Nell Ryder, The Bowery

It was a special treat to see my cousin, Nell Ryder perform. Having worked on her sound and style for the last five years she has now developed into an impressive singer-songwriter.

Walking into the Bowery, I was overwhelmed by how many faces I recognised. Family and fans gathered to support Nell and listen to her newest material. The venue is used regularly for gigs and has a nice warm acoustic.

Nell’s voice has matured considerably since I last heard her, it has a lovely husky quality in the lower register while remaining clear and in tune. She has a gutsy soulful delivery that suits the repertoire well. Nell's own songs are lilting and lyrical, most often quite melancholic, even mournful. She has a very personal quality to her voice that I can only describe as a bleat (like a lamb), a very beautiful natural wobble (it is not accenuated enough to be called vibrato) adding great emotion to her singing. Nell also presented a few old school covers, mostly retro love songs she particularly likes, sung softly into the microphone with her gentle guitar accompaniment they were very touching. In between songs she spoke frankly and naturally to the audience.

As Nell mentioned onstage before her final number, "the best love songs are always the simplest"... her own songs follow this rule: very simple, often repetitive, floating melodies that really stick in your head; they are thoughtful and memorable. It was a short but intimate and lovely gig.

Visit Nell Ryder's website here.

Original Features, W11 Opera, Riverside Studios

City gents, women racers, flappers, psychics, bankers, agents, reporters, Charlie Chaplins and even pigeons all appear as characters in the latest W11 Children's Opera production, 'Original Features'. This year this young but exceptional opera company take on a specially commissioned piece, with music by Julian Grant and libretto by Christina Jones celebrating the company’s 40^th anniversary.

Julian Grant comments that “fuzzy animals and keeping it cutesy doesn’t interest me”, instead with Original Features Grant has created a simple and believable story of love, art, family, guilt, betrayal and struggle… a fiercely real narrative that the children performing can relate to.

The Carrington children live in a beautiful old house, their lives enriched with the joy and vitality of colour and creativity, brought up by two artist parents. Unable to support the large family, the parents move abroad and the kids are left with unkind selfish distant cousins. The house is almost sold and the colour is drained from the children’s lives, when their parents return it is not the happy reunion we expect. 'Original Features' offers a bittersweet ending... three of the Carrington children are left unable to forgive their parents. No big finales and jazz hands this year, it is the melancholy taste of real life.

Grant’s score is challenging, with unusual harmonies, and unexpected but beautiful melodic sequences. The cast tackle it brilliantly, with a confident and tuneful rendition, and some particularly impressive solos. However the strength of W11 Children’s Opera is the ensemble work, and when this big group of young voices comes together it is spectacular. This year the set, by Neil Irish, was enchanting; I particularly loved the painting of the housekeepers - which came alive when lit up, the characters posed singing behind the screen… an inventive and magical idea. As ever the band was phenomenal, led by Philip Sunderland.

W11 Children's Opera is a one in a million company, and it deserves every bit of support it gets. Year after year they succeed in making operatic repertoire and new music accessible to children, and better still provide all the ingredients for a sensational production. The kids have the time of their lives - I would know I've been there and done it, eight times over and could never forget the magical experience.

Visit the W11 Children's Opera website here for more information.

Secondary Characters, Battersea Barge

Four bright, young musical theatre graduates and a small boat on the Thames... the combination could be disastrous, but it was quite the opposite for the Secondary Characters showcase last week.

The Battersea Barge is a characterful little venue, and is well worth visiting despite the tedious trek from Vauxhall station... it was one of my (very occasional) "wearing wedges" days and I was really feeling the strain. But as is often the case, a little bit of theatrical jollity can alleviate all signs of weariness and leave you feeling upbeat and positive.

Dom Hodson, Helen Woolf, Michelle Whitney and Andrew Dyer are recent graduates from the prestigious Royal Academy Musical Theatre course and together presented a cabaret evening of show tunes. The performance was just as polished as I'd expected - it’s clear these singers would be brilliant performing just about anywhere and I think the audience on the Battersea Barge felt privileged to be witnessing their talent before they go off to wow on bigger stages.

It was a well balanced programme, each of the musicians performing several solo numbers as well as a variety of duets and ensembles. I was struck by how well chosen the pieces were, each singer choosing songs to highlight their individual talents and selling points.

