Red Card Comedy Club ~ 30th June

I have to be honest, I really didn't expect much from this night of stand up. I find live stand up can be a very excruciating experience, especially if the performer is off kilter. I'm hyper critical anyway, seeing the art of stand up akin to a well rehearsed dance sequence or a souffle risen to perfection.

How wrong I was. First of all, me old mate Pippa Evans was in the line up and she's a good egg, having recently won an Olivier Award with her ensemble for the smash hit improv show, 'Showstoppers'. I can't really critique her as I have worked with her in the past, albeit before her fame and fortune, but I found her as charming, quick witted and as delightful as ever she was.

The compere was a bit of a surprise for my missus though. Geoff Norcott used to teach her English and we both saw a near glimmer of recognition in his sardonic eye, the line of which falling on us in the second row of the odd, wedding reception like set up. His comedy was rather spot on, despite having voted 'Leave', something he didn't really explain (aside from an incongruous Muslim joke that was rather for the sake of a Muslim joke) although it took a while to warm to him. This being Norwich, he took the standard line of insulting those in the audience stupid enough not to tell him to fuck off and tell some jokes; all in good banter of course. He touched on Brexit mistakenly thinking Norfolk was an Out camp. Of course, Norwich voted Remain, but noone, least of all me, felt the need to correct him. He was quick witted, confident and shiny. He worked the crowd well and prepared us for the other comics.

Alas, Tom Toal was rather out of his depth, losing the momentum of the 'fat guy with nerdish edge' trope after a well received semen/pineapple gag that became a motif. He lacked the tightness of his compere and meandered rather a lot. He virtually sprinted off the stage at the end, to tepid applause. But this audience wanted him to be funny, he simply lacked delivery and timing. Scrub it up Tom, the material was ok, just needed a confidence and perhaps some eye contact...

The headline act was Carey Marx, and wowsers, what a treat. It was a set of blinding one liners, perfectly pitched observations, world weary grumpiness and a respect for where he was. I was crying with laughter, he didn't let up for a second, loving the applause, loving the moments of outraged laughter, of shocked delight. Yes, he was blue, but it was ironic in many ways and worked brilliantly. He talked about classic situations and made them his own, men, women, the problems with misappropriating gender to inanimate objects, (a MAN bag??).

His quips enlightened as well as amused: 'I'm going bald' he announced to us, which we could obviously see, 'my friends think I should shave it all off...I'm not going to do that, if you get a tooth knocked out, you don't yank out the rest do you?'

The Red Card Comedy Club is a Norwich gem and was packed out. Do catch a show there if you can.

Website here:

Ten Questions with ~ Phyllis Edna Dorothy Sellers

Phyllis Edna Dorothy Sellars, alternately nicknamed "Salty" Sellars (by Kris Kristofferson) and Peds,  (by her nephew Edmund), is an 84-year old former actress and slap-bass session guitarist turned scholar, raconteur and after-dinner speaker, based in Norwich, Norfolk. 

A Saggitarius, she was born on December 2nd 1931 at her parent's home near Schole on the Norfolk/Suffolk border and educated at a girls' school in Norwich, working for a few years in a shoe shop before emigrating to America where she married and divorced twice (no offspring, no regrets) and carved a career encompassing many media of performance, the most monetarily successful of these being her years as a funk and soul musician.

She worked closely with James Brown for a time. In the 1980s she relocated back to Norwich to care for her ailing parents, joined the Open University and gained first a degree in Philosophy and then an MA in classical studies - she is very glad that her parents lived to see her collect these qualifications. She is still an active student today  and has written papers on a diverse range of subjects including esoteric religon, mystery cults and women in literature and the arts. 

Hobbies include beekeeping, Greek Dance and attending Supper Clubs where she is happy to speak after dinner on a range of subjects.  She hopes soon to finish her book of memoirs Da Funk: Get on Uppa my Freaky Soul Train  and would very much like one day to be a guest on  The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show.She went to Charles' recent live night at Open in Norwich and had an absolute whale of a time. A foodie, her favourite chef is Yottam Ottolenghi. Her favourite classic novel is Wuthering Heights and her favourite films are a toss-up between Any Which Way but Loose  (belly laughs) and The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea (sentimental reasons).

