Tag: Alnwick Playhouse

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Gig Review: China Crisis (beats Coldplay)

Posted on by Jackie B

Alnwick Playhouse 17 October 2025

Earlier this year I was on BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours consumer programme.. There was a feature on live music and how there was a trend towards “residencies”. No tour, several nights at Wembley, maybe a couple more at Manchester arena and somewhere else if you are lucky. If you live in the north east corner of England like me, that involves travelling long distances (don’t get me started about using trains if you are disabled), hotel stays, food, drink (and huge ticket prices: let’s not forget the Oasis dynamic pricing debacle). Coldplay said they were being green and reducing the tour carbon footprint. but I’d really like to know about the the environmental impact of large numbers of fans travelling the length of the country, with associated fossil fuel emissions, junk food consumption etc etc etc. and if this was taken into account. Show me the maths!

I’m used to travelling to Newcastle and, on occasion a bit further, to see the 80’s bands I love (and in my own small way these days, contributing to their pension plans!). What an absolute delight it was to discover that China Crisis were appearing at my local arts venue, just 10 minutes away from where I live. Did I go? Well, it would be rude not to.

Alnwick Playhouse had a major refurbishment a few years ago and it now houses a library, cafe, exhibition space, as well as a nice auditorium. I have very happy memories of drama and musical productions staged there that involved my children when they were in high school. There is parking nearby (behind the Playhouse), ramped access to the front of the building, a lift to other floors and level access to accessible seating, to either wheelchair spaces or seats to transfer into (which would require a walking aid, scooter etc to be left in the corridor immediately outside the hall to avoid blocking access) – staff were really helpful too, both front of house and at the box office. Full details of accessibility can be found here.

So here I was, with the friends who gave me the heads-up about the gig, sat on the front row – basically on the stage. From our vantage point at stage level this was always going to be the most intimate of gigs. It felt like being in someone’s living room – for the band, it was pointed out later, it felt more like a lecture theatre. and (sadly) only around half full.

Back in the eighties when bands like Duran Duran and Culture Club ruled the charts and the headlines, China Crisis were denied the massive success of some of their contemporaries. They wove together complex rhythms and harmonies with often political lyrics: a much softer approach than the aggressive political punk music that was around at the time, but it has given them a timeless quality. No wonder, when they cite the Beatles and Steely Dan as influences from further back, later working in close collaboration with Steely Dan’s Walter Becker.

China Crisis original band members Gary Daly and Eddie Lundon are now joined by Jack Hymers on keys and Eric Animan on sax. Daly commands the stage and takes on the role of MC for the evening.

He’s a great raconteur, talking us through the set with anecdotes from childhood days in Kirkby, Merseyside, where he and Eddie grew up, both children of large families, meeting as schoolboys, arriving in London aged 19, and becoming an established part of the music scene. Eddie Lundon’s guitar playing is heartfelt. He inhabits the music and shares vocals with Daly .

Together they bring beautiful harmonies, wistful chords that would stand alone but with Hymers adding the layers of keys and drum tracks they create perfect pop songs, embellished with Animan’s sax solos “that would get a standing ovation at Ronnie Scott’s”.

The new boys have some cool kit too. Jack Hymer’s expanding rack of keyboards and electronic wizardry includes what looks to be a bit of a balancing act – but it’s kept together with velcro. Jack knows his stuff.

As well as that gorgeous saxophone, Eric Animan plays what appears to be entire woodwind and brass sections combined in a single instrument that resembles a giant silver banana. It even has a bagpipes setting .(more of that later). I’m fascinated.

They open with The Souls Awakening and Here Comes A Raincloud. “What were we thinking? It’s Friday night!” quips Daly (not the cheeriest of songs) . We are reassured that the hits will be played, that there will be an interval to recharge our glasses and even a chance to get up and dance for two or even three songs if we have the energy for that.

Daly is hilariously funny – it’s not just a monologue of name-dropping (ok there’s some of that). There’s some great banter with the audience too. He requests the house light to be turned up a bit so he can see us. It turns out that he’s brought the family to Alnwick on holiday in the past and knows and loves the area, but hates the pronunciation – the silent “L” in Alnwick (which always catches visitors out. To be fair that’s one of easier ones. I wonder if he’s been to nearby Eshottheugh – that’s more tricky!)

