From The Beatles to Amy Winehouse, many of popular music’s greats have sung the praises of Ronnie Spector and The Ronettes since they formed the final piece of Phil Spector’s infamous Wall of Sound back in the 1960s.
Ronnie’s inclusion in the Cardiff’s Festival of Song programme was therefore an important one. The decades rolled away as soon as she sang her signature opening “Whoa-Oh Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh” on the 1963 smash hit Baby I Love You on St David’s Hall’s stage last Friday evening.
Supported by three backing singers (suitably attired in 60s style) and a five strong band, Ronnie proceeded to tell the story of The Ronettes early 60s origins in Spanish Harlem before getting their big break performing alongside Joey Dee and The Starliters in Manhattan’s Peppermint Lounge.
Ronnie’s story was illustrated with anecdotes, back screen projections of The Ronettes and a soundtrack of hits from songwriters including Goffin & King, Lennon & McCartney and Harry Nilsson. There was even a rendition of Keith Richards and Andrew Oldham’s I’d Much Rather Be with the Girls recalling The Ronettes 1964 UK tour with The Rolling Stones.
Highlights undoubtedly were renditions of The Ronettes classics Paradise and Is This What I Get for Loving You Baby? all capturing the essential 60s vibe. There was also a moving tribute to Ronnie’s sister Estelle with How Do You Mend a Broken Heart?
Cardiff’s audience gave a warm reception to Ronnie indicating that the music of The Ronettes is still much loved. Be My Baby brought the show to a close with Ronnie inviting the audience up to the front to have a dance, needless to say, she didn't have to ask twice!
Recent television documentaries have reminded us that the raw twanging tea chest bass of Skiffle was right at the heart of the birth of the British popular music scene in the mid 1950s. 60 years on, and skiffle is still going strong thanks to Cardiff's Railroad Bill. Seasoned musicians themselves, the band have been together some 30 years and were even described as "Bloody Good" by the original King of Skiffle, the late Lonnie Donegan.
Their latest release on CountryMile Records, Pigs Might Fly proves King Lonnie was right on the mark, hanging on to their skiffle roots, Railroad Bill bring the skiffle genre firmly into the 21st century, with shades of classic rock n roll and raucious punk thrown in for good measure. There are some fabulous stand outs from the bluesy Obstinate Child to the rock n roll of Selfish Jean performed with more than a nod to early Elvis!
Pigs Might Fly displays the versatility of Railroad Bill and even allows a few friends in on the journey too including welsh singer/songwriter Kizzy Crawford who gives a fabulous vocal on What You Need.
It hardly seems that long ago that when the charts were laden with the repetitive beats of Stock Aitken and Waterman songs, Eddi Reader and Fairground Attraction arrived to take music back to its most simplistic but melodic form. The song Perfect hit the top of the charts, and although Fairground Attraction split shortly afterwards Eddi continued as a solo artist and has continued to create, diversify and even educate us with great music in the 25 years since.
The Best of Eddi Reader is a comprehensive collection of 30 tracks, taking in the Fairground Attraction hits Perfect and Find My Love, solo successes Patience Of Angels and What You Do With What You’ve Got as well as renditions of Ay Fond Kiss, Moon River and My Love Is Like a Red Red Rose.
Not just a treasured collection, The Best Of Eddi Reader is an introduction to one of the UK’s greatest singers, listen to this and you’ll want to discover more from her, and she has a solid back catalogue to back every track on here up – a rare accolade indeed!
Just Great Songs 2016 Various Artists
The life span of a hit record these days appears to go a lot further than it would have done 20 or 30 years ago. Maybe that’s because after several weeks (or even months) of a pre release a song can spend an incredible long time floating around in a chart and to a degree even longer on a “no repeat” radio station playlist. If it still has any durability left, the song will then wind up on numerous compilation albums.
Just Great Songs 2016 appears to have done that for tracks which have been around for well over a year including Hozier’s Take Me To Church and One Direction’s History. Still with other contributions from Justin Bieber, Zayn, James Bay and Foxes, this might be the ideal compilation if you want to avoid annoying commercial radio adverts and still hear recent hits.
