Coastal Events brings The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain to

Bexhill in November

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain has stumbled upon international and critical acclaim as a group of most entertaining pluckers.

Dancing somewhere between sincerity and insanity; punk rock sensibilities and restrained British humour; the not-too-silly and the not-too-serious, a 37-year-long career has taken them to Carnegie Hall, Glastonbury festival, the North Pole, and from China to Estonia via Japan, Australia and The Isle of Man, garnering hordes of fans and imitators along the way.

Born of a rejection of convention and a penchant for reinterpretation, their catalogue is a menagerie of rock, pop, jazz, blues and classical music, performed with humour and a flair for toe-tapping, roof-raising, and often twisted renditions. With fans ranging from the late Queen Elizabeth II to David Bowie and beyond, the original Ukulele Orchestra are unmissable (and arguably inexcusable).

Edward Kilroy of Coastal Events says “making people smile and giving everyone a great evening out is always at the forefront of my decision making when deciding the live music programme at Coastal Events, and this band embodies that sentiment completely. Whilst there may be a degree of negativity in the world right now, these kinds of shows are all about bringing joy into people’s lives and I love everything The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain stands for. This promises to be a brilliant night out that will get people grinning from start to finish, and long afterwards too”.

ingénu/e interviews George Hinchliffe, founder of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

George, you have probably been asked this a thousand times, but do tell me about the origin of the Orchestra. What was

the moment you thought 'Here's an idea...'?

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain began as a kind of antidote to the ills of popular music, for the founding musicians who had previously worked in other groups or with famous singers (including Martha Reeves and Mary Wells). The Orchestra was regarded as a bit of fun and not intended as an ongoing act. The first appearance however drew such positive audience responses that it was decided to put on a second gig, and then a third. Within a month the group had been on the BBC with Radio and then TV appearances. Swiftly an album followed, which came out in the UK and then was taken up in other countries by CBS and Sony. Suddenly the Orchestra was more successful than the other projects the musicians were involved with. A question arose; were we to be serious musicians and artists, or amusing entertainers? It became clear to us on reflection that all music, whether sombre or light-hearted has to be playful and nuanced. We realised that sensitive and creative artistic work needed to go hand in hand with entertainment and fun.

What was the premise of the Orchestra and its impetus?

The founders of the Orchestra had worked in bands and ensembles, (rock, folk, punk, baroque, renaissance, classical, electro-pop, and with mechanical organs), and in theatre companies. The premise of the Orchestra was to avoid pomposity, cults of personality, and any egomaniac, prima-donna vanity. The idea was to use the platform of popular song and rock music as a basis for being playful and entertaining with the music.

The key concepts were: One, to be playful and have fun (with the thought that if the performers found joy, humour and enjoyable engagement with the material, then the audience would too), and two, to not lose money.

The Orchestra has evolved over the years. It was very sad to see founding member Kitty Lux pass on. Did this give you pause for thought in terms of keeping the orchestra going? And I believe her legacy is celebrated with the orchestra in a particular way?

The Orchestra has, as with any organisation, met a number of setbacks over the years but has always found ways to prevail. Although Kitty’s demise felt like losing a significant part of the essence of the group, the fact remained that the 'brand' was still intact and that there were gigs in the diary stretching forward into the future. Some of the musicians wore a polka-dot lapel pin to remind them of Kitty’s signature headscarf.

Your influence in re-popularising the ukulele worldwide is often mentioned. Are you hesitant to acknowledge that? Or do you have a particular take on the definite upsurge in this phenomena?

In 1985 when our group began, the ukulele was often regarded as a joke instrument, or a toy. It has since become ubiquitous worldwide, and common in education and community groups, especially in ensembles composed entirely of the same instrument. The idea of gathering an 'orchestra' of ukuleles playing different parts was unknown before the UOGB introduced the concept. The fashion seems to have become significant with many groups reporting that the UOGB’s online videos were a key inspiration. Perhaps astonishingly, there is no evidence that the term 'ukulele orchestra' was used before the UOGB coined the term, (along with 'bonsai guitar' and 'ukuleleator'), but that seems to be the common term currently for an ensemble of ukuleles. While clarinet choirs and groups composed entirely of cellos do exist, the popularity of 'all ukulele' ensembles seems clearly to have been the result of our monomaniacal work over the last forty years.

We don’t like to 'blow our own trumpet', (pride being traditionally regarded as a sin), but in our customary light-hearted way, we would rather say that we are happy to take the blame for the world-wide ukulele craze, rather than that we take credit for it.

What was it like to play a private concert for The Queen on her 90th birthday? That must be one of the highlights of your career?

