The Orchestra

Reviewed by: Paul Edwards

Out Of The Blue I had a call on my Telephone Line from a Sweet Talkin’ Woman who said Do Ya want to review the last night of Grassington Festival? The thought made me Turn To Stone - I’ve never done a review before - some Mr Blue Sky thinking was required.

So, Here Is The News from the big tent: Geordie support band “Beyond The Valley” started to Bring The Showdown and even managed to Shine A Little Love as dark clouds threatened. But, Roll Over Beethoven, because music in a tent doesn’t get much better than Grassington band “Mid Life Crisis”. Every Livin’ Thing in the village was stomping, smiling and drinking in the Dales Twilight. For me, the Xanado of the evening was the village’s own Wild West Hero: the Rocking Rev’ Andy Chrich. Andy, I Can’t Get You Out Of My Head - our soon to be missed Vicar festooned with knickers thrown from the crowd as he prepares to Shine A Little Love elsewhere.

“The Orchestra” are a few members of “ELO Part II”, who were a few members of “Electric Light Orchestra”. Now, Hold On Tight, we absolutely loved the music, great memories superbly played, that did Bring The Showdown… But for me it was more tribute band than real “ELO”. Hardened fans All Over The World would like me To Turn To Stone. Don’t Bring Me Down guys, I was having a brilliant time, it proved Rock And Roll Is King and in the end it didn’t matter they were 2nd cousin removed of the original band because the music & passion were genuine.

There was a Strange Magic as people left, the festival atmosphere had been truly electric and perfectly organised, thank you all very much. But I still had Confusion – shouldn’t “The Orchestra” have supported “Mid Life Crisis”? Right, that Evil Woman who wanted her review will be pleased to hear - It’s Over.

Fron Male Voice Choir

Reviewed by: Sylvia Merrett

From the valleys of North Wales to the Dales of Yorkshire a connection was made between the 60 strong Fron Male Voice Choir and the audience of the Grassington Festival through a love of beautiful scenery and the sound of the human voice. Evident warmth, pride and affection was shown between the choir and their conductor Ann Atkinson – with Ann referring often to ‘her boys’. The content was varied from hymns to popular songs including pieces that epitomise the intrinsic nature of male voice choirs.

The concert opened with a lively rendition of ‘Gospel Train’, the second piece – ‘You Raise Me Up’ with its warmth of harmonies and subtle key changes, set the tone for the rest of the evening.

A favourite song of mine, The Righteous Brothers ‘Unchained Melody’, benefitted from the choirs attention to good diction and light and shade.

Solos were sung by Musical Director, mezzo-soprano Ann Atkinson, whose powerful voice enthralled and entertained us with an excerpt from the opera Carmen and The Tale of the Oyster by Cole Porter.

The highlight though of the evening for me and I think many others was the beautiful rendition of the Welsh lullaby Suo Gan; you could feel the hairs stand up on the back of your neck! There were no single stars in this production as the choir works as a team and shone brightly together.

An Evening with Blowers

Reviewed by: Debi Hawkins & Sophie Wild

On Monday evening Grassington Festival goers were treated to a whistle stop tour through the life of Henry Blowfeld O.B.E., one of cricket’s most colourful commentators and some would say a legend in his own right.

Known to friends, fans and most of the audience as “Blowers”, the commentary on his own life was delivered as though from a diary – from January to December including snippets from various memorable years.

Blowers cleverly interspersed his anecdotes with highly amusing quotes and the odd “grumpy old man” rant, covering everything from his frustrations with “free range” children, rude car drivers and hospital parking charges to the fact that spoons are not on sale to under 18’s in a certain well known supermarket, as they could be classed a dangerous weapon! A particular highlight was his deadpan delivery of alternative obituary quotes.

Although best known for commentating on cricket (and, as expected, there were numerous cricketing stories and references), Blowers’ delivery was so delightful that even a cricket virgin couldn’t fail to be warmed by his ‘plummy’ tones and delight in mischievously recounting exciting adventures including a trip with friends from London to Bombay in a Rolls Royce.

An inveterate name dropper, Blowers regaled the audience with stories of dinner with Noel Coward, the Queen Mother, Ian Flemming and, equally impressively, Clive Dunn of Dad’s Army fame. The “old school” references to “my London Club” and its characters made for a fascinating insight into the life of a true gentleman.