Phil Collins
Take A Look At Me Now – Retrospective Series Phil Collins
Its common practice now for artists to revisit their back catalogue and tweak classic albums for remastered and extended editions. Phil Collins, appears to have taken a step further with recent reissues of No Jacket Required, Hello I Must Be Going, Face Value, Dance Into The Light, Both Sides and Testify. These 6 titles bookending an album output of some 30 years.
Not only has Phil given the tracks a significant clean up, but he’s also taken the trouble to recreate the original album artwork with up to date images of himself.
Of course, Phil Collins music goes beyond face value, In The Air Tonight, Both Sides Of The Story and Take Me Home, among others still stand up as great pop songs, and if remastered renditions of classic Collins is still not enough to pull you in there is an extra disc to accompany each album brimming with demos and live rarities.
Now's the time to get caught up on one of the greatest British solo acts of the 80s and 90s, the music of Phil Collins has never sounded better.
Versions of these reviews by Andy Howells appeared in The South Wales Argus entertainment supplement, The Guide during May 2016.
Brian Wilson is high up there in life’s soundtrack when it comes to the music of the 1960s. His current world tour which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the album Pet Sounds proves why, delivering so much more than the hits of the Beach Boys.
Wilson’s 12 strong band is a very solid and tight affair encompassing strings, brass and percussion. Opening up with the 1968 hit Heroes and Villains they delivered further music gold with I Get Around, Wild Honey and California Girls.
Watching Wilson lead on piano was an absolute joy as he not only performs but also feels the music too. Vocalists including fellow Beach Boy founder, Al Jardine, Matt Jardine and Blondie Chapman who recreated The Beach Boys melodic harmonies to perfection.
The main menu of 1966’s Pet Sounds album was served in the second half, displaying that the album format is far from dead as appreciative cheers came from the audience on hearing tracks such as Wouldn’t It Be Nice and Don’t Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder).
The real highlight was God Only Knows described by one lady as “the sweetest song ever written”and it was pure magic to hear Brian Wilson give it the live treatment.
The encore was equally uplifting, with the audience out of their seats dancing to classics Good Vibrations, All Summer Long and Help Me Rhonda, all of which brought a Summer vibe to what was already a warm evening of music memories for everyone in attendance.
As I'm a forty-something Dad with a teenage daughter, I felt it important to visit The Riverfront studio on Thursday afternoon to catch Run Ragged Productions latest dance show, Jem & Ella which is currently touring theatres across Wales.
Directed by Paula Crutchlow and performed by father and daughter team Jem and Ella Treays, the show focuses on change and transition in the pair’s lives through dance, dialogue, sign language and mime.
The show itself is a culminate snapshot of Jem and Ella’s father and daughter relationship of the last two years. Ella, a 12 year old, soon to be teenager is constrained to fitting in her passion, ballet, between school timetables, washing up and Netflix. Jem is also dealing with his own pressures as a dance artiste, while developing a bald patch, fixing the shower, sending belated greeting cards and hitting the milestone age of 50.
A celebration of the father/daughter relationship, Jem & Ella brings a personal scenario to the forefront with a beautiful honesty. The show highlights the importance of giving each other space and accepting each others differences through solo dance routines. Importantly though it also displays through carefully placed choreography the importance of putting differences aside and how strength and trust can be found in collaboration and communication.
Accessible, identifiable and even challenging, Jem & Ella is a must-see show for all the family, particularly fathers and daughters! There are three further performances to catch at Cardiff’s Sherman Theatre on April 8 and 9. Visit runraggedproductions.co.uk for details.
‘You can be whoever you want to be’ is the message that comes through in the musical adaptation of Jacqueline Wilson’s best selling novel Hetty Feather currently playing at Cardiff’s New Theatre. The show follows plucky Victorian heroine, Hetty, through the trials and tribulations of her life. As a baby she was left at London’s Foundling Hospital and is now set on finding her mother, via foster families, tyrannical matrons and a travelling circus.
