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.
Alison Moyet: Returning to York Barbican this autumn. Picture: Naomi Davison
ALISON Moyet will play York Barbican on November 18 in one of ten new additions to her Songs Of Yazoo, the minutes and Other tour.
After 20 UK and Irish shows, including Sheffield City Hall on October 6, sold out within days, the Basildon-born soul, blues and pop singer-songwriter has announced further autumn dates, with another Yorkshire gig among them at Bradford Live on November 13.
The 2026 tour will focus exclusively on songs from Yazoo’s 1982-1983 catalogue and a selection from her solo electronica albums, 2013’s the minutes and 2017’s Other.
In her days as Alf, Moyet answered a Melody Maker advert to join fellow Essex musician Vince Clarke in Yazoo after his split from Depeche Mode. A handful ofYazoo hits have become staples of Alison’s live sets, but much of the electronic duo’s material has been performed only rarely outside of their two brief tours: 1982’s breakthrough travels and 2008’s Reconnected reunion.
Songs Of Yazoo, the minutes and Other is billed as a “unique opportunity to experience songs live that propelled their phenomenal yet short-lived run”, comprising 1982’s UK and USA platinum-selling debut Upstairs At Eric’s and 1983’s parting shot, the UK chart-topping You And Me Both.
Alison Moyet’s poster for the ten new shows on her Songs Of Yazoo, the minutes and Other tour
For the first time, Moyet will team multiple Yazoo numbers with songs from her creative return to electronica for the minutes and Other, both produced by principal co-writer Guy Sigsworth.
“Many years touring the same pool of songs and I am keen for a palate refresher,” says Moyet, 64. “Specifying which years I will be fishing from too, I think, is a grand way to serve pot luck for specific tastes. No bones…”
Moyet last visited York Barbican on February 20 2025 on her first headline tour since 2017, when she had been joined by keyboard players John Garden and Shaun McGhee on November 19 that year to promote Other.
Last year’s show followed Moyet’s graduation from Brighton University in 2023 with a first-class degree in fine art printmaking, whereupon she combined art and music on her 18-track October 4 album, Key, creating the artwork as well as reworking singles, fan favourites and deep cuts, complemented by two new songs.
In addition, Moyet will embark on a 21-date tour of North America this summer as a special guest on The Human League’s Generations tour, alongside Marc Almond’s Soft Cell.
Tigerslane Studios’ cast for Murder Trial Tonight IV, Death Of A Landlord
I WAS really looking forward to this show—perhaps more accurately, this re-trial of a real-life court case—and it didn’t disappoint.
From the moment we entered, Sunday afternoon’s sold-out audience was cast as the jury in the trial of reclusive tenant Tre Bennet, accused of the brutal stabbing of his landlord, Victor Sloane. The only eyewitness: Sloane’s young daughter.
Presented under the direction of Gareth Watts, the stage was starkly arranged as a courtroom, complete with witness box, dock and judge’s bench, while the prosecution and defence occupied opposite sides as a cast of 11 played out Steve Cummings’ script.
When we were asked to stand for the judge’s entrance (Karren Winchester’s Her Honour Judge Amanda Livingstone KC ), the theatrical illusion snapped seamlessly into something far more immersive: participation.
The prosecution’s opening statement (by Alex Kapila’s Ms Victoria Pelham KC) was commanding, laying out what initially seemed like a compelling case. Witness statements, months of unpaid rent, and a description of a Black man in a yellow jacket—identified by the child—combined with blood found on the defendant’s door, all pointed toward Tre (Alpha Kamara).
We were also told that he suffered from schizophrenia, a detail framed to suggest a potential for violent outbursts. Add to this a recent confrontation between Tre and the landlord involving his mother, and the prosecution’s narrative appeared convincing. At this stage, the outlook for Tre Bennet felt bleak.
However, the defence lawyer (Ian Houghton’s Mr Miles Cavendish KC) methodically dismantled this certainty. The yellow jacket, central to the eyewitness account, was shown to be outdated—photographic evidence taken years earlier, with the garment long since discarded. The blood on the door was given a far more mundane explanation: an accidental injury sustained by the landlord while carrying out repairs. Gradually, the cracks in the prosecution’s case began to widen.
The emotional core of the piece came through the testimony of Tre’s mother (Karlina Grace-Paseda’s Dolores Bennet). Her account—detailing her escape from Sierra Leone to build a life in England with her young son—was deeply affecting.