In conclusion “the dear old thing” was a joy to listen to, cleverly combining his nostalgic reflections on days gone by with his obvious grasp and impatience with the modern day frustrations of life.

The Hollies

Reviewed by: Andrew Jackson

It was an audience of a certain age that turned out to watch The Hollies on Tuesday night in a very sultry marquee. Like an old broom with 2 new handles and 3 new heads, it's not exactly the original line up of 45 years ago (yes!) but it was unmistakeably and unforgettably The Hollies.

We came expecting an evening of nostalgia and certainly during the first half there were a lot of smiles of recognition as we listened to 'Here I go again', 'Bus Stop', 'On a Carousel' and 'Just a little bit longer' (remember?)

I must say the sound quality was noticeably better than when I first heard those songs on my old Dansette. I almost missed the strange clunk that that machine emitted. I even shed a tear or two for old loves lost that were inextricably linked with the songs.

Then in the second half they hit us hard and gloriously. Those tight harmonies that made their sound so distinctive were out in force, and the juicy guitar sounds reminded us how rock & roll used to be – simple, magical and especially when they recreated their original line up and sound.

We must all have been thinking of those fumbling last dances when they sang 'I'll be true to you', we all burst out singing 'Carrie Ann' and stood up as one when they sang 'The air that I breathe'. The standing ovation went on and on, and as they finished 'He ain't heavy' amid the thunderous applause I could hear my old Dansette. Hiss, tick, tick, clunk.

Their songs are part of our history. We felt we'd witnessed something special. Thanks guys.

Alastair Humphries

Reviewed by: Tim Bennett

I’ve never met a proper old –fashioned adventurer before. So it was an absolute joy to turn up at Grassington Town Hall and listen to Alistair Humphries recount the sort of tales that excite all young boys. Humphries – still only in his early 30’s - is an engaging, funny and hugely enthusiastic speaker. Over the course of a riveting two hour talk he recounted highlights from some of his biggest trips, the daddy being his tour of the globe by bike. He sums it up as “60 countries, 5 continents, 4 years, 46,000 miles”. With a degree in zoology from Edinburgh University under his belt and a budget of just £7,000 he set off solo from his home in Airton, North Yorkshire aged 24, intending to cycle to Australia. Things began badly – he got lost leaving his home village – and got worse when terrorism put him off his intended route through Europe and the Middle East. Undeterred he “turned right” at Istanbul and cycled south the length of Africa, ending up in Cape Town. That was followed by a 9 month ride up through America, from Patagonia in the deep south right to the tip of Alaska (“keep the sea on your left and you can’t get lost”). Finally, after a trip on a battered container ship, he crossed Asia to return to Istanbul and then home to North Yorkshire “for a nice cup of tea”.

That would be enough for many mortals. However, since that epic ride, he has completed the gruelling “Marathon des Sables” (“6 marathons back to back, in a hot desert, carrying your own kit”) with his brother Duncan , rowed to France with disabled Major Phil Parker and crossed India on foot following the length of the holy Kaveri river. Along the way he has raised some serious money for the charity “Hopes and homes for Children” and written three hugely enjoyable books about his cycling trip. The latest, his self-published “Ten lessons from the Road” is a must for wannabe adventurers.

All too soon an evening of colourful slides, accompanied with a seemingly endless supply of warmly observed anecdotes about people and places, was over. At the end Humphries was asked by a member of the audience to talk about some of the bad people he met. He paused before answering that he honestly couldn’t remember meeting any. Indeed countries, such as Columbia, where he had been warned to expect trouble, often gave him the warmest welcome. And on that uplifting note an entertaining, but also rather inspirational, evening drew to a close.

Kit & The Widow

Reviewed by: Jane Ellison-Bates

I was a Kit virgin. By that I don’t mean an inflatable you buy from Ann Summers, but that I was one of the few people in the packed and hot Town Hall venue on Saturday night who hadn’t already seen Kit & The Widow many times.

To say the duo were ‘back by popular demand’ is an understatement given that this was their 26th visit to the Dales festival, of which they are now also patrons.

Having heard their praises sung over the years my expectations were high and certainly not disappointed. Baritone Kit Hesketh Harvey and pianist The Widow enthralled me from start to finish.