Of course in true Jacqueline Wilson style, there are a fair share of laughter and tears along the way with the story keeping one foot in the world of gritty realism as well as imagining the hopes and dreams of a Victorian Orphan.
Writers Emma Reeves and Sally Cookson along with composer Benji Power have breathed further magic into Jacqueline Wilson’s story book and brought Hetty’s story to life for the whole family to enjoy.
Envisaging Hetty’s dream of joining the circus, her story is related from a circus ring made up of hoops, ribbons and ropes and told through a talented team of five actors and three musicians through music, song and dance.
Phoebe Thomas heads the cast with an endearing and dynamic portrayal of Hetty, which sees the actress literally pushed from pillar to post as the action unfolds. Her co-stars similarly follow through with dynamic performances, frequently doubling up as orphans or circus characters (including a particularly Monty Python-esque circus slot as show horses).
The accompanying music provided by Luke Potter and Seamas H.Carey provides further atmosphere to the show, including a cheeky Victorian rendition of Eye of The Tiger accompanying the circus’ Strongest Man In The World routine.
The theatrical family treat for Easter, Hetty Feather continues at the New Theatre until April 3. For further details about the show or to book tickets visit www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk or call the Box Office on (029) 2087 8889.
The makers of the new Dad's Army film might have guessed they'd have a war on their hands when they got permission from the shows creators for a new big screen version commissioned for production. Even with a cast including Toby Jones, Bill Nighy, Michael Gambon and Catherine Zeta Jones, was it really wise to pick up where the WWII adventures of Walmington on sea Home Guard ended on television back on Remembrance Sunday 1977?
The immortal jewel of the BBC's comedy crown, Dad's Army, still regularly shines with BBC 2 reruns on Saturday evenings, drawing in healthy viewing figures from anyone who prefers a good belly laugh as opposed to a straight on ear assault from TV talent shows The Voice or The X Factor.
I'm an original fan of the series and the magic of Jimmy Perry and David Croft's scripts have given me much joy, happiness, tears and comfort over my 47 years. Yet even I was worried when I heard a new film was in the making.
Hamish McColl's screenplay is set in 1944, towards the end of the War, beginning with a scene setter in war torn London with MI5 in pursuit of a Nazi Spy. The opener itself is almost in the same spirit as a James Bond film, and leads the pace neatly into a new Dad's Army story, gradually revealing the characters, lead on manoeuvres by Toby Jones’ Captain Mainwaring and Bill Nighy's Sergeant Wilson.
The title sequence introduces the characters by name, there are no acting credits here, and clearly it’s every man for himself as the actors have a job on their hands to convince you they are Mainwaring, Wilson, Jones, Frazer, Godfrey, Walker and Pike for the next 100 minutes.
Toby Jones as Mainwaring is immediately thrown into comedy action as he attempts to answer a telephone with bandaged spread eagled arms. There are shades of Arthur Lowe, the original Mainwaring, in the ridiculousness of the situation, Jones performance remains funny in its bumbling and authoritative presentation rather than Lowe’s pomposity and clipped air.
Bill Nighy's Wilson is positively flirtier and a little colder than we know from John Le Mesurier, while Tom Courtenay's portrayal of Jones takes a while to bed in becoming more madcap and slapstick (as we would have expected from Clive Dunn), as the film progresses.
Michael Gambon and Bill Paterson place themselves into the roles respectively of the gentle Private Godfrey and dour Private Frazer with ease, emulating rather than imitating the templates created by Arnold Ridley and John Laurie, resulting in fine performances throughout.
Blake Harrison has some nicely scripted moments as Pike, getting more to do than Ian Lavender did in the early series. Daniel Mays takes on the role of Private Walker, and although looking slightly younger than James Beck was in the original carries the spiv persona well enough to have his performances enjoyed throughout the film.
Catherine Zeta Jones has all the qualities of a classic female Hollywood starlet as Rose Winters, a journalist apparently writing an article for The Lady magazine on The Home Guard and also a familiar face from Wilson's past. Her character though is not all as it seems and soon stirs things up within the platoon's key members.
