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Weekend Interview: Will Young
Though it may impossible to believe, it is nearly 20 years since Will Young stood up Simon Cowell on pop Idol and earned himself a place in the hearts of millions. Always seen as something of an under dog, there is no chance anyone could have ever really seen the talented songsmith as anything near average.
Next Seven Days In The Arts (Sat 27th Nov - Sat 4th Dec)
Barnsley Civic Theatre
SunThe Princess and the Pea
Bradford Alhambra
Blood Brothers
Grand Theatre, Blackpool
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Halifax Victoria Theatre
An Evening with Snooker Greats
Huddersfield Town Hall
ThuOrchestra and Chorus of Opera North
Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
MonThe Manfreds - Hits, Jazz & Blues Tour
M&S Bank Arena
Elton John: Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour: The Final Tour
Manchester Academy
FriMotorheart UK Tour 2021 - The Darkness
Manchester AO Arena
MonThe Offspring - Let The Bad Times Roll Tour
Wed Elton John: Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour: The Final Tour
FriJames
National Science & Media Museum, Bradford
Sound Season
O2 Academy Liverpool
ThuMotorheart UK Tour 2021 - The Darkness
FriShed Seven - Another Night, Another Town - The Greatest Hits Live
O2 Apollo Manchester
Deacon Blue Cities of Love
Deacon Blue Cities of Love
Sheffield Lyceum Theatre
The Addams Family
The Bridgewater Hall
TueThe Overtones 10 Year Anniversary Tour
Winter Gardens Blackpool
TueUB40 Bigga Baggardiddim Tour
Album Reviews: Bears In Trees & Nolwenn Leroy la Cavale Westlife - Life In Dreams
Jeremy Williams-Chalmers
Arts Correspondent
South London's Bears In Trees describe themselves as a 'dirtbag boyband'.
12:51 AM 27th November 2021
Album Review: Soléa Morente
Jeremy Williams-Chalmers
Arts Correspondent
Soléa Morente is something of a musical chameleon.
12:15 AM 27th November 2021
Sam Fender – On Fire In Leeds
Graham Clark
Features Writer
A few weeks back I walked into a record store in Newcastle and spotted local lad, Sam Fender’s new album, Seventeen Going Under, which was proudly promoted by the staff. A small handwritten note said “I saw Sam performing a few years ago at a small gig and I always knew he would make it”. Fender is often compared to Bruce Springsteen.
9:00 PM 25th November 2021
Charity Director Climbs Whernside Dressed as Fairytale Character
Charles Tyrer
The Executive Director of a Yorkshire Dales storytelling charity, Settle Stories, is raising funds to secure its future. Last year, Settle Stories moved its flagship annual event Yorkshire Festival of Story online to support people at a time when they needed connection more than ever. The charity faced closure due to lost revenue from ticket sales and sponsorships.
9:42 PM 23rd November 2021
Gateways Festival In Skipton Announces Proms Concert
Gateways Festival reveal special guests for The Great Yorkshire Dales Proms
12:52 PM 23rd November 2021
Tales From The Script As Ed Sheeran And Supporting Cast Shine
Those lucky enough to get tickets the Radio City Hits Live concert at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, were rewarded with a concert that was fast paced, entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable.
4:34 PM 21st November 2021
Poem Of The Week: 'The Drum' By John Scott Of Amwell (1731-1783)
The Drum I HATE that drum's discordant sound, Parading round, and round, and round: To thoughtless youth it pleasure yields, And lures from cities and from fields, To sell their liberty for charms Of tawdry lace, and glittering arms; And when Ambition's voice commands, To march, and fight and fall, in foreign lands.
3:05 PM 21st November 2021
Album Review: 30 Adele
Adele's 30 is destined to be the biggest album of 2021.
2:00 PM 21st November 2021
Album Review: Dreaming In Slow Motion - Danielle Lewis
Jeremy Williams-Chalmers
Arts Correspondent
Danielle Lewis is a name you ought to get to know.