Closer to ribald than risqué their material was consistently both clever and funny, delivered in a series of pastiche numbers ranging from the ABBA style ‘Nando’s’ (a Portuguese restaurant) to Chopin – no plumbers left in Poland, they are all driving round in market towns with no MOT. A lament on life ruled by numbing television was of course delivered to The Skye Boat Song.

An old favourite with the audience was Tom Lehrer’s list of the chemical elements to the tune of G &S’s The Major General, delivered at breathtakingly breakneck speed by The Widow - just to show that he wasn’t ‘just’ the pianist. Kit flounced around in mock disdain. Later the Flight of the Bumble Bee gave him a chance to bring out (best not say ‘play’) his violin while the Widow played the impressive (or did he say IKEA?) grand piano with a bag on his head.

Having been lulled into a pattern of light-hearted satire by the first few numbers I was completely blindsided by Kit’s touching prayer for his daughter. Tugging at the heartstrings of every parent in the house, he whizzed us through a child’s life from the eye of the terrified parent, wishing her protection from everything from ‘meningitis to men in cars’. I was thankful to have my own mother next to me handing me her handkerchief as I wiped away real tears.

Throughout the show their delivery was immaculately polished, but given the amount of topical and local references – plenty of Michael Jackson and event sponsors Armstrong Luty – it clearly came not from endless rehearsal but genuine natural wit, buckets of stage presence, timing, facial expressions and an easy interaction gained from clocking up 100 years performing between them. Having seen another act earlier in the week and struggled to catch many of the words, my faith in our fabulous Grassington sound guys was restored as I realised it was all about diction – Kit’s every single word was crisply enunciated and I missed not one all night.

Their climactic finale number was clearly another much loved favourite and we all raised the roof as we sang the praises of Indian cuisine to the tune of Nessun Dorma, triumphantly ending with Vindaloo, Vindaloo, VindaLOOOOOO.

The Demon Barber Roadshow

Reviewed by: Mark Bamforth

Folk music has come a long way since Bob Dylan was called Judas at the Free Trade Hall Manchester in 1966. The resurgence of folk since the mid-eighties has led it right into the mainstream and young musicians are combining traditional music with elements of rock, punk and almost any kind of music you can think of.

At Grassington Town Hall on Wednesday Damien Barber showed what this is all about with The Demon Barber Roadshow which gave a large, enthusiastic audience all the traditional folk pointers but with a massive rock sound.

Damien gives his name to the group but it’s a real collaborative show with Bryony Griffith leading most of the music on the fiddle and Lee Sykes providing a bass line that thumped like something from downtown Kingston. Together with Ben Griffith on drums this gave a solid platform that would have kept the best blues band happy and when Will Hampson managed to give his melodeon some dub reverb all my musical tastes were satisfied.

It was the extra twists though that had the audience clapping, stomping and on its feet, particularly the addition of some amazing dancing. First there was Fiona, Nicola, Tiny and Hannah who clog danced to add what was essentially an extra instrument at times; a living, kicking rhythm section if you like. Then we had Jim and Dave who not only gave us some very energetic Cotswold Morris but then joined with Damien, Lee and Will to perform an amazing Rapper dance lit with UV and danced about as fast as I’ve ever seen it done. And how often has a beat boxer appeared at a folk gig? It sounds a bit incongruous but Wow! It really worked combining with the dancers and instrumentalists to add yet another level to this amazing show.

Damien has put together a fantastic group of performers which was named Best Live Act at the Radio 2 folk awards. Wednesday night showed us why.

Variety Lives – 20th June

Reviewed by: Claire Macintyre

On Saturday night, the Town Hall was host to ‘Variety Lives’, a new event to the festival which presented an array of famous acts. Kicking off the evening was Arthur Smith, comedy veteran, and best known for his radio work and appearance as a ‘grumpy old man’. He got the audience going with his clever observations and classic one-liners delivered in his usual dead pan manner.

Adding to the evening, Otiz Cannelloni provided a mix of trickery and laughter. His mischievous magic and natural humour make him instantly likable and gave one laugh after another.

