Pre-orders can be made at:  https://purerecords.net/collections/kate-rusby-vinyls

The suitably festive poster for Kate Rusby’s Happy Holly Day

Come Saturday night, this incurable Christmas reveller, Kate the Holly Head, will cherry pick from her five Yuletide albums, Sweet Bells, While Mortals Sleep, The Frost Is All Over, Angels And Men and last year’s Holly Head, with their double act of Victorian tut-tutted South Yorkshire carols and Rusby winter originals. 

For more than 200 years, from late-November to New Year’s Day, South Yorkshire and North Debyshire communities would congregate on Sunday lunchtimes, in their local public house, to belt out their own versions of familiar carols, an act of appropriation frowned upon by the church in Victorian times for being “too happy”.

Such happiness, nevertheless, will be encouraged to the brim this weekend on Kate’s night of virtual wassailing. For a video trailer of Kate Rusby’s Happy Holly Day, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myM2ieabVlU

Looking ahead, Kate’s cancelled 2020 York carol concert must now do Covid-enforced cold turkey for a year, re-scheduled for Sunday, December 19 2021. Tickets already bought will transfer to the new date.

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No Irish legends at York Barbican for months and months, then along come two…

Van Morrison: York Barbican

IRISH luminaries Van Morrison and Chris De Burgh are heading to York Barbican in 2021.

Northern Irishman Morrison, 75, will play two nights, May 25 and 26, and Southern Irishman De Burgh, 72, is booked in for October 15.

Tickets for both concerts will go on sale at 9am on Friday (11/12/2020) at yorkbarbican.co.uk, as well as at ticketline.co.uk and on 0844 888 9991 for De Burgh.

Born in Pottinger, Belfast, in 1945, Van Morrison – or Sir George Ivan Morrison OBE, as a formal envelope would now read – was inspired early in life by his shipyard worker father’s collection of blues, country and gospel records.

Feeding off Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers and Muddy Waters in particular, Morrison became a travelling musician at 13, performing in several bands before forming Them in 1964.

Making their name at Belfast’s Maritime Club, Them soon established Morrison as a major force in the British R&B scene, initially with Here Comes The Night and Gloria, still his staple concert-closing number.

Brown Eyed Girl and the November 1968 album Astral Weeks announced a solo song-writing spirit still going strong, as testified latterly by a burst of five albums in three years. In 2017, he released Roll With The Punches and Versatile; in 2018, You’re Driving Me Crazy, with Joey DeFrancesco, and The Prophet Speaks; last year, Three Chords & The Truth, his 41st studio set, no less.

Over the years, Morrison has accumulated a knighthood; a BRIT; an OBE; an Ivor Novello award; six Grammys; honorary doctorates from Queen’s University, Belfast, and the University of Ulster; entry into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the French Ordres Des Artes Et Des Lettres…and a number 20 hit duet with Cliff Richard in 1989, Whenever God Shines His Light.

This year, Morrison has said – and sung – his two penneth on Coronavirus, “crooked facts” and “pseudo-science”. In August, he called for “fellow singers, musicians, writers, producers, promoters and others in the industry to fight with me on this. Come forward, stand up, fight the pseudo-science and speak up”.

Ironically, a quick-thinking company promptly launched a set of face masks of iconic Morrison album covers.

Chris De Burgh: New album, new musical, new tour, all on a Robin Hood theme, in 2021

From September 25, Morrison launched a series of three protest songs, one every two weeks, railing against safety measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19: Born To Be Free, As I Walked Out and No More Lockdown.

“No more lockdown / No more government overreach / No more fascist bullies / Disturbing our peace …,” he urged on the latter.

“No more taking of our freedom / And our God-given rights / Pretending it’s for our safety / When it’s really to enslave …”

Not without irony, that song condemned “celebrities telling us what we’re supposed to feel”. Issuing an explanatory statement amid condemnation from voices in Irish authority, he said: “I’m not telling people what to do or think. The government is doing a great job of that already. It’s about freedom of choice. I believe people should have the right to think for themselves.”

In September, he announced a series of socially distanced concerts, again with a covering note: “This is not a sign of compliance or acceptance of the current state of affairs,” it read. “This is to get my band up and running and out of the doldrums.”

Plenty of “re-scheduled” shows are in the diary, in London this Friday and Saturday, Belfast over the New Year celebrations, followed by four nights at the London Palladium in mid-April.

Not long afterwards comes the brace of York Barbican gig : an umpteenth return to a venue where he has performed in his predictably unpredictable, sometimes gruff, sometimes prickly, yet oft-times sublimely soulful manner on myriad mystical nights.  

Chris De Burgh – born Christopher John Davison in Venado Tuerto, Argentina and raised in County Wexford, southern Ireland – last visited York Barbican on his Classics Albums Tour in October 2019.

That night, the focus fell on 1986’s Into The Light and 2010’s Moonfleet & Other Stories. Next autumn, Chris De Burgh & Band will be undertaking the eight-date UK tour, The Legend Of Robin Hood & Other Hits, in support of the upcoming album, The Legend Of Robin Hood, whose release date is yet to be affirmed.

De Burgh has co-written a musical too, Robin Hood, to be premiered in Fulda, Germany, in 2021. Expect both new material and greatest hits, Lady In Red et al from a 45-year recording career stretching back to Spanish Train And Other Stories, when he plays the only Yorkshire concert of next October’s itinerary.