Her first documentary film At Home with Phyllis can be viewed here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMj0Jhu_SGU

1. Hi Phyllis, what have you just done?

Well might you ask, young Simon m'laddio, well might you ask.

I've had several irons ith' fire as t'were including dealing with an insurrection of bees (the queen escaped from m'new hive shortly after delivery leading all the bees to swarm and take up residence in the coat rack; this has led to m'front porch being very much off limits for some time), finishing m'new book o'memoirs Da Funk: Get on Uppa my Freaky Soul Train (it's about my years in the nineteen sixties and seventies as a sessions slap-bass guitarist in the US of A - had to give the bass up recently, 'cause of the old arthritis y'see - and my passion for the genre overall), and researching and preparing for my various upcoming motivational talks and scholarly lectures, the latest of which is on the representation women in ninteenth century literature. 

Most pertinent to your readership perhaps, is the completion of m'latest fly-onth'-wall documentary film, Phyllis and Friends - The List,  which documents a fair amount of m'recent doings. It all came about when m'neighbour Geoffrey got his hands on a digital movie camera and asked me if he could practice his technique upon m'self. He says he's put his wife (I don't know her name, she doesn't ever come round; I think she's allergic to angora) in charge of editing and distribution of said film; apparently it is onth' Tube of You. 

(It certainly is and can be viewed at this link https://www.youtube.com/my_videos?o=U  -Geoffrey's wife. PS yes the angora is an issue; I have only to look at a beret and I break out in terrible courgette-shaped hives. My name is Elaine. She does know. She just can't be bothered to remember.)

2. Why did you choose to be a performer?

Aha, well! I have always been drawn to drama! In 1946, when I was fifteen, I spent the school Easter Hols hunting Nazis in the Swiss Alps with my chums Ginger, Betty, and Jane (it’s a long story; we were supposed to be skiing) and consequently failed m'school leavers' exams due to not having done enough revision. Had I passed, I would have gone up to sixth form, and begun studying to become a school teacher like m'dad. So, lucky escape, perhaps! 

As t'was I worked as a shop girl selling shoes in Norwich for a bit, but m'sense of adventure could neither be quashed nor quelled, so I saved up m'shillings and by the time I was 19 I was able to emigrate to New York's Greenwich Village! I hadn't a clue what I'd do, but once there, I found the lifestyle suited me extraordinarily well, and threw m'self headlong into bohemia, initially making and selling abstract art and performing self-written beat poetry (which is why I learned to play bass - double bass initially then bass guitar as 'twas far less cumbersome), then branching out into other avenues of self-expression. It was during this period that I began to dabble in all manners of live performance. I was in a lot of experimental plays with The Living Theatre and the Theatre of the Absurd and I was a photographic model for Irving Klaw. He filmed me for Teaserama (1955) and Buxom Beautease (1956) however my bold and daring performances ended up onth' cutting room floor. They were, Irving said, brilliant but simply too avant-garde for his market.  He was very concerned about censorship. And rightly so, as it turned out. I was disappointed at the time but it led to further opportunities later on in life - breast and bottom doubling in feature movies, and so forth. I have never been shy in front ofth' lens! 

All that was a rather roundabout way of trying to explain to your dear readers that I did not so much choose to be a performer but that being a performer chose me! 

3. What influences your artistic choices?

Does it excite? Does it thrill? Does it make the nervous system thrum? Does it express? Does it reveal? If yes, proceed, brave voyager!

Increasingly one must add the question "does the range of movement allow it?". I'm 84 now and there is only so much the miracles of yoga and Greek Dance can do!

4. What do you think is missing from the arts in the UK?

A sense of freedom. 'Tis all bound up with the chasing of ever-decreasing pots o'funding and having to articulate the social worth of one's project before 'tis even begun. He that pays the piper... When I was just starting out we did not worry so much about all that. Funding and such. We bohemians expressed what we felt needed expressing, and we found ways to do so on the thinnest of shoestrings. We did not stop to ask "but is this acceptable?" We did not make business plans! The fact that we were free to express and that we were showing others - the squares, as t'were - that one could live and think freely was a social benefit! It was the social benefit! We were shockingly poor, of course, but then we didn't have such great expectations from our standard of living as the young do today. We didn't feel the need to "have it all". I arrived in New York with two pairs of shoes and three frocks. When I left in the mid-60s to go on the road as a bass guitarist, I still had two pairs of shoes and three frocks (admittedly not the same ones). But now I had a bass guitar as well.

