The Week Ahead from Monday 1st August 2011: Boyzone, Good Charlotte, The Jayhawks, The Music, The Datsuns, Dean Friedman, The Big Chill 2011 and more
Posted: 12 years agoMusically, it's a quiet week, although there is a whiff of nostalgia amongst some of the offerings, including the return of The Music, The Jayhawks and Good Charlotte from the '90s and '00s. The festivals are plentiful, although the true stand-out is The Big Chill.
Talking of festivals, this week sees two Fringe events kick off, the most important being the Edinburgh Fringe Festival which is now a global brand. Slightly less so, but no less interesting is Camden's more modest gathering (and it's actually cheaper in most cases).
All prices are exclusive of booking fees.
This week:
Tours
Everybody fancies a dose of Newmarket Nights and, despite sounding like a kinky DVD title, that's precisely what you'll get with Boyzone (that's another dodgy DVD right there!) on Friday. The lads are set to entertain the Racecourse crowds for £29 or £37 a ticket. Sunday sees them playing at the Lytham Proms - tickets start at £42.50.
Prior to their much-anticipated V Festival 2011 appearances during the latter part of August, Good Charlotte appear at the Shepherd's Bush Empire on Sunday. However, if you're after tickets, you've left it a bit late, although there are a few Level 3 seats left from £18.50.
The love can still be felt for the operatic pop ensemble with both shows at the London Coliseum pretty-much sold out, apart from a few £65 seats for Monday's performance. If you are lucky enough to have a ticket, you can expect to hear new songs from their as-yet-untitled forthcoming album (due in November).
They were the critic's Americana darlings back in the '90s and still sound timeless to this day. Messrs Louris and the returning Olson have new material waiting in the wings, meaning that tickets might start selling out in a late flurry. Tickets for Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester and London are still up for £17.50 - £22.50.
The final shows in Brixton and Leeds have almost sold-out, unsurprisingly. The anthem-rockers will sign off in London on Thursday, followed by two home-coming shows in Leeds on Friday and Saturday. Only Circle seats remain for Brixton, with resales only available for the remaining pair.
New Zealand's much-loved rockers return to the UK for a handful of shows from Wednesday onwards, starting with Birmingham and followed by Glasgow, Manchester and London. These are their first UK shows for 2 years and tickets cost £10/£12.
You can certainly thank your lucky stars when acclaimed American singer, songwriter and musician Dean Friedman comes to a town near you. Scotland is his first stop from Saturday onwards - he plays the Glasgow Ferry before playing Kinross and then taking residency at Edinburgh's Stevenson's College. Tickets cost from £18.
Look out Brixton - Felix B, from the multi-million selling local boys, Basement Jaxx is coming back to your local club, Jamm on Saturday. Tickets are nearly all gone - prices start at £10 and the whole event continues until 5am.
Another race-meeting and another evening concert to take your mind off all the money you've squandered on gambling, this time at Kempton Park on Wednesday evening with Irish band, Hothouse Flowers. Celebrate Irish Night for just £16 (half-price for kids).
Festivals
The Big Chill 2011 will feature Kanye West, Chemical Brothers and Jessie J (probably sitting down, according to a tweet from her this week) heading-up this year's Eastnor Castle bash from Friday onwards. This year's event hasn't sold out yet - £165 will get you the full camping facilities, or you can opt for day tickets at £75.
Along with Sunday's The Apple Cart 2011 gathering, Hackney's Victoria Park is going to be THE place for great eclectic music this weekend, starting with The Horrors, Warpaint, John Cale and many more all appearing on Saturday. It's £39.50 for each day - or you could be a bright spark and pick up a combined ticket for just £60!! [right here, in fact: www.allgigs.co.uk/specialoffer/fieldday - Ed]
Theatre, Comedy and Arts
August must mean 'it's festival time once again'. The Scottish capital will once again become road-blocked with some of the best comedians and theatre-companies converging on its copious venues. There are early starts for new shows from Ed Byrne, Jason Byrne, Sarah Millican and Abi Roberts, prices vary (most around the £10 - £15 mark).
Not to be outdone, the English capital's version of the Edinburgh spectacular, kicks off from Monday with Matt Kirshen and Scott Capurro amongst the dozens of attractions on offer. Pretty much every show during the course of the event will set you back a reasonable £7.50!
For a month from Tuesday, Fulham's Finborough Theatre will present this Rebecca Gilman story about two cops assigned to close down a local brothel, yet become entangled in its past, its present and ultimately its future. This UK premiere costs from just £5, rising to £15, and runs until 27th August.
London's Shakespearian Globe will begin a two-month presentation of biblical and medieval stories, adapted for the venue by Tony Harrison. The lavish production covers main events from The Beginning to The Last Judgement and continues until 1st October. Some dates are already sold out, but later shows cost from £5 for standing or £37.50 for the upper gallery.
The RSC will be tackling the acclaimed Harold Pinter social drama at the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, from Monday onwards. Working-class values, one-upmanship and tensions drive Teddy's new wife Ruth to despair, as his extended family battle with each other. Tickets cost from £40.
Thatcher's Britain comes under scrutiny as a business-woman from the '80s hosts a dinner party with a difference - her guests are extraordinary women from mythology and history. The comedy play will run at the Trafalgar Studios until 15th October, prices starting from £45.
This enticing and exhilarating combination of Italian and Latin passion, culture, dance and music is close to selling out its short run at the London Coliseum. Tickets for the show are still available in small numbers, priced from £10 to £55.
Billed as 'an uncompromising American comedian', Stanhope can be judged on his month-long Leicester Square Theatre residency, set to start on Tuesday (ending on 3rd September). Tickets for the show start at £27.50 - not for the faint-hearted, you have been warned!
Happy Clicking!