Through her words, and those of Tre’s music teacher (Jason Deer’s Jason Scott), we were introduced to a very different portrait: a gentle, gifted young man shaped by hardship and subjected to racist abuse, yet defined by kindness and creativity. Importantly, the defence also challenged assumptions around mental illness, reminding us that the proportion of people with schizophrenia who commit violent crimes is extremely small.
What makes Death Of A Landlord so powerful is its insistence on confronting bias – both within the justice system and within ourselves. The production subtly raises the issue of racial profiling, prompting us to question whether the investigation may have been too quick to focus on a suspect who “fits the bill,” rather than exploring alternative possibilities.
The balance of the case is its greatest strength. Just when you feel certain, a new detail unsettles your confidence. The writing is sharp and meticulously structured, and the performances are so naturalistic that the boundary between theatre and reality all but disappears. As jurors, the weight of responsibility becomes palpable; the fear of reaching the wrong verdict lingers throughout.
Adapted from a true story, Tigerslane Studios’ production culminates in a modern twist: the audience delivers its verdict – guilty or not guilty – via smartphone using a QR code. Only then is the real-life outcome revealed on a large screen.
It’s a striking and sobering conclusion, leaving you not only reflecting on the case, but on your own judgement – and on this occasion, 84 per cent of York’s jury turned out to be wrong in their verdict.
This is immersive theatre at its most thought-provoking: gripping, unsettling, and impossible to forget.
Celestine Dubruel, theatrical judge and jury member
Kim Wilde: Fourth visit to York Barbican in less than a decade
EIGHTIES’ pop queen Kim Wilde will conclude her 13-date Singles Tour at York Barbican on March 28 2027.
Definitely not alone now, she will be supported by Nashville singer, songwriter, producer, cookery book author, Let’s Food With Tiffany cooking club hostess and The Masked Singer participant Tiffany.
Wilde played York Barbican previously on her Here Come The Aliens tour in April 2018, Greatest Hits 2020 tour in September 2020 and Closer tour in March 2025.
The chart-topping, BRIT Award-winning Londoner, now 65, tours consistently with her brother and co-writer Ricky and their family band, performing such up-tempo synth pop hits as Kids In America, Chequered Love, Water On Glass, Cambodia, View From A Bridge, You Keep Me Hangin’ On, You Came, Never Trust A Stranger, Four Letter Word and If I can’t Have You.
Boys, Love Blonde, The Second Time, Rage To Love, Another Step, Say You Really Want Me, Love In The Natural Way, Love Is Holy and Heart Over Mind could all feature too.
Wilde, daughter of 1950s’ rock’n’roll legend Marty Wilde, continue to release new songs of edge, love and high energy, as well as appearing in her own radio and television shows and being an award-winning gardener.
Foo Fighters covered Kids In America on their Songs From The Laundry EP for Record Store Day in 2015, 24 years after frontman Dave Grohl first recorded a demo.
Support act Tiffany covered Wilde’s 1981 debut hit too on 2007’s I Think We’re Alone Now: ’80s Hits And More album.
Born on October 2 1971, Tiffany Renee Darwish grew up with an alcoholic mother and now supports mental health awareness and sobriety. Like Wilde, she is an advocate for female empowerment and body image, after experiencing the trials and tribulations of being in the media spotlight from their teenage years to midlife.
At the age of 16, Tiffany topped the UK charts for three weeks in 1988 with her cover of Tommy James & The Shondells’ 1967 hit I Think We’re Alone Now.
“All rise”: Cathy Walker in her role as the court usher in Murder Trial Tonight Iv: Death Of A Landlord
ALL rise for season four of Tigerslane Studios’ immersive true-crime theatre series, Murder Trial Tonight. Court will be in session at York Barbican for Sunday’s jury-led murder mystery experience at 2.30pm.
After three tours and more than 125,000 audience members serving as jurors, now comes Death Of A Landlord, on tour from February to July, as a fresh case puts you, the audience, in the front row on jury service as a true crime echoes long after the gavel strikes.
Known for blurring the lines between stagecraft and social experiment, Murder Trial Tonight continues to push the boundaries of live courtroom drama and immersive storytelling, under the direction of Graham Watts for a fourth time.
“This isn’t just a show,” says Graham. “It’s a test of our own biases and empathy. It forces you to confront uncomfortable truths about society and our justice system.”
In Death Of A Landlord, wealthy, ruthless landlord Victor Sloane is discovered dead in his office, his young child being the only witness to the crime. Reclusive tenant Tre Bennet, struggling with mental health challenges, is charged with the murder.