5. Do you think an artist should always be paid for their work?

Speaking as one of th' original beat bohemians I have to say no.  In those early days, I would paint m'paintings and perform m'poetry and hope to get enough from that so I could add it to the tips I got waiting at tables and what-have-you and save up for a treat, but looking at some of those daubs that I didn't manage to sell, and the scribbles in m'poetry book of yore I have to say to myself: "Phyllis, old bean, how could you ever have expected anyone to purchase that old toot and tosh?"

Because you see the painting and the poetry and the acting was an expression of what I felt inside, and really, I was doing it for m'self. To enrich the soul as t'were. If people wanted to pay for that then that was a bonus. But I couldn't expect them to, now, could I? Especially as a lot of it was, frankly, rubbish. Had I stopped doing it simply because I wasn't earning a living from it, I feel I would have been cutting off m'nose to spite m'face.   Waitressing and posing forth' naughty photos, that was what I expected to be paid for.

When I started working as a  session musician I think I considered m'self very fortunate that this was a living with regular income. I did not necessarily feel it was m'due. 

Here's m'maxim, f'what it is worth: One may work as as an artist, but not all the art one produces must be work.

6. Who is your favourite artist and why?

Kris Kristofferson without a shadow of a doubt! A marvellous actor and musician and first rate fellow. And such eyes! I first met him on the set of The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea (1976) and fell a little in love with him - should probably draw a veil over the details for the sake of his children, however will reveal that it was he who gave me m'nickname, Salty Sellars. Yes, how lucky I was that Sarah Miles requested a breast double (m'self) for that particular outing!

 7. What is your favourite medium?

Oh, live work. That veritable throb of excitement. Nothing compares! It is life itself!

8. Where is your favourite place in Norfolk?

I do enjoy a run out to the old coaching in in Schole (The Schole Inn). It has the air of the M.R. James about it. To sit in their armchair in front of a roaring fire, with a good chum and a bottle o'port between us, swapping ghost stories, is one of the great pleasures of older age.

9. Dog or cat.

Oh, cat. A dog is too much like a child for my liking. 

10. And finally, what is next for you?

Still plodding away at the old memoir (Da Funk)... more talks... meeting of m'hermetic order in a couple o'weeks (must get the wizardly robes laundered)... man coming to deal with the bees tomorrow... meat raffle at Th' Stinking Weasel midweek... Greek Dance Club (that's weekly of a Friday evening)... I hope to find time in m'schedule to help neighbour Geoffrey continue practicing his camera work by letting him document a couple more episodes of interest in m'life.  M'nephew Edmund will be coming across later in the year and is quite a characterful old bean so perhaps an out-and-about with him would be a fitting subject for consumption.

Phyllis is the creation of Norfolk-born actress, Joanna Swan. We are at pains to point out that the incident regarding The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea  is fictitious. To the best of our knowledge, Sarah Miles did not require a breast double nor did Kristofferson break his marriage vows on set

New things from Old things: The Play's the Thing Theatre

I have recently returned from working with 'The Play's The Thing' Theatre in Milton Keynes and I thought I'd write about it.

I was cast as the lead, Tom, in a new writing play by Natalie Baker, 'What We Are Now'.

It was about a man who is in a mental institution after a terrible event between himself and his wife. A year has passed and it is Tom's 30th birthday. His wife turns up after this absence.

I was struck by the terrible banality of the agony Tom suffers within the writing. Natalie painted a picture of domestic awkwardness that hid a deeper horror, a real horror that touched me from my own experiences of substance abuse. Furthermore, Rosemary Hill, the artistic director of the company and director of the piece itself, employed aspects of Meisner and method acting that drew from myself hidden details and motivations.

