The Lesser Bohemians in London Street - Eimear McBride Book Launch at The Book Hive

Just over two years ago I decided that, as there must be more to reading than scientific journals and periodicals (my staple literary diet since becoming a pharmacist way back in 1980), I would read a novel. Recently freed from the shackles of the dispensary bench, and with a new-found freedom and time on my hands, I had volunteered at the 2014 Norfolk and Norwich Festival. Everyone was talking about a book by the wife of the Festival's artistic director William Galinsky, a work that had been rejected by almost every publisher in the nine years since it had been written, but had been picked up and given wings by a Norwich-based publisher Galley Beggar Press. That book, which went on to win several awards including the 2014 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction, was Eimear McBride's 'A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing'

When, fired up with enthusiasm after my experience with the Norfolk and Norwich Festival, I found myself volunteering to help at the Voewood Festival near Holt in Norfolk, I decided to start by reading some works by authors who would be appearing at Voewood. One of those authors would be Eimear McBride, so it seemed obvious that 'A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing' should be my re-introduction into the world of contemporary fiction, and probably the first novel that I had read since my GCSE English list of set books.

Now, anyone who has read 'A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing' will tell you, this stream-of-consciousness account of the first twenty years in the life of a young woman and her relationship with her brother suffering from a brain tumour is a challenging read. Six pages in, and I did wonder whether I would be able to finish it. But continue I did, and suddenly McBride's half-strung sentences and atypical punctuation all seeming to drop into perfect sense, and I was reading without questioning. I had completely tuned into the protagonist's thought processes, and I was hooked. I think I read the whole novel in the space of twenty four hours, and although I found the whole experience emotionally exhausting, it was so,so satisfying. I was once again hooked on reading, and have continued so to be since that day.

Henry Layte, whose Galley Beggar Press first published 'A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing' back in 2013, also owns The Book Hive, a bookshop in Norwich's London Street, a wonderfully eccentric store over three floors which draws you in from the pedestrianised hurly-burly outside, but immediately offers comfort, sanctuary, and a wonderful array of titles. This is no 'Black Books' and, thank God, neither is it a pretentious preserve of the literary cognoscenti. I always feel comfortable, and whilst I never feel under pressure to buy, I almost always do.

It is therefore only right and proper to find that Eimear McBride's follow-up work, 'The Lesser Bohemians', is being launched at The Book Hive, and one hour after most of the other shops in London Street have extinguished their lights and locked their doors, a stream of book-lovers are entering the store. It is cramped inside with so many people jostling for somewhere to sit or stand, it is one of the balmiest evenings of the year, and one could almost describe the conditions as 'uncomfortably warm'. However, such is the excitement over McBride's new work that nearly everybody seems to be clutching a copy, and is waiting patiently for the chance to have it signed. Eimear is relaxed and chatty, and husband William watches proudly from behind the store's counter.

Henry Layte welcomes us and introduces Eimear before hosting a brief interview-styled question and answer session, during which we learn that work on a third novel has already started, and that an audiobook recording of 'The Lesser Bohemians' has already been completed and is scheduled for a November release. Eimear then reads a short section from the book. A planned opportunity for questions from the floor is adjourned purely due to the warmth and lack of ventilation, but Eimear remains to chat individually to all that wish to quiz her further.

I leave with my own signed copy, once again grateful to Eimear McBride for being so instrumental in helping me re-discover the pleasures of reading contemporary fiction, and looking forward to getting started on 'The Lesser Bohemians'.

And Now, My Friends, The End Is Near... (The Final Weekend of This Year's Norfolk and Norwich Festival)

I can't believe it's almost over. We are approaching the final weekend of events of this year's Norfolk and Norwich Festival, and already the question with which volunteers are greeting each other has typically become "Have you got any more shifts left?".

I spent Thursday night wearing my Norwich Arts Centre lanyard as I held fort on the box office for another two sold-out Festival shows, this time organised by the Norwich Writers Centre. Whilst I was not able to see or hear either event, the venue was buzzing with anticipation as the auditorium filled up for the annual Harriet Martineau Lecture, to be delivered by the world's number one Dub Poet and former Black Panther, Mr Linton Kwesi Johnson. Johnson cuts a dapper figure as he enters the venue, putting me and my t-shirt and denims to shame, but it is his reflections on the theme of black emancipation as championed by Martineau in the nineteenth century, contrasted with his own more recent observations, that makes his appearance so powerful.

There is a large VIP guestlist for both Johnson's lecture and the debut performance of Martin Figura's 'Doctor Zeeman's Catastrophe Machine' that follows it. Add to that some confusion over ticket collection, and with even more people hoping to buy tickets on the door, it is a challenging shift. By the end I am too late to make it to the Spiegeltent to see hot jazz and ragtime band, the FB Pocket Orchestra, so instead head home.

Friday finds me re-energised and refreshed, and upon checking my NNF programme I discover that the 1.00pm performance at The Spiegeltent, Big Bad Wolf, is not in fact a children's show but a concert by four students from the Royal Academy of Music. Their side project is a contemporary jazz band featuring an unconventional line-up of trombone, electric bass, guitar and percussion. The concert is the last in a series of five from the Royal Academy's students, and looks like one not to miss so I get my skates on.

Big Bad Wolf

This is a complete contrast from the two Octagon Chapel concerts that I attended earlier, but is a jazz-lovers' delight, and the Spiegeltent once again provides a very special venue that impresses artists and audience alike. Thanks to Owen Dawson (great to see a trombone player taking centre stage), Michael DeSouza (sublime six-string bass playing and solos), Rob Luft (guitar and vocals) and Jay Davies (drums) for sharing the fruit of their collaborative composition and playing with us this lunchtime.

My 'proper' Friday event involves being Coach Assistant for passengers being transported from Norwich to the Billy Bragg concert at the Great Yarmouth Hippodrome. This will be my third visit to the famous indoor circus building, having already stewarded at two performances of William Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' (directed by our festival director William Galinsky), and Bragg has such a legendary status that I am desperate to see him perform. It is another sold-out show, and I really hope that, as Coach Assistant, I will not be left outside.

