Phew.
This has been the busiest, most-fun on summer of Doings I’ve
ever done. It’s featured gigs across the
country, putting on events, catching up with lots of mates, making new friends
and generally being a busy (hopefully non-dying out) bee.
Let’s start in July, where I took my solo show, Letter To The Man (from the boy) to The
Berry Theatre in Eastleigh and got a nice little write-up in The Portsmouth
Times which you can read here. This was programmed by my old Youth Theatre
Director Sarah Brigham…
Sarah is now Artistic Director of Derby Theatre. There is no one in the universe more
committed to supporting emerging theatre-makers and artists. I talk a lot about how if you make art, you
should care. You need to give a
shit. It should be in your heart and
soul and spit and sweat. You should read
poems, sing songs and write plays with a passion and a fire. I dislike it when artists apologise all the
time. Who shrug and put themselves
down. The world needs confidence. I always thought Joe Strummer taught me that,
but it was probably helped along by The Brigham.
At Derby Theatre, Milk
Presents held a night of work-in-progress material, and I did a scratch of
a new idea for a new show I want to make.
It’s gonna be angry. And about
protest. But we’ll see what the future
holds for it.
Speaking of protest I went to see Hannah Nicklin’s A Conversation With My Father in Leeds…only
to find I’d got the times wrong. D’oh.
Got the timings wrong for my flyer too when I took my Letter To The Man (from the boy) to the International Youth Arts Festival in
Kingston. Played to friendly audiences
though, got some really nice faces and feedback and great to be part of the
great expansive festival. I also spent a
vast amount of money in Banquet
Records. But I did get hold of The Filaments new album, which I believe to
be the best album of 2013 so far. Check
it out.
Last year my good friend Conor helped out with LTTM(FTB) at
Edinburgh, this year he asked me to come perform it at Venturer Camp, run by
Woodcraft Folk. I’d never heard of them
before, but reminded me a lot of the old Big Youth Theatre Festival days. I had immense fun getting 700 young people to
join in with a poem about a dinosaur before performing the most madcap version
of Letter yet! I also managed to finally
see Grace Petrie perform, someone I’ve
wanted to see and sing-a-long too for a long long long time.
Something else I’ve wanted to do for a long long time was go
to Rebellion Festival, the
biggest celebration of punk rock in the UK.
I did 2 sets on the Poetry Stage, then skanked and moshed to a good few
fun bands, to many to mention here. But
Jello Biafra was a surprising highlight, as were The Adicts, New Town Kings and
Molly Tov.
Then it was my BIRTHDAY!
I turned 25 and to celebrate got all my chums to do poems and songs in
the best restaurant in York, El
Piano, before hitting the town. Cheers
Jonny, Chris, Jamie and John. Thanks to all my lovely friends who came out,
I love you all and it meant so much. It’s
pretty slushy and soppy territory now, but it sure was the highlight of the
summer, if not the year, if not the life.
We recorded some poems too, so videos coming soon!
Beacons Fest
was next, which was a great place to visit, pity I couldn’t stay! But the set was good fun. Then back to Edinburgh to perform the new
show called Practise Patience I’m working on with Travels By Telephone, which went
down really well on the Free Fringe, good feedback, good future. Also saw Ross Sutherland’s show
Stand-By For Tape Back Up. Very good
fun, moving, engaging, experimental… everything the Forest Fringe should provide.
Back for Play In A week with Pilot Theatre & York
Theatre Royal, first one since 2009 so lovely to be back in a rehearsal room
with young people. Reinforced how much I
really want to write work for young people as performers and plays for youth
theatre.
Did a quick gig with Boss Caine, where I compared and
wrote some poems for each of the acts, see previous
blog post. Then Galtres Festival where I did a
nice intimate set in a tiny tent, all of us huddled and surviving against the
wind and the rain. And got people to do a Poetry Human Pyramid! I spent the Sunday day
and night with some amazing mates and even though we almost died, I would have
died happy…crushed between your sniffling and shuddering frames.
A very good friend of mine, Anna Wilcox,
became Anna Lewis and her wedding was a very fun day of old faces, old friends,
drinking, photos and a little spot of dancing with an excuse to wear my mod
suit again.
FINALLY I hit London to perform at the Anarcho-Folk Fest for
Freedom Press. It was a sunny day, lots
of angry politics, lots of niceness, free vegan cake and saw some great acts,
highlight was (as always) Pog and also Ren Spits At Magpies, who
I’ve never seen before but she totally blew me away!
What does the future hold?
Doing loads of new stuff at On Our
Turf’s Little Festivals across September.
Working on Practise Patience with Travels By Telephone. And Matt Baker’s Down
In Albion event should be fantastic in November, get in touch if you want
to perform work on the theme ‘England’.
At Release The Hounds Festival this month too! And, of course, Generation 6 of Pokémon comes out in October…
A million thanks to everyone who saw me perform, supported
me, programmed me, booked me, clicked Like, RT’d etc etc. Thanks to my ace
girlfriend Lizzie for her support, thanks to my friends, thanks to being
thankful.
But generally speaking…. rethink and refresh. Keep rehearsing, rewriting and resisting.
In love, in anger, in solidarity, in Gengar We Trust.
Henry