Tigerslane Studios’ cast for Murder Trial Tonight IV: Death Of A Landlord
The police claim he had the clearest motive – months of unpaid rent, repeated eviction threats and allegations that Sloane verbally abused his mother – but is Bennet truly the killer or does more lie beneath the surface?
The story begins on screen, giving the audience the backdrop and opening to the true-crime story. Then, the action moves to the stage for the live murder trial, immersing the audience in a fast-paced courtroom experience.
As jurors, you will hear prosecution and defence counsels argue their case and cross-examine witnesses as critical evidence is brought to the table. Then, by order of the judge, you will deliberate in real time with fellow audience members and deliver your verdict: Guilty or Not Guilty. At the close of the trial, the shocking real-life outcome of the case is revealed on the big screen. The question is, will you be correct in your verdict?
From the West End to regional venues, seasoned theatre-goers to first-time visitors, Murder Trial Tonight sparks debate long after the curtain falls. “These cases follow you home,” says founder and writer Steve Cummings. “Jurors don’t stop dissecting every twist and turn once they leave the courtroom. Hours, or even days, later, whether at the dinner table, in a pub or online, the debates are still raging.”
Among the cast will be Cathy Walker, on her latest return to York, where she took her first steps as a professional actress. “My first job out of drama school was at Riding Lights Theatre Company in 1993,” she recalls. “I worked with the company for two years, touring all these tiny villages in Paul Burbridge’s productions, appearing with the likes of Bridget Foreman [York playwright and university lecturer]. I have such happy memories of being in York.”
Karren Winchester as Her Honour Judge Amanda Livingstone KCin Death Of A Landlord
Cathy’s connections with Yorkshire began in Sheffield, where she studied English Literature and Drama at university. “That set me on the path to becoming an actress,” she says. “The drama department was great, giving us lots of freedom to experiment, which was a wonderful opportunity.”
Cathy was in Tigerslane Studios’ cast for Murder Trial Tonight III – The Doorstep Case too, visiting York Barbican on April 29 2025. “We had a great time there last year, so I’m delighted to be going back,” she says.
“I have the humble role of playing the court usher, but I have more lines to learn than anyone else because I’m also understudying the Judge, the Prosecution lawyer and the detective.
“In my acting life, I’ve been fortunate as an understudy. Within my understudy history, I’ve jumped in to perform alongside Reece Shearsmith and Lee Mack, but last year, when I was understudying the barrister and the judge, I got to do neither of them as the actors were super-healthy and super-conscientious!
“But I love my role as the court usher as I’m the audience’s first experience of ‘being in court’, making them stand up [by saying ‘All rise’], so they laugh at first but then they get nervous as they realise they’re being talked to in a formal way and that they’re in it as the jury.
Guilty or Not Guilty? You decide as jurors in MurderTrial Tonight: Death Of A Landlord
“So it’s a collaborative experience, although in theory people could get a bit ‘harumphy’, objecting to being told what to do, but they take their responsibilities very seriously, knowing that it’s up to them whether the defendant will go down or not.”
Audience members will place their Guilty or Not Guilty vote by QR code, whereupon the audience’s foreperson of the jury will give that verdict to Cathy’s usher, who will reveal whether the verdict was unanimous or by majority. In the denouement, the cast will play out what happened in the real case.
For all the theatricality of Murder Trial Tonight, Cathy notes how audiences treat their involvement with gravitas. “I guess that most of us have known or experienced or read about a case and had a feeling of powerlessness, whereas you can flex your muscles in this courtroom,” she says.
“It really does take audience interaction to a different level, and that’s why people are ‘living’ it, committing to it, coming to every year’s Murder Trial Tonight.
“When I listen in to the deliberations in the interval, it’s fascinating because they’re so involved, and when they’re watching the case unfold you can hear a pin drop. I love this form of theatre, when it’s so immersive.”
Tigerslane Studios presents Murder Trial Tonight IV, Death Of A Landlord, York Barbican, Sunday (22/3/2026), Running time: Two hours 50 minutes, including interval & audience/jury deliberation. Age recommendation: 16 plus. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk and murdertrialtonight.com.Also Hull Connexin Live, tomorrow (20/3/2026), 7.30pm. Box office: connexinlivehull.com.
Newsflash
CATHY Walker will understudy the Detective’s role in Murder Trial Tonight IV: Death Of A Landlord, at Easterbrook Hall, in Dumfries, on April 3 when her mother will be in the 7.30pm audience.
