SCOTTISH musical legend, Midge Ure will be headlining Towersey Festival 2016, joining a line-up that will include Billy Bragg, The Wonder Stuff, Kate Rusby, the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, Nizlopi, Tom Robinson Band, Edward II, 9Bach, The Young’uns and Nell Bryden, as well as Towersey favourites Roy Bailey, Rusty Shackle and Nancy Kerr and James Fagan.
Midge Ure
Ure’s immense musical talent, fostered in bands such as Visage, Thin Lizzy and Ultravox, includes vocals, guitar, keyboards, synthesizer and song-writing, most famously, the Do they know it’s Christmas charity song.
The four-day festival will run from August 26 – 29, on the Thame Show Ground, and as there’ll be the usual ecclectic mix craft, music, dance, and drama to suit all ages.
Tickets for what has become known as one of the country’s friendliest festivals are available now and for further information and to book, see: www.towerseyfestival.com
ON February 4, Thame’s FTMC (First Thursday Music Club) will be celebrating its 73rd consecutive, monthly event and its sixth birthday at The Stables in Thame.
Sir Walter J Wallis
From a tentative start, when Jonnie Littler decided to try and run a regular musical Open Mic night in Thame, The First Thursday Music Club has grown to be the biggest Open Mic night in the district – bigger than any other similar event in Oxford, Reading, High Wycombe or Aylesbury! Over the last six years, over a 1000 acts have appeared at the Club – ranging from performers playing in public for their first time, through to professional American artists that have included FTMC on their European tour schedule.
As a special treat for Club-goers, the magnificent, incomparable Sir Walter J Wallis and his ensemble will take the Featured spot at 10pm. Sir Walt is a mainstay of the club and his brand of raucous chaos defies description – but if you try to imagine Seasick Steve meets James Brown meets Captain Beefheart – you won’t be far off! There are few artists around that can engage a new audience with tunes that they have never heard before – but Sir Walt can, and does! Don’t miss it.
Entrance, as always is completely FREE! First time amateurs through to full time professionals, and any genre of music, are welcome. The club has a full house PA system with keyboard, bass amp, guitar amp, cocktail drum kit all set up. Just turn up and plug in! Player sign up is between 7.30 pm and 7.45pm.
..BUT if you’re a lapsed choir boy – or a lapsed grown up singer of any sort, or you just love to sing and fancy a new challenge for 2016 that’s fun too, Thame Choral Society would love you to go along to one of their rehearsals and give it a go!
You don’t necessarily have to be able to read music – though a smattering of ability to following the ups and downs of musical notation would help; a good ear and enthusiasm is more important – and there’s no auditioning.
So, why not pop along to one of TCC’s Wednesday evening rehearsals at The Methodist Church in Haddenham, meet the choir and just have a go. Everyone is very welcome – and that includes ladies too! (Tea and biscuits – and sometimes cake, at half time)
Full address of the rehearsal venue: High Street, Haddenham HP17 8ES. The group is currently working on Beethoven’s Mass in C major and Mendelssohn’s Hear my Prayer, in preparation for the next concert in May.
Thame Choral Society’s Musical Director, Helen Swift
For more details, see www.thamechoralsociety.co.uk Some information about TCC’s very talented MD, Helen Swift, who among other hats she wears, is also the MD for Towcester Choral Society: SEE LINK
And/or if quizzes are your thing, Thame Choral Society’s Annual Quiz Night is on January 23, at the Youth and Community Centre in Woodways, Haddenham. Come as a table of eight or just make up a table on the night—ALL WELCOME! Don’t forget to bring some refreshments. Doors open at 7.15 pm for 7.45 pm.
Her Royal Highness, The Queen – image courtesy of royalgov.uk
THAME’S celebrations for Her Royal Highness, The Queen’s 90th birthday, were up for discussion at tonight’s Thame Town Council meeting and among the suggestions were a street dance in the Upper High Street, an open air, multi- faith Service with a giant tea party afterwards in either Elms Park or Southern Road Recreation Ground, and the lighting of a beacon on a high point somewhere in the town.