It was hard work indeed. Usually I employ technique to achieve the heights needed to convey terrible breakdowns and the like but here, using these aspects of 'emotion memory' and embracing the more theoretical process, intellectualising the motivation behind not only the play itself, but specific moments in the text, it was hard graft, emotionally draining and difficult.

I believe I achieved new things however. I have always used technique as I said, but that is not to say I always shied away from method in my portrayals. It's impossible to know exactly how the fabled Prince of Denmark felt about seeing his father's ghost but one can look at moments with one's own father and template those sensibilities onto a performance.
I have never murdered either, but I can look at the motivations behind murder and employ a rationale that I then expound through the evidence in the text.

I did find my beliefs challenged by Rosemary Hill. Her method required me to create Tom further than what was there in the text. I don't normally do this at all; the text is God to me. If it is there, it is valid, everything else is theory that can distract from the task at hand. But, back story and improvisation based on Tom and his wife's past became invaluable. With an open mind, we played scenarios in rehearsal that described how the pair met, how they reacted to the devastating news that features in the play and how they expressed their love to one another.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am well versed in such experiences as an actor. To me however, as Bill Murray sort of said, 'If the part fits, I find things in me to portray it' ~ the instinct of a part becomes a silent narrative and I execute it without thought, I work fast to show these moments that a back story would yield. But, to take time to focus on these instincts, rather than simply trust them, was a welcome reminder of them. It helped enormously despite leaving me emotionally drained after each rehearsal and performance.

I found new things from old things and learnt new approaches to the work.

That is always a good thing for an actor.


The Play's The Thing Theatre are currently rehearsing 'Trailer Trash' by Mike Elliston, performing in early July.

Details here:

Trailer Trash

The Necessity of Atheism ~ a play presented by Anglia Ruskin Creative

I love the Fringe up there in Edinburgh. I have done it twice, once as a techie and once as a performer in two new shows. Anyone who has performed there will tell you it is a fabulous place for an actor to cut their teeth. It's a vibrant and eclectic mix of all kinds of performance: from established theatre, comedy, immersive experiences and new takes on classic texts. It's a festival that never sleeps and there is always something to see at any point, anywhere.

That's why I'm very happy to promote these guys on here as, for me, such an undertaking will only lead to better actors, with a broader appreciation of the industry.

This show is no exception, so please read on and I hope to catch you at one of their Norfolk venues.

The Necessity of Atheism is presented by Anglia Ruskin Creative, an award winning company formed by Senior Lecturer in History at Anglia Ruskin University, Dr Sean Lang.

It is directed by Norfolk-based Sabrina Poole, whose productions have previously received awards at the Sawston and Cambridge Drama Festivals.

'I'm delighted to be bringing this amazing show with a wonderful cast up to the Edinburgh Fringe!' ~ Sabrina Poole, Director

                               Victoria Penn who plays Thomas Hogg and Alexander Banks who plays Percy Shelley. 

The Necessity of Atheism by Sean Lang is a boisterous comedy set in the golden age of England’s exuberant cartoonists and is seeking support to get up to Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer.

Synopsis ~ University of Oxford, 1811. Fear of French invasion by Napoleon hangs heavy over Britain, but the young poet Percy Shelley is more concerned with his new pamphlet: The Necessity of Atheism. Asking for proof of God, the pamphlet finds its way around the university and, after an incident involving an apple, attracts the attention of the Lord High Chancellor of England. Lord Eldon is less than sympathetic and is determined to see Shelley punished, even if it means going against the very values he claims to be protecting.

The cast and crew are currently seeking public donations on the crowd funding website here to help with their costs for their run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August. Donations can be from as little as £5 and there are exclusive handmade prizes available for each amount given from personalised thank you cards to handmade boxes of apple themed sweet treats.

The Necessity of Atheism will be performed 17^th July, 7:30pm, at the Maddermarket Theatre, £6 (£5 concessions).

Box Office: 01603 620917,www.maddermarket.co.uk,

and  24^th July at Salle Moore Farm, Reepham, Norfolk.

It will also run in Edinburgh at Surgeon’s Hall from 5^th – 20th August, 12:10, £8 (£6 concessions).

Box office: www.edfringe.com

Ten Questions with ~ Helen Fullerton

Helen has been a working professional actress for over 20 years.