The poster for Murder Trial Tonight IV: Death Of A Landlord
The artwork for Alfie Boe’s April 10 album Face Yourself
AHEAD of his York Barbican concert on April 28, tenor Alfie Boe addresses his roots in northwest England on new single Face Myself.
Recorded at Le Mob Studio, Branland, London, the title track from his April 10 new album evokes imagery of Liverpool’s shipyards, the illuminations in Blackpool and indie and dance music of his teenage years, with references to legendary Manchester club the Hacienda, as well as paying tribute to The Stone Roses’ bassist, Mani, who passed away last year.
The album will be his first record to feature predominantly original material. “Face Myself is a tribute to the North and to my youth, back in the days when I was into the indie movement and hopped on the train to Manchester every weekend to see bands, when The Stone Roses came on the scene, then Inspiral Carpets and The Charlatans, the Hacienda and the Northern Quarter in Manchester,” says Blackpool-born Boe, now 52.
“It has the line ‘The Roses sing our indie song, we bang the drum, home is the place where time won’t change us’, remembering the way we celebrated that music.”
Boe continues: “At the time that I was writing that song, we heard about the tragic death of Mani from The Stone Roses and Primal Scream. I put in a little tribute, which goes: ‘Dreams are grown in Burnage skies, a golden past that made us cry. The prom is glorified with lights, for good old Mani played it right. Those Cranwell boys, they sang along.’
“Face Myself is a tribute to the North and to my youth, back in the days when I was into the indie movement,” says Alfie Boe. Picture: Ray Burmiston
“I only met Mani once and never really got to know him – I wish I had. The ‘Cranwell boys’ is a reference to Liam and Noel Gallagher, who grew up in Cranwell Drive in Burnage.”
Before Boe found fame as a tenor on the great British stages, he had a scrape with indie fame, in the role of Opera Dude with The Clint Boon Experience – Clint being keyboard player for Manchester indie legends Inspiral Carpets – when supporting York band Shed Seven. Earlier, he had been a teen drummer in a band but had to stay in school instead of going on tour.
Face Myself is one of the key songs Boe wanted to write, with the title ringing in his head before the track took shape. “I thought, what is it about me that I have that I have to face?” he recalls. “For me, it was a number of moments in the past: my childhood, my teenage years, what got me to where I am today, the stories of my personal life.
“Reflecting on those things fed into other songs on the album as well. It’s been a wonderful journey doing that.”
The new single follows the poignant Meanwhile Gardens, lifted from the album produced by MyRiot (Tim Bran and Roy Kerr), whose credits include London Grammar and Primal Scream.
The itinerary for Alfie Boe’s Facing Myself tour
Born Alfred Giovanni Roncalli Boe on September 29 1973 , Boe’s career has spanned stage, recording and television. He has released more than a dozen studio albums, several of them topping the UK charts en route to multi-platinum sales. His collaborations with Michael Ball, including the record-breaking Together, Together Again and Back Together, have been complemented by sold-out arena tours.
The Tony Award winner has conquered the world’s greatest opera stages and arenas and led the cast of Les Misérables in his defining role as Jean Valjean, also starring in the concert tour of Les Misérables in Australia and the Arena Spectacular tour across the UK.
He has appeared at Buckingham Palace for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Royal Albert Hall too and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2019, in recognition of his outstanding services to music and charity.
Boe’s 35-date Facing Myself tour will take in further Yorkshire concerts at Hull City Hall on April 24, Harrogate Royal Hall, April 29 and Sheffield City Hall, May 1. Tickets are on sale at https://gigst.rs/AB26; yorkbarbican.co.uk.
His 2026 tour show will combine his most iconic hits and fan-favourite classics with a showcase of material from Face Myself.
This 30 Years of Standing Ovations milestone event promises a grand celebration of the revolutionary Irish dance production’s legacy, after captivating more than 60 million fans in 60 countries since its 1996 debut.
The 30 Years of Standing Ovations tour will feature “brand-new choreography, stunning costumes, state-of-the-art special effects and cutting-edge lighting, ensuring that the production continues to push boundaries and deliver an unforgettable experience”.
Creative manager James Keegan says: “Michael Flatley has taught me that there are no boundaries in the creative space. When he burst onto the scene in the mid-90s, he took traditional Irish dancing to a place nobody had ever dreamed of, and that has been the key to the show’s success.