They opened and closed with full company numbers: a punchy rendition of ‘Something’s Coming’ (Sondheim) to start; ‘Let’s Do It’ finishing the show, wasn’t quite as energetic or exciting, and I was glad they gave an encore of the Sondheim. There were comical tunes and melancholy ballads… I found Michelle particularly funny with her nuanced performance of ‘Climbing Uphill’ from The Last Five Years, a brilliant one-act musical by Jason Robert Brown that I recently saw at The Tabard Theatre. Andrew sung a beautiful rendition of Rain from Harps and Angels, a song I’d never heard before. Helen is the belter of the group with a powerful leading lady voice, effortlessly making her way through epic tunes like ‘The Wizard and I’ from Wicked. Dom has the ability to make a whole room smile with his cheeky attitude and versatile voice, he plays every character like the part was written for him.

This group of singers certainly rocked the boat, and showed the Battersea Barge crew a good time. Watch this space, I’m sure there is a lot more to come from these talented individuals.

The Marriage of Figaro, ENO

Some things work, others don’t in Fiona Shaw’s new production of The Marriage of Figaro at the ENO. The set is not to my taste, a modern white labyrinth structure that looks just too temporary. The endlessly revolving centre of the stage muddles the action rather than enhancing it. Furthermore I was confused about the period in which Shaw sets the opera, the set is overwhelmingly modern and yet the costumes seem to suggest the 18^th century.

I did feel sorry for the ENO on the night, with the last minute illness of Kate Valentine (playing the Countess) they had to find a very fast replacement and Elizabeth Llewellyn rose to the challenge with impeccable style and stamina joining the cast and fitting in remarkably. Llewellyn is a brilliant actress and competent singer and they were incredibly lucky to get her, she gave a stand out performance.

This is not my favourite of the Mozart operas, it is lengthy and drags a little, nonetheless there are numerous toe tapping tunes. Iain Paterson is thrilling as Figaro giving a humorous rendition of the title role, and proves himself to be a competent actor as well as being vocally brilliant. Devon Guthrie as the much desired Susanna looks and sounds the part and interacts beautifully with Paterson. My favourite performance of the night was Katryn Rudge as the petite Cherubino, Rudge has a gorgeously bright and spritely voice and suits the cheeky role perfectly.

Conductor, and former ENO Music Director, Paul Daniels leads the orchestra through this frantic score with a firm but expressive hand, and the players respond well.

After seeing the ENO’s spectacular productions of The Passenger and Elixir of Love I was expecting a lot from this Mozart classic, but I must admit, I left feeling a little disappointed.

Visit ENO website and book tickets here.

'Hell in a Hatbox' gig at the Mitre, Richmond

Looking at the tiny Mitre pub, down a residential road in Richmond, you would never imagine it to be a raucous music venue. Indeed most nights it isn’t, functioning discreetly for locals to enjoy the odd pint. But a few weekends ago, my well rehearsed band joined the list of other musicians to support Mad Sea Dog in a night of musical fun.

Turning up fashionably early (!) with guitars and amps in our hands, we were shown inside and told of the running order: four acts performing before Mad Sea Dog, each allocated enough time to power through five or six songs; we were up second. Oh, and to thank us for our efforts we were kindly allowed four free drinks, which my thirsty family members gladly used for me.

The event felt comfortably low key - the pub is small enough to not require any amplification so, much to my relief, I got to sing sans mic. Previously named the Lemon Golf Clubs, we felt this was an inadequate moniker for a second time and so discussion led to the temporary ‘Hell in a Hat Box’, which has little relevance but sounds quite slick, we thought so anyway. Actually I thought it sounded better suited to a heavy metal band but I had the minority vote so agreed nonetheless.

The venue worked wonders for our image: the men dressed in crisp black shirts and me in a full length, brightly patterned vintage dress - we looked strangely smart against the shabby wood-brown pub decor. After a very impressive performance from the singer-songwriter girl before us, we took the makeshift stage in the corner of the room. The pub was now full of eager punters, chatting and having a good time; it was a lovely atmosphere. We introduced the enthusiastic audience to our set of standards: Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby?, Nobody’s Fault But Mine (dedicated to Amy Winehouse, who passed away that day), Meet Me Where They Play The Blues, Someone To Watch Over Me (for Lucian Freud, the other tragic death of the week) and finally Ain’t Misbehavin’ – our signature number. The set went well, and the audience seemed to enjoy our performance, I only wish we’d been up there longer; it went by so fast.