11:12 AM 21st November 2021
‘The Heart Of Most Murders is …’ : The Heron’s Cry By Ann Cleeves
Artis-Ann 
Features Writer
By George, I needed something a bit less maudlin given my recent assortment of reading matter, so the prospect of a new murder mystery was just the job, and there being only three deaths, it seemed positively lighthearted! I like Ann Cleeves’ books and was keen to meet her latest detective.
6:55 PM 20th November 2021
Iceland's Mammoth Eurovision Export Daði Freyr
Jeremy Williams-Chalmers
Arts Correspondent
Glaswegian duo HYYTS have been having one 'helluvatime' in 2021. Not only did they release a pop-tastic EP, but they have been able to return to the live circuit and show off their killer hooks and stunning vocals. While lyrically mellow, this is a killer duo whose infectious beats prove a very impressive opener for Iceland's mammoth Eurovision export Daði Freyr.
11:50 AM 20th November 2021
Album Review: Ronan Keating Songs From Home
Jeremy Williams-Chalmers
Arts Correspondent
Some boyband members attempt solo stardom and fall at the first hurdle. Others experience phenomenal success then fade.
12:59 AM 20th November 2021
Album Review: The Darkness: Return Back To The Limelight With New Album Motorheart
British rock out…
12:06 AM 20th November 2021
Album Review: Dreamboats & Petticoats - Bringing On Back The Good Times
There appears to be plenty of life left in the Dreamboats and Petticoats franchise as this new compilation spread over 4 CD’s whets the appetite yet again for fans of 1960’s music.
12:04 AM 20th November 2021
Album Review: Jools Holland - Pianola. Piano & Friends (Warner Music)
Catalogue No: 0190296656835 Instructions; Jools Holland ‘Morris Dance’ feat. Trombone Shorty and The Rhythm & Blues Orchestra; Booker T. ‘Rockin’ Lock-in’ feat. George Latham; Tom Jones ‘Forgive Me’ feat. London Contemporary Voices and The Rhythm & Blues Orchestra; David Gilmour ‘Blues For The End Of Time’ feat.
10:14 AM 19th November 2021
A Dream Of String Vests: Ian Duhig – New And Selected Poems
If it was possible to extrapolate and catalogue every reference, every literary or historical allusion, every formal device from this glittering collection of old and new poems, you’d be obliged, at the very least, to doff your cap to a stupendous intellect.
8:52 AM 19th November 2021
Tears For Fears Bring World Tour To The North
Graham Clark
Features Writer
If you saw Tears For Fears at York racecourse a few years ago you will know what a great live act they are. The band return to the North in 2022 with outdoor shows in Leeds and Scarborough. A new album, The Tipping Point - their first for 18 years will be released in February.
5:02 PM 17th November 2021
Review: The End Of The World Is Flat – Simon Edge
Caroline Spalding
Features Correspondent
For those familiar with the work of Simon Edge, his recent novel is not going to disappoint. The End of the World is Flat brings us a refreshingly pointed reflection on the zeitgeist: a light-hearted lampoon, underpinned with a wit and intelligence that gives resonance to the satire.
2:47 PM 17th November 2021
‘May This Curse End With Me’: The Song Of Youth By Montserrat Roig
Paul Spalding-Mulcock
Features Writer
Earlier this year I read Victoria Princewill’s astonishingly emotive debut novel, In The Palace Of Flowers. Set in the opulent Persian royal court of the Qajars at the end of the nineteenth century, Princewill’s novel addresses the fear of being forgotten.
8:42 AM 17th November 2021
Festival Organisers Head To Harrogate For British Arts Festival Association
Festival organisers from around the country are heading to Harrogate this week for a major industry conference. The British Arts Festival Association, the network and development agency for UK arts festivals whose members include The BBC Proms, is holding its first in-person meeting since before the Pandemic struck.