I am lucky. Fellow volunteer James and I are allowed into the venue, and are able to watch the show from the uppermost tier, right by the bar. It is the expected mixture of music, comedy and politics, and in between Braggs' views on such topical matters as Brexit and the French employment law disputes, we are treated to lighter discourses on matters as urbane as DIY and Morrissey's shorts. The songs are culled from a glittering back-catalogue and culminate in a ring-side massed sing-along to the classic 'A New England', with the last verse touchingly dedicated to Kirsty MacColl.

Billy Bragg

The show has over-run, and in spite of an earlier plea to our passengers to make a swift return to the coach we still have to wait whilst visits to the toilet are queued for, and one lady returns to retrieve her spectacles. There is no sign of any of our outgoing no-shows (we had thought that they might have made their own way to Great Yarmouth earlier in the day, and would be expecting transport back), and our driver is desperate to get going. I do hope we didn't leave anyone stranded in Great Yarmouth. If we did, I am sincerely sorry.

Saturday finally provides me with a chance to attend a performance of 'Wild Life' at the Norwich Playhouse. This is a show that has been over two years in development, and features ten young singer-songwriters from the area, and has been co-commissioned by the Norfolk and Norwich Festival and Belgian arts centre, CAMPO. Over the course of 70 minutes the cast take us on a journey through their hopes, fears and observations of modern life. It is a spectacular sonic and visual collage during which each cast member explores a different theme through their own personal performances, which are drawn from a mixture of personal experience, dramatic creation, and individual expectation. The show is brutal, shocking, and honest, but at the same time funny, joyous and entertaining. Director Pol Heyvaert has crafted these ten young individuals into a cohesive force that becomes a mouthpiece for the younger generation and a revelation to those before.

'Wild Life' was, for me, my personal highlight of the entire festival. Every performer showed a remarkable maturity and talent, and every song was a crafted masterpiece. I do hope that every one of them can take this experience and find success in future projects.

The cast of Wild Life (NNF photo) 

My very last Norfolk and Norwich Festival volunteer shift for 2016 is a last-minute shout-out for a Spiegeltent box office assistant prior to the show from the exciting Columbian ex-pat band now based in Belgium, La Chiva Gantiva. It is yet another sold-out Saturday show, so most of the shift is spent fielding requests for returned tickets. A couple of un-required complimentaries are handed back to me with permission to use or re-sell, and I delight a previously disappointed customer, making another thirty quid for the festival coffers, but shooting myself in the foot in the process. "Use or re-sell", the gentleman had said. I could so easily have stuck one of those in my pocket, thereby guaranteeing my own admission to the show.

As it is I have to hang around the entrance to the Spiegeltent hoping for a chance to get inside. Even the volunteer lanyard fails to cast its usual magic, and my thoughts return to that ticket I could have had. Finally, the Spiegelhosts are allowed to admit me, and I enter a sweaty, heaving mass of people dancing joyously to the most divine fusion of funk, rock, and South American rhythms that you have ever heard in Chapelfield Gardens on a Saturday night. This is the perfect end to my Norfolk and Norwich Festival as I join in with the packed out crowd and jump, clap, wave and boogie my way through the last hour of their generous 90 minute set. My tired old legs are going to hate me in the morning, but for now I just don't give a damn. If I'm going to go, I'm going to go down dancing and enjoying myself!

There are still a handful of events occurring on the final Sunday, including another 'Walk With Me' out at Felbrigg Hall, and final performances of 'Wild Life' and 'White Nights' in Norwich, but for most of us in the 'Vollie Team', it is now the time to reflect and refresh. The Spiegeltent Garden becomes an afternoon focus for those of us wanting to celebrate and rejoice in our experiences of the last two and a half weeks. Old friendships have been renewed, new friendships forged, and some great memories and experiences shared.

There is nothing quite like the Norfolk and Norwich Festival fortnight, and I loves it.

Two More Shows and An Eggy Breakfast (at last!)

The second Wednesday of this year's Norfolk and Norwich Festival starts for me in the Café-Bar of Norwich Arts Centre, which for the duration of the festival is transferred each morning into the gingham wonderland of breakfast-time delight that is the Egg Festival Café.

Conceived and staffed by the inimitable and irreplaceable Simon Floyd and Amanda Coleman from Norwich's 'The Common Lot', this started off almost as a performance art project, but has rapidly developed into the place to drop in for a fry-up, a pot of tea, and spot some special guests. I had been trying to get a group together to come here since the festival started - previous attempts fell apart when we firstly found out that Sunday is not a sunny-side-up day for the Egg Café, and then found that the first Saturday had been incredibly successful, to the point that we did not think it fair to hit Simon and Amanda with a large table order just one hour before our Garden Party volunteer shifts on the 21st.

So here we are (sorry Maggie, off I go again in my historical present!), finally gathered together to sample The Tray of Delights in its full glory, a fry-up worthy of the city's own Fry-up Inspector's exacting standards, and a beautifully brewed and presented pot of Rosie Lee.

It is relatively quiet when we walk in just after nine o'clock, but that soon changes as more of us arrive, and we pop a vinyl album onto the Crossley turntable. Simon takes our orders in his own incorrigible way, and I have to say that the service is all very organised and efficient. Today's 'celebrity' visitors include Caroline Richardson from The Norwich Playhouse, queen of poetry Esther Morgan, and guest waitress, Sian Croose of The Voice Project. Good old Norfolk boys 'The 2Kevs' have taken control of the turntable and have started their double act of music, wit and repartee.

Caroline sits at our table for a while, until management find her somewhere more refined in which to enjoy her cup of coffee. Esther recites one of her own poems, as well as the supremely appropriate 'Oatmeal' by Galway Kinnell, and Sian brings out the food and sings the Tray of Delights' each and every appearance, although I did find asking her to fetch and carry a little more intimidating. I really am not worthy to demand of her things as trivial as more milk or a replacement knife.

