The Stray Ferret details everything you need to know about this candlelit event taking place in Harrogate on Friday that has been trending on social media.
It’s set to be an evening of The Beatles’ greatest hits, accompanied by a string quartet, and later joined by the captivating vocals of Alistair Griffin who is the founder of Ignite Concerts. We speak to him ahead of the show…
When did you first know you wanted to become a singer songwriter?
I was always keen on writing and knew I could sing, but it took quite a while for it to become a possible career. The turning point was when I was at university in York when I started busking, playing open mic nights, and performing with other artists.
You’ve performed other candlelit concerts in the past, can you tell me more about these and why this time you decided to perform The Beatles hits?
I created Ignite Concerts just under a year ago. As a performer I’ve seen the music world change a lot, so I started to create and produce my own shows, starting small and growing bigger, culminating in some big shows across Yorkshire and beyond.
Now I’ve got a team and we’ve added the candlelit element. We go to beautiful venues and light them up with 1,000 candles. Of course, great music is always the heart of what we do but we want to create an atmosphere and an experience people remember. So that when they walk in, they feel they’re part of something really special.
We aim to play iconic music in a slightly different way using string players. What’s more iconic than The Beatles? That’s how I learned to play the guitar, strumming Lennon and McCartney classics.
Alistair Griffin, founder of Ignite Concerts
How do you feel performing another artist’s music?
It’s always different than performing my own songs. My own songs have a personal angle. I’ve never had a problem covering other people’s songs and I hope I do them justice.
You can never better the original, but you can give it a new take. Singing The Long and Winding Road with a string quartet behind you is pretty amazing.
READ MORE:
- Great getaways less than three hours’ drive from Harrogate
- The Himalayan Garden & Sculpture Park in Ripon has a new 60-strong artwork exhibition
- Amber’s restaurant at Cedar Court Hotel in Harrogate is now open
Which Beatles song holds the most significance for you?
There are so many special songs but I think Let It Be was the first Beatles song that really moved me. It has a hymnal uplifting quality that I often look for in a song.
Many moons ago I was on a BBC talent show called Fame Academy and got to sing this song in the final. Remarkably, it was introduced by Paul McCartney himself. A surreal moment.
How many candles do you have in the church and how do they add to the atmosphere?
We have 1,000 candles. Now, you might be thinking how does it pass health and safety rules, but they are all LED candles. But don’t let this put you off, when the light goes down people often don’t realise the difference. It is a remarkable sight and creates an amazing effect and a unique atmosphere.
How does the orchestra add to the songs?
The string quartet really takes the songs to a different place. They can be so dynamic taking you from an intimate sound to a much bigger anthemic sound. And just hearing some of the songs played instrumentally without the words allows the audience to fill in the rest for themselves. You can sing if you want to or just take it in and listen.
You live in York, do you come over to Harrogate often?
I have friends in Harrogate so get over quite a bit. I like to go for a pint in The Old Bell.
If you weren’t a singer-songwriter, which career avenue would you go down?
Well, I’ve always said the best job I ever had was being the milkman in the village of Staithes. But as far as another career I would have loved to have worked in sport.
From £25, doors open at 7pm, concert is 7.30pm-9.30pm, May 10, Christ Church, High Harrogate, HG1 4SW.
READ MORE:
- 5 things to do in Harrogate and the district this weekend
- Did you know there’s a hidden tipi nestled in the woods near Harlow Carr?
- Did you know that Everyman in Harrogate screens National Theatre Live productions?
- Did you know there’s a hidden Spa Room in Harrogate’s Turkish Baths?
Editor’s Pick of the Week: Costly consultants, a bad tempered by-election and Brian Deane
Some stories seem to go on forever, achieving little beyond years of work for consultants and council officers.
Take the Harrogate Convention Centre refurbishment. A response to a Stray Ferret freedom of information request asking how much has been spent on consultants discovered the sum was £1.9 million since 2016.
The vast majority went on a firm whose plans were recently scrapped. The solution? Hire new consultants to come up with a fresh vision!
An in-depth article by my colleague John Grainger this weekend looks at the refurbishment options. Convention centre director Paula Lorimer, who was named in the annual Taxpayers’ Alliance Town Hall Rich List this year for her £121,828 salary, declined to speak to us for the article.
It’s been a big political week with the Liberal Democrats winning the Stray, Woodlands and Hookstone by-election. The ill-feeling between local Lib Dems and Conservatives was palpable at Thursday night’s count. On the previous night, the Stray Ferret chaired a mayoral hustings event in York.
