Joining the Bedlam Six and I at Thursday’s single launch party at Islington Mill on Thursday 18th October will be two of Manchester’s finest singers. Well, I say “Manchester’s” – one is from Ireland and the other Wales (but don’t let details trouble you).
In ACT ONE: Becca Williams (from Becca & The Broken Biscuits).
Below is a video of Becca and I (with Bedlam pianist Fran Lydiatt) playing “A Cowboy’s Work Is Never Done” in my apartment.
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In ACT TWO: Ríoghnach Connolly (from Honeyfeet).
Below is a video of Rí’s recent solo album launch, singing “Mad Tom O’Bedlam”
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Support comes from electro-blues duo WALK
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Last month I was asked to write an article about Manchester for Now Then Magazine, a brilliant arts and culture periodical that this month expanded their distribution beyond their native Sheffield. I was touched when they asked me to contribute to the first Manchester edition, especially since I am not a native of these parts (it takes about half a second to identify my accent as irredeemably southern). And it was this subject that I felt I was most qualified to expound upon. I have lived in Manchester for ten years but suspect that even if I were to live here for a hundred I’d never be considered Mancunian.
Sometimes I’d like to pretend just for a moment that there was some faceless administrator running this website rather than me. Then I could post some third person news story about being nominated for an award and then quote myself giving an endearingly surprised statement about what an unexpected honour it is (and it is both unexpected and an honour).
