A Tale of Two Cites - Royal Theatre Northampton

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way. Perhaps one of the most famous opening paragraphs of any book? New artistic director at the Royal and Derngate Northampton, James Dacre has got off to a flying start wwith this his firts performance. Mike Poulton’s adaptation of A Tale of Two Cities hurtles through Dickens’ 1859 masterpiece in little more than two hours. Even by his standards – he’s the man responsible for the RSC’s lean, mean Wolf Hall – that’s a lot of hacking. But while you may mourn the absence of the narratorial voice, you don’t feel short-changed. Mike Britton’s fast changing set swiftly shifts from London to a revolutionary Paris. I was really impressed with the court room scenes which contained an essence of the classic Dickens humour. This is a classic without doubt, yet rarely performed on stage. Dickens wanted Tale Of Two Cities to be his cautionary tale of the dangers of political unrest and upheaval and Poulton has done an excellent job of distilling the key elements of this enormous story without losing any of its impetus. In addition to the main cast, Dacre makes use of the Royal and Derngate Community Ensemble to convey a sense of unrest and mob behaviour, packing the relatively small, but tall stage with a jeering, volatile crowd. Joshua Silver, as the young aristocrat Charles Darnay, and Oliver Dimsdale, as Carton, both give charismatic, engaging performances. A really enjoyable night out.

Snakecharmer - The Stables, Wavendon

Snakecharmer are made up by former Whitesnake men Mickey Moody and Neil Murray and joined by ex Wishbone Ash guitarist Laurie Wisefield, Ozzy Osborne keyboard player Adam Wakeman (son of Rick), Thunder and Magnum drummer Harry James and Heartland vocalist Chris Ousey. With that line up you can't fail to be disappointed!

The soundcheck at The Stables, but we nearly didn't make it. What should have been a comfortable half hour journey actually took two hours. New we shouldn't have gone down the motorway as an accident near Newport Pagnell brought traffic to a standstill. The result being we missed the opening band , who they were I still dont know? It is always the case at The Stables that photography is banned. I didn't see one other person with a camera or phone which is highly unusual at a Rock concert. In fact they do have their very own covert band of female bouncers, oh yes. They are cunningly disguised as usherettes and Ice cream sellers but put one foot out of line and they pounce. Undaunted I was happy to let Marina take the ones used in this blog.

Lead Vocals Chris Ousey

Lead Guitar Micky Moody

However this is no usual Rock crowd, I think anyone under fifty would be in the minority. Although a smashing venue it doesn't really lend itself to an all seated Rock event. My theory is that the ageing male Rock fans are only allowed out on a Sunday evening if they take along their wife. I have heard some go as far to call them the 'Gin and Tonic set'.... Lots of pullovers and slacks in evidence, I even saw one chap wearing a Coldplay T shirt! Walking around bold as brass. Snakecharmer are not a Whitesnake tribute band, but with two Whitesnake legends on board they are going to cover Whitesnake but do remain a band in their own right. The set kicks off with "Guilty As Charged," one of the album's stand-out songs and follow up with another in the shape of "A Little Rock n Roll," before launching into 'Ready An' Willing' and we are off. Further Whitesnake tracks include; Walking in the Shadow of Love, Slow and Easy, Here I go again and the brilliant 'Fool for your Loving' encore.

The entire gig is superbly played as you would expect, with Moody and Wisefield trading off each other well, James showing his class being the kit and Wakeman holding the thing together, particularly with his fine Hammond Organ. Murray by contrast is content to stand in the shadows letting his more extrovert colleagues take the limelight.

Wonderful to meet Neil Murray and Micky Moody afterwards. Managed to get my book 'Playing with Trumpets' signed at long last by Micky.

Signed Setlist

Santa comes to College

It seemed a very simple and straightforward suggestion back in early November to have a 'Secret Santa; for Christmas. The idea being that we would all draw a name out of a hat and spend a maximum of £5 on buying that person an anonymous gift.

Then someone had the bright idea that I should dress up as Father Christmas............

I suppose it would have been rude to refuse and run the risk of being called a Humbug !

So, last day of term and the reindeer's safely parked up and armed with my bulging sack of presents I arrived at Tresham College.

Thankfully I had my trusty Fairy and Elf to help give out the presents to all the boys and girls who have worked hard this year.

Everything went really well and I think a lot of fun was had by all and everybody got a present!