4:27 PM 16th November 2021
Memories Wanted Of The Bradford Odeon For New Exhibition
Do you remember screaming to The Beatles at the Bradford Gaumont, witnessing The Rolling Stones at the venue or seeing Tom Jones - the last big artist to perform at there before it was turned into a cinema and bingo hall?
3:13 PM 16th November 2021
Album Review: ZuZu Queensway Tunnel
Timing; Lie To Myself; My Old Life Mp33:37; The Van Is Evil; Toaster; Bevy Head; Where'd You Go; Never Again; Endlessly Yours; Queensway Tunnel Hype is an interesting double-edged sword. While it can help amass interest in an artist, it can simultaneously apply an unnecessary sense of expectation to an artist. Zuzu is a hype artist.
2:59 PM 13th November 2021
The Railway Children Return
STUDIOCANAL premiere the first trailer and poster for THE RAILWAY CHILDREN RETURN, opening in UK cinemas in 2022. BAFTA & Emmy Award-winning Jenny Agutter resumes her role as Roberta from the original THE RAILWAY CHILDREN and is joined by BAFTA-winning Sheridan Smith (CILLA), Academy Award nominee & BAFTA-winning Tom Courtenay (45 YEARS, BILLY LIAR) and John Bradley (GAME OF THRONES).
1:00 AM 13th November 2021
Album Review: Thank You - Diana Ross
With UK tour dates scheduled for 2022, Diana Ross closes out 2021 with the delivery of her first studio album in 15 years (and her first or…
12:45 AM 13th November 2021
Album Review- Abba - Voyage (Universal)
Graham Clark
Features Writer
When Abba first said that they were going to release some new songs no one realised that a whole new album was on the way.
12:25 AM 13th November 2021
Erland Cooper Scores Classic Silent Film The Wind For The Chorus Of Opera North
Erland Cooper - credit Alex Kozobolis
A new score for the elemental 1928 silent film The Wind, written by Scottish composer and artist Erland Cooper for the women of the Chorus of Opera North, receives its world premiere at Sage Gateshead on 24 February 2022. The latest commission in Opera North’s FILMusic series tours to RNCM Manchester on 25 February and closes at the Howard Assembly Room, Leeds on 26 February.
5:20 PM 12th November 2021
Deacon Blue – Making Blackpool Rock In A City Of Love
Graham Clark
Features Writer
The last time I visited the Blackpool Opera House was during lockdown in one of those virtual experiences where you watch the show on a screen in your own home. The audience was made up of images of itself, shown on TV screens placed on top of the seats in the stalls. It felt surreal, detached and soulless.
4:56 PM 11th November 2021
If Paradise... Andy Fairweather Low & The Low Riders At Settle
Steve Whitaker
Literary Editor
Andy Fairweather Low
Andy Fairweather Low’s genial onstage persona does not dovetail neatly with expectation: his easy wit and endearing self-deprecation are entirely at odds with an illustrious career whose stepping stones en route have included Amen Corner and several successful solo ventures.
7:51 PM 8th November 2021
Classical CD Review: Chopin Nocturnes Stephen Hough
Chopin Nocturnes Stephen Hough Nocturnes: B flat minor Op 9 No 1; E flat major Op9 No2; B major Op 9 No 3; F major Op 15 No 1; F sharp major Op 15 No 2; G minor Op 15 No 3; C sharp minor Op 27 No 1; D flat major Op 27 No 2; B major Op 32 No 1; A flat major Op 32 No 2; G minor Op 37 No 1; G major Op 37 No 2; C minor Op 48 N0 1; F sharp minor Op 48 No 2; F minor Op 55 No 1; E flat major…
1:06 PM 8th November 2021
Jools Holland – Still A Cool Cat In Harrogate
Jools Holland, along with his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, returned to the Harrogate Conference Centre at the weekend for what is now becoming an annual fixture. Due to the Covid-19 restrictions last year, most of the audience had held on to their tickets for near on two years.
