|
Hi there. I've not been in touch for a while, so there's lots to tell.
Look out for video and audio treats along the way.
|
|
Intimate gigs in London
It's been a restful autumn after touring with The Transports and Human Cargo. But soon I've got some small London folkclub gigs. They'll be variety shows - story & song, lots of music hall and singalong - with a few guests along the way.
This Thursday 15 November I'm at Islington Folk Club with concertina maestro Michael Hebbert.
On Monday 10 December I'm bringing Xmas mayhem to Folk in the Cellar in Camden.
Then on Tuesday 15 January I'll return to Sharps Folk Club, also in Camden.
These are all tiny venues with no pre-booking so, if you're set on suffering through my oeuvre, you'd best arrive in good time. But they'll be fun. I've even got some new jokes.
|
|
Storytelling with piano
Here's the deal. I tell old stories, like The Flaming Firebird & the Princess Vasilisa, while Olga Jegunova improvises alongside. She's a proper classical pianist, so the music's excellent, with bits of Bach, Glass and Part. Here's a video about it.
Kids enjoy it. So do adults. We've worked with both types of audience, adding Peter and the Wolf for the youngsters and other tidbits for the older folk. (I even had a bunch of Russians singing along to that Welsh murder ballad Delilah). We're setting up gigs for 2019 - looking for interesting venues - more news to come.
|
|
|
Singing with Robb
A new song cycle from Robb Johnson is always an event. And Ordinary Giants (released 25 November) is special. It charts Britain from the 1920s to the 1950s through the eyes of his dad and uncle. These brothers grow up in the shadow of WW1, move to new suburbs, fight in WW2, then help build the welfare state. 'Will you play my uncle Ernie?' asked Robb. 'He's a Tory. D'you mind?'
Would I heck. Robb writes the most beautiful songs - light and direct, like music hall, but with a political punch. And I get to sing four of them on this fab new album. One's a duet with Phill Odgers of The Men They Couldn't Hang, who plays Robb's dad Ron.
The cast includes Tom Robinson, Roy Bailey, Miranda Sykes and Boff Whalley - plus speakers like Dennis Skinner and Frances O'Grady. The November launch gig has already sold out, and no material from the album's yet available. But I'll sing some of the songs at my winter gigs and let you know when there's something to hear online.
|
|
Human Cargo
Remember those hot, heady days of early summer? They found Jeff Warner and I journeying across the land, bringing my migration & slavery show Human Cargo to new audiences. Through the Parallel Lives project, we partnered with local refugee support groups wherever we played - 26 groups in total.
However serious the show, audiences love the funny bits. So here's a treat - a short video of us performing choruses from music hall and vaudeville. Enjoy Jeff's versatility with spoons and - genius puppet alert - see how he makes his jigdoll dance for real.
Thanks to everyone who supported us on the tour. Jeff's now back delighting audiences back home in the US, while I'm taking the show solo. Recently I performed Human Cargo at the mediaeval Guild Hall in Lavenham, later a prison for those being transported to Australia. It's good to play the actual places of pain - just as when we took it to the courtroom in Dorchester where the Tolpuddle Martyrs were sentenced. Next year I'll take the show back to Lavenham and, hopefully, other National Trust properties.
|
|
New show - Living by the Sea
At Sidmouth FolkWeek in August we had a partial Transports reunion, as I put together a new show with Paul Sartin and Faustus - plus a choir of pals and festival goers.
Called Living By The Sea, the show takes a journey through communities who depend on the sea for their livelihood. There are stories and poems, songs from Faustus and choral bits weaving throughout. It's like a live Radio Ballads. At one point we had some speak-a-long poetry - here's an audio snapshot.
|
|
New book...
I'm very excited that Muddler Books - my publishing company - will soon be reprinting a book I love. As a teaser, here's an extract from the index and one of the book's illustrations.
 
More details coming soon...but if you can't wait, here's some advance info.
|
|
And there's more
That nice man with the banjo, Russ Chandler, asked me to provide backing vocals on a few songs on his new collection, On the Roof of Your House, All Alone.
That's all for now. Go well!
All the best, Matthew
PS People keep asking when we'll next perform The Transports. We'd really love to, but it's hard getting everyone together. Meantime, you can still enjoy the Transports album. And if you're in the mind for Christmas presents, there's also Human Cargo and my new mystery publication.
|
|
|
|
|
|