She trained in musical theatre and has a very strong light classical voice but spends most of her working life in theatre, and comedy theatre at that.

She has recently moved down from Yorkshire to Cromer in Norfolk.

1. Hi Helen, what have you just done?

I am in the middle of a tour of “Kindly Leave the Stage” for Baroque Theatre. I play a St.John’s Ambulance Nurse. It’s a great fun farce and we have had some wonderful audiences and I am working in lots of venues I haven’t been to before (It’s amazing just how many venues there are in this country, getting theatre to all regions, and there is a real hunger for good, entertaining work). I’ll be doing this show until the end of June.

2. Why did you become an actor?

I was walking home from school, at 14, daydreaming about being discovered (as you do), when it came to me that this was actually a real option for work (even if not endless awards and money) you can make a living at it. From then on I just worked at it single mindedly, working with my school and local Amdram groups, then Drama school, Fringe, TIE and now I am one of the lucky ones who can say I DO make a living out of it.

3. What is the most important issue that you would like to see addressed in the arts?

Being a “Woman of a Certain age”, I am very aware of how disproportional the roles are for women, and then even worse for any woman over the age of 30. I believe this has begun to be addressed and certainly the industry does not appear to be as obsessed with sex appeal as it was when I left drama school, but there is still a long way to go. Women are no longer unrepresented in any area of business, life etc but the arts has not really caught up to represent all those real women.

4. There is a debate on pay/no pay: do you think artists should be paid for their work?

Yes, it’s my living, it’s your living, we need money to live, and our work is worth paying for. I rarely do unpaid/low paid work these days, but when I was looking to work in the film and TV market I took lots of unpaid gigs to give myself on the hoof training (I trained in Musical Theatre where recorded media was hardly touched upon), and to get together a show reel of material. Now I will occasionally do unpaid work for local friends for headshots etc.

5. Who is your favourite artist and why?

Being a character actress I have to say the wonderful characters actresses we have/have had in this country. Elizabeth Spriggs, Hattie Jaques, Joyce Grenfell, Margaret Rutherford, Victoria Wood, Celia Imrie, Julie Walters, Dawn French... so many... wonderful women with great comic timing with serious underlying truthfulness. 

6. What value does the theatre hold for children?

Not just Pantomime! Though Panto is still fun, so take 'em. Children get stories and that is what theatre is, dramatised stories, instantly accessible and live. When I was playing the Nurse in “Romeo and Juliet”, I had a seven year old come up to me when I went front of stage to clear the overly excited kids from the edge of the stage (there was a sword fight coming up and they were too close for safety). I had finished my acting and as a “Nanny” type was thought to be able to look after the kids. The last thing they had seen, was me crying my heart out as I though Juliet was dead, so this little girl comes up to me and gives me a hug saying “It’s alright, she’s not dead, she’s just taken a drink from the blue bottle. In a minute someone is going to come and go “Waaaa” and wake her up”. She got it. Strange old English and all, she got the story, and believed it. Don’t underestimate what children can understand. Theatre is a reflection of life, good, bad, funny and sad.

7. Where do you see yourself in two years time?

Well, now I am settled in my new home in Norfolk I’d really like to really absorb the local arts scene (all art reflects and informs the other arts). I love theatre and touring and really I am almost where I would be happy spending the rest of my days, taking good exciting theatre to people who really want to see theatre (not just those who want to tick it off their tourist list) in every corner of the country.

8. Do you have a favourite place in Norfolk?

I love woods, I live on the edge of a small wood and see deer and foxes and pheasants when I go for walks. I have a lot more of Norfolk to explore and I look forward to being shown and discovering more of it now I am here.

9. Dog or cat?

Cat. I love the company of an animal but I don’t want to be needed 24/7 as a dog needs attention. Sadly because I tour so much I can’t have a cat, even they need to be fed daily and watched over. So I’ll come around and pet other people’s pets.

10. And finally, what is next for you?

I will soon be starting work on the new Wuthering Heights film. I am very excited about the project as I am playing Nelly Dean who, in this adaptation, will be a dark and sinister constant presence, think a cross between “Hand that Rocked the Cradle” and “Misery”. They have already begun filming and the screen shots I have seen look wonderful. They are still raising money for the final touches and to increase the pay of the performers and crew so if anyone has a spare few pounds it would be gratefully received.