Esther Morgan lends a dignified presence to the Egg Festival Café

By eleven o'clock the tables are all taken, and more hungry diners are arriving, so we settle up our account and take our leave. If you have not visited the Festival Egg Café yet, then do so without delay. The food really is delicious. Last orders are on Saturday May 28th.

Fierce Light - one of the aerial photographs from the exhibition

If you have a spare half an hour or so to spare between now and the 28th, also pop along to Fierce Light at Norwich University of the Arts' East Gallery in St Andrews Street. A collection of World War 1 aerial reconnaissance photographs from 1916's Battle of The Somme form part of a moving exhibition co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW (the UK arts programme for the WW1 centenary), Writers' Centre Norwich, and the Norfolk and Norwich Festival. Each photograph has onto it engraved onto it one of
Simon Armitage's poems from the 'Still' collection. Poignant. A separate space within the gallery is showing four short films that view the Battle of The Somme from personal as well as present day location perspectives.

Tin Men and The Telephone (photo from artist's own website)

There are several shows on tonight, and I decide to try out my magic lanyard at The Playhouse for the first of two performances by Dutch jazz group, Tin Men And The Telephone. A groundbreaking mixture of great jazz improvisation and an audience-led composition workshop, the success of this production relies on audience members pre-loading a version of the 'Tinmendo' App onto their Apple or Android mobile phone. (Well that counts me out with my Windows-based Nokia phone. Thanks again Carphone Warehouse, you really stitched me up with that one).

Pianist Tony Roe, bassist Pat Cleaver and drummer Bobby Petrov start off by playing a clever piece that synchronises their music to a mashed-up video sequence from the Olympic tennis match between Maria Sharapova and Maria Kirilenko, before involving us in some Tinmendo options in selecting the outcome of their next piece. Other challenges involve allowing us to use the phone app to devise rhythm patterns, select chord progressions, and even compose a short melody, which are uploaded to the band's terminal and incorporated into a live improvised composition. So, so clever, and so much fun for those able to join in the process. One lucky audience member is allowed to 'direct' the sound mix by sending messages that brighten or dim a light bulb above each of the three performers instructing them to individually play either louder or softer. We conclude with an hilarious mash-up based on a viral YouTube video interview of an eye-witness account of a house fire.

You will need a suitable mobile phone and this app to get the most from the show

Tin Men and The Telephone are an extremely talented trio whose music demands a fuller and separate investigation, but this show will appeal to both jazz lovers and anyone with an interest in music composition. There is one last chance tonight at 7.30pm in Norwich, otherwise you will need to travel to Amsterdam in June to see them at the De Hallen Studios in June.

A short motorcycle ride from Colegate to Theatre Street allows me to reach the Adnams Spiegeltent in time to catch the performance from Texan-born singer songwriter Lera Lynn. She is well-known to fans of the HBO crime drama series True Detective - not only did Lera write many of the songs featured in the series but she would perform in episodes, similar to how Vonda Shepherd sang in the late 90's TV series Ally McBeal. Tonight she is backed a blazer-wearing three-piece band, and this is the first night of a UK tour.

Lera Lynn in the Adnams Spiegeltent

If I was expecting simply another female singer released from the studios of the music factory that is Nashville, Tennessee, then I was in for a very pleasant surprise. Not only can this lady sing, and write songs, but she plays a mean guitar to boot. Her sound is an alternating palette of light and dark. One minute she brings the pop-lightness of Taylor Swift to the stage only to be next plunged into a abyss of moodiness and darkness that reminds of Anna Calvi or PJ Harvey. On the central reservation she could pass other performers chasing the glory days of Sheryl Crow, and a cover of  Springsteen's 'Fire' shows that she can put her own mark on the classic tracks as well.

There is a nice connection with the audience in the Spiegeltent, perhaps helped by the fact that her tour manager is from Norwich, but I know that a lot of the audience were similarly impressed by her performance here tonight. Another name to add to the list of artists worth following. Watch out for her on 'Later with Jools Holland' on television next week.

Time for another pint of Adnams Ghost Ship in my special festival cup, and a chance to reflect on another great day with this year's Norfolk and Norwich Festival.

To buy tickets for remaining festival events, go to - http://www.nnfestival.org.uk/

Check out the Festival Egg Café Facebook page at  - https://www.facebook.com/EGGfestivalcafe

Learn about Tin Men and The Telephone at http://tinmenandthetelephone.com/

Check out Lera Lynn at http://leralynn.com/home

Sax in the City - Branford Marsalis at Norwich Cathedral

After tonight, I only have one remaining volunteer shift at this year's Norfolk and Norwich Festival, a coach assistant role to Great Yarmouth for Billy Bragg's highly anticipated show at the Hippodrome. This evening I swap lanyards to become box-office assistant at Norwich Arts Centre for two shows which form part the Writers' Centre Norwich's contribution to the Festival programme - The Harriet Martineau Lecture from dub poet, and former Black Panther, Linton Kwesi Johnson, followed by the premiere of Martin Figura's 'Doctor Zeeman's Catastrophe Machine'.

But, two days on, I am still buzzing from Tuesday, which was probably the highlight of my Festival so far - a rare chance to hear in Norwich the legendary jazz saxophonist Branford Marsalis. I last saw him play as the Branford Marsalis Quartet in St Andrews Hall as part of the 2003 Festival, and so this performance was right at the top of my wish-list for 2016. This time around I have propitiously been allocated a shift as Event Steward, guaranteeing a presence in the cathedral to hear the great master, even if not necessarily a view.