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The road may be longer than planned, but The Hollies’ bus will stop at York Barbican

All roads lead The Hollies to York Barbican…eventually

THE road will be even longer for The Hollies, who should have been playing York Barbican on April 26 in this Covid-crocked year but must now wait until September 23 2021.

The Manchester veterans will be playing 18 dates on their rearranged The Road Is Long tour from September 19 to October 19, including a second Yorkshire show at Sheffield City Hall.

Two original members from the 1960s’ British Invasion days, drummer Bobby Elliott and singer, songwriter and lead guitarist Tony Hicks, will be joined by lead singer Peter Howarth, bass player Ray Stiles, keyboardist Ian Parker and rhythm guitarist Steve Lauri.

Formed in 1962, The Hollies topped the charts on both sides of the Big Pond, notching up such hits as He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother, I’m Alive, Stop, Stop, Stop, Here I Go Again, Bus Stop,On A Carousel, Just One Look, Carrie-Anne, Jennifer Eccles, I Can’t Let Go, Sorry Suzanne, Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress and The Air That I Breathe. 

In 1995, The Hollies were bestowed the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution To British Music, followed in 2010 by their induction into the American Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for their “impact on the evolution, development and perpetuation of rock & roll”.

Tickets for The Hollies’ York gig will go on sale on Friday (11/12/2020) at 10am at yorkbarbican.co.uk.

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Scouting For Girls take cover for new album and confirm York Barbican gig for 2021

Scouting for gigs: Scouting For Girls have lined up their longest-ever tour for 2021, taking in York Barbican next autumn

SCOUTING For Girls will play York Barbican on October 10 on their 42-date 2021 tour, showcasing next spring’s Easy Cover album alongside all the hits.

Tickets will go on sale at 9am on December 4 at yorkbarbican.co.uk for the London indie-pop trio’s first appearance in York since the York Racecourse Music Showcase Weekend in July 2015.

Roy Stride, piano and lead guitar, Greg Churchouse, bass guitar, and Dr Peter Ellard, percussion, first performed at the Knavesmire course in July 2011 and had been booked by promoters Cuffe and Taylor for the inaugural York Festival, at York Sports Club, Clifton Park, on June 20 this summer until Covid changed everything.

Scouting For Girls initially responded to this strangest of years by “surrounding themselves with sources of comfort and escapism, things from what felt like a simpler time”.

Going back to the 1980s’ music of their childhood days, the trio regrouped during what should have been a summer of festival appearances, and the result is a joyous album of cover versions and new compositions, buoyed by an optimism that “2021 can be everything that 2020 was not”.

For Easy Cover, Scouting For Girls revisited Eighties’ pop masterpieces and indie alt. band favourites alike, taking in Cyndi Lauper, Whitney Houston, Phil Collins (presumably Easy Lover?), Tears For Fears, The Waterboys and more besides.

Scouting For Girls’ artwork for their 2021 tour

Not only covers motivated the band to write original material inspired by the decade for next year’s March 26 album. So did their abiding love of those halcyon days, leading Stride to write I Wish It Was 1989 and festive new single Xmas In The 80s.

Looking forward to the Londoners’ longest tour of their 15-year career, Stride says: “Touring is our very favourite aspect of being in this band and to go out longer and harder than ever is a dream come true.

“We’re going to put 2020 behind us and put two years of pent-up energy into every night of this tour. We can’t wait to give people the most fun night out of 2021”

Since forming in 2005, Scouting For Girls have chalked up two million album sales and a similar figure for their singles, such as Top Ten hits She’s So Lovely, Elvis Ain’t Dead and Heartbeat and 2009 chart topper This Ain’t A Love Song.

BRIT Award and Ivor Novello nominations have come their way, as have sold-out concerts at Wembley Arena, the London Palladium and the Royal Albert Hall.

Oh, and apparently Scouting For Girls are the most played band on Spotify in York.

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Bobby Dazzler of a new show brings Sarah Millican to York Barbican next November

“You’ll learn about what happens when your mouth seals shut,” says Sarah Millican, who will have to do exactly the opposite in her Bobby Dazzler show in 2021 and 2022

NORTH Eastern comedian Sarah Millican will pop down to York Barbican for the first time since November 2018 for two nights of her 2021/2022 Bobby Dazzler tour next autumn.

Millican, 45, will play York on November 12 and 13 on her sixth international tour where “you’ll learn about what happens when your mouth seals shut, how to throw poo over a wall, trying to lose weight but only losing the tip of your finger, a surprisingly funny smear test, and how truly awful a floatation tank can be”. 

Sarah says she has spent the past year writing jokes and growing her backside. “She can’t wait to get back on the road and make you laugh in her first return to York Barbican since her previous sell-out tour, Control Enthusiast,” her tour patter proclaims.

Last year, the South Shields comic began hosting the BBC Radio 4 comedy panel show Elephant In The Room, featuring panellists sharing their life experiences and testing who is closest and farthest from the national average.

Tickets for Sarah Millican: Bobby Dazzler go on sale tomorrow (27/11/2020) at 10am online only at yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Sarah Millican’s tour poster for Bobby Dazzler, booked into York Barbican for a brace of November 2021 gigs