The film also brings Walmington on Sea's lady folk to the forefront, Mrs Mainwaring (previously unseen in the TV series) is brought to life by Felicity Montagu, whose presence becomes more apparent as the film progresses. Mrs Mainwaring leads her own “Mum’s Army” consisting of Mrs Fox (Alison Steadman), Mrs Pike (Sarah Lancashire), Vera (Holli Dempsey) and Daphne (Emily Atack). A believable fighting force alongside their male counterparts each role has a strong presence in the plot,
Original series stars Frank Williams and Ian Lavender get some worthy on-screen moments too while Mark Gatiss becomes a new thorn in Captain Mainwaring's side as Colonel Theakes.
Other familiar elements are the use of the original Jones butchers van, several comical appearances of Godfrey's sisters, portrayed by Annette Crosbie and Julia Foster, while the Yorkshire village of Bridlington doubles for Walmington on Sea and adds atmosphere to the films World war two backdrop.
The films plot has a beginning middle and end and serves its function for a 100 minute comedy feature film. There are some well paced comedy scenes and strong dialogue and climaxes with an explosive battle scene getting to grips with the Hun on the beaches of Walmington.
Dad's Army serves as a good indicator of how life for the series characters could have progressed towards the end of the war. Far from been a failure, the film should be appreciated as a homage to the original series. I will certainly look forward to watching it again.
Martyn Joseph – Sanctuary (Pipe Records) Sanctuary is Welsh singer-songwriter Martyn Joseph's twenty-first studio release in a prolific career spanning four decades. Here Joseph is reunited with Ben Wisch, the three time Grammy Award-winning producer who helmed 1992’s Being There. When the two originally got together, Joseph had signed to Sony Records and Wisch had masterminded Marc Cohn’s smash hit single, Walking in Memphis.
Although Joseph always delivers something fresh and exciting with every new release, clearly he has benefited with returning to work with Wisch, with some well rounded, polished recordings starting with I Searched for You and When Will We Find. Sanctuary is much more than another Martyn Joseph album. Among the highlights are the summery Cherry Blossom Girl and the title track Sanctuary showcasing Martyn’s instrumental side.
Jon Langford & Men of Gwent – The Legend of LL (Country Mile Records)
Interweaving Americana influences, rock and performance poetry with bare faced honesty The Legend of LL is a long overdue soundtrack album for modern day living in Newport, the valleys and beyond.
If Canned Heat had gained some of Bob Dylan’s spirit and reworked The Beatles Sergeant Pepper in the 1970s it wouldn’t be that far away from The Legend of LL which features a Glam Rock style tribute to Wrestler Adrian Street.
The outright bluegrass flare of Dirty Grey River. Rebecca Been In A Riot, Pill Sailor and Old Wet Argus all add to the albums make up, giving it a sense of depth and energy.
Jools Holland & Ruby Turner - Jools & Ruby (East West Records)
Anyone who witnessed Jools Holland and Ruby Turner’s performance on tour recently need no confirmation on how wild and wonderful these performers are.
Here we have a 22 track compilation of performances encompassing rock, spiritual, jazz and rhythm and blues. There’s a lot to enjoy from originals penned by both Holland and Turner along with Chris Difford When I Get Home to Ray Charles’ Jumpin in the Morning and Billy Preston & Bruce Fisher’s You Are So Beautiful.
With the fabulous backing of The Rhythm & Blues Orchestra Jools & Ruby is upbeat, irresistible and unmissable.
Andy Howells is a freelance writer. Versions of these reviews were published in The South Wales Argus on January 1, 2015.
Much is often made of Van Morrison’s solo years, so a 3 CD revisit of his earlier material with Them recorded between 1964 and 1967 is extremely welcome.
Taking their name from a 1954 sci-fi movie, Them recorded their debut single for Decca Records in July 1964, only months after making their debut at Belfast’s Maritime Hotel performing charismatic interpretations of R&B blues and soul.
Don’t Start Crying Now paved the way for further hits Here Comes The Night and Baby Please Don’t Go, all included here, along with tracks such as Paul Simon’s Richard Cory and rare BBC radio session recordings of Gloria and One More Time.