The concert is virtually sold out, including the three hundred 'restricted or no-view' seats in the side aisles of the cathedral's nave. As we are walked around the venue by Jay, our Event Manager, we are shown the 'Reserved for Steward' signs that have been strategically placed on certain seats along the length of these aisles. I therefore 'strategically' drape my jacket over the back of one that appears to offer a golden-ticket unhindered view of the three saxophone stands positioned on the low platform in front of the altar.

I know that I have done the fortuitous thing, for as soon as the cathedral doors are opened other 'unreserved seating' ticket-holders, who had been waiting outside, rush in a dignified manner to claim the remaining adjacent places in that very small block from which Marsalis will actually be visible. The five hundred seats in the central aisles all offer spectacular views of the Cathedral's impressive interior as well as the performance space, whilst those who have paid considerably less may be staring at the back of an enormous limestone column.

The lights are dimmed and the audience are seated. Branford Marsalis enters from a point exactly opposite where I am seated. I feel slightly guilty seeing as I had just caught another volunteer about to park himself on that very seat I had 'reserved' for myself - he has volunteered for many more years than myself at the Festival and so had also scoped out the very best place to sit.

From the very first note from Marsalis' soprano saxophone to the final breath of the encore the cathedral interior creates a sacred soundbox to what can only be described as heavenly jazz tones, flooding the entirety of the divine space. Without need for loudspeakers, microphones or amplifiers. Marsalis is at one with his surroundings as his hushed audience inwardly gasp whilst notes of pure gold tumble, float and spin from his instruments, reaching into the furthest corners of the Norman nave.

We may not know the names of all the pieces he selects to play for us - there is no programme, and no introductions, but we pick out some Mozart and some Bach, as well as compositions that draw from the world of swing, blues, gospel, and the avant-garde. It is a master-class from the master-craftsman, a man who has a sparkle in his eye and is clearly here for his own spiritual satisfaction. We are mere witnesses to the process, here to pay our respects.

There is an interval. As Marsalis explains, "I don't normally take a twenty minute break, but then I don't normally play on my own. I need to give these chops a break". He is smiling as he walks past us, and it the smile of a humble man who is clearly enjoying himself.

The second half is supposed to be shorter than the first, but Marsalis is having none of it. As my shift-end time of 9.30pm comes and passes he is still going strong. A contemporary composition sees him extracting notes that you would not have believed possible from a saxophone. In recognition of such mastery the cathedral answers back, the notes ricocheting and echoing around the ancient stonework before returning and becoming part of the performance. The sound of church bells from a nearby parish is greeted with a wry smile and a raised eyebrow before being mimicked and copied into the Marsalis flow. A sticking reed is replaced mid-song, and a mouthpiece is dropped in the process of freeing it. No big deal. No flurry of activity from off-stage road crew. There is merely a momentary silence whilst Marsalis coolly attends to the issue, and then we are straight back.

An encore is given, and for the first time the audience forgets itself and begins to clap along to a gospel inspired rendition of 'When The Saints Go Marching In'. No, Norwich will not be forgetting this evening in a hurry, and the Normans who began building the Cathedral in 1096AD may allow themselves a moment of reflected glory for providing us with such an awe-inspiring venue and heritage.

Tickets for remaining events at this year's Norfolk and Norwich Festival can be booked through http://www.nnfestival.org.uk/

For more about Branford Marsalis, visit http://www.branfordmarsalis.com/

Northern Chords at St Andrews Hall - Mahler in Miniature

Gateshead based Northern Chords Ensemble delighted us last year at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival with a programme of Mendelssohn String Quartets at The Octagon Chapel. I was a steward on that occasion, and remember clearly that it was one of our volunteer team's first ever 'classical gig', and how she was totally blown away by the experience. Hopefully she has since enjoyed many more concert performances.

This year the ensemble are back, with an upgrade to the magnificent St Andrews Hall, and swollen in ranks to include a pianist, harmonium, oboe, flute, bassoon and two percussionists. I instantly recognise the ensemble leader, cellist Jonathan Bloxham, from last year's concert. Likewise, violinist Ricky Gore. The conductor will be the University of East Anglia's Director of Music, Stuart Dunlop, and Welsh mezzo-soprano Samantha Price will perform in the final movement of tonight's bill-topper, Mahler's Symphony No 4, arranged by Erwin Stein. She will also sing a series of six Maeterlinck songs, composed by Alexander Zemlinsky but also arranged by Stein together with Andreas Takmann. The programme will begin with Claude Debussy's 'Prelude à l'après-midi d'un faune'.

The evening is entitled 'Mahler in Miniature', a reference to the re-arrangement of the score to Mahler's Symphony No4 by Erwin Stein, enabling it to be performed by a smaller ensemble. The original Society for Private Musical Performance was founded in Vienna in 1918 by Arnold Schoenberg. Its mission was to enable important large-scale musical works to still be heard, even if the use of full-scale orchestras was restricted by post-war austerity, as well as a shortage of able-bodied musicians. Schoenberg and his students re-arranged a total of 154 works, and over three years made 353 concert performances. Quite a contrast to the massive Symphony No8, the so-called 'Symphony of a Thousand', performed earlier at the Norfolk Showground Arena as part of the festival programme. And a deliberate synchronicity that leads us here tonight for what is indeed 'Mahler in Miniature'.

Even if the enormous space of St Andrews Hall is not necessary to accommodate the Northern Chords Ensemble (in fact, they are almost dwarfed by the impressive stage and the large organ behind), then the venue is certainly appropriate to the large audience that has turned out on a school night for this performance.

Debussy's ten minute symphonic poem is one of the most accessible and popular pieces of late 19th century orchestral music. It was one of the first pieces that I discovered as a teenager - it served as title track for Eumir Deodato's 1973 jazz album 'Prelude', and my love for it remains to this day. it is slightly disconcerting to see an electric keyboard substituted for a genuine harmonium, but we have to be realistic about the chances of obtaining the genuine article, and it is skillfully balanced into the ensemble without its sound being overly intrusive or obviously electronic.