Barb Jungr broke up the comedy by engaging all with her passionate performance of well known songs, such as Bob Dylan’s ‘I’ll be your baby tonight’ and Nina Simone’s ‘Ain’t got no life’. Her approach to these was utterly absorbing and totally her own. She is one who should not be missed.

The last act of the night offered a different style of comedy. Hattie Hayridge gave the angsty performance for which she is known, with some amusing punch lines that were well worth waiting for.

Overall, Variety Lives was an uplifting evening of music, magic and entertainment which left the audience with aching sides and a smile on their face. It defiantly lived up to its name.

The Guy Barker Quintet

Reviewed by: Mike Vineall

One of the strengths (and potentially one of the weaknesses) of jazz is it’s spontaneity.A major contributor to this is the interaction of the musicians: how they bounce off each other. On Monday, an outstanding group of five musicians, all with prodigious techniques, came together to produce a real connoisseur’s evening of their style of jazz.

The group was led by Guy Barker, generally recognized as one of Britain’s best jazz trumpeters, who, in recent years, has spent much time writing and arranging, thus having no regular group. For this occasion, he chose some of his most respected friends and colleagues to create a session of music that gave as much enjoyment to the musicians as to the audience. The result: a memorable concert of jazz, both collective and individual.

Barker himself, initially a little rusty, soon was back in the swing of things with an awesome demonstration of technique and control in a lovely ballad, ‘Since I fell for You’. From then on, his intricate building of solos was regularly shown, not least on Johnny Hodges’ number ‘First Klass’. Alan Barnes (no stranger to Grassington) showed his unequalled skills on saxes – especially baritone, which he almost makes speak! One moment he is producing a torrent of notes; the next a truly lovely and gentle phrase. Again, it was a slow ballad (Lotus Blossom) which, for me, showed him at his best. He also offers humour, not only in his announcements, but in his solos.

On piano, the much in-demand Dave Newton did not play a poor solo all night. Each one was a gem of careful construction and coherence. Newton is a genuinely two-handed pianist of enormous talent and creativity. Bassist Phil Donkin had flown in from Berlin just for this concert – a journey well worth the trouble as his continuous harmonic and rhythmic contribution was invaluable and he has the rare talent, for a bassist, of knowing what to do with a solo!

Drummer Sebastiaan de Krom, whose work runs from supporting Jamie Callum to film music, made as strong a contribution as any. He is one of the few truly ‘listening drummers’ – sympathetic to the other musicians and never outsmarting, only supporting them. His subtlty and sensitivity were never more evident than in an excellent brushes solo on ‘First Klass’ and on the Gerry Mulligan version of ‘Lullaby of the Leaves’.

Jazz fans yearn for evenings like this when high class musicians come together with mutual respect and enthusiasm. To catch such a moment in Grassington makes it all the more enjoyable. Well done the Festival for creating such chemistry!

Guy Barker learned his trade with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, which he joined at 14 and stayed with Into his 20’s. Fans have a chance to see the next generation of such emerging talent, in Grassington, on Friday, when NYJO come.

Sherlock Holmes...The Death And Life

Reviewed by: Jayne Whitehead

Welcome and enter 221B Baker Street, London, one of the most famous literary addresses in history. This is exactly where the audience at Grassington Festival were transported to for David Stuart Davies’ remarkably, mesmerising production of ‘Sherlock Holmes…The Death and Life’.

Roger Llewellyn’s immense presence and skill create a spellbinding, ingenious fusion of fiction and ‘truths’ regarding Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his character creations. Llewellyns interpretation of Sherlock Holmes feels accurate and in the true spirit that even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would be proud of. In this refreshing view of Holmes and his author, reality and fiction are blurred juxtaposed with the merging of Holmes, Doyle and the malevolent Professor James Moriarty, ‘stepping out of the shadows’.

In the twists and turns of these literary characters ‘deceptions are afoot’ as the audience are amused and fascinated at the blend of the supernatural with the marble logic of the man that is Sherlock Holmes; Arthur Conan Doyle’s enveloping creation. A memorable scene, of which there were many, involved Llewellyn creating Doyle’s memory of his father in Bedlam.

The music and background soundtrack created the perfect amount of tension and atmosphere, absolutely gripping. I believe this production to be Grassington Festival’s carefully crafted jewel in its treasure trove of music and arts collection.