Them may have only been under Morrison’s leadership for three years but there’s a wealth of material to enjoy for both Van Morrison collectors and 1960s aficionados.
A version of this review by Andy Howells appeared in The South Wales Argus entertainment supplement The Guide on December 18, 2015
Its Christmas time and bestselling news and current affairs magazine Private Eye have come up with their nineteenth collection of the year’s best cartoons, jokes and spoofs.
Edited by Ian Hislop, the colourful title has become one of the best value for money annuals to snap up over the festive season, and is packed full of content that showcases the very best of the magazine’s unique blend of wit and humour.
Presented in the tabloid newspaper style, the book is almost a Have I Got News For You presentation of 2015. So expect an alternative look at the general election, game shows, public sector services and sport. Similarly there are comical representations of public figures such as Nigel Farage, Jeremy Clarkson, David Cameron, members of the Royal Family and One Direction.
So, before you dismiss 2015 you could do far worse than turn a comical (Private) eye to this end of year satirical review.
A version of this review by Andy Howells was published in The South Wales Argus entertainment supplement The Guide on December 18, 2015
A Classic Christmas - Blake
It has to be said that Blake, the classically trained vocal trio, have really captured the spirit of Christmas with their uplifting Classic Christmas album.
Besides their irresistible pairing with Dame Shirley Bassey on The Christmas Song, the warm seasonal glow of jazz fusion continues on fresh interpretations of tracks such as Bing Crosby's Its Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas and The Beach Boys' Little Saint Nick.
There's also a breath of fresh air on traditional songs O Holy Night, In The Bleak Midwinter and Silent Night. An album that lives up to its name, it certainly deserves to sit alongside some of the best seasonal offerings of Christmas past to be enjoyed well into the future. Kylie Christmas - Kylie Minogue Kylie Christmas features the pop queen putting her own slant on old favourites such as Winter Wonderland, Let It Snow and Santa Baby (a track she performed on Top of the Pops some years back and seems to have become an annual festive favourite to watch as well as listen to).
To add variety to the album, James Corden, Iggy Pop and the late Frank Sinatra all make audible contributions to Miss Minogue's diverse portfolio of duets (previous musical pairings have seen Kylie matched with Nick Cave, Jason Donovan and Robbie Williams).
Not sure if Kylie Christmas is a Christmas classic though, perhaps it needed a bit more originality, although anyone who has been dreaming of a Kylie Christmas for the last quarter of a century aren't likely to be disappointed.
A version of these reviews by Andy Howells appeared in The South Wales Argus entertainment supplement, The Guide on December 18, 2015
If you are already tiring of the stressful clutter of the Christmas season be it present buying or Christmas parties and longing for some genuine magic then St David’s Hall’s ballet season featuring The Russian State Ballet and Orchestra of Siberia is an ideal place to start.
The season began on Saturday afternoon with a presentation of The Snow Maiden, a breathtaking re-adaption of Alexander Ostrovsky’s story set in freezing mid-winter which was ultimately the inspiration for the Disney film success Frozen.
Protected from the outside world by Father Frost, the exquisite Snow Maiden plays innocently amongst the dancing snowflakes in the mesmerising Land of Frost. The fantastical seasonal tale follows the beautiful girl as she dances from the wintry overtones of her snowflake world into the colourful village inhabited by the humans who live there. Venturing too far into her new territory and the Snow Maiden becomes swept away by feelings of both temptation and betrayal.
Anatoly Cherpurnoy conducts The Russian State Ballet of Siberia Orchestra to perfection as the atmospheric music of Tchaikovsky acts as the narrative for the unfolding drama on stage. Ekaterina Bulgutova heads the cast as the elegant and delicate Snow Maiden while Demid Zykov is both colourful and debonair as Mizgur.
There is strong support from Olesya Aldonina as Kupava, Yuriy Kudryavstev as Lel and Alexei Balva as Father Frost, but ultimately it’s the combined work of the dance ensemble can orchestra that make The Snow Maiden the ultimate in seasonal treats for the family. The Snow Maiden runs until December 21, with further presentations of The Nutcracker and Swan Lake over the Christmas season. To book your seats, please visit stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk or call the Box Office on 029 2087 8444
The audience at Cardiff's Motorpoint Arena were literally bristling with excitement on Saturday evening as fans took their seats to witness the penultimate date in Jools Holland and His Rhythm N Blues Orchestra’s current tour.