Before welcoming Samantha Price to the stage, Stuart Dunlop takes the opportunity to explain the text and contextual content of the Maeterlinck songs, and at the same time covers the lyrical content in the final movement of the Mahler. In Dunlop, we are indeed fortunate in having both an accomplished conductor (he studied under Sir Colin Davis) and prominent academic with us tonight.

Samantha has a lovely warmth to her voice that possesses both clarity and volume that is in no way swamped by the size of the venue, yet never threatens either to overpower the individual musicians of the ensemble. As she works proficiently through the German text, I am again grateful to Stuart Dunlop for his explanatory introductions.

After the interval the ensemble members return and Stuart Dunlop takes to the podium. He is an intense conductor, and seems to employ an almost meditative pause before starting each piece, yet during the performance he works with a directness and detail to attention that demands to be admired. Mention also has to be made of the clarinetist (Joseph Shiner), oboist (Alex Hilton) and flautist (Alena Lugovkina), all of whom throughout the evening are forced to switch instruments, sometimes in rapid succession, to cover the dynamic range normally provided by the individual members of a full orchestra. Ben Baker seems to manage it with two violins as well. And of the two percussionists (Mark Edwards and Emmanuel Joste), who successfully tailor volumes to exactly the right levels needed to maintain a balanced performance. Bravo.

This is a familiar work to many of us, probably the most widely performed of Mahler's nine completed symphonies, but this ensemble performance exposes and highlights detail and flourishes sometimes missed in the full orchestral version. It gives the work a whole new lightness and transparency that I loved, and will certainly attempt to seek out a recorded version in this form. Once again, Samantha Price absolutely nails it in the fourth movement, giving the whole evening a spellbinding climax. Her ovation at the end is certainly well-deserved, as is that offered to Stuart Dunlop and the entire Northern Chords Ensemble.

A wonderful evening that sets me up perfectly for Penny Arcade's one-woman show later at the Spiegeltent. It is not just Mahler that is providing the contrasts within this year's Norfolk and Norwich Festival programme!

Kneebody & Daedelus, White Nights, Penny Arcade and Broken Back - The Variety of The Spiegeltent

'Salon Perdu' - literally 'The Lost Room', although in the case of The Adnams Spiegeltent during the Norfolk and Norwich Festival it is a bit of a misnomer. For the two weeks of the festival one simply has to follow the lights through Chapelfield Gardens, look for Elsie the fire-breathing dragon, and home in on the excited chatter from the outdoor bar and pizza kitchen. The unique form and structure of the Spiegeltent draws people in as the proverbial bees fly towards the honeypot, or like students hovering around short-dated food in Tesco Express. Its interior of wooden floor, mirrored panels and tented ceiling never fail to impress - it's like walking back into an age of walking canes, garters and spats. The top DJ's, bar staff and inimitable Spiegelhosts are there to guarantee an unforgettable visit and, when it comes to the entertainment, the sheer variety of acts will tick more boxes than a Norfolk and Norwich Festival Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire.

I popped this years Spiegeltent cherry with a visit straight after the close of business at The Garden Party on Saturday. I was lucky enough to watch the sold-out performance of White Nights, a cabaret styled circus and music show from Finland's Race Horse Company. The evening is hosted by New York City singer Sophia Urista, who introduces each act and entertains us with the occasional song, including a stripped back version of Led Zeppelin's 'Whole Lotta Love'. 

White Nights (photo from NNF programme)

The six circus acts start with a gravity-defying turn on the Chinese pole from a bare-chested Petri Tuominen before it is the turn for the naked man with the big balls (I am sorry, it is a cheap joke but I could not resist it). There is a nudity alert in the festival programme, and a 14+ age restriction, but I have to say that the entrance of Rauli Kosonen, whilst possibly justified when artistically portrayed in the shadowed lighting of the opening sequence, cannot be excused away as anything other than pure exhibitionism when the spotlights are turned on and he is cavorting on that balancing ball. I am not shocked, and there are more than a few disappointed sighs from the audience when he finally dons a linen shirt and shorts combo for the remainder of his act, but I just wonder what the reaction would have been if Scottish contortionist Iona Kewney had explored a similar avenue of artistry whilst her limbs were being twisted into stomach-churning angles and places? 

The juggling is good, maybe not as impressive as last year's festival visitors the Gandinis, but the giant hoop performance and the teeterboard finale is stunning. It is a great show, and not one to be missed, but it needs that rumbustuous Saturday night audience to cut loose and embrace the spirit of cabaret with some cheeky repartee.

Having re-fuelled with a pint of Ghost Ship from the bar outside whilst the arena and stage area is cleared, we are re-admitted for the Saturday late show, a performance by Breton singer songwriter Jérome Fagnet and his band (well, drummer Sam), who perform as Broken Back. His Euro-pop vibe, created out of strong acoustic melody infused with electro beats and with Sam's drumkit topped with bongos and being struck with felt-tipped sticks it adds a tropical feel to the evening, is a sure-fire hit. We are dancing by the end of the first number, and don't stop until the end. There is a lovely cover of Bon Iver's 'Skinny Love', but the rest of the set is original material.

Broken Back in the Spiegeltent

I loved Broken Back, and will almost certainly end up downloading the album, but it was such a shame that not one song was sung in French, or even his native Breton. As with other successful Euro acts like Christine and The Queens and Selah Sue there appears to be industry pressure to release English-only product, especially for the Americans. Do we really need to be so intolerant of the beauty inherent in other European languages?

With the Garden party over for another year, I ventured back into the Spiegeltent on Sunday night for the intriguing collaborative performance between funk-jazz quintet Kneebody, and Californian 'beat scientist' Daedelus, collectively recording as Kneedelus. It pays to adopt a policy of 'explore and experiment' when picking shows from the Norfolk and Norwich Festival programme, and this performance was an absolute case in point. Despite the Grammy nomination in 2009 for their album with Theo Bleckmann I hold up my hands and admit to being unfamiliar with the work of Kneebody, but the blistering energy of these five guys, with the stunning saxophone playing by Ben Wendel and trumpet work from Shane Endsley is one of the most amazing things I have heard this festival. And to add into that free-form jazz mix an electronic musician like Daedelus with the seeming ability to escape from the confines of pre-programmed samples and beats and infuse them seamlessly into the jazz riffs was simply magical. Seek in the darkest corners and you will find pure gold.