12:54 PM 8th November 2021
Slade Get Down And Get With It This December
Somehow it wouldn’t really be Christmas without at least hearing once the Slade classic, Merry Xmas Everybody. The 1973 Number 1 was actually recorded in the summer of that year but has since become a festive classic. Now in 2021, led by founder member Dave Hill on lead guitar with John Berry who joined in 2003 on lead vocals, bass, acoustic guitar and violin.
4:00 AM 8th November 2021
Settle’s Online Storytelling Festival Bucks Trend With Radical Vision To Make Arts Accessible For All
At a time when entertainment is making a return to in-person events, local arts charity Settle Stories have a radical vision to make arts accessible for all. They are gearing up for their second online festival - Yorkshire Festival of Story - after unprecedented success last year.
9:36 AM 7th November 2021
Classical CD Reviews: Josquin's Legacy - The Gesualdo Six & Felix & Fanny Mendelssohn String Quartets
Andrew Palmer
Group Editor
Josquin's Legacy - The Gesualdo Six Ockeghem Intermerata Dei mater; Josquin des Prez Nymphes des bois / Requiem aeternam; Illibata Dei virgo nutrix, Ovirgo pridentissima; Tu solus qui facis mirabilia; Compère Quis numerare queat; Brumel Tous les regretz; Rue Absalon fili mi; Févin Nesciens mater; Moulton Qui ne rerett…
9:24 AM 7th November 2021
Comedians Brydon, Mack & Mitchell at the Victoria Theatre Halifax in 2022!
Next year, critically acclaimed comedy trio, Rob Brydon, Lee Mack & David Mitchell will tour the UK for the first time since 2019. Brydon, Mack & Mitchell: Town To Town will see an evening of chat, comedy and general messing about with a date set for Victoria Theatre, Halifax on Monday 16 May. The Halifax date will be the only date in Yorkshire and the North of England on the tour.
9:02 AM 7th November 2021
Wuthering Heights: Interview With Lucy McCormick (Cathy) And Ash Hunter (Heathcliff)
Photo credit Steve Tanner
Where are you both right now? What are you finding the most challenging and enjoyable part of the process? Lucy McCormick (L): We’re in a dressing room at the Bristol Old Vic. We’ve just opened the show. Ash Hunter (A): Yes, it’s very busy but very brilliant, the opening of the show has gone very well. The audiences are amazing and we’re getting into the flow of it.
12:50 AM 6th November 2021
Album Reviews: Katelyn Tarver Subject to Change & New Yorker's We Are Scientists
Jeremy Williams-Chalmers
Arts Correspondent
Katelyn Tarver may not be a name you are immediately aware of.
12:35 AM 6th November 2021
Interview With GIRLI
GIRLI’s passions go further than music; she speaks avidly and openly about topics such as feminism, sexuality and mental health. Last November saw the alt-pop artist launch her own podcast, ‘GIRLI IRL’, where LGBTQ+ artists join her to discuss these issues. The singer is going out on tour later in November. Ahead of the tour I asked the London born singer about her career to date.
3:59 PM 5th November 2021
Interview With Marti Pellow
Former Wet Wet Wet singer Marti Pellow is about to go out on his Greatest Hits tour. I asked the singer about his career to date. What can we expect on your new tour? It does what it says on the tin really - it is the greatest hits tour. I could do a lot of songs that people might not be as familiar with but this tour is all about entertaining not educating people with my newer songs.
9:40 AM 5th November 2021
The World Of Never Again: The Nine By Gwen Strauss
We are approaching a time of remembrance once again. I know many might not regard reading about the abhorrent treatment of fellow humans by the German SS during World War Two as entertainment, but sometimes it can be sobering and thought-provoking to reflect upon the trials and tribulations of others, to learn and to remember, and, sometimes, to put one’s own life into perspective.