Rhythm and Blues Orchestra guitarist Mark Flanagan provided opening duties playing a brief set comprising of Americana and acoustic stylised music. Flanagan drew the crowds to their seats very quickly having to send them back for their refreshments before Holland’s orchestra took to the stage.
“Thank you! Goodnight!” joked Holland as he opened his arms to greet the audience when arriving on stage. Holland’s Goodnight would ultimately evolve into a very good night for all in attendance.
Ever the showman, its clear Holland has a love for music and musicians and wasted no time in introducing the percussion, brass and string sections of his orchestra giving each member a chance to display their individual talent on several occasions. Highlights included a rocked up version of Flight of the Bumble Bee (reminiscent in tempo to B Bumble and The Stingers Bumble Boogie) and an R&B slant on the traditional standard, When the Saints Go Marching In.
Holland also celebrated long term collaborator Gilson Lavis, of who, he observed, had met 40 years to the day. Holland stated that Lavis had given the best drum solo he or the audience were ever likely to see. A big statement, yes, but not one that anyone was denying.
There were fabulous vocal contributions from Louise Marshall and Mabel Ray as they lead individually on a blues soaked rendition of My Favourite Game and a Ska rendition of Secret Love.
Singer/songwriter KT Tunstall changed the pace into fast gear with an up-tempo performance of Suddenly I See, while there was also a spectacular nod to Sinatra of a rendition of Night and Day.
Holland’s final guest, the legendary Ruby Turner provided the icing on the musical cake with several songs from the new Jools & Ruby album. The audience by now were also in full swing, out of their seats and dancing to renditions of Ray Charles’ Jumpin' in the Morning and a rousing version of Peace in The Valley.
An encore including Enjoy Yourself and a duet of I'll Be Seeing You featuring Holland and Turner brought a very diverse and memorable night of music to a close and yes, it was clear, everyone had enjoyed themselves!
You can’t rewrite history or can you? Most people remember Frank Sinatra these days for his slick performances in the 50s and 60s, the voice of the 20th century, the leader of The Clan (now commonly referred to as The Rat Pack) and the movie star.
Frequently overlooked are his early years, a good two decades formed around regular American radio appearances in which he became the first serious rival to Bing Crosby in the popular music stakes.
Frank Sinatra: a Voice On Air 1935-55 is a fabulous audio document cataloguing a diversity of radio performances from a live equivalent of a top 20 best selling songs show to a dedication programme on the day of the D Day landings.
The clarity on these historical recordings is astounding to say the least and brings back to life one of the most interesting periods in Sinatra’s career with some sharp performances of songs such as That Old Black Magic and It Had To Be You.
Listen out for an early rehearsal take of As Time Goes By, with Sinatra leading the way while the backing musicians still haven’t quite got it together, the consummate performer has arrived but no-one seems to have realised, its a real peek into music history and a must for Sinatra fans.
A version of this review appeared in the South Wales Argus entertainment supplement The Guide on December 11, 2015.
The current series of Doctor Who may have come to an end but there's a DVD release fans can enjoy between now and the forthcoming Christmas special.
Downtime is a unique British 1995 sci-fi movie from the Doctor Who universe (but unofficial) featuring treasured characters and talent from the franchise and only now released on DVD - it's a must see for fans of the Time Lord.
The adventure features Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney) and Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) of UNIT who investigate New World University; a sinister school run by Victoria Waterfield (Deborah Watling) and Professor Travers (Jack Watling). The technology obsessed University holds a gateway to Earth made by classic foe the Great Intelligence. Fighting alone and without the aid of their time-travelling scientific advisor, The Brigadier and Sarah Jane are hard pressed to decide who is friend or foe as they search for a missing Locus, which binds the Intelligence's power. The battle is broadened when the Brigadier's own family is threatened and UNIT faces a powerful new breed of Yeti!