Kneebody and Daedelus (photo from NNF programme)

For my fourth show from this year's Spiegeltent programme I decided to take a punt last night on Penny Arcade, and her one-woman show 'Longing Lasts Longer'. Described in the programme as 'a force of nature', this former Andy Warhol Factory superstar (whatever that means - famous for knowing Warhol longer than the statutory fifteen minutes?) is certainly a brash bundle of New York energy, dressed tonight in a pink wig and a short red party frock. Her diminutive stature gives her the air of a character that might have escaped off the pages of a Roald Dahl novel, but she is certainly no candy-covered confection. Nothing is off-limits as she rants about the gentrification of her beloved Big Apple, the birth of 'public relations' and our controlled lives at the hands of advertising agencies still worshiping at the church of Edward Bernays and his uncle, Sigmund Freud. Even cupcakes become subjected to her anger.

Penny Arcade (photo from NNF programme)

She happily admits to not being that well-known in the UK, but manages to pronounce 'Norwich' correctly (even if Norfolk does become Norwolk). Checking her out on Wikipedia reveals a long association with avant-garde performance art, and stage shows that go back as far as 1985. She is incredibly well-read, and has an intellectual wisdom that is also drawn from personal life experiences of the past six decades. She is also extremely persuasive in her logic train. It is all too easy to simply climb on board during the performance without having the time to question or counter each statement she makes. At times it verges on salvationism, urging young people to reject consumerism and challenge social media. It may not be entirely original, but it is delivered via the unique perspective by a very genuine and funny performer. 'Force of Nature' is not a term to be used lightly, but in the case of Penny Arcade it fits like the rebellious glove - one finger is constantly sticking up.

There are so many gems within the Spiegeltent this year that it is obviously impossible to see them all, and still find time to fit in other events, but do make sure you visit before it is too late. It is a beautiful, magical place, an essential part of any Norfolk and Norwich Festival. Yes it is a place to meet and have a drink and a dance into the wee hours, but it is also host to some incredible performances.

Book tickets at http://www.nnfestival.org.uk/

Learn more about Race Horse Company at http://www.racehorsecompany.fi/

Check out Broken Back at http://www.broken-back.com/

Explore Kneebody at http://www.kneebody.com/ , whilst Daedelus is at http://www.daedelusmusic.com/

Penny Arcade plays a second date in the Spiegeltent tonight (May 24th). Website is at http://pennyarcade.tv/

Trim the Crusts Off the Sandwiches And Pop On A Frock - It's The NNF Garden Party

I love the annual Garden Party in Chapelfield Gardens. It is the BIG free event of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival, and if the weather is kind to us it provides two whole days of atmospheric entertainment in the middle weekend of festival fortnight. For the public it is a chance to chill out in the city centre's park, enjoy free world-class outdoor performances, and take advantage of the wide range of food and drink stalls (or just bring a picnic). For the event managers and the health and safety team it is the biggest single challenge of the fortnight, but for us, the volunteers, it is a chance to wear the blue t-shirts with pride, get involved with the shows and the public, and have a catch up with what we have all been up to since the festival started.

It is the weather that can make or break any outdoor summer event, and the Garden Party is no different. All week the forecasts have been changing on almost an hour by hour basis as frontal systems and showers spin their way almost randomly on their journey east, only to veer north or south at the last minute and so avoiding Norfolk. Saturday is actually warm, and although the cloud cover hangs overhead the strength of the sun can still be felt. Sunday promises even better.

I am here both days, with shifts that start at 10.00am and finish at 5.30pm. In addition, I am doing a one hour shift on Saturday at the Spiegeltent box office, which I am hoping will qualify me for admission for the sold-out White Nights show at 7.30pm, and possibly Broken Back as well later at 10.00pm. But first I need to muster with the rest of the Saturday crew for our morning briefing with the event managers.

There is always a large volunteer presence at the Garden Party, mainly it sometimes seems just to point out the nearest toilets (which is a challenge, seeing as the council have thoughfully locked the only public conveniences in Chapelfield Gardens), but also being a public point of contact for queries on event timings, lost children, and ticket availability for the rest of the Festival. We are normally paired up and allocated to a particular show pitch, sometimes rotated and sent to cover each others' lunch breaks. For the Saturday I spend the morning with GlassHouse Dance who perform their  pop-up show 'Us' in front of the market on Gentleman's Walk before moving to Chapelfield Gardens. In the afternoon I am moved onto Bureau Detours' 'DENNIS Design Centre', where members of the public are being invited to help make items of furniture to help brighten up the park.

A GlassHouse love story

'Us' is a delightful show performed by Luke and KJ from Norfolk-based GlassHouse Dance, and which simply and effectively plots the time-line of a blossoming romance between two young people. It is comic and touching, and performed with a warmth and a feel-good factor that draws an audience in. Starting with a few simple placards and strategically placed bunches of flowers Luke and KJ have soon attracted a spellbound crowd of Saturday morning shoppers. They prove just as popular in Chapelfield Gardens, where every show stays spontaneous and works to each location and audience.

Bureau Detours have been present in Chapelfield Gardens all week working with discarded pallets to set up a construction site for their DENNIS Design Centre. Over these two days the remaining pallets will be crafted into benches, tables and chairs by the team of carpenters and artists, ably assisted by super-volunteer Richard, and involving Mums, Dads, children, and anyone else from the Garden Party guests that cannot resist the lure of a power-tool or the smell of sawdust in the morning. It is amazingly popular, and as stewards we are charged with managing expectations from those eager to participate. We can only allow a few participants onto the site at any one time and, once in, their enthusiasm and creativity often results in a slow turn-over. However, for the lucky few there is the pride and satisfaction in having built something that is functional, if not particularly easy to carry home on the bus.