The rest of the night was spent enjoying the other acts and tucking in to those complimentary drinks. After a rather aggressive protest singer (eventually) finished, Mad Sea Dog performed their set. A fantastically layered sound resonated from this chirpy band thanks to the clever multi-instrumentalists: acoustic and electric guitars, violin, ukulele, accordion. Just goes to show - never write off your local, you don’t know what you might be missing.

GLEE LIVE at The O2 Arena

I have to confess I was originally not too enthusiastic about the prospect of accompanying my little sister to the GLEE LIVE show at the O2 Arena. I have always watched the programme and enjoyed it, but trekking to the massive Greenwich venue in the heat of summer, among fifteen thousand squealing teenagers is not my ideal way to spend an evening. However, in retrospect, after seeing the epic performance, I can honestly say I’d happily go again.

I collected my overexcited sister and we travelled through the London rush hour to take our precious seats at the O2. Merchandise sellers were lining the walls tempting visitors with Glee inspired t-shirts, mugs and bags. I was particularly drawn to the quirky white tees with slogans like ‘Can’t Sing’, ‘Like Boys’ - they come directly from the TV series and were also worn by the cast on stage.

Once seated at our top row seats we could sip our lemonade and relax while the support act (a group of awe-inspiring dancers) wowed with their triple backflips and headspins. Another half hour of waiting and then, eventually, it was time for our favourite high school crew to perform... but not before a quick introductory speech from absent Glee teacher, Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) and cruel bullying cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch), unfortunately ear-splitting screams meant little could be heard of the video clips!

The evening was well rehearsed and arranged, and thank God because the fans were hungry for a pitch perfect performance. We heard Glee versions of many famous classics including songs by legends: Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Queen, Beyonce, Katy Perry, and Judy Garland amongst others. Unlike the TV series, which heavily relies on starlet Rachel (Lea Michele) and jock Finn (Cory Monteith), most cast members got a fair share of the solo vocals, though I would have liked to see more from shy dancing talent Mike Chang (Harry Shum), and pretty blonde Quinn (Dianna Agron).

The best performances on the night came from Mercedes(Amber Riley) with some incredible vocal gymnastics, a stunning duet from Rachel and Kurt (Chris Colfer), and a surprisingly spectacular showcase from Artie (Kevin McHale), who got up from his wheelchair to dance and sing with style.

The sound levels seemed to intensify when rival band, the Dalton Academy Warblers took to the stage. Headed up by the heart-throb, and particular favourite of my sister’s, Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss) the a cappella team performed three uplifting numbers with Criss giving some stunning lead vocals.

The journey home could not dampen the spirits of the departing fans; everyone seemed truly inspired by the music and energy of the young performers. I was amused to overhear two dads compare notes on the show, the wives giggling at their respective spouses unexpected enjoyment of Glee, a programme I’m sure they had previously only smirked at condescendingly!

I’m sure many are sceptical about whether these young stars are really as good live as they are on our TV screens, a few were a little weak vocally (Finn, and more surprisingly Kurt) but most excelled and really impressed me. And aside from the fun factor, if this American phenomenal inspires young singers to get up and perform then it’s certainly a good thing. I just hope we get our own Glee Club craze over here in Britain, I think kids are craving it.

One thing is for sure...I’m definitely a bigger GLEEK than ever.

Wagner's Parsifal at The ENO

It’s not often Wagner comes to town, and I don’t mean the over-excitable X-Factor contestant. Richard Wagner set his own rules when composing, a freedom of expression that can be seen most in his epic operas. Their length and scoring requires a massive cast and orchestra with set and costumes to match. Wagner wrote all his own libretti and creates mythical kingdoms that are weird, wonderful and crazy - his works are unique. It is a great undertaking for a creative team to stage one of his magical music dramas; they must be ready to match his imagination and spirit, strength and character.

The ENO are currently reviving Nikolaus Lehnhoff’s production of Parsifal which was critically commended back in 1999, with the Independent describing it as ‘the most intelligent, provocative and ultimately moving production’. This February most of the original creative team are back for the return show.