Brew York announced it was coming to Knaresborough but my personal highlight this week was news of a Beatles exhibition coming to Harrogate. Not so much because it’s the Fab Four but because sharp elbowed former footballer Brian Deane, who often pops up in Harrogate, retweeted our post on X about it.
Read more:
- Troops rallied in fight to save Ripon’s priceless military heritage
- Brew York buys The Mitre pub at Knaresborough
- Harrogate business owner through to The Apprentice final
Harrogate gallery to host Beatles exhibition
An exhibition of photos taken of The Beatles in 1968 will go on display at a gallery in Harrogate next week.
The Beatles: Mad Day Out will open on April 19 at RedHouse Originals on Cheltenham Mount.
It features 23 images by Tom Murray who was invited to assist renowned photojournalist Sir Don McCullin in capturing a new publicity campaign for The Beatles.
The Fab Four were in the midst of recording the White Album at the time and Murray, armed with just two rolls of film and a Nikon F:35mm, produced some of the most famous colour images of the band.
Speaking later, he said:
“It was as perfect a day as I could wish for. Getting to hang out with one of my favourite bands and take pictures was just sensational.”
The Mad Day Out portfolio consists of 23 images from the 195-print UK edition published in 2007. All prints are available to pre-order.
Just one example of each image, signed and numbered by Mr Murray, will be on display so the images are subject to availability.
The collection will be complimented by original artworks and rare 1960s ephemera, including pieces by German photographer Astrid Kirchherr, who was known for her association with The Beatles, and pop-artist Dudley Edwards.
The exhibition will run throughout spring.
All images by Tom Murray.
Read more:
- Harrogate Choir Festival to take place this weekend
- Exclusive: Council spent £1.9m on consultants for scrapped Harrogate Convention Centre plans
Beatles poster at Harrogate’s Royal Hall fetches £3,000 at auction
An original poster for The Beatles when they played at the Royal Hall in Harrogate has fetched £3,000 at auction.
The Fab Four performed their only Harrogate gig on March 8, 1963 — just as they were on the cusp of superstardom.
They were supported by two local Harrogate bands, The Apaches and The Mustangs.
One of the members of The Apaches kept this poster, and it was purchased in the 1980s by the vendor from a picture framer in Harrogate.
It sold for £3,000 at Tennants Auctioneers’ toys, models and collectables sale on Friday last week (December 8).
A copy of The Beatles White Album, autographed by Paul McCartney, also sold for £1,800.
The album was purchased by the vendor in 1968 from Wilson’s in Norwich, but he was able to get it signed by his musical hero in 2001 visited the University of East Anglia where he worked.
Tennants Auctioneers, in Leyburn, North Yorkshire, holds over 80 sales a year.
Were you one of the lucky ones who went to this concert and can remember it? Send us your memories on contact@thestrayferret.co.uk
Read more:
- Well-known Harrogate family business mourns death of founder
- Council scraps ‘waste of money’ £100,000 Harrogate cycle plan
Free event to celebrate Royal Hall’s 120th anniversary
The Royal Hall in Harrogate is to host a six-hour long free event on May 27 to celebrate its 120th anniversary.
The 950-seat venue, which was originally called the Kursaal, was re-opened by then Prince Charles in 2008 following an £10.7 million restoration.
The Beatles, Yehudi Menuhin and Frankie Howerd are among the stars to have played there.
Music ranging from classical to pop to Gilbert and Sullivan will showcase the diverse acts the Edwardian venue has hosted since it opened in 1903.
Inside the Royal Hall. Pic by Jim Counter
The event, organised by the Royal Hall Restoration Trust, will begin at 10am with music and singing.
From 2pm, the Darren Busby Duo will provide music for line dancing and for those who prefer to waltz and foxtrot, the Harrogate Symphony String Quartet will play from 3pm to 4pm.
Gay Steel, of the restoration trust, said:
“Sit for a while in the grand circle or dress circle and let your imagination take you back to the hall’s Edwardian heyday when visitors would stroll around the building listening to the entertainment on offer.
“The grand hall’s sprung dance floor will be cleared for dancing apart from tables for afternoon tea.”
The dressing rooms will also be open to explore on the day.
The event is free but donations to the restoration trust will be welcomed.
Afternoon tea bookings can be made via the Royal Hall Restoration Trust website here. Alternatively, telephone 01423500500 or email enquiries@rhrt.org.uk.