On the Sunday we are back on site, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I did get to see both shows last night (see separate blog entry), but resisted the temptation to stay in the Spiegeltent until it closed at 1.00am. Sometimes one just has to manage one's limitations.

B&B - DENNIS style

Today I am allocated to the Highly Strung team who are presenting three performances of their show 'Urban Astronaut' - our role being to make sure that no-one is hit or run over by a spaceman suspended from what looks like a film studio gantry crane as it makes its way around the park. We are also asked to manage the audience for Far From The Norm, a hip-hop theatre collective who are performing their football-inspired show 'H.O.H' adjacent to the ice-cream queue at the Chapelfield Gardens kiosk.

And, in between, we are expecting a performance from the Aurora Orchestra. Conducted by Nicholas Collon, members of the orchestra are due to perform, from memory, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. This attracts a large crowd, and the timing of their performance requires some fine calculations to ensure that they do not get drowned by the amplified sound systems from any other shows. What we have not calculated for, though, is the emerging bright sunshine which now threatens to dazzle the performers or de-tune the sensitive instruments. There is a last minute switch to the shade of a nearby tree involving the re-locating of the already seated audience, accompanied by a degree of muttering and puttering from those in the front rows, but the performance is undoubtedly one of the most moving and picturesque moments of the whole festival. Quite magnificent for those lucky enough to regain pole positions, but the sound carried right the way across to even where I was standing guard over the discarded instrument cases and jackets of the orchestra members.

Aurora in the shade

'Urban Astronaut' is a street-theatre performance that is more about averting environmental disaster than it is space travel. The astronaut is propelled through the park attached via a harness to a large crane, representing his search for answers. It is a journey through Chapelfield Gardens that also has the potential for members of the public to be accidentally kicked by a revolving space boot, or hit on the head by an 80kg steel beam. After successfully negotiating a tree, a mini roundabout and a bandstand, our hero chances upon a young girl tending the plants in a post-apocolyptic space station. Fear and distrust makes way for mutual recognition and respect as the astronaut realises that the young girl holds the key to survival. It ends with a message of hope, and without the need for St Johns Ambulance. It's a great show with a relevant message to deliver, as well as providing a spectacle that seems to attract kamikaze photographers and one or two of the parks regular rough-sleepers, but we complete three shows without injury or incident.

Urban Astronaut - Mad Max Meets A Space Odyssey?

'H.O.H' - Head Over Heels? Half on Half? Hand Over Hand? or Hash of Hashes? (The last one is a computer programming term - you'll just have to trust me on that one). Either way, it is a high-energy dance show performed to a soundtrack of hip-hop beats, football commentary and political soundbites that takes the theme of a soccer match as the basis for its journey. Far From The Norm use an enormous amount of sporting energy and observation from the terraces to recreate an allegory of how tribalism and multi culturism still impact on our social, sporting and political lives. I loved the part when they got all the young kids involved, although having spent twenty minutes making sure that they were all safely behind the lines, it was equally reassuring to see everyone return obediently to their viewing positions afterwards. I think we were all ready for an ice cream after that one.

Far From The Norm - A Lack of Green and Yellow?

So that was my two days at the Garden Party. In between my specified stewarding roles I got to see a number of the other performers, including -

Motionhouse & NoFit State Circus performing 'Block'. There is no way you could ignore this show. Building a giant 'Jenga' tower out of pre-formed foam blocks that almost reached the top of the trees is impressive in itself, but when a troupe of acrobats climb, leap and hang from it at every stage of its construction against a thumping soundtrack is possibly one of the most dramatic things you will see. Especially when it all comes tumbling down at the end.

Block  - Jenga with a difference

'The Fantastical Flying Exploratory Laboratory' from Les Enfants Terribles is a tale of exploration aboard Dr Latitude's enormous hot-air balloon flying machine. They are on a quest to collect the ingredients for the doctor's magic medicinal elixir. The set is impressive, if fairly static, although the tale is acted out with plenty of movement from a colourful cast. Kids will love it.

'Whalley Range All Stars' have a show based around a model town, complete with houses, factories and hospitals. The story of 'Ye Gods' is one of a chain of events that starts with a bird landing in a tree, and eventually ends with catastrophic consequences. It is a quaint performance, but the show I saw had on or two technical issues, and then ran late meaning the noise from a neighbouring show somewhat drowned their gentle sound effects. A pity. A little bit weird, and a little bit surreal.

'Elsie Dragon', the fire breathing steel sculpture from Paka resides inside the Spiegeltent garden. Not a show, as such, more a continuous installation, although control panels attached to the barrier fencing allow you to control the head, tail and wing movements of Elsie.

 Elsie in the Spiegeltent's designated smoking area

The only show that I did not get to see was Corey Baker Dance's production, 'Phone Box', although I saw the red telephone booth, saw the artists limbering up, and heard the mobile phone ringtone repeatedly throughout the day. Memories of Trigger Happy TV.

One last surprise for me, before heading off at the end of my shift. I am asked if I can make up numbers for stewarding tonight's performance of 'Belonging(s)', a three act promenade piece performed by Tilted Productions, and also involving some of our volunteer team in participatory roles. I have to report to the Event Manager at Epic Studios in Magdalen Street, where the first act of the show is performed prior to departing to the outdoor locations. This is the final one of four performances to have been staged over the last two days, and an audience of about one hundred persons watches the first act before being led through Anglia Square shopping precinct, down some side streets, past a garden filled with old ladies knitting, and finally to the mural-laden location for the final scene. It is a story about memories, but uses analogies with the production of old gramophone recordings as it explores themes of migration and change. A nice touch at the end is the gift of a vinyl recording of the production's soundtrack for each and every audience member who provides a completed feedback form. If only it was always that easy to get those back in such numbers!