The second half opens with African and White, their breakthrough track, followed by Arizona Sky. (a favourite of mine – we get to join in with that one). Best Kept Secret, Black Man Ray, the beautiful Wishful Thinking, King in a Catholic Style (I think we are up and dancing at this point).

The banter with the audience continues. Daly spots a man in the audience with a passing resemblance to Midge Ure. (turning red with embarrassment as the audience peers to see if it’s really him). It’s all good natured though. Daly wonders if China Crisis could have had a Christmas No 1 if they’d added bagpipes and a marching band to one of their songs. It this point Eric finds the bagpipe setting on the orchestral banana – and yes, it really does sound like bagpipes! (NB Midge -the real one, and his band Ultravox were responsible for iconic 80’s song Vienna, denied the coveted Christmas No 1 spot by Paul McCartney’s Mull of Kintyre – with bagpipes a plenty. It was considered a travesty at the time)

The audience may not be huge, but it’s appreciative… and we are all invited to join the band in the pub over the road, where coincidentally it’s karaoke night. Also to say hello if seen in Barter Books the following morning (for a planned bacon butty before travelling). The set finishes with Tragedy and Mystery, then the ethereal Christian.

An encore is demanded (we are all having such a great night and want more). It seemed in doubt for a while and the Front of House staff looked confused, But then CC were back on stage to play Sweet Delight. Daly explained how this was a love song he wrote for his wife and he dedicated it to all the women in the audience (because men mess things up with bombs and violence and the world would be a better place if women ran things). It was beautiful and Daly connected with the audience in a way I’d never seen done before. As he sang Sweet Delight, he indicated and acknowledged in turn every woman in the audience. It wasn’t creepy, it was respectful and rather lovely…

….you don’t get that at Wembley Arena.

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We have Frogspawn!

Posted on by Jackie B

Spring has sprung! The frogs in the garden ponds have been busy and we have several clumps of spawn. K reckons they have been a couple of weeks later than usual this year, so I’d be interested to hear if anyone else has noticed the same.

I went for a wander round the garden today while the boys had gone out to take the dog for a walk. The primulas are flowering as are the daffodils and crocuses. The buds are swelling on my beautiful little amelanchier tree, so it will soon be covered in the prettiest star-shaped white blossom, followed by reddish foliage. I promise to post a photo when the flowers are out.

That’s one thing at least to look forward to. Everything is being cancelled as the Coronavirus measures ramp up. Our plans for a theatre visit to Edinburgh to see The Lion King is off, as is a late birthday present for my mother, to see a show at the Sage, Gateshead. I also had tickets for two shows at the recently refurbished Alnwick Playhouse. As a community venue that receives only a small proportion of its income from public funding, this much-loved local theatre has asked if those who had tickets would either waive refunds or accept a credit to be used against future purchases instead. Other theatres are doing the same. No doubt the Elbow concert we were to see next month will be off too. I hope the vibrant UK Arts Scene recovers and that the businesses threatened by this crisis survive.

Regular activities are curtailed too as unnecessary social contact is advised against. For me that means that choir, ukulele group, book club and knit and natter are stopped for the foreseeable future. Most of us make use of WhatsApp and other social media to keep in touch and I hope we can be creative about maintaining some sort of virtual activity online.

All this is against a background of no reported cases in Northumberland, though as people are being advised to self isolate if they have symptoms there may well be some affected by now. It makes the whole situation seem rather unreal.

We live in interesting times!

Are you involved in any groups that are grasping the challenge of online-only activity? I’d love to hear about what you are doing.

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Knit and Natter Friday #8.1

Posted on by Jackie B

It’s that busy Friday that happens once a month when both the monthly group and the weekly group I’m in are on the same day.

First up this morning was the monthly group at The Amble Pincushion. Knit and Natter sessions are on the 3rd Friday of every month from 10am to 12, cost £4.50, including refreshments , raffle entry and 10% discount in the shop on the day. This lovable giraffe toy was made by one of the group for her baby granddaughter. It seems to have started a trend because, by total coincidence, another group member won a knitting kit in the raffle, to make, as you’ll have guessed……a giraffe.