It was great fun to play for the immediate family of the monarch, though of course there were around a hundred of them, and Prince Harry played our one of our ukuleles as part of the show. We conversed with the family afterwards, several of whom essayed their ukulele skills. Queen Elizabeth of course would be regarded as a key connector in any game of 'six degrees of separation', having met a great many people in her life, including a great many other important and influential personalities who were also significant connectors. Through her, we found ourselves only one arm’s length away from luminaries such as George Formby and John Lennon. Other stars like George Harrison, Robert Plant, Cat Stevens and Suggs of course we had met personally or worked with professionally.

I have seen the Orchestra live and thoroughly enjoyed the gig, it's a pretty unique experience. I haven't seen this myself but I've been told that occasionally audience members bring their own ukes and play along with you. Some venues request 'play-along' concerts, or at least a play-along component in the show. This can be an attractive idea for enthusiasts, a bonding experience or useful for generating publicity. When not all the audience have ukuleles with them, however, the risk is that those without an instrument might feel that part of their ticket price has been devoted to subsidising the playing participants as they become part of the extended Orchestra.

What can audiences expect as regards your upcoming UK gigs? Any surprises?

The Orchestra is in some ways a 21st Century retrospective of a band of 1970s axe-slingers, playing rock and roll on the wrong instruments, but also a consort of chordophones playing classical hits, twisted wittily but not out of recognition. A folk tune might be added together with some contemporary pop hits, and a few unusual choices from the highways and byways of the history of popular music. The cameraderie, dry wit and corny jokes combine with the music to produce an amusing, entertaining but thought-provoking view of cultural history: “a quirky, irreverent, awesome, footstomping shopping trolley dash through the archives of musical history, an obituary of rock and roll and melodious light entertainment, a world tour with only hand luggage”. Audiences may have been surprised by our versions of rap classics, country tear-jerkers and Texas blues, by 'The Ride of the Valkyries' or Black Sabbath’s 'Paranoid' on ukuleles, but though the programme may change with the times and the location, the Orchestra always brings to the stage its trademark in sheer entertainment, presenting audiences with “one plucking thing after another”.

Visit www.UkuleleOrchestra.com for more info about this unique ensemble. To purchase tickets visit www.coastalevents.co.uk and www.dlwp.com

Hazeyjane Anima Rising

Hazeyjane is the creation of Kettering-based singer/songwriter Chris Brown and Anima Rising is his second album, accompanied by his very proficient and capable band.

Anima in Jungian psychology relates to the feminine part of one’s personality or that part of the psyche directed inwards, perhaps in touch with the subconscious. And this seems very relevant today. Here is a musician not afraid to express his inner thoughts and feelings openly in a very melodic and richly atmospheric way.

Released in 2020, unusual guitar tunings and beautiful chord changes (that outdo David Crosby at his best) coupled with poetic lyrics infuse the album with a definite otherworldly feel. It is perfectly produced, capturing the band’s ability to create the ethereal mix that I’m sure Chris was aiming for.

Special mention must go to Kevin T Ward on fretless bass, percussionist David 'Hopi' Hopkins, keyboardist Anna Plaminiak and Ash Tu-kay for the skillful mix and production.

Picking out one or more tracks to mention is tricky as, honestly, they seem to melt and merge into one whole musical and lyrical soundscape. However the track Alraune, the name of the eponymous female lead character in German novelist Hanns Heinz Ewers’ 1911 work, exemplifies not only the depth of vision and mythology influencing Chris’ writing, but the careful crafting of the musical arrangement.

This track captivated me.

Think Crosby, Stills & Nash, Nick Drake, Kate Bush, John Martyn et al and you will be somewhat close, but not too close, to the overall feel of this album. Visit www.hazeyjanemusic.co.uk for more info.

Rachel E Reader Freedom

We met Rachel at Colonnade House in Worthing a few months back while we were delivering the spring edition of ingénu/e. She was in the gallery promoting her unique range of artwork and mosaic designs. But she had a guitar with her, so we asked her to play something for us.

She has a beautiful voice and it transpired she is also a singer/songwriter and has written and produced two music albums, ‘Freedom’ and ‘Pursuit of His Presence’.

Most of Rachel's songs and art have been inspired by her journey of recovery and healing from the past trauma of violence and abuse in her life. She credits her recovery to discovering Christianity and now she is using her art and music to inspire others with her story to help and encourage them to find love and healing in their lives too.

Although lyrically it is Christian music, listening to the album there are some melodious tunes and Rachel definitely has the songwriting gift. She told us that at some point she will be widening her scope in terms of subject matter for her songs.

But if you are a fan of a good, well written song and great music, Christian or not, you will find the album Freedom is definitely well worth a listen.

Visit Facebook.com/rereadermusic for more info on Rachel’s music and art.