Film Reviews - RUSH and Captain Phillips

It is quite rare these days to visit the cinema but actually I actually saw two films in just over a week! First up was RUSH,nothing to do with the Canadian rockers this time. Rush is a 2013 biographical sports drama film directed by Ron Howard and written by Peter Morgan about the 1976 Formula One season and the rivalry between drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda. It stars Chris Hemsworth as Hunt and Daniel Brühl as Lauda. I'm certainly no F1 fan but nevertheless really enjoyed the film. Definitely need to watch on the big screen to get the most out of the film with the deafening and exhilerating race sequences. Australian actor Chris Hemsworth (Thor) takes the apparent star role as the blond, glamorous English playboy Hunt, driving for McLaren, widely regarded as a maverick risk-taker on the track, routinely pictured with a glass of champagne and two or three stunning females on his arm. The dull and humourless Austrian Lauda, driving for the Ferrari team, is played with wonderful resolve by German actor Daniel Brűhl (Inglourious Basterds). Lauda is everything that Hunt isn't but as the story develops following the horrific crash where Lauda sustains terrible burns to head and face the plot takes an emotional twist. Great entertainment for petrol heads and eco warriors alike! I would give an 8/10. Captain Phillips is a 2013 American action thriller directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi. The film is based on the true story of merchant mariner Capt Richard Phillips whose vessel the Maersk Alabama was taken hostage by Somalian pirates in 2009. As you would expect Hanks is immense in the role of the tortured Captain trying to save his ship and then taken as hostage on a lifeboat. However the film also highlights the plight of the Somali fishermen pressganged by local warlords into doing their dirty work. Some extremely tense and gripping scenes guaranteed to have you on the edge of the seat. Maybe the film was 20 minutes too long if being ultra critical ? I would award 7.5/10.

Bradgate Park - Leicester

Not quite the clear and crisp autumnal morning I had hoped for as I made the walk up the steep incline to 'Old John'. Instead a low mist and persistant driving rain was the order of the day. This Folly or Prospect Tower was built in 1784 by the 5th Earl of Stamford. The circular stone tower replaced a former wooden windmill (which had been made unsafe in an earlier storm) and stands on Bradgate’s tallest hill and one of Leicestershire’s highest points – some 690 feet above sea level. Lord Stamford and his guests would have used the Folly to watch his horses gallop around the racecourse laid out at the base of the Hill. By 1792 an archway was attached to the Tower and the legend of Old John Tower’s beer mug outline was born. Bradgate is Leicestershires largest Country Park and most popular visitor attraction, extending to some 830 acres and welcoming 900,000 visitors every year. Steeped in History, the Park was the birthplace and early home of Lady Jane Grey - 9 days Queen of England. Fully refreshed after a toasted tea-cake, bacon roll and a large slice of coffee and walnut cake I set off for a spot of deer stalking. Bradgate Park’s red and fallow deer are some of the finest herds of parkland deer in the country. The average number of deer kept at Bradgate is some 370 – there are slightly more fallow than red deer. Other notable features of the Park include the Ruins of Bradgate House – a Tudor mansion (built in the early 16th century) and which was the birthplace and early home of Lady Jane Grey (9 days Queen of England in 1553) It was a real mixture of weather and between the showers the sun made an appearance and it was quite humid and sultry. It all made for some interesting photography conditions. Before leaving for home there was just enough time to audition for the role of the next Doctor Who.

The Temperance Movement - Leicester Academy

Have to admit I didn't know too much in advance about The Temperance Movement. Not to be confused of course with The Temperance Seven who are something entirely different. Thanks to Planet Rock I was at least familiar with the two singles released from their self titled debut album; 'Only Friend & 'Midnight Black'. However before TTM there were support acts to be enjoyed. The first came in the form of Samuel Taylor. A young singer songwriter playing acoustic guitar and harmonica. He was pleasant enough on the ear without being over memorable in truth. The same cannot be said for the next band 'The Graveltones' who hit the stage all guns firing. The Aussie duo certainly created some noise for just a two piece band. Very reminiscent of 'The White Stripes' they made a big impression on the crowd for sure. The drummer 'Mikey' was actually playing 4 drumsticks at once. He was hitting the drums so hard the hi hats collapsed in submission at one stage. Formed in 2011 TTM are are 100% real Rock - nothing slick, nothing corporate about them. They have a genuineness that goes back to The Stones, Free, then more latterly The Black Crowes. If you like rock music with a good balance of light & shade, bluesy sound, catchy guitar riffs, terrific gritty vocals, and a few killer ballads, then 'The Temperance Movement' should be right up your street. Those gritty vocals mentioned above are readily provided by Glaswegian Phil Campbell. Something like a young Joe Cocker meeting Paul Rogers (Free/Bad Company) he is a real livewire on stage. My overwhelming feeling is that this tour is just a stepping stone for much bigger things to come for this band.

 Full Set List

•  Midnight Black
• Be Lucky
• Smouldering
• Chinese Lanterns
• Only Friend
• Lovers & Fighters
• Morning Riders
• Know For Sure
• Pride 
• Aint No Telling

Encore

• Take It Back
• Serenity

Steelbacks Open-top Bus Parade

Hundreds of fans saluted Northamptonshire County Cricket Club’s triumphant players outside the Guildhall. The applause, which never stopped during the 15 minutes they were outside the Guildhall, redoubled as the players, led by T20 Captain Alex Wakely, left the bus and accepted the crowd’s welcome. It has been a tremendous season for Northants, totally against the odds. In head coach David Ripley's first full season in charge, Northants ended their nine-year exile from the County Championship's top flight finishing runner up to Lancashire. The Steelbacks also claimed their first one-day trophy for 21 years by winning the 20/20 final at Edgbaston in August. Unfortunately due to new regulations Northants will be without Australian seamer Trent Copeland next season. The 27-year-old took 45 first-class wickets this season in the championship at an average of 18.26. There's no doubt Trent Copeland made a major contribution early in the season as they made a flying start. In his absence they only won one other game.