Shipston Proms 2015 Finish with a Bang

Creedence Clearwater Revived

The 17^th Shipston Proms had its finale on Saturday 4^th July with a Independence Day Party free concert, in the square in the South Warwickshire town of Shipston-on-Stour. The acts on stage were the two Fame Contest winners from 20^th June (Toby Coffey – Solo/duet section and from the band section Brixton Alley), The Peas, Duke and finishing off with Creedence Clearwater Revived.

The Proms this year featured a wide range of musicians and bands ranging from classical concerts, including an excellent Young Musicians concert in Barcheston, through World Music with the Brazilian influenced sounds of Incandescendo, Stratford Folk comes to Shipston (with Tori Rushton and her band Daisy Chain Quartet leading the event), Blues from Sons of the Delta, Soul from Shipston High School band Battered Soul through to excellent Open Mic events at the Black Horse in Shipston and Gate Inn in Upper Brailes.

Toby Coffey

The schools also got involved with a well received Primary School concert in Shipston (Shipston, Acorns & Brailes CE Primary Schools) and an excellent Shipston High School Summer Concert, showing the high standards that Head of Music David Hunt had coached and guided out of the High School children.

This just scratches at the surface of the over 30 events on this years calendar.

The setup for the Last Night of the Proms began at 6pm on the previous day with the arrival of the 40ft artic trailor (Thanks to Fosseway Hire) which was parked outside Lloyds Bank and R. Clarke Electrical services, and setup to give a large level stage.

On the Saturday morning the Shipston Proms team arrived at 7:30am to help erect the marquee that was going to become the Proms bar, and once up the bar inself was built. The team had to work around the Saturday morning shoppers as the road itself was fully closed until 3:30pm. The sounds and lights team then started the long process and wiring up the stage from lunchtime and final preparations were finished around 6:30pm when the bands on the bill did their soundchecks.

Jonny Magroo - Brixton Alley

For the pre-show in El Café we had local Shipston band 16 Strings and a Dead Goat (Eleanor Stanley – violin/guitar/vocals, James Thomas – guitar/vocals, Mike Beeston - percussion, Matt Watkins - bass) entertaining the El Café customers with their mix of folk, rock and blues. The band name came from having a fiddle, 12 string and a bodhran - hence 16 strings and a dead goat, but now with added bass from.

First up on the stage at 7pm was Shipston Proms Fame contest winner of the solo/duet category Toby Coffey. Toby is a 12 year old attending Shipston High School and having impressed Shipston High’s Head of Music David Hunt in his demonstration of his singing, was then allowed to apply for a place in the concert.

Toby sang three songs including When I was your Man (Bruno Mars) and the finale of Gravity to an appreciative audience.

Next up we had the Fame Contest band winners Brixton Alley (Jonny Magro – guitar, Ben Wells – Bass and Alex Wells – drums) with their three piece alternative/indie band and strong lyrics, including their own songs. They enjoyed their set on the large set to a growing crowd.

The Peas

Next up were exciting duo The Peas (Kelvin Leitch - guitar/ vocals Kelly Rashleigh - double bass – vocals) with their eclectic sound. They are described as a duo of many parts with songs from the 80s onwards, now laced with kazoos, mouth trumpets, beat box, vocal harmonies, double bass,

acoustic guitar, bass drum and tambourine! They definitely fitted this description and the crowd really enjoyed their songs.

Next up on stage were a band from a different genre when Duke

DUKE

(Markos Pandazis – (Vocals/Vocal Basslines/Beatbox), Edward Travers - (Beatbox, FX, Vocals) and Flynn Stronach - (Guitar, Vocals) took to the stage with their Beatbox sound.

Duke, from Cheltenham, are three voices, one guitar, no backing tracks, looping or sampling to produce their amazing covers sound. They had the crowd jumping up and down to the pulsating sound, including a Bon Jovi singalong, which bounced around the High Street buildings until 10:30. Duke were kindly sponsored by The George Hotel, Shipston.

Then we had the headline act Creedence Clearwater Revived, featuring Johnny Guitar Williamson, with their repertoire of classic CCR songs from 60s onwards, which got the crowd dancing until they finished just before midnight.

Then it was time for the Proms team to start the clear-up and put the High Street back to its normal trading form with parking available. Then after the Press Releases, Blogs and images are finalised it is a recovering break before the team continues its thoughts about the 2016 event and line-up.

