Madeleine Mitchell.

Daniel Ross
Madeleine Mitchell’s laudable programme marking International Women’s Day featured committed performances in a fascinating collection of works

 

International Women’s Day was first celebrated in 1911 – if celebrated is the word for an event calling for women’s rights to vote and work, and to end discrimination. Now, 110 years later, it remains an annual fixture: a spur to debate, awareness-raising, frustration and fury. The world has changed radically since 1911. But if the ever-energetic violinist and British music advocate Madeleine Mitchell had programmed a concert simply called A Century of Music by British Composers, would you have assumed you’d find women in the lineup? (And how often are programmes of music by female composers scheduled on the other 364 days of the year?)

Mitchell’s concert of A Century of Music by British Women (1921-2021), performed by her London Chamber Ensemble, is an important reminder of just how much music most of us don’t get to hear and thus don’t get to know, most of the time. But it’s more than that: the musical 20th-century that emerges through Rebecca Clarke’s 1921 Piano Trio (pianist Sophia Rahman’s velveteen touch making the work’s lyrical moments luminous), Ruth Gipps’ mesmerising 1958 Prelude for Bass Clarinet (played with tremendous care by Peter Cigleris) and Grace Williams’ beautifully scored, irresistibly driven 1934 Suite for Nine Instruments is a far cry from the familiar modernist mainstream. This 20th century was about rethinking how instruments could sound, not a one-size-fits-all break with tonality.

The rest of Mitchell’s densely packed programme mixed miniatures by eminent living composers. From Thea Musgrave’s skittish 1960 Colloquy to the world premiere of Errollyn Wallen’s Sojourner Truth, a piece for violin and piano based on the spiritual O’er the Crossing, via works by Helen GrimeCheryl Frances-Hoad and Judith Weir, the London Chamber Ensemble’s performances were committed but undemonstrative – sometimes to the point of understatement. The video editing, which cross-faded performances to leave barely a second between items, didn’t help. But what was missing was a sense of fun – perhaps even of celebration.

nternational Women’s Day was first celebrated in 1911 – if celebrated is the word for an event calling for women’s rights to vote and work, and to end discrimination. Now, 110 years later, it remains an annual fixture: a spur to debate, awareness-raising, frustration and fury. The world has changed radically since 1911. But if the ever-energetic violinist and British music advocate Madeleine Mitchell had programmed a concert simply called A Century of Music by British Composers, would you have assumed you’d find women in the lineup? (And how often are programmes of music by female composers scheduled on the other 364 days of the year?)

 

I’ve been wanting to see H.E.A.T. for ages, and catching up with them in Islington has definitely kicked the gig year off on a high.
On record I have always thought that there was too much cheesy synth in the back of their sound and rather softening it, but live they are a different beast - the synth was subdued, and the band came out of the blocks like a ferocious beast.

Current lineup is: Kenny Leckremo on vocals, Don Crash on drums, Jona Tee on keyboards, Dave Dalone on guitar and Jimmy Jay on bass.
Leckremo is the archetypal metal vocalist. Hair splaying out behind him as he hits notes that no human being should even attempt, holding the attention on stage and giving space to his bandmates to show their stuff too.

The set was explosive. They were on fire from the opening notes of ‘Disaster’, with Dave Dalone shooting out the riffs. Dan Crash and Jimmy Jay holding down the rhythm and melody and Kenny Leckremo an absolute force.

The set was almost all the classic H.E.A.T. numbers and the crowd – pretty well a sell-out – responded, singing along with Lockremo. The pressure hardly let up for the full set and at the end the audience left satisfied by a stunning show.

Earlier, we had sets from Art Nation and the welcome return of Chez Kane. Kane opened the evening with an excellent and well received set, her vocals as strong as ever. Very much a classic rock vocalist, she still has a great stage presence.
Art Nation had a truncated set but managed to show some real power and remarkable fluidity in their material.

H.E.A.T – Set List
1. Disaster
2. Emergency
3. Dangerous Grounds
4. We Rise
5. Hollywood
6. Harder To Breathe
7. In And Out Of Trouble
8. Beg For Your Love
9. Drum solo (including Queen's Slash cover)
10. Back To The Rhythm
11. Living On The Run
12. Straight To Your Heart
13. Bad Time For Love
14. One By One
15. 1000 Miles
16.Nationwide
17. Tearing Down The Walls

Pic copyright Digital Island

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