Promoting Theatre , Music & Dance in
newton le willows , near bedale
Graffiti Classics – Newton Le Willows Village Hall - 27th April 2019
At the end of the evening , an audience member with tears still rolling down his face and sore palms from the vigorous clapping was heard to say “ I don't like violin music but that was fantastic !”The four members of Graffiti Classics certainly live up to their billing aim - to make classical music wickedly funny and fantastically exhilarating. No one at Newton Le Willows Village Hall that night will disagree with such a claim and they do genuinely leave you wanting more .A rousing opening of “Also Sprach Zarathuster” by Strauss and Beethoven's 5th ( check me out with these titles like I listen to them all the time !!) set a dramatic tone but the facial expressions of frontman Cathal O Duill had the audience left in no doubt this is going to be played for laughs .What follows is faultless musicianship without a sheet of music in sight , hilarious comic timing and various forms of dance , jig and general rolling about without missing a single note – all on a 4 x 3 metre stage !We were taken on an exuberant journey that included so many highlights and to misquote Eric Morecambe with Andre Preview , I can remember the songs but not necessarily in the right order .The Hebrew folk song Hava Nagila had us all singing and clapping , not always in time , and warmed the audience up for what was to follow. We had various traditional folk tunes , Irish reels , Hungarian dances , sailors hornpipes and fiddle music all demanding and receiving enthusiastic audience participation. The introduction to one classical piece came via a story as to how a relative of Bach decided to hang out her lingerie on the 19th century washing line which inspired the classical violin arrangement “Air on a G String “ - Ravel's Bolero was played faultlessly while the group did their best Torvill and Dean impressions to slowly take themselves and their instruments to horizontal positions on the stage – the double bass making Cathal's route more challenging .The String & Sing off between “O Solo Mio” and “Its Now or Never” by Elvis was priceless as they fought for the girls attention. Greensleeves was introduced as the “on hold” music but none of us were ready for the “Flight of the Bumble Bee “ and the dextrous lip and cheek movement of the violinist as he buzzed his way through what might have been G Major !! Funny enough , but even more so when a previously targeted and willing member of the audience was encouraged on stage to repeat the feat and did it admirably to rousing cheers. We had a moving rendition of Danny Boy from Cathal backed up by the three stooges behind hamming it up for laughs and a sailors hornpipe complete with musical representations of creaking rigging , overhead seagulls and some serious sea sickness.It was over too soon , but not before an energetic performance of the Can Can complete with high kicks before the shipmates of Newton supported the group on the sea shanty Drunken sailor.
Many thanks to Graffiti Classics and Rural Arts for such a wonderful evening .
Previously at performances in newton
A selection of the most recent performances in our local Village Hall
Juliet & Romeo by Lost Dog Dance - a twist on the star crossed lovers tale
Coming later this year - Friday 28th June
FLOSSIE MALAVIALLE
PHOTO BY JOHN FULLER
Flossie Malavialle is a French born singer who has been based in the North East of England since 2002. Several years on, she has become an accomplished performer playing at folk clubs and festivals all over the UK (and beyond) and supporting acts such as Fairport Convention and Show of Hands.
Flossie’s powerful yet sensitive rendition of songs combined with her quaint northern twang and humorous banter will no doubt entertain and leave you with a smile 
Her collection of 13 albums (so far) is a reminder of how much work and dedication she has put into her music career: from well established folk songs to jazz standards, from blues numbers to Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel’s classics, her wide répertoire appeals to all. Scroll down to listen to one of Flossie's latest tracks "Girls' night out" by The Judds.