So that was my Garden Party for another year. There is just about time to find something to eat before returning to watch a performance of Lawrence Bradby's 'Pedal-Powered Car Chase' back in Chapelfield Gardens. No, it is not a Festival soap-box derby around the park's perimeter tracks, but a performance piece powered by eight bicycles linked to a generator that powers a film projector. A montaged selection of classic car chases from famous films like Bullitt and Ronin is preceded by an introductory ecological monologue via megaphone, then accompanied by a two-piece percussion ensemble's twilight soundtrack.

Twilight pedallers in Chapelfield

Meanwhile, over at the Spiegeltent, Elsie continues to spew forth her hydrocarbon emissions in her own inimitable steely way.

Rather than worrying about mixing my metaphors any further, I head for the bar and order a well-earned pint of Ghost Ship.

Octagons and Circus Rings - How Friday Shaped Up at the Norfolk & Norfolk Festival

Initially, I had feared that I might miss out on William Galinsky's production of The Tempest at Great Yarmouth's historic Hippodrome. Through my own fault I had overlooked the offer made to Festival volunteers to attend one of the three preview performances (although, in my defence, I was already committed to Norwich Arts Centre on all three evenings), and had not drawn one of the coach-assistant shifts escorting audience members on the organised transport from Norwich. No, it looked as though I was either going to have to miss out, or shell out some of my own cash to attend.

As luck would have it two new volunteer roles arose for the show, and my offer to steward on either the Tuesday or Friday was accepted for both the Tuesday and the Friday! Not that it was in any way an endurance to watch the show twice. I loved every minute of it. Despite having two no-shows on the coach on the way over (they somehow then magically appeared for the coach home at the end of the performance), we were made to feel useful by handing out programmes as the audience arrived, as well as being on toilet-seat alert (see previous blog entry) for the show itself.

It did, though, mean that I lost another possible opportunity to watch 'Wild Life' at The Playhouse on the Friday, another one of the shows that I had ring-marked early on as a show I would have really liked to have seen. Yet another case of being overwhelmed by the enormous choice of events being held over festival fortnight.

Still, the coaches for Great Yarmouth do not leave until 6.30pm, leaving the whole day to soak up the festival vibe infused throughout Norwich. A chance to check up on the Public Jukebox, catch up with the volunteers working on the Dennis Design Centre in Chapelfield Gardens, and hopefully get to attend the lunchtime concert at the Octagon Chapel in Colegate.

This is one of my favourite venues in Norwich. Home to the city's Unitarians, this neo-Palladian building does exactly what it does on the tin - it is a chapel with eight sides, and with its two tiers of seating makes for a wonderful location for chamber music as well as folk and acoustic evenings.

Each year the Royal Academy of Music in London provides the Norfolk and Norwich Festival audiences with a chance to enjoy concerts from a selection of their young stars of tomorrow. Earlier in the week I had enjoyed a brace of string quartets, one each by Haydn and Ravel performed by the talented Behn Quartet. Today's lunchtime recital would be by the Australian duo Lotte Betts-Dean (mezzo-soprano) and Andrey Lebedev (guitar). The programme would contain pieces from English Renaissance composer John Dowland, Benjamin Britten, Manuel de Falla, and three guitar preludes from Heitor Villa-Lobos.

I arrive at the Octagon Chapel half an hour before the performance start, lanyard at the ready, hoping for a volunteer freebie. It looks like I am in luck, although it appears that the artists have not yet arrived. Their train from London has been delayed. Slightly awkward, as anyone familiar with the list of Festival partners and sponsors will appreciate. One of the volunteers wonders if he has jinxed the venue. At the previous concert (at which he was also stewarding) the viola player snapped the bridge on her instrument less than an hour before being due to perform.

With full credit to all concerned, the recital starts with only the merest of delays, and guitarist Andrey Lebedev addresses the audience to explain a slight alteration to the running order. I guess we are all expecting to be told of a necessary shortening of the programme due to time constraints, but instead Andrey has very generously and chivalrously offered to perform an extra item, Mauro Giuliani's Grand Overture, a piece which he explains is still fresh in his head from a recent recital, thereby allowing Lotte time to change into her dress and prepare her voice. What a lovely guy. He instantly wins us all over without even plucking a single string.

The overture is placed with delicacy and precision that is simply incredulous from someone who has rushed across the city from Thorpe Railway Station and literally just walked into the venue.

Lotte Betts-Dean makes her entrance, and sits beside Andrey on the small stage, surrounded by the pews of their audience, and overlooked by those from the gallery. The five Dowland songs, originally written for lute accompaniment, contrast cleverly with the three Britten folk song arrangements, between them breaching a melodic schism of almost four hundred years, and with John Dowland having been a mere one year older than William Shakespeare, his inclusion in the programme adds another layer of synchronicity to the Festival.

One reviewer queried Lotte's diction, but I would counter that there is no case to answer. I found her voice wonderfully expressive and dextrous, and any words that I did not catch may have been more down to her breathing still being stressed rather than to poor vowel sounds.

There is also some audience confusion as to whether to applaud or not between individual songs, which I always enjoy in a perverse kind of way.

After Andrey's emotive and exotic performance of the Villa-Lobos preludes Lotte returns to the stage for the six Falla canciones, which resound with the flavour and very essence of Andalucia, a performance filled with personal memories and affections.

Thank you again to the Royal Academy of Music. As I have said before, I liken these concerts to those organised by BBC Introducing for popular and contemporary musicians, and always enjoy following the careers of those who have performed here in previous collaborations with the Norfolk and Norwich Festival.

Now, can I fit in one of the two remaining concerts in this series before the volunteer co-ordinators nab me for another shift?


For details and tickets to all remaining Norfolk and Norwich Festival events  - http://www.nnfestival.org.uk/

For information about the artists in today's concert
- http://www.andreylebedev.com/
- https://www.facebook.com/lottebettsdean