Donate Here:

Website here ~

Twitter : @HelenFullyActor 

Spotlight here ~

Ten Questions with...Cordelia Spence ~

Cordelia started Stuff of Dreams in 2012 after studying for her MA in Theatre Directing at UEA. 

Her previous work includes: for Stuff of Dreams: ‘Private Peaceful’, ‘Love Left Hanging’, ‘Rope’ , ‘The Bricks of Burston’ and ‘The Poisoners’ Pact’, ‘The Blacksmith Who Chased the Moon’ and ‘Forgotten’.

In addition she has directed ‘Darlings, Four Women, Four Years’ for UEA, an original play which commemorated the contribution of nurses in World War 1, and Sweeney Todd for WLOG.

She lives in Norfolk with her husband.

1. Hi Cordelia, what have you just done?

Hi Simon - I’ve just finished directing Stuff of Dreams current tour of ‘Forgotten’ a play that tells the story of Suffolk poet George Crabbe.

2: What was the reason behind creating 'Stuff of Dreams' Theatre Company?

After completing my Masters in Theatre Direction at UEA in 2012 I wanted to work but I didn’t want to move to London and sweep the floor of the Royal Court waiting to be discovered so I decided to make my own opportunities. I wanted to create a platform for emerging talent in the region and I wanted to tell stories about this wonderful area that I live in and love.

3: What are the most important attributes for someone working professionally in the arts?

Determination, creativity, a strong work ethic and the realisation that there is no ‘I’ in ‘team’.

4: Do you think that there are some instances where an artist should work for free?

In an ideal world no – but we don’t live in an ideal world. I also think that ‘free’ is a term that can be misinterpreted or even abused. Experience and networking are important and ‘in kind’ payment can be valuable to an emerging artist. Honesty and clear understanding between all parties is essential in any business and theatre is no different. But if you’re not being paid then it’s not professional. I object to people who just think they can be a ‘professional’ actor or director on a whim. As far as I am concerned members of our profession have made huge sacrifices, worked hard and trained to achieve ‘professional’ status and that should be recognised. 

5: What inspires you on a daily basis?

The unexpected. I’m very proud of how far Stuff of Dreams has come. I work with fantastic actors and our management team is very close. Ultimately I think it’s the utter buzz I get from being with actors in the rehearsal room. I’m also get very excited when I come across a new idea for a play for a company. 

6: What have you learnt from theatre thus far?

Theatre is, for me, the most exciting Art form in the universe. It explores the whole gamut of what it means to be human and provokes extraordinary responses. It has taught me to never stop learning as a director; every show demands something different, every actor teaches me something valuable and every audience member responds individually.

7: Who is your favourite artist?

Can I have two please? I adore Daniel Day Lewis and Viggo Mortensson. Both extraordinary actors. 

8: What has been the best piece of advice that you have received?

‘Choose the most difficult path, it will also be the most rewarding….’

9: How do you like to relax of an evening?

My other half, the sofa, the cats, chocolate and a good film.

10: And finally, what is happening next for you?

Tim Lane (my writing partner) and I are starting our next script, ‘Anglian Mist’. It is a cold war thriller set on Orford Ness and is a reimagining of some of the legends that abound about that haunting place. It’s going to be completely different to anything the company had done before and will be more immersive in style. It will premiere next summer (June 2017) on ‘The Ness’.

You can catch Stuff of Dreams latest play, 'Forgotten' on tour all through May into June, follow the link for details :

Stuff of Dreams Theatre Company

The Familiars ~ Acid Folk Artisans

I love the Familiars, they are a superb acid folk band from Norfolk, making their own music and transporting the listener into a world of dark romance, epic fantasy and moving poetry.