The full Last Night of the Proms Flickr imageset can be viewed at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/widerviewphoto/sets/72157655507910462   

With 16 Strings and Dead Goat Pre-show Flickr set: https://www.flickr.com/photos/widerviewphoto/sets/72157655524153501

Enthusiastic Local musicians night at Gate Inn (Upper Brailes) for Shipston Proms

Linda Rasa, Rod Case & Dwyer Scullion

As part of the 17^th Shipston Proms The Gate Inn in Upper Brailes hosted a local musician’s night on an open mic basis, and the local groups didn’t dissapoint with group kit lining up in the corridor while they waited to play.

The Gate Inn is a tradition Cotswold pub in an old historic setting on the top of an Oxfordshire hill, with large garden to sit and enjoy the view or occasionally watch a band play. The local Shipston High School souls band Battered Soul, had played in the pub garden earlier in the Shipston Proms program.

First on stage we had Dwyer Scullion - guitar, John Hill - guitar and Rasa Case - vocals which a mixture of guitars and Rasa powerful singing style.

As we have found during this Proms musicians pop in up in several bands, and so Dwyer Scullion

Loft

was next joined by James Walton and Ian Cameron as the band Loft. They had a strong guitar sound with mixture of electric and acoustic guitars and strong singing voices and their numbers included “Waiting there for you”.

Then the stage (well the end of the bar!) was taken over by 4 piece band the Shambolics (Alan Thomson - guitar, Peter Bland - bass, Mark Dudfield - guitar, Colin Beckett – washboard and harmonica) with rowdy renditions of “Put it on the Side”, “Midnight Special” and Gypsy Woman” amongst others. Alan is part of the Shipston Proms team so was doing double duty in his Proms green t-shirt.

Then we had another combo this time featuring Dwyer Scullion – guitar, Rod Case – guitar and Linda Rasa – guitar and vocals, with a selection of covers including Patsy Cline’s “Midnight” and then a selection of songs written by Linda Rasa – “Easy Lover”, Train to Rome” and “One more for the Ride”.

George Scholes

Next up come local band 3^rd Dimension for only their 3^rd gig together with George Scholes – guitar, Laura Furnell – vocals and Jez Walker – percussion. They also had a guest sax player Matt Erlanger, on some songs, who had been having a quick practice with the band in the pub’s garden beforehand.

Laura’s strong and passionate vocals led the sings backed up by George’s laidback guitar sound and Jez’s enthusiastic percussion. Matt joined on Sade’s “Smooth Operator” and Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” along with other band songs including David Bowie’s “China Girl” and a George Scholes written song “Who is your God”.

The evening was completed by Proms organisers Tim (harmonica) and Helen Porter (piano) with a few songs including The Eagles “Desparado”, not for the first time this Shipston Proms, and “Honk Tonk Blues” with Matt Erlanger joining them on saxaphone.

The evening was very appreciated by the large pub crowd, and it is good to see so many good local musicians and people happy to turn out to watch them play.

Tim Porter thanked Anne and Ian from the Gate Inn pub for hosting the event.

For the full set of images view the Flickr feed

Exciting “Songs from the Shows” Concert at Shipston Proms

Fiona Bates & Arthur Taylor

As part of the 17^th Shipston Proms Helen Porter (Musical Director/piano) had put together an interesting and challenging selection of acts singing popular show tunes. The event took place in the Townsend Hall in Shipston-on-Stour on Friday 3^rd July, in front of a large and appreciative audience.

Proms host Tim Porter started off the show with the Cotswold Concertiers (Martin Hannant, Arthur Taylor, Diana Dodd, Fiona Bates and Debbie Radley) with songs from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel including a harmony version of the Liverpool FC anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.

Later in the concert individual/selected members of the Cotswold Concertiers sang Belle Notte (Lady and the Tramp), Baby Mine (Dumbo) and two more Rodgers/Hammerstein numbers Some Enchanted Evening (South Pacific) and Climb Every Mountain (The Sound of Music).

Carousel is the second musical by the team of Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (book and lyrics). The 1945 work was adapted from Ferenc Molnár's 1909 play Liliom, transplanting its Budapest setting to the Maine coastline. The show includes the well-known songs "If I Loved You", "June Is Bustin' Out All Over" and "You'll Never Walk Alone". Richard Rodgers later wrote that Carousel was his favorite of all his musicals.

It first appeared in the London West End in 1950.