“Michael often says in rehearsals that we need to push the boundaries as much as we can, and if it’s too far or doesn’t work, we can always pull it back. That mindset is what keeps Lord Of The Dance evolving.”
Michael Flatley
Keegan believes that the core elements of Flatley’s visionary production – choreography, music and storytelling – remain timeless while still evolving. “What made Lord Of The Dance famous 30 years ago is still what makes it work today: 40 of the greatest Irish tap dancers in the world performing in one line in perfect sync. It’s a spectacle that never loses its magic,” he says.
Reflecting on Flatley’s impact, Keegan says: “Professional Irish dancing didn’t really exist until Michael created his shows and added a more entertaining twist to the art form.
“He wasn’t just a dancer; he was a highly tuned athlete who could perform at astonishing levels for a full two-hour show, seven days a week. Today, we see young competitive dancers around the world striving to reach the levels he set.”
But beyond the footwork and the spectacle, Keegan reckons Flatley’s greatest legacy is his ability to inspire. “Michael’s motto has always been, ‘Nothing is impossible.’ He took an already intricate dance form and pushed it even further, breaking records like 38 taps per second and incorporating upper body movements that defied tradition,” he says.
“I’ve seen it time and time again: a dancer who never thought they could be a lead receives Michael’s encouragement, and before long, they are fulfilling their dream on stage.”
For Keegan, one moment stands out above the rest. “In 1997, I was a ten-year-old competitive Irish dancer in Manchester, struggling with the name-callers and the challenges of being a young male dancer,” he says.
Michael Flatley with his Lord Of The Dance dancers
“Then Lord Of The Dance came to town. Watching Michael and the cast that night at the Apollo Theatre changed everything for me. The masculinity, the precision, the energy, it was like nothing I’d ever seen before.
“I met Michael at the stage door, and suddenly, I knew that being an Irish dancer could mean being a superstar. Nineteen years later, I had the honour of sharing his final show with him at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, in 2016. It was a full-circle moment I will never forget.”
As Lord Of The Dance prepares to embark on its 30th anniversary tour, Flatley reflects on the journey. “The magic of Lord Of The Dance lives on in the hearts of our audience, and I am thrilled to bring this iconic show back to the UK in 2026,” he says.
“30 Years of Standing Ovations celebrates the incredible journey we’ve shared with fans over the years. It’s a tribute to the enduring power of dreams, the joy of dance and the unwavering support of our audience. This tour is our way of saying thank you for three decades of unforgettable memories.”
Although Flatley, now 67, retired from performing during his final tour in 2016, he has remained at the helm of Lord Of The Dance, guiding its evolution while preserving its timeless magic.
Now, as the production prepares for its biggest celebration yet, fans can look forward to a breathtaking spectacle that honours the past, embraces the present, and inspires the future of Irish dance.
The 30th anniversary tour will open at Bradford Live from June 11 to 14; further Yorkshire performances will follow at Hull New Theatre, July 22 to 25, and Sheffield City Hall, August 20 to 23. For full tour dates and ticket information, go to lordofthedance.com.
The poster for the 30th anniversary tour of Michael Flatley’s Lord Of The Dance
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.
Elizabeth Marsh in rehearsal for The Secret Garden The Musical at York Theatre Royal. Picture: Marc Brenner
A MAGICAL Yorkshire garden, an hotel comedy thriller, a surrealist wine bar exhibition and Pulp confessions exhibition stir Charles Hutchinson’s interest.
Musical of the week: The Secret Garden The Musical, York Theatre Royal, March 17 to April 4
TONY Award-winning director John Doyle, artistic director of York Theatre Royal from 1993 to 1997, returns to pastures past in more ways than one to present his actor-musician staging of Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman’s Broadway musical account of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s story of love, loss, healing and hope, set on Yorkshire moorland in 1906.
Newly orphaned, Mary Lennox is sent to live with her widowed uncle at the secluded Misselthwaite Manor, a house in habited by memories and spirits from the past. On discovering her Aunt Lily’s neglected garden, she vows to breathe new life into its mysterious stasis as she learns the restorative magic of nature. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Leeds abstract surrealist Nicolas Dixon, front, spotted at Thursday’s launch of his RARE v WET exhibition with WET proprietors James Wall and Ella Williams and RARE Collective organiser Sharon McDonagh, right
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.
Stephen Joseph Theatre favourite Bill Champion as American billionaire Theodore Racksole in Claybody Theatre’s The Grand Babylon Hotel, on tour at the SJT next week. Picture: Andrew Billington
Thriller of the week: Claybody Theatre in The Grand Babylon Hotel, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, March 18 to 21, 7.30pm plus 1.30pm Thursday and 2.30pm Saturday matinees
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: 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.
