My work tends to veer between Romp and Tragedy - and there's plenty of each in this newsletter. Here are the headlines:
The Transports. Our spring tour went well, with sold-out gigs and a 5* review in the Guardian. Soon we'll be at Shrewsbury Folk Festival, performing live on BBC R3, releasing a CD and touring again next January.
Music Hall Mayhem. I've got a new - and rather silly - double-act with David Eagle of The Young'uns. Our debut gig Muddling Through is in London on 20th July, then we're at FolkEast in August.
Human Cargo Launch in Scotland Coming soon, I've got solo gigs to launch my book Human Cargo in Edinburgh on 27 June and North Uist on 26 June
Sidmouth. I'll be performing with Michael Hebbert at this folk festival.
Other Stuff. I've started teaching in schools and leading singalongs for the elderly. Gawd 'elp 'em.
It was a delight to take this words 'n music show round Britain with a company of players including The Young'uns, Faustus, Nancy Kerr, Greg Russell and Rachael McShane. Audiences greeted us warmly. So did reviewers (five stars from The Guardian, and you can hear me talking about the show on BBC R4 Front Row.) Here are some photos of the company in action.
As part of theParallel Lives project, I arranged for local migrant and refugee support groups to attend each show. We met some remarkable people along the way - I'll share a report about this soon, with news about how we hope to expand the project. Meantime, do take a look at the stories I gathered town by town for Parallel Lives.
We've got two more performances of The Transports this year. One big one on 26th August at Shrewsbury Folk Festival, then a more intimate show at the BBC theatre, where we'll be recorded for transmission on Radio 3 this autumn. (I'm not yet sure about ticketing for this BBC concert).
Our CD of the show comes out later in the year. Then, I'm happy to report, we'll be touring the show around Britain again next January. More about that later.
After all the seriousness of The Transports and Human Cargo, I've been preparing a very silly show with David Eagle of The Young'uns. It's called Muddling Through - a desperate evening of singalong, music hall and 'humour'.
Our first outing is in London on Thursday 20th July at the Horseshoe in Clerkenwell. We'll also be inflicting ourselves upon the fine people of FolkEast in Suffolk on 18-20 August.
Expect dubious medleys, tasteless mash-ups and rancid repartee. As Nancy Kerr says, "Every so often, an act comes along which enthrals audiences and changes the face of music. This is not such an act." Our pal Paul Sartin adds, "Check your diary. Be anywhere but there."
So, you've been warned. Only come if you want to experience the worst. I'll give fellow Young'un Sean Cooney the final word: "Please. Don't encourage them."
Back to tragedy. Next month I'll be launching my book Human Cargo in Scotland with solo shows of stories and songs. On Tuesday 27 June I'm in Edinburgh at the wonderful Lighthouse bookshop (home to Word-Power Books). On Monday 26 June I'm at the great Taigh Chearsabagh on North Uist in the Western Isles.
Do pass the word among Scottish chums.
As you'd guess from the title, Scotland features heavily in Human Cargo: stories & songs of emigration, slavery and transportation. There's insight into well-known subjects like the Highland Clearances and emigration to North America. But there's also some unexpected stuff. Did you know there were plantations in South Carolina where the slaves spoke gaelic, the language of their owners? And here you can find a story from Aberdeen - an extract Spirited Away about the 18th Century practice of kidnapping young British children for indentured service in America.
If you're heading down to Devon this August for Sidmouth Folk Week, do join me for some musical treats. On the afternoon of Thursday 10th I'll be hosting a Music Hall Singalong with the concertina genius that is Michael Hebbert. On Monday 7th I'll be part of the English Concert Party at the Manor Pavilion. And Saturday 5th sees the Cecil Sharp House choir in action.
Sean Cooney and I visited some primary schools in Shropshire to tell the story of The Transports. We trapped children in an 18th century jail to discover rats and bad food. They then created a stagecoach to rush from Plymouth to London. And we sang shanties upon a transport ship bound for New South Wales. Do get in touch if you know a school that might like to receive this workshop - or if you'd like me to come in and tell some stories.
I've also been performing music hall and singalong to people more mature in years. This has also been a lot of fun. Here's a story about John and June dancing along to my banjulele in Kentish Town, North London.
That's it for now folks.
Enjoy your summer, and I hope to see you somewhere along the way.
Best wishes, Matthew
