After almost twenty hours of driving on an 800 mile round trip with not much sleep, I’m still buzzing after last weekend’s Haçienda Classical triple header. The first of our three shows in three days was at theIsle Of Wight festival where we closed the Big Top last Friday night. Just like last year, we had to perform a shorter version of our set, but as this was the just the second performance of our new show and there was no rehearsal or soundcheck, it made me a bit more nervous than usual. However, thanks to everyone involved in the show, everything went smoothly and the wonderful, up for it Isle Of Wight crowd made this another very special night.
Tim Crooks conducting the crowd as well as the Manchester Camerata with MC Tunes stage left.
The following day we all headed to Bedgebury Pinetum in Kent for the first of our two outdoor Forest Live events. Rehearsals went extremely well and despite the slightly damp conditions, the audience helped make this a truly wonderful evening in magnificent surroundings as a rainbow appeared in the sky just as we took to the stage.
Peter Hook thanks the crowd after performing Blue Monday
On Sunday we headed to Westonbirt Arboretum in the Gloucestershire Cotswalds for our second Forest Live show in yet another incredibly beautiful forest setting. As this was now the fourth performance of the new show and the third in as many days, everything fell into place beautifully and the night was amazing despite the rain and wind that appeared towards the end of the show. Once again, an enthusiastic and appreciative crowd made for a very special night indeed.
Special guest and vibe provider Bez
Thanks to the selection of tunes that I spent months working on and the performances and professionalism from the Manchester Camerata, the AMC Gospel Choir, Tim Crooks, Peter Hook, Yvonne Shelton, Rae Hall and Melanie Williams, I firmly believe that this is the best Haçienda Classical show yet and the feedback we’ve had seems to confirm this too. If you want to experience it for yourself, we only have three more confirmed shows left this year. We’re at the Royal Albert Hall London Saturday 6thJuly, Castlefield Bowl Manchester Saturday 13thJuly and Carfest North Cheshire Sunday 28thJuly. Although the Manchester show sold out weeks ago, there are a few remaining tickets for London and Cheshire and you can get more details on how to get them from the links below.
Next up for Haçienda Classical is the Royal Albert Hall. This will be our fourth year here, it’s always a very special night and I’m really looking forward to performing the new show in this historic and special venue. I hope to see you there.
You can watch my exclusive behind the scenes videos on my Instagram IGTV Channel