8:40 PM 4th November 2021
Steps Find A Spring In Their Step
They might be cheesier than a wedge of Wensleydale but there is no denying that Steps are just as pleasing and hard to resist. The five piece kicked off their What The Future Holds tour at the Sheffield Arena for a night of unashamedly pure pop.
2:04 PM 4th November 2021
Poem Of The Week: 'Emily Writes Such A Good Letter' By Stevie Smith (1902-71)
Steve Whitaker
Literary Editor
Stevie Smith in 1966
Emily Writes Such a Good Letter Mabel was married last week So now only Tom left The doctor didn’t like Arthur’s cough I have been in bed since Easter A touch of the old trouble I am downstairs today As I write this I can hear Arthur roaming overhead He loves to roam Thank heavens he has plenty of space to roam in We have seven bedrooms And an annexe Which leaves a flat for the chauffeur…
11:01 AM 3rd November 2021
Jamie Cullum – The Pianoman Returns After A Long Interval
Graham Clark
Features Writer
Jamie Cullum finally arrived at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall on a tour that originally started over two years ago. The last concert I saw before the first lockdown, over 18 months ago, was seeing him in York. In-between times Cullum wrote and recorded a Christmas album, but for his fans, it certainly has been a long interval between the York performance and now.
11:03 AM 30th October 2021
Album Review Roundup: Claire Laffut - Bleu & Tori Amos -Ocean to Ocean
Jeremy Williams-Chalmers
Arts Correspondent
Claire Laffut is destined to be the next big Belgian artist on the international stage.
4:15 AM 30th October 2021
Album Review - Black Sabbath- Technical Ectasy
Graham Clark
Features Writer
Originally released in 1977, Technical Ecstasy saw Black Sabbath move away from their doom and gloom sound opening the band up to a wider audience by moving in a more commercial direction.
3:00 AM 30th October 2021
Bedknobs And Broomsticks – A Magical Evening
Set in the darkest days of the Second World War, Bedknobs and Broomsticks tells the tale of the orphaned three Rawlins children who are evacuated from London to the safety of the countryside.
10:42 AM 28th October 2021
Rod Stewart Gives A Reason To Believe With New Album And Tour
In support of the release of his 31st studio album entitled The Tears of Hercules Sir Rod Stewart is going out on tour - though fans will have to wait until December 2022. Stewart is one of the best-selling artists in the history of recorded music, with an estimated 250 million records and singles sold worldwide.
9:13 AM 28th October 2021
Review: The White Tiger – Aravind Adiga
The White Tiger, winner of the Man Booker Prize in 2008, is a work of fiction expertly penned by writer and journalist Aravind Adiga – and it is a story that pulls no punches. Best described as a rags-to-riches story, our protagonist is an Indian entrepreneur who has clambered his way to the top of the greasy pole, one smeared with corruption and bureaucracy.
10:05 AM 27th October 2021
Level 42 - Levelling Up In York But Johnny Still Hates Jazz
Arriving at a concert early to see the support act can be a rewarding experience - especially if the act concerned is from the same era as the headliners. Johnny Hates Jazz had a string of Top Ten hits in the latter part of the 1980’s and are still recording today.
2:25 PM 25th October 2021
Art Helps Community To Face Its Past
Tina Ramos Ekongo
An artistic way of facing Lancaster’s slave trade past has begun with a series of free community workshops. Lancaster Priory launched the workshops by hosting artist Tina Ramos Ekongo who helped visitors imagine and create the faces of victims of the slave trade to produce Black Portraits on Cardboard.
6:00 AM 25th October 2021
Poem Of The Week: 'The Beach Couldn't Be Found' By Katrina Naomi
Steve Whitaker
Literary Editor
Katrina Naomi
The Beach Couldn’t Be Found Under the scorched weed and rubbish, the crows, the human shit they fed on. The water was so far out, nothing you’d swim in. Only the dogs sunbathed, their fleas popping in the heat like corn. The sea was no colour and there was no path through the broken things, flies wafting up and resettling. There could be no way through for us.
1:39 PM 24th October 2021
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