The surreal and stagnant landscape is designed by Raimund Bauer and daring costumes by Andrea Schmidt-Futterer. As is normal with Wagner’s creations the story of Parsifal is completely incomprehensible and quite frankly a bit ridiculous. There is a lot of faffing about on stage, complicated background details and bizarre characters that seem to have no relevance to the plot. The opera is his final one and is written in three acts. The narrative is loosely based on Wolfram von Eschenbach's ‘Parzival’, a 13th century poem that tells of an Arthurian knight and his quest for the Holy Grail.

I felt honoured to be seeing great Wagnerian singer John Tomlinson who can boast performing for eighteen consecutive seasons at Bayreuth Festival from 1988. He plays Gurnemanz, the trusty chronicler of the Grail’s history. When I saw the opera, Tomlinson was everything I hoped he would be: powerful and yet gracious, he commands the stage unlike any singer I have ever seen before. The rest of the cast are vocally sublime too; Stuart Skelton as the title role shows real compassion and stamina throughout the five hour piece and Jane Dutton as Kundry is dramatic and convincing. I adored the flower chorus dancing and singing, the women dressed in unbelievable draped costumes and lit so wonderfully, it was quite mesmerising to watch.

No-one can deny the beauty of Wagner’s music in Parsifal. In particular I love the opening interlude and the euphoric finale. The orchestra are quite breathtaking, and are conducted magnificently by Mark Wigglesworth, who energises the score and injects the performance with real understanding and passion. In my seat in the front row of the dress circle I felt I was soaring with the music and being drawn into Wagner’s mysterious world. I found the whole evening uttering compelling and was completely engrossed by the amazing atmosphere the ENO created for the occasion.

Parsifal continues at The ENO until Saturday 12 March, book here.

Singing at Zizzi Restaurant

Lemon Golf Club was the name we decided on as a temporary title for our little jazz band, though there were many other possibilities. We were offered our first gig at Zizzi Restaurant and with the three of us all super busy rushed to confirm these minor details.

As I have mentioned in previous blog posts the newest branch of the Zizzi Restaurant empire at St Giles is striving to become known, not just for its delectable pizzas, but also as a happening jazz venue. Every Thursday host Becki Biggins introduces a young artist or artists, who then perform as the restaurant fills up - light entertainment for the diners, great experience for young musicians. It is a brilliant idea, and one that is already gathering momentum - when we played there last week, every table in the expansive room was full.

My band, Mark Ellen, John Butler and I prepared a set of five songs for the Zizzi crowd. A mixture of old blues and jazz classics like ‘Is you is or is you ain’t my baby?’ and 'Ain’t Misbehavin’'. We sat in our usual trio formation with a group of loyal family and friends surrounding us as we played; there was a lovely atmosphere and it felt wonderful to be sharing our music with others. I found it a little daunting using an unfamiliar microphone, I’m so used to belting out without any amplification. The compliments afterwards assured me that the microphone had improved my performance despite my niggling worries; hopefully next time it will feel a little more natural. The talented guitarists on either side of me put on a great show, both showing real flair in their solos, unique improvisations I am still in awe of.

Afterwards we were treated to a hearty meal and some much needed wine. If music be the food of love, sing on, and this we did. Here’s to the next Lemon Golf Club gig... bring it on!

Frisky and Mannish at The Bloomsbury Theatre

I had a peek at Frisky and Mannish at Latitude Festival earlier this year; I couldn’t get more than a snatched look because their tent was overflowing with fans. I decided I would try and see them properly on the next F & M tour, and this I did. The final date of their tour took place in London at the Bloomsbury Theatre, a popular venue for established comedy acts. Frisky and Mannish presented The College Years, a sequel to their critically acclaimed debut ‘The School of Pop’.

The eccentric duo stormed the stage and immediately commanded the attention of the Bloomsbury audience. It was soon clear that many of my fellow audience members were seasoned F&M supporters, accustomed to the pair’s favourite tricks and jokes.

I would describe the act as a collage of songs with an injection of attitude and comedy. The College Years focuses on lessons about collision theory and grammatical errors in pop music, as well as some hilarious poptastic pairings, including Lily Allen with Noel Coward and Florence and the Machine with Peter Andre – Frisky belting out Florence (uncannily accurate) and Mannish taking on the role of ‘the machine’. The performance was polished and great fun to watch. There was some audience participation, but none so brutal that it was embarrassing, thank goodness!

