Piaf and Peas!

Annette Gregory will be singing at The Green Man Gallery

This year’s Buxton Festival Fringe sees a rich and varied programme of music-making. In keeping with the Fringe ethos people will be able to see and hear music in some unexpected places.

Will Hawthorne is leading something of a one-man campaign to reach out to new audiences. His band performs Poole Incarnate, a play with rock music, about the outlaw who gave his name to the local Cavern both at the caves and the Working Men’s Club. Will also leads the music at Give Peas A Chance down at the Serpentine Community Farm.

Some of the local pubs are joining in the Fringe fun hosting free music events. The Tap House - which serves a comprehensive selection of Buxton Brewery product - has six nights of live music featuring some of the best bands in the region. The Cheshire Cheese welcomes back the close harmony quartet Close Enough - which left Buxton with such lovely memories last year. Also at The Cheese is The Occasional Band with a selection of Irish jigs, reels, slides and songs. Nearby at the recently refurbished Old Sun Inn Fringe-goers can hear the Herding Catz Blues Band on part of their tour of the town.

The Catz are also playing at The Palace Hotel and on The Blues Train from Manchester to Buxton. One of last year’s Fringe favourites was the Buxton Studio Choir which goes from strength to strength and is about 50-strong these days. The Choir can be heard at The Palace as can the relaxed sounds of The Basin Street Jazz & Blues Band which will deliver a happy mixture of standards and originals.

Returning for his third Fringe is Egriega bringing a new cabaret-style show to The Hydro Restaurant. Frank Sinistra - Sex and Drugs and PR has all the Egriega hallmarks that many have come to love: his mixture of humour, satire and a compelling delivery. The Burbage Institute has become the venue of choice for classical guitarist Ed Billingham. This year he is joined by Jo Kay in a programme including a Bach Toccata and pieces from the Italian Renaissance.
One of the exciting new additions to the Buxton Festival landscape for 2018 is the Spiegeltent which will be a big attraction in the Pavilion Gardens. Brought by the Buxton International Festival, one of the events being staged there is the prize-winning Kaleidoscope Choir which rehearses and performs in the area all-year long.

The Green Man Gallery has become a regular venue for quality music throughout the year. For this year’s Fringe it has three performances. The excellent jazz singer Annette Gregory returns with her band to present some of the best-loved songs by the Iikes of Julie London and Sarah Vaughan. Cathy Rimer is a local singer and songwriter who unerringly touches on all the things that matter in our lives. She has a beautiful voice and is a charming host, making an evening with Cathy well-spent. Cenote is a duo - mixing songs with piano, fiddle, guitar and bouzouki, drawing on traditions and stories from Derbyshire, the west of Europe and Iraq. Their show Of People And Place will illuminate the lives that pass often without notice.

The team at Underground Venues presents an intriguing mix. French countertenor Adrien Mastrosimone tells of the life of Edith Piaf. Une Vie En Rose is both poignant and memorable. Also upstairs at The Clubhouse is the now traditional evening of songs and music from local performers, Club Acoustic, always relaxing and entertaining with the occasional surprise not far away. Much the same might be said of The Good Ole Boys who draw on a collective history that includes swing and skiffle.

Johnny Dysfunctional & Sounds Bizarre have been gigging in London recently, polishing up some new songs with expert Specials guidance. They are back at The Arts Centre: hear the result.

For details of many more music events at Buxton Fringe see buxtonfringe.org.uk

Buxton Fringe

Website: www.buxtonfringe.org.uk
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