Beacons will be lit on the night of her birthday, April 21, across the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and the United Kingdom Overseas Territories, marking this unique moment in history
Earlier this evening, councillors decided to explore the possibility of purchasing a gas-lit beacon and coloured bunting to decorate the town hall, and will be encouraging businesses and shops in the town to decorate their facades and windows in patriotic red, white and blue around the celebrations. Generally, the councillors want the birthday celebrations to be community-lead but with the council facilitating where it can, with aspects such as road-closures.
A meeting later this week of the Thame Carnival Committee, which includes some councillors, will be considering whether the Carnival on June 11, could be linked in someway to The Queen’s official birthday celebrations (The Queen celebrates two birthdays each year: her actual birthday on April 21, and her official birthday on a Saturday in June).
During that same weekend of June 11-12, National celebrations will include a service of thanksgiving in St Paul’s Cathedral and a massive street party in The Mall, organised by The Queen’s grandson, Peter Phillips, for representatives of all the voluntary sector organisations of which The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are patrons. Councils and parishes all over the country are being encouraged to support their own celebrations, particularly street parties, as happened for The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee three years ago.
Watch this space for more information as Thame’s celebrations for Her Majesty’s birthdays take shape.
THAME Food Festival has managed a mighty coup by persuading Nadiya Hussain, winner of Great British Bake Off 2015, to come to the festival this year.
Great British Bake Off 2015 winner, Nadiya Hussain
Nadiya will be demonstrating on the Baking Stage and signing copies of her new book at Thame Food Festival, which this year will be on Saturday, September 24.
A delighted Lotte Duncan, Patron of the festival, said: “We couldn’t believe our luck when she said yes! I’ve been such an admirer of hers and loved all the amazing bakes she did on the show. I can’t wait to chat to her on the stage and I’ll definitely be queuing up at the book signing!
“Thame Food Festival grows in size and reputation every year and I’m so proud to be part of it. This year we have great plans to make it bigger and better, and having Nadiya as part of the festival is literally the icing on the cake!”
Nadiya told us: “When Lotte called me up to ask, I was really happy! I’d heard such good things about the the festival – there is a great buzz around it that stretches far and wide. I’d also been speaking to the other bakers in the GBBO family who came last year and they had a great time – so of course it was a yes!
“I’m really looking forward to meeting all the people of Thame, the visitors on the day and getting up on the stage to bake up a storm!”
The Thame Food Festival is a community event run by the community for the community. For more details, or to get involved by sponsoring or supporting next year’s festival, go to www.thamefoodfestival.co.uk.
PUPILS at Brill school will soon be producing a large piece of art with the support of a professional artist, for this year’s Art on the Hill event in April.
Jane Vaux from Oxford, has many solo shows under her belt and plans to involve every one of the 172 pupils at Brill School.
Jane, who will work to the theme of The Brill Community, said:. “I am keen to share some of my experience as an artist with the children, encouraging them that in creativity of this kind, there are no rights or wrongs – all art is exciting and will be appreciated by someone, somewhere!
“It is a lesson all artists have to learn – that the appreciation of art is varied and can be surprising, but the joy of creating it is one open to every one.”
The project will be taking place on various Fridays in January, February and March to enable completion of the project before April. Once completed, the work will be hung in one of the main areas of the school for all to see.
Jane will also be putting some of her own work on show for the exhibition dates.
NATIONAL Theatre actor, Bruce Alexander – known to a yet-wider audience as, among many other examples, David Jason’s superior officer in TV’s ‘A Touch of Frost’, and Adrian Thompson – international opera, recital and oratorio soloist, will lead the performers who are presenting another Evening of Words and Music, entitled ‘No Reward Offered’.
Bruce Alexander (left) and Adrian Thompson
The performance will be at The Players Theatre, in Nelson Street, Thame, on Sunday, January 31, starting at 8pm.
Pianist, Judy Thompson, Barbara Collins, Iain Rogers and Thame exile, June Garland, complete the cast. The programme is compiled and presented by Patrick Collins.
