New musical show set to raise wartime spirits
A Lancashire-based singer songwriter who is gaining major attention on both sides of the Atlantic is pitching up in Kinross this weekend.
Joe Martin is a young artist to watch and he plans to share some new songs this Saturday night at the Backstage Bar in the Green Hotel.
As a child Joe was brought up listening to artists from Bob Dylan and Townes Van Zandt to the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac. These influential artists were all masters of creating songs that tell a story and they set Joe up for his future creative song writing.
As a teenager Joe fronted a country band whilst living in Leeds and studying at university.
The band played original songs and toured the UK opening for artists like The Shires and appearing at festivals such as Country to Country.
In 2017 as a solo artist, Joe released his debut EP ‘Small World’ to much acclaim and has recently recorded a suite of singles with the much respected UK Americana band ‘Danny and the Champions of the World’. Aberfeldy Drama Club has come up with a twist on the kind of old -fashioned musical variety show you might have gone to in 1918.
Anna Price wrote ‘Breadalbane Armed’ four years ago, following the fortunes of the local men who went to fight in the First World War.
This year she and the club came up with a new script that looked again at the men who’d joined the Black Watch, styled it as a variety show, and brought in the perspective of the Aberfeldy community who were left at home .
‘Medals and Music’ had its first night yesterday and will be performed again tonight, Friday 7 and tomorrow, December 8, in Aberfeldy Town Hall.
Director Anna Price told the PA: “Medals and Music is a story based around music hall entertainment, with all the drama club members doing their individual turns. Through the various acts - the ventriloquist with his dummy, the patriotic songs, the tips for housewives to make do and mend - the audience learns about the people in the town at Christmas in 1918.
“The mothers, the girlfriends, the farmers who had to stay back: they’d have been thinking of the boys, joyful over those coming back, worrying for their safe return and some mourning the ones who would not be seen in Aberfeldy again.”
Anna continued: “The show is very amusing at times, there’s plenty of jaunty musical numbers and songs the audience will know. Despite this story being set in the time of a terrible war, it’s not at all downbeat, it is celebrating the end of the conflict. There’s a reflective vein towards the end, remembering the ones that were lost, we use the song from War Horse and children recite ‘Flanders Field,’ but we go out with everyone singing ‘Keep Right on to the End of the Road’ so it’s a great uplifting finish.”
Tickets cost £8.50 and £6.50 for children from Wade newsagent in Aberfeldy or on the door. Singer songwriter Joe Martin Nurses do their bit in Medals and Music. Pic by Adam Seward Photography