“…Mud, mud, glorious mud. Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood…”
Hello again England, Scotland and Wales, Europe and the world, but mainly the first three, since that is where I have been for the last three months, touring with Filter and the National Theatre with their production of ‘The Caucasian Chalk Circle’ (for which I co-wrote the music and have been appearing in as ‘The Singer’). It’s been an insanely hectic experience, but very rewarding, especially when I check my email and find so many messages of appreciation and support. Thank you to all those who saw the production and wrote to say they enjoyed it and apologies to anyone who I may have not gotten around to replying to - my inbox is crammed and confusing and I do not claim to be the most organised person when it comes to correspondence.
Personal highlights of the tour included the idyllic drive from Aberystwyth into the Brecon Beacons, being blustered somewhat intoxicatedly along the Brighton seafront after our aborted press night, hot-tubbing in the dead of night (and the chill of winter) in a farm yard in Warickshire, going on futile Osprey hunts in the woods around Dundee, appearing at the beautiful (and ancient) Bristol Old Vic, winning over talkative and semi-hostile audiences in Liverpool (including some ‘Simon Bookish Mark 1′ microphone throwing) and an extraordinary late-night Indian banquet in Norwich, courtesy of the parents of Cath Whitefield, who is playing Grusha, just one of the most universally brilliant, intelligent and amiable casts I could have hoped to work with. Thanks… x x x.
The production is now in repertory at the National Theatre, London (Cottesloe) on the South Bank for the next few weeks, but sold out, so regretfully you will have to hassle the NT box office for returns if you hope to see it.
It is, of course, bad form and nothing but vanity to read your own press, but it’s been national, so unavoidable. If you’re interested, the best of the reviews are here…
The Scotsman
“…Leo Chadburn’s astonishing music, a kind of wailing, lyrical electro-pop that often achieves great subtlety, and only occasionally seems too hysterical…”
Evening Standard
“…Leo Chadburn… emits sinister, discordant refrains and, with his knee-high boots and floppy fringe, resembles a languid, terrifying cross between an SS officer and the lead singer of an indie band…”
The Guardian
“…the flinty, cabaret-style vocal interventions of the singer, Leo Chadburn, are pungent…”
The Times
“…Leo Chadburn’s Singer, who, as narrator and commentator, is a key component of the play’s “alienation” effects… Chadburn has rock-star glamour and a riveting presence…”
The Indedpendent
“…His booming, solemn vocals, intoned over a heavy percussive beat against a backdrop of grainy black-and-white images of war, bring both terror and humour to Brecht’s narrative voice…”
The Stage
“…At times grating, Chadburn can also show impeccable comic timing…”
All fantastic (I live for adjectives such as ‘grating’ and ‘hysterical’, merely to prove that I’m still getting up people’s noses and disrupting the tedious orthodoxy of music in this country, so I’m very grateful) but I’m pretty amused by the range of journalistic comparisons going on. Most seem to opt for ‘Franz Ferdinand man’, seemingly on the strength of me wearing a tie and a pair of spray-on trousers onstage. Other unsolicited comparisons both in print and face to face have included ‘Jarvis Cocker’, ‘Scott Walker’, ‘David Byrne’, ‘Iggy Pop’ and ‘Leonard Cohen’. I’m not sure how anyone could have gleaned the latter two from any one performance, but glean they did… I can only be flattered, I suppose.
The second album ‘TRAINWRECK/RAINCHECK’ is finally being officially released soon… in the meantime, I have to get on with three months worth of leftover drudge… watch this space.
Leo / SB
xxx
P.S. COMPETITION CLOSED
Well done Jess from Regina, Saskatchewan who correctly emailled me… Michael Flanders famously sang the quote at the top of the post, but also played the singer in the first UK production of the Caucasian Chalk Circle. The music was by Dudley Moore, apparently. Odd.