An unofficial sequel to the Doctor Who serials The Abominable Snowmen and The Web Of Fear, Downtime neatly bridges the gap between classic Doctor Who and the new series, utilising familiar characters and monsters. Perhaps the most interesting inclusion in this story is the introduction of The Brigadier’s daughter, Kate (played here by Beverley Cressman) who has become a recurring character in the Doctor Who series in recent years.
The two disc DVD available now from Koch Media features the complete Downtime film written by Doctor Who writer Marc Platt and directed by Christopher Barry as well as second disc looking at the making of the film and post production clips.
A version of this review by Andy Howells appears in The South Wales Argus entertainment supplement The Guide on December 11, 2015
Andy Howells delves into the bag of Christmas singles available for the festive season and cherry picks three releases for 2015.
Red Sky July – Save Christmas Day For Me
Award-winning Americana trio Red Sky July have released an atmospheric, beautifully orchestrated single for Christmas featuring Beth Nielsen Chapman. Save Christmas Day For Me is original and beautifully produced and destined to become a Christmas classic.
Blake & Dame Shirley Bassey -The Christmas Song
Incredibly, in her 60 year career, Wales own Dame Shirley Bassey has never recorded a Christmas song, so this unique pairing with classically trained vocal trio Blake of The Christmas Song is a bit of an overdue treat. It starts off with soaring strings before moving into uptempo jazz. Irresistible and very festive!
Judith Owen & Harry Shearer – The Best Things EP
Another Welsh artist, Judith Owen and her comedian husband, actor Harry Shearer (famed for his work on The Simpsons and Spinal Tap) have produced a new and original collection of songs continuing the tradition of Owen and Shearer’s own Christmas gatherings around their family piano. The three track EP features two atmospheric piano lead songs from Judith very much in keeping with the laid back sound of last years Ebb & Flow album. The third track Too Many Notes is a soulful jazz inspired number featuring both Harry and Judith on vocals, well worth a listen, and maybe the pair should look to doing an album next year!
A version of this review by Andy Howells appeared in The South Wales Argus entertainment supplement The Guide on December 11, 2015
I'm one of those people who cringes when I hear the word reboot uttered from TV and movie geeks but when I heard that DangerMouse was making a return to TV even I couldn't resist tuning in to CBBC with my youngest son.
The new series is bursting at the seams with terrific tales of derring-do and random ridiculousness that DM is famous for but with a 21st Century twist that sees our hero venturing even further afield to save the world with a dazzling array of high tech gadgetry and transportation that only the greatest secret agent could ever dream of owning.
Of course, every top agent needs a tip top team to support him and DM’s return sees him joined by some familiar faces as well as some new ones. DM is reunited with his right-hand hamster, Penfold and Colonel K is back to keep a watchful eye over every mission. A modern day secret agent needs state of the art gadgets and luckily for DM, the ingenious Professor Squawkencluck has joined the team and has a gadget for every occasion, although how long they’ll stay in one piece in DM’s hands is another question.
The classic voices of David Jason and Terry Scott as DangerMouse and Penfold have made way for Alexander Armstrong and Kevin Eldon, but the pair along with the voice talents of Stephen Fry, Ed Gaughan, Shauna MacDonald, Dave Lamb and Richard Osman have ensured the spirit and fun of the original shows is still there.
If you missed all the fuss when the show returned in October you can now catch up with the first seven episodes (including the feature length first episode DangerMouse Begins Again) on DangerMouse Mission Improbable.
Compared to some DVD's this is one of the more enjoyable cartoon series that even some of the grown ups can enjoy. As well as DM's classic arch nemesis Baron Greenback and his henchman Stilletto there are also a host of other villains for our hero to fight including a psychotic computerised toilet and a gigantic Welsh space plant with ideas of world domination (and he really sings in Welsh too, because my son, a fluent Welsh speaker, told me!)
Dangermouse: Mission Improbable is available now from Freemantle Media.
A version of this review by Andy Howells appeared in The South Wales Argus entertainment supplement The Guide during November 2015.