Baroque Alchemy’s Lyndy Mayle and Piers Adams: Playing NCEM tonight
Classical-electronic concert of the week: Baroque Alchemy, National Centre for Early Music, York, tonight, 7.30pm
ANCIENT and modern meet in a spectacular musical fusion in Baroque Alchemy, the realisation of recorder virtuoso Piers Adams and keyboard player Lyndy Mayle’s long-held dream. Ever since the rise of synth-led bands and New Age music in the 1980s, Red Priest frontman Adams has nurtured a vision to combine the drama of baroque music with the expansive sound-world of the electronic era. Now Baroque Alchemy turn the traditional early music recital on its head for the 21st century. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.
Dominic Halpin & The Hurricanes: Evoking the Grand Ole Opry in A Country Night In Nashville at the Grand Opera House
Tribute gig of the week: A Country Night In Nashville, Grand Opera House, York, Sunday, 7.30pm
A COUNTRY Night In Nashville re-creates the scene of a buzzing Honky Tonk in downtown Nashville, capturing the energy and atmosphere of a night in the home of country music in a journey through the history of its biggest stars past and present. Hits from Johnny Cash to Alan Jackson, Dolly Parton to The Chicks, Willie Nelson to Kacey Musgraves are showcased by Dominic Halpin & The Hurricanes. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
The book cover for Mark Webber’s I’m With Pulp, Are You?, under discussion by the author and guitarist at York Literature Festival
Book event of the week: York Literature Festival, I’m With Pulp, Are You?, An Evening With Mark Webber, The Crescent, York, March 17, 7pm
PULP guitarist and avant-garde film curator Mark Webber discusses I’m With Pulp, Are You?, his visually rich chronicle of the Sheffield band’s history from the perspective of a fan-turned-manager-turned-guitarist.
In his music memoir, 40 years of archived material comes to life as Chesterfield-born Webber recalls his fascination with David Bowie, The Velvet Underground, Andy Warhol and counterculture, writing fanzines and organising concerts from the age of 15, joining Pulp in 1995 and playing on Different Class, This Is Hardcore, We Love Life and More, 2025’s recording renaissance after a 24-year hiatus. Box office: 01904 623568, yorktheatreroyal.co.uk or yorkliteraturefestival.co.uk.
Bluey’s Big Play: Australian fun and games for children at the Grand Opera House
Children’s show of the week: Windmill Theatre Co in Bluey’s Big Play, Grand Opera House, York, March 19 to 22, 10am, Thursday 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.
Scouting For Girls: Re-visiting Everybody Wants To Be On TV at York Barbican
York Barbican gigs of the week: Scouting For Girls, Everybody (Still) Wants To Be On TV Tour 2026, March 17, doors 7pm; The Brand New Heavies, March 19
AS Scouting For Girls’ vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Roy Stride puts it: “I can’t believe we’re already celebrating the 15th anniversary of our second album [Everybody Wants To Be On TV], and I’m beyond excited to get back on the road in 2026! The shows are going to be immense: a massive nostalgic Scouting singalong every night.” Expect further hits to feature too.
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. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
The Brand New Heavies: Acid Jazz joy, funk, love and fancy clothes at York Barbican
Comedy classic of the week: Rowntree Players in The Importance Of Being Earnest, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, March 19 to 21, 7.30pm plus 2pm Saturday matinee
ROWNTREE Players bring Oscar Wilde’s cherished 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 John 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.
A collage from the rehearsal photo-shoot for Rowntree Players’ production of The Importance Of Being Earnest
Comedy gig of the week: Rob Rouse, Funny Bones, Helmsley Arts Centre, March 20, 8pm; Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, March 21, 7.45pm
FRESH from being picked as the Comics’ Comic Best Act of the Year 2025, Rob Rouse is touring Funny Bones: a daft whirlwind of craftily spun tall tales, a bucketful of manic energy, canny stagecraft, eerily convincing characters and a barrage of one-liners.
“Warning: this show has been meticulously assembled to make you laugh as much as possible,” says Rouse. “However, you will not learn anything from it. You may even come out stupider than when you came in.” Box office: Helmsley, 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk; Scarborough, 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com.
Super scooper: Funny Bones comedian Rob Rouse and his skeleton dog on tour at Helmsley and Scarborough
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.