Tickets for the performance, which cost £10 and £8 for concessions, are available now from Spear Travels in Greyhound Walk, Thame – 01844 217228, and online at: www.thameplayers.co.uk.
THAME Youth Theatre’s rehearsals are underway for a National Theatre Connections Project that will see some of the group’s talented members perform at the North Wall Theatre in Oxford and possibly at the National Theatre in London.
The production has been cast but TYT are still searching for a male lead to play the part of David in the play called Take Away by Jackie Kay, described as ‘A poetic ensemble piece about a community who pay the price for refusing to keep their promise. ‘
Take Away tells the story of a town which is in the grip of onions; everyone is doing what they can to get their fix. Darcus, a travelling poet, turns up and offers to rid the town of the onions with his rhymes, for a small fee.
Over the next term, TYT will be rehearsing Take Away which will be performed at their home venue, the new Phoenix Performing Arts Studio at Lord Williams’s Lower School, Thame, between April 6 – 9. A guest director from the National Theatre will come and watch and then, if successful, TYT will compete against other groups at The North Wall Arts Centre in May. From there, 10 groups nationally will be invited to perform at the National in London’s West End!
“An AMAZING project”
Thomas Mackriell, TYT’s Youth Arts Development Manager, said: “ Connections is such a unique and exciting project for our members to take part in. The access to some of the nations top playwrights and theatre makers, and to the National, helps challenge and develop the youth theatre and give an opportunity for our members that they will never forget. Rehearsals are going very well and we have a fantastic cast directed by Clare Gosling.
“This project also allows us to open our doors to many new members across our community and we would love any 13 – 19 year olds to get in touch if they fancy a chance to perform, as we are also looking to add a few more to our ensemble cast at the National Theatre.
For more information or to express an interest, contact Tom Mackriell (Youth Arts Development Manager) on 07805 885846 or admin@thameyouththeatre.co.uk.
THAME Cinema 4 All’s next screening on Saturday, January 9, is Love and Mercy, an interweaving portrait of the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson at two critical stages of his life.
Paul Dano plays the young Brian. Struggling in his relationship with an overbearing, bullying and manipulative father, and with a lifestyle wreaking havoc with his mental health, Brian abandons live touring in favour of the studio, where his unique talents, ambition and capacity for innovation leads to the production of their seminal album, Pet Sounds.
John Cusack plays Brian in later life, imprisoned in another abusive relationship with a controlling bully, this time his malevolent ‘psychiatrist,’ who dopes him to the eyeballs and ensures that Brian has no relationship with his family or anyone else – that is until he meets his future wife.
“A celebration of an incredible talent and transcendent music, with a peerless cast that also includes Paul Giamatti and Elizabeth Banks.”
FOLLOWING their successful Christmas concert in which the main work was the opening three parts of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Thame Choral Society is moving forward in time for their next concert from the Baroque to the Classical and Romantic periods, with performances of Beethoven’s Mass in C Major and Mendelssohn’s anthem Hear My Prayer, which includes the well-known soprano aria O for the Wings of a Dove.
Members of Thame Choral Society promoting themselves at last year’s Community Day at Thame Market
Also included in the programme will be a performance of one of Mozart’s concertos for piano and orchestra. The concert will be at St Mary’s Church in Thame, on May 7, and rehearsals are held every Wednesday evening from 7.30pm until 9.30pm at the Methodist Church, High Street, Haddenham starting on January 6.
Thame Choral Society, founded in 1960, is a friendly, non-audition group of singers who enjoy the social and musical delights of making beautiful music together. Singers of all ranges are always welcome at rehearsals and the ability to sight-read music is not a requirement. As Director and professional singer, TCC’s Musical Diretor, Helen Swift, believes that singing should be fun and in leading the group to explore the musical repertoire and develop latent singing abilities, she makes certain that it is! So, why not go along to one of TCC’s rehearsals: you’ll be glad you did.
For more information, visit: thamechoralsociety.co.uk or email – thamechoralsociety@hotmail.co.uk