Read more:
- Rare Beatles Royal Hall poster fetches almost £3,000
- Valley Gardens ceremony to mark Harrogate’s 70 years of links with New Zealand
Two free events for Ripon literary lovers on Thursday evening
Writers and poetry fans have a choice of two free events to attend in Ripon on Thursday at the library and Curzon Cinema.
At 7pm in the library, Rod Dimbleby from the Yorkshire Dialect Society, will speak about the life and work of John Hartley.
The prolific West Riding poet, author and performer, was born in Halifax in 1839 and was famous in Victorian England for his Yorkshire dialect poems.
After his work, Bite Bigger,was published by Alfred Wilson — a hatter by trade — Hartley’s career took off and was a sell-out hit that had to be re-printed because of demand.
Wilson, who became Hartley’s father-in-law when the poet married his daughter Sophia, published the Clock Almanack (named after the clock outside his hatter’s shop) and Hartley was the editor for more than 25 years.
Those wishing to attend Mr Dimbleby’s talk are asked to book tickets in advance
Write-on Ripon
Also on Thursday evening, with a start time of 7.30, Write-On Ripon is holding its third open mic evening at Curzon Cinema on North Street.
Dion Child, who launched the creative writing group last year, told the Stray Ferret:
“Our free-to-attend weekly meetings on Tuesday afternoons have attracted attendance from people ranging from published authors, such as Maggie Cobbett, to poets who enjoy playing with words.
“The open mic events, which began in February, are a natural extension of the writers’ group and provide a platform for writers to present their work to an audience of like-minded people.”
He added:
“I’m so pleased that they have taken off and we extend a welcoming hand to those among the ranks of Ripon writers, who want to come along.
“Curzon has kindly allowed us to use its facilities free of charge and the vaulted cellar under the cinema, where the acoustics and atmosphere are tremendous, has led us to give it the nickname of ‘the cavern of creativity’ in a nod to the Liverpool venue, from which the Fab Four found fame.”
Read more:
Harrogate student busking for Ukraine
Upsetting TV images of the war in Ukraine inspired Harrogate Grammar School sixth form student Sarah Castillo to go busking to raise money for the British Red Cross.
The 18-year-old is a regular busker in Harrogate and performs with her microphone and speaker at a spot outside Holland & Barrett on Cambridge Street.
Sarah raised an impressive £285 in a couple of hours last Saturday and is well on her way to raising her target of £500. All of the money will be donated to the Red Cross Ukraine humanitarian appeal.
She said:
“I just felt really upset watching the TV and seeing all the people suffer, they are not supposed to be experiencing things like this, especially the children, I felt like i had do something”.
Sarah likes to sing songs by Adele, The Beatles and Billie Eilish and will be back singing in Harrogate town centre from around 11am this Saturday.
Read more:
- Harrogate school fundraiser raises over £500 for Ukraine
- Ukraine crisis: Guide to how you can help locally
Harrogate empty shops to reveal town’s links to famous faces
Empty shops in Harrogate are to get a new lease of life by telling the story of the town’s links to famous people.
Harrogate Business Improvement District , which aims to drive footfall into the town centre, has collaborated with Harrogate historian Malcolm Neesam on the project.
It has already installed the first window vinyl in the former Hotter store on Cambridge Street.
The window features Sir Edward Elgar, The Beatles and Louis Armstrong, who all have connections with Harrogate.
The Beatles played at the Royal Hall in March 1963 and Louis Armstrong performed at the same venue in October 1933.
Elgar was a regular visitor to the town. He would often stay at the Crown Hotel and the Majestic Hotel. A walk in Valley Gardens is named after him.
Read more:
- Footfall in Harrogate will decline without change, says council leader
- Free walking tours back with new focus on Harrogate people
Over the coming weeks Debenhams on Parliament Street and Swarovski on James Street will also be transformed.
These will tell the stories of Harrogate’s connections to Agatha Christie, Sir Winston Churchill and Charles Dickens.
Creative agency The Lift Agency, and signs and graphic experts De-signs are also involved in the project.
Harrogate BID chair Sara Ferguson said:
“I think the first window looks absolutely fantastic, and will help instil pride in our town, and also give people another reason to visit.
“There is nothing worse than seeing empty shops and what we are doing is helping to create a town that is a fabulous place to shop, eat and drink, one that is interesting, and one that is proud of its history and heritage.
“I would like to thank Malcolm Neesam for penning the words, and our two other partners in this project, De-signs, and The Lift Agency for creating these superb vinyl graphics.”