Frisky and Mannish are brilliant comedians, but more than that they are very talented musicians, and this aspect makes their act unbearably addictive.

Sondheim's Into the Woods at Regents Park Open Air Theatre

This year marks Stephen Sondheim’s 80^th Birthday. Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre are celebrating with their tremendous production of a Sondheim favourite, Into the Woods. I have seen this musical once before at St Paul’s Girls School and was impressed with it then, so was excited to see it again.

Into the Woods, with music and lyrics by Sondheim is based on a book by James Lapine. The story intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales and follows them further to explore the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. The main characters are taken from the stories of Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and Cinderella, tied together by a more original story involving a baker and his wife and their quest to begin a family, most likely taken from the original story of Rapunzel. It also includes references to several other well-known tales. The first half introduces us to all the characters and we accompany them as they explore the woods. The second half feels like a completely different show, half the characters are killed off or transformed, and the general atmosphere is much more sinister. Various moral themes emerge, for example the importance of love over material things and the repercussions of unpleasant greed.

The cast is brilliant, and big, so I will only mention my favourites. Little Red Riding Hood comes top of my list: a delightful smiling girl played by Beverly Rudd she acts and sings charmingly. Ben Stott as Jack is also memorable. The two strutting self-absorbed princes (Simon Thomas and Michael Xavier) provide some comic entertainment with their hilarious duet, ‘Agony’. Not all the vocals are great though and I noticed some faltering particularly from the Baker, but on the whole this cast tackles the tricky Sondheim score well. A special mention also to the adorable cow, Milky White, scarily lifelike, despite only being a puppet, it reminded me of War Horse.

An outdoor theatre is, of course, the ideal setting for a musical about the woods. The large wooden structure is set up beautifully and used so creatively throughout the show. Hidden away around every corner are clever little gadgets, and swings, and even wires to lift the characters high into the sky. The creative team have thought of everything, and the multi-levelled platforms continue to surprise right until the end. The orchestra too, lurk behind the woody backdrop producing the most enchanting music to accompany the drama.

I love this production, but much prefer the first half to the second. The show starts at 8 pm and so by 9.30, when the interval comes, I was pretty exhausted. Also, be warned the seats are quite uncomfortable and it gets bloody freezing towards the end of the night, I luckily came prepared with my lovely checked Brora blanket to snuggle under. Visually absolutely stunning, musically brilliant, Into the Woods is always a great show to see, but Regents Park gives it a little bit extra that for me makes it a breathtakingly magical production to see.

Vibe Live with Jetson and Graffiti 6

Brick Lane couldn’t be boring if it tried, there is always something to see there. Last week (after stuffing myself with copious amounts of Brick Lane curry) I went to VIBE LIVE at the Vibe Bar to see two new bands: Jetson and Graffiti6.

Jetson are a three piece, currently unsigned, but I’m sure for not much longer. Their music is a collision of Funk and Folk. Only together since 2009, they already have a certainty of sound and style and a large following including celebs like Jamie Cullum and Emma Watson and can boast performing in major venues such as the O2 Arena. The song ‘Ashdown Drive’ particularly moved me, lead singer Rohan Unni was completely possessed by the words, and moved about the stage with infectious energy (there were several moments I was desperate to get up and dance with them). Jetson work together as a team on stage, coherent and well organised. Their repertoire is individual with a laid back quality that is perfect for easy summer listening. Jetson’s obvious passion for performing would make any audience love to watch and listen.

See them next at The 100 Club on Oxford Street on Thursday 8^th July where they will be headlining, as well as a free gig at Roadtrip in Shoreditch this Thursday, 3^rd June.

Graffiti6 are a recent collaboration between Jamie Scott and TommyD, both separately and together they have impressive resumes. It’s surprising that they have only been an ensemble since Autumn 2008 because they work together brilliantly. When asked, Jamie described his music to me as “a dinner date between Northern Soul and Folk Music.” After listening I would agree with that meeting of styles, Jamie’s voice is luxurious and soulful and soars through each and every melody effortlessly. As a singer myself, I particularly enjoy a male singer exploring the upper register of his voice and Jamie certainly does this, with great confidence. The support of the talented band around him gives him the platform to play around and enjoy the music.