With Britain’s favourite impressionist Alistair McGowan and the original king of stand-up, Jasper Carrott delivering over two hours of side splitting comedy at St David’s Hall on Tuesday evening, the show was set to be a winner from the offset.
Feeling the pressure of a busy schedule in recent weeks, even I didn't realise how much of a good laugh I needed until McGowan stepped on to the stage and recalled a previous visit to Swansea Grand that had seen him greeted at the door by TV newsreader Huw Edwards mother. McGowan immediately dived into a comic news report in the unmistakable style of Edwards before paying tributes to Welsh Sport with perfect replications of Chris Coleman, Colin Jackson and Terry Griffiths.
McGowan diversified further with Moira Stewart’s summing up of reality TV star’s eyelashes getting tangled in a nightclub clash, an energetic performance of Eddie Izzard stepping in as a wildlife commentator and the cast of Dad’s Army re-imagined for the 21st century.
If that wasn’t enough value for money, further treats arrived when Jasper Carrott took to the stage. “Its said you only play St David’s Hall twice,” he began, “once on the way up… Well it’s nice to be back!”
Stark observations on growing old, eating a hot curry from a bowl made of space shuttle re-entry iron and bidding for his own autograph on eBay were a number of scenarios that kept the audience in constant fits of laughter.
A particular winner was Carrott’s graphic description of insomnia and the hell of observing your partners three stages of sleep at 4am in the morning.
An absolute treat to watch, this classic comedy pairing really lifted the spirits of all those in attendance including myself, in fact rereading my notes for this review I’m still laughing. Thank you Alistair and Jasper!
“Why wasn’t science this much fun when I was a kid?” is what I thought as I watched The Ministry Of Science present a Brainiac style dynamic, fun and informative show at Newport Riverfront on Thursday afternoon.
Boring old text books were out as young presenters Mike and Vicki talked excitedly about names that had previously been presented to me without any sort of passion by tweed wearing schoolmasters a few decades ago.
The groundbreaking work of Bell, Da Vinci, Pasteur and Edison among others, came to life through visual recreations of some of sciences greatest discoveries. The effects of liquid nitrogen on a bunch of flowers to building a hovercraft on stage from everyday items made science cool for everyone. While youngsters from the audience were encouraged to take part in static electricity experiments, a grown up was given the task of using pedal power to create her own smoothie.
Any adults who had long forgotten the names of the chemical elements were given a two minute refresher courtesy of Mike’s rendition of Tom Lehrer’s 1959 song The Elements which incredibly names 102.
Experiments were made relevant as it was demonstrated how a Plasma Ball could power fluorescent light strips akin to Star Wars light sabres. With a variety of fabulously loud explosions occurring throughout the show from further experiments The Ministry of Science Show was definetely fun for all the family.
Few artists can command an audience for two hours sitting on a rug and performing their greatest hits on an acoustic guitar. Yet this is clearly the natural habitat for Donovan who performed to a packed house at Cardiff’s New Theatre on Monday evening.
The singer/songwriter who clocked up no less than eight Top 10 hits between 1965 to 1968 gave the audience an authentic 60s style concert.
Opening with his 1965 debut Catch the Wind, Donovan encouraged the audience to indulge in the art of “community singing” before he launched into a fabulous harmonica solo.
Songs such as Colours, Jennifer Juniper and Buffy Saint Marie's Universal Soldier were interspersed with tales about the mission that both he and fellow songwriter Gypsy Dave planned on popular culture on the beaches of Cornwall in 1963. Later, he revealed they would become victims of The Drug Squad’s first busts. There were also stories of going to India to find inspiration and enlightenment with The Beatles and how his comic song The Intergalactic Laxative was inspired by a children’s TV programme following the first moon landing.
The concert also featured a performance of his beautiful song The Promise, which he said he will never record, making Donovan's rare live performance even more extra special.
“The idea of the 50th anniversary for me is to come out and thank you,” Donovan told his audience at the end of the evening before treating them to renditions of Sunshine Superman and Mellow Yellow. I, like many others was glad he did. Thank you Donovan for adding to life’s great soundtrack!