We were talking about the newly-refurbished Alnwick Playhouse too. The shop team have been getting regular updates from one of the staff members who is a member of the Alnwick Stage Musical Society who will be performing Jesus Christ Superstar in late March. This will be their first show to be staged since the renovations.

We were also discussing casting on and binding off. I learnt the cable cast on method when I was little and used nothing else for years until I learnt the thumb or long tail method fairly recently. I now know there are absolutely loads of variations to use depending on the look and amount of stretch needed. Some are very plain, others are quite decorative. We were all pouring over a book that one of the group was given recently, that had full instructions for each and suggestions of the sorts of project each would be most suitable for. It’s always great to learn something new.

Do you have a favourite cast on or bind off?

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Scone of the Week #6 (with a Theatrical Twist)

Posted on by Jackie B

We were back to our usual weekly scone-tasting today and decided to try the new cafe in the recently-refurbished Alnwick Playhouse. This was a great opportunity to check out what’s new in this popular local venue.

We got one of the last tables available in the bistro section (it was the busy lunchtime period)- there are additional tables in the foyer but it all seems to fit together well. It was good to see the place full of people again after such a lengthy closure for the renovations. The staff were helpful and our coffee and scones arrived quickly. The drinks were served in generously large cups with saucers and the scones were just warm and served with foil wraps of nicely soft butter. I wasn’t sure why the scones were sliced. I prefer to pull them apart to see the texture. They may have been a little under-baked for my taste, possibly bought in rather than made on the premises, but quite acceptable. There were some very scrumptious-looking cakes in the counter cabinet.

I do like the lunch menu, which had a good varied selection of classic sandwiches, including the local ham and pease pudding stotty, salads, soup and some with a Moroccan flavour (using ingredients like chickpeas, falafel, halloumi), It all looked very appetising and portions look generous, The staff were attentive and cleared tables quickly: it always looked tidy during our visit. It did seem a on the expensive side, but not excessively so. It’s a welcome addition to that part of the town, open to the public whether or not you are at a theatre performance.

The town has eagerly awaited completion of this multimillion pound refurbishment, following a massive fundraising effort. Alnwick Playhouse has always served its community well, with an impressive programme of theatre, music, comedy, dance and film, including live broadcast West End theatre productions, opera and ballet.

Many local people have been on both sides of the footlights at the Playhouse as amateur and school shows are given a high profile too…. and rightly so. Their standard is very high (and that merits professional performance space which brings out the best in our performers and musicians. I once spoke to some holidaymakers in the interval at a junior amateur production. They were staying nearby so thought they’d spend an evening at the theatre. Initially they been disappointed, thinking that the show that night was “just a school play” but soon changed their minds and were so impressed they wanted to come back again.

Now it’s re-opened! I’m impressed with what they’ve done to the place – thoughtful consideration of how to improve facilities AND retain the unique character and features of the building. That’s never easy but I think they’ve done a pretty amazing job. They’ve opened up areas of the building I didn’t know existed, to integrate a re-sited public library/information centre (and the cafe) alongside the theatre and gallery. It isn’t at all cramped though – it actually looks and feels more spacious. It’s a really clever use of space

There are some good improvements to accessibility too and I had a brief look at some of these. The entrance ramp has been resurfaced and the metal railings replaced by toughened glass, which doesn’t block the cafe’s view of the street. The handrails on the steps seem better too. The reception/box office counter is lower. The lift to the upper floor is easier to use as it’s not tucked into an awkward corner like before, but the beautiful spiral staircase has been retained. The gallery space looks more spacious, making use of previously dead space and flexible seating. Only the bar is still not fully accessible. It never has been so I won’t miss it! I hope to go to a show soon and try out the auditorium for accessibility – reports are good so I’m confident it will be a good experience. The young woman at reception/box office was really helpful and knowledgeable about the building’s accessibility.

Enough! I’m sounding like the brochure. I need to stop (and knit). I’m sure there’s scope to do that in the Playhouse too.

Do you have a local community theatre? What makes it special to you?