July Music at Harrogate Theatre

The summer at Harrogate Theatre is set to be a scorcher, even if the British summertime has other ideas. With true musical legends to the best in emerging talent, Harrogate Theatre plays host to some of Britain’s hottest acts performing live throughout July with sizzling sounds to suit even the most discerning music-lovers’ tastes.

Kicking off with a rare showcase concert on Monday 18 July is one of the UK’s most creative musicians, Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys, followed by much acclaimed a cappella group The Magnets on Thursday 21 July. 80s icon & one of Britains’s iconic household names Toyah Willcox performs all her hits on Friday 22 July while Kula Productions also brings legendary rock artists Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel on Saturday 23 July and jazz legend Claire Martin OBE and Sir Richard Rodney Bennett who will present an evening of music from Irving Berlin on Sunday 24 July. Everyone’s favourite songs get a ukulele makeover on Thursday 28 July with Edinburgh Festival favourites The Ukulele Project and visionary rock musician Julian Cope headlines the Harrogate Fringe crawl day on Saturday 30 July.

Gruff Rhys

Part of Harrogate Fringe Festival

Monday 18 July 7.30pm

Tickets: £17

As the only Northern date in Britain in an international tour, after performances at the Royal Albert Hall and Glastonbury Festival, fans can look forward to a rare and intimate gig with one of the UK’s most creative and innovative musicians Gruff Rhys on Monday 18 July. Recorded in a break from the much-loved Super Furry Animals, Rhys’ third solo album Hotel Shampoo shows the Welsh singer and musician in the form of his life. Having been twice nominated for a Mercury Music Prize, the musician is well-known for genre-blending collaborations and inspirational acts of imagination. Over the years Rhys has worked with the likes of Gorillaz, Mogwai, De La Soul, Danger Mouse and Sir Paul McCartney, to name but a few. As the only date in the North of England of the entire summer, this rare opportunity for fans will be one of the main highlights of this year’s Harrogate Fringe Festival.

“Rhys crafts beguiling music with personality, imagination and care” The Scotsman

Support on the night will come from Harrogate and York-based alt/electroacoustic/experimental pop band The Birdman Rallies, one of the region’s unsigned indie gems.

The Magnets

Thursday 21 July 7.30pm

Tickets: £15

After a series of electrifying festival appearances including Isle of Wight and Glastonbury, starring roles on Comic Relief and T-Mobile “Welcome Home” adverts, support tours with Tom Jones and Michael Ball and continuous international touring, The Magnets are now centre-stage in the current revival in vocal harmony music. Seen everywhere from Glee to The Choir, The Magnets have risen from humble beginnings as street performers in London’s Covent Garden. Making all their music from their mouths alone, including the drums of vocal percussionist/beatboxer Andy Frost and the richly textured bass of Fraser Collins, The Magnets blend their six distinctive voices to restyle and subvert songs from artists as diverse as Kraftwerk and Beyoncé and in September 2010 released their third studio album Gobsmacked.

“A cappella singing straight from the Gods… The Magnets are the epitome of cool” Edinburgh Evening News

Toyah Willcox

Presented in association with Kula Productions

Part of Harrogate Fringe Festival

Friday 22 July 8pm

Tickets: £20

As part of Harrogate Fringe Festival, 80s icon and award-winning rock legend Toyah Willcox performs all her greatest hits and more in her live show From Sheep Farming to Anthem: Classics Revisited Live at Harrogate Theatre on Friday 22 July. In a career spanning thirty years Toyah Willcox has had 7 top 30 hits, recorded 20 albums, written 2 books, appeared in over 40 stage plays, made 10 feature films and presented numerous television programmes. As well as starring in many films including Jubilee, The Corn is Green and Quadrophenia – Toyah’s band achieved critical success with the album Sheep Farming in Barnet and with hits such as It’s A Mystery, I Wanna Be Free and Thunder In The Mountains. Recently she has had her autobiography published, appeared on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and her latest single, Latex Messiah, took the No.9 spot in the iTunes Rock Chart.

Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel

Presented in association with Kula Productions

Part of Harrogate Fringe Festival

Saturday 23 July 8pm

Tickets: £25

Originally formed in 1973, Cockney Rebel had top 20 hits with Judy Teen, Mr Soft, Mr Raffles, Here Comes the Sun and of course their No. 1 smash hit Make Me Smile (Come Up & See Me). Steve Harley’s recent solo albums The Quality of Mercy and his 2010 solo album Stranger Comes to Town have also been lauded by critics and fans alike. Saturday 23 July sees a unique ‘out-of-tour’ opportunity to see the full band in the intimacy and beauty of Harrogate Theatre.

Claire Martin & Richard Rodney Bennett

Presented in association with Kula Productions

Sunday 24 July 8pm

Tickets: £20

World renowned jazz singer Claire Martin, who was recently awarded an OBE for ‘services to music’, & Richard Rodney Bennett present music from American composer and lyricist Irving Berlin in the intimate surroundings of Harrogate Theatre on Sunday 24 July. This brand new show, called A Couple of Swells, with arrangements by pianist Richard Rodney Bennett himself, will include such classics as Let’s Face the Music and Dance, How Deep is the Ocean, What’ll I do, Cheek to Cheek and Let yourself go and is guaranteed to be delivered with the style and panache that you would expect from these two great friends and world-class artists.

The Ukulele Project

Thursday 28 July 7.30pm

Tickets: £12 (concessions available)

After last year’s sell-out run at the Edinburgh Festival, the UK’s freshest and funkiest ukulele act set the Harrogate Theatre stage alight with the most original versions of everyone’s favourite music. On Thursday 28 July, 3 talented 18 year olds Oli Peacock, Marcus Rice and Pete Write will strum their way through a range of musical genres including music from Radiohead, Blur and Simon & Garfunkel in an evening of microtastic musical magic for all the family.

“The Ukulele Project’s clear love of making music is deeply refreshing… As they beam smiles at the audience their happiness is infectious. ” **** Edinburgh Festivals Magazine

Julian Cope

Presented in association with Kula Productions

Part of Harrogate Fringe Festival

Saturday 30 July 8pm

Tickets: £20

Kula Productions bring rock legend Julian Cope, (Teardrop Explodes) to the Harrogate Theatre stage on Saturday 30 July to headline the 2011 Harrogate Fringe Crawl Day. The singer, poet, occultist and photographer has enjoyed a 30 year career in the rock business, and during that time has released over 20 solo albums, countless collaborative projects and 6 acclaimed books, including his autobiography Head-On and the much-lauded Krautrocksampler. On the late 80s Julian entered the charts with the single ‘World Shut Your Mouth’ and attendant album Saint Julian, which was followed in the 90s by such acclaimed albums as Peggy Suicide, Jehovahkill and Autogeddon.

VISIT www.harrogatetheatre.co.uk to book your tickets now

AND CHECK OUT THEIR EXTENSIVE ROSTER, IT HAS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

By Andy on June 30, 2011