They started playing together at Jurnet's Bar in Norwich several years ago and have to date released two albums, bringing forgotten 1970s Arcadian acid-folk gems back to life for an audience pining for the lost magic of Mr Fox, Pentangle and the like. They have also penned an original collection of works in this vein, 'Martyred Hearts'

We caught them at the Roseberry pub in Norwich on the 10th April; a charming setting that was perfectly suited to the intimate approach of their set. An hour in length, the music was flawless, the performances likewise. A wonderful mix of drama, dark fable and pagan mysticism, I was enthralled, having only heard their albums. In the flesh they were accomplished and very much in control of their artistry.
 The Familiars are vocalist/lyricist Joanna Swan and composer/acoustic guitar virtuoso, Thomas Conway. Guest violinist Vincent Maltby makes up the trio.

Jo ~“I heard Tom play and his style reminded me of the late Bert Jansch,” she says. “I knew I wanted to work with him right away.  After a year or so of experimenting with covers and reworkings, and a debut album made up of these (called Cunningfolk) under our belt, we got to the point where we were able to say - why not challenge ourselves a bit more and write songs of our own? We wanted to capture the spirit of the 70s acid-folk era, but find our own voice within the genre. Martyred Hearts is the product. It flies in the face of music fashion, perhaps, but that’s what makes it special.”

I have known lead singer Joanna Swan for a number of years now, having worked with her on the stages of the UK on numerous shows (including for my own company SFT) ~ she is a passionate and delicate artist who employs her particular focus with staggering detail. Her lyrics are sweeping and pastoral, linking fable and history with legend and metaphor. Onstage, she moves like a young Stevie Nicks, conjuring feeling and moments from the very air.

Having only heard the work of guitarist Tom Conway, I was delighted to see him play. He truly is a master of the guitar, creating sounds and music that was a part of him: a stunning musician, moving with each fibre of his body to create breathtaking melodies and sequences.

Tom ~

“We've drawn on elements of local history in our songwriting,” he says. “The Shaming of Agnes Leman is a cautionary tale about a real woman who was ducked in the River Wensum at Fye Bridge in Norwich, for lewd behaviour on a Sunday. We are hugely thankful to Dave Tonge, known as the Yarnsmith of Norwich, for having researched Agnes' story and written about it so extensively; with the information he provided, it was really easy to write a ballad that did her story justice.”

'We will make of you example, pretty Agnes, pretty Agnes 
We will strip you bare and shave you of your yellow hair so bright 
And naked to the cuckingstool through Norwich market lead you
And none that see, shall save you from your well-deservéd  plight'                                                 

Tom Conway of course has been a bewitching part of the fabric of the Norwich music scene for many years, making his name locally as a solo performer and also as one quarter of Echoes in the Well, an outfit which in 2013 made the finals of Future Radio's “Next Big Thing” competition.

You can see them at Jurnet's Bar in Norwich on May 6th.

'We will appear on 6 May at Jurnet's Bar for the The Music House Acoustic-ish Session!'

Booking enquiries for the band can be made by writing directly to the band at joannayorke@hotmail.com

Links to their work: http://thefamiliars1.bandcamp.com/

Website:

http://thefamiliarsduo.wordpress.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/TheFamiliarsNorwich/

I leave you with the lyrics of my favourite of their songs: it's a wonderful poem and even better when sung, so get yourselves down to Jurnet's Bar on the 6th May. You will not regret it.

Bridge of Birds

The Raven is the Prince
Of the birds of Prophecy;
A darkling hunch of Portent
Perched high and watching me 

The Falcon is the Prince 
Of the birds who maketh War;
A hookéd beak, a yellow stare 
He leaves a wake of Gore 

The Petrel is the Prince
Of the birds who bring the Storms;
His pinions stretching o’er the waves 
His cry of Torment warns 

But the Cuckoo is the Prince 
Of the birds that bring Sorrow to me; 
And since I took my Cuckoo in 
Nevermore Joy shall I see. 

The Lark he is the Prince
Of the Birds that hail the Dawn; 
A tongue as sweet as nectar sings 
The promise of the Morn 

The Owl he is the Prince 
Of the birds that bring Nightfall; 
And stealthy as the dark itself
Casts in his wake a Pall 


The Swan he is the Prince 
Of the Birds that dwell on Water; 
His mournful cry, by woman heard 
Of coming Doom doth augur 
But the Cuckoo is the Prince 
Of the birds that bring Sorrow to me; 
And since I took my Cuckoo in 
Nevermore Maid shall I be.