Then we had a splendid solo soprano version of “If I Loved You” by Tavia Lewis, also from Carousel.

Now we heard Sasah Brades sing the Oliver! song “Consider Yourself”.

Oliver! is a British musical, with music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.

It premiered in the West End in 1960, enjoying a long run, and successful long runs on Broadway,

Dorothy Carrington

tours and revivals, after being brought to the US by producer David Merrick in 1963. It was made into a musical film in 1968. Major London revivals played from 1977–80, 1994–98 and again from 2008–11.

Next up with Olivia Rawle with The Lion King song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” by Elton John.

The Lion King is a musical based on the 1994 Disney animated film of the same name with music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice along with the musical score created by Hans Zimmer with choral arrangements by Lebo M. Directed by Julie Taymor, the musical features actors in animal costumes as well as giant, hollow puppets. The show is produced by Disney Theatrical.

The show debuted in the West End's Lyceum Theatre on October 19, 1999 and is still running. The cast of the West End production were invited to perform at the Royal Variety Performance 2008 at the London Palladium on December 11, in the presence of senior members of the British Royal Family.

Then the show moved into Andrew Lloyd-Webber/Tim Rice (and others) teritory with Harry Homer singing “Any Dream Will Do” and later Jacob & Sons, both (Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat). Elizabeth Moulson gave us a fine rendition of “Wishing You Were Showhow Here Again” (Phantom of the Opera).

The Cotswolds Concerteers

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a musical or operetta with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The story is based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. It was first performed in an alternative form in 1972, and evolving over the next 3-4 years to the current version.

Then we moved in a USA mindset with Dorothy Carrington singing “As If We Never Said Goodbye” from Sunset Boulevard (Lloyd Webber/Black/Hampton) and “Someone Is Sending Me Flowers”  from Showstring Review (Harnick/Baker).

Then to finish off the first half we had Robin Hammond sing “I talk to Trees” from Paint Your Waggon (Lerner/Loewe) and “Our Love is Here to Stay” from Goldwyn Follies (George and Ira Gershwin. Next we had another Rodgers & Hammerstein favourite “Honeybun” from South Pacific

Finally Jennie Hopkins and Katy Traynar gave us “What Is This Feeling” from Wicked by Stephen Schwartz. Later we were to also here Olivia Rawle sing “Popular”, and Freya Liddell sing “I’m Not That Girl” from the same show.

Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, an alternative telling of the witches from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic 1900 story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The musical is told from the perspective of the witches of the Land of Oz; its plot begins before and continues after Dorothy's arrival in Oz from Kansas and includes several references to the 1939 film and Baum's novel.

After the interval we had Tavia Lewis back on to sing the Guys and Dolls song “If I were a Bell” by Frank Loesser.

Then John Wheeler gave us a song from another George and Ira Gershin Show, Funny Face with “S’Wonderfull”.

Then Jennie Hopkins was back on this time with “Somewhere That’s Green” from Little Shop of Horrors (Menkin/Ashman).

Little Shop of Horrors is a comedy horror rock musical, by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, about a hapless florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood and flesh. The musical is based on the low-budget 1960 black comedy film The Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Roger Corman. The music, composed by Menken in the style of early 1960s rock and roll, doo-wop and early Motown, includes several well-known tunes, including the title song, "Skid Row (Downtown)", "Somewhere That's Green", and "Suddenly, Seymour".

Back next was Robin Hammond with a couple of songs, first with the My Fair Lady song “On the Seat where You Live” and then the first of songs from Les Miserables “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables”. This was dedicated to late former Mayoress of Stratford Angela Holbeck, with who Robin sang this as a duet with the Mayoress in full regalia.

Then two more Les Miserables songs, first Jennie Hopking with “Bring Him Home” and then the Cotswold Concertiers with “Do You Hear the People Sing?”.

Les Misérables, colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz is a sung-through musical based on the novel Les Misérables by French poet and novelist Victor Hugo. It has music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, original French lyrics by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, with an English-language libretto by Herbert Kretzmer.

Cameron Mackintosh, in conjunction with the Royal Shakespeare Company, assembled a production team to adapt the French musical for a British audience. After two years in development, the English-language version opened in London on 8 October 1985, by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Barbican Centre, then the London home of the RSC. The success of the West End musical led to a Broadway production.

To finish the evening the whole cast of singers and the audience sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.

For the full image set view the Flickr feed