‘They expect you to be like a musical clown’: the Yorkshire Saw Man who makes steel singUkulele group dedicates a year of performances to supporting Harrogate hospice

A year of more than 40 performances has seen a Harrogate ukulele group raise £4,500 for charity.  

The group is partnered with Saint Michael’s Hospice, and all donations and performance fees are given to the Harrogate-based charity. 

The Harrogate Spa Town Ukes was formed nearly 10 years ago by two members of the Bingley Ukulele club who wanted a group closer to home.  

Since then, it has gone from strength to strength.

Bob Mansfield, the group’s events coordinator, said:

“The club has increased steadily over the years with over 40 members now. Ages do vary, but it is fair to say that the majority are around, or over, retirement age. The gender mix is pretty well equal.” 

The group meets weekly on Wednesday evenings at Oatlands Social Club and includes many former guitarists.

Mr Mansfield said their sets are “not all George Formby classics”, instead being made up of vintage rock and pop music.  

The band has up to 20 players and regularly performs on Saturdays around Harrogate and the surrounding area. All performances are by volunteers with the aim of raising money for charity.   

When asked why they chose the ukulele over other instruments, Bob Mansfield referred to a comment made by one audience member, who said, “you can’t listen to the ukulele without smiling”.  

Further information about the group can be found on its website.

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Loved local pianist talks Eurovision in Harrogate and the power of music

Derry Jones is a songwriter and pianist from Harrogate and has played in multiple venues but most will know him for his days in the Jimmy O Show band in the 60s and 70s.

Mr Jones now plays in Bettys tea rooms regularly but often looks back at his time in the Jimmy O Show band. He joined the band in 1959 but his career began in the early 1950s in jazz bands.

In the early years of rock n’ roll, the 86-year-old was accompanying comedians such as Ken Dodd and Charlie Chester as well as former professional footballer turned comic Charlie Williams . He also performed at The Cavern in Liverpool “before the Beatles made it famous”.

Mr Jones said one of the highlights of performing in the Jimmy O Show band was performing at venues such as the Royal Hall and spending an afternoon with Dustin Hoffman:

“It was a really enjoyable few years and we were all from Harrogate. We were pretty popular back in those days, appearing on TV and in big venues.

“People still ask us to get back together, but we aren’t all around now so it wouldn’t be right.”

Mr Jones was busy performing when the Eurovision came to Harrogate in 1982 but says he remembers the town being swept up in Eurovision fever.

He still plays Germany’s winning song from that year Ein bißchen Frieden, which translates to A Bit of Peace, when performing at Bettys.

One year before the Eurovision in Harrogate, in 1981, Derry Jones and the Jimmy O Show band appeared on Tyne Tees TV to perform his original song “The Nicest Place”.

The song was played to promote the opening of the Harrogate Convention Centre and says “the grass is greener and the streets are cleaner”.

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Even at 86 Mr Jones said his passion for music has never wavered, he has continued to write songs and perform regularly, adding it remains his biggest passion.

Over lockdown, Mr Jones and his wife Jowita would regularly perform for their neighbours on the street. He would play accordion and she would sing whilst neighbours sat on garden walls or even danced in the street.

“Music has been a constant for me. Sometimes I wish I could get the old days back but I’m happier ow than I’ve ever been.”

Harrogate’s Tewit Youth Band wins flurry of awards

Three groups from Harrogate and District Tewit Youth Band had a successful trip to Northampton last weekend for the National Youth Band Championships of Great Britain.

The group’s Tewit Junior Band, Tewit Intermediate Band and Tewit Senior Band were all awarded for their efforts.

Tewit Junior Band, comprising of eight to 11-year-olds who have never performed in a competition setting before played a 15 minute programme under musical director Allan Briggs.

Adjudicators praised the young musicians, saying “this was what banding should be all about”. They were awarded a merit.

Tewit band

The junior band with musical director Allan Briggs.

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Tewit Intermediate Band, performing under musical director Rebecca Marshall, they played circus-themed The Big Top before soloist Ella Simpson played The Lazy Trumpeter.

The adjudicators liked it so much they awarded her the title best soloist for the section. Overall the intermediates came second.

Tewit Senior Band with musical director Richard Marshall

The Tewit Senior Band performed in the last section against some of the top youth bands in the country, including bands from specialist music colleges.

Alongside musical director, Richard Marshall, the band played a programme that included a solo performance from 16-year-old tenor horn player, George Fearnley.

George was named best soloist for the competition and the band placed third with a gold adjudication for their efforts.

President Colin Gibbs said it was “an amazing achievement with such strong competition”.

 

 

Festival date marks new era for Harrogate thrash metal band

A thrash metal band founded by schoolmates in Harrogate more than 30 years ago is enjoying a renaissance in the digital era.

Acid Reign was set up in the mid-1980s by Howard ‘H’ Smith, Mark Ramsey Wharton, Garry Jennings and Ian Gangwer. 

All pupils at Granby High School, they would rehearse every Sunday at Calcutt Village Hall. Because of its remote location, their classmates rarely visited to listen in and the band didn’t develop much of a following. 

However, Howard said this allowed them to hone their craft – later joined by Kev Papworth and Adam Lehan – and ultimately led to them getting a record deal with Metallica’s former record label, Music For Nations, after sending out their second demo tape. 

Their first and only gig in Harrogate followed shortly after, at the Lounge Hall – now Wetherspoons on Parliament Street – before they went on to record two studio albums, touring the UK and Europe. 

Stand-up comedy

When the band members went their separate ways in 1991, Howard moved north to Newcastle and joined another band. He had an urge to try his hand at stand-up comedy and applied for a course in London. 

The morning after his new band broke up, Howard received a letter confirming he had a place on the six-week comedy course. However, after several years of success on bills with the likes of Al Murray, Catherine Tate and Jimmy Carr, he began to feel differently about the job. 

“I just wasn’t enjoying it. I failed to find my voice. I was getting lots of laughs and bookings, but I thought, ‘I wouldn’t pay to see me’.  

“Eventually I realised, despite the fact that it’s a cool job, if you aren’t happy, it doesn’t matter what job it is.” 

The next few years were spent writing, including for BBC Choice. Then, with the break-up of a long-term relationship, Howard returned to stand-up – and inspiration struck. 

“I was on a trip to France, in a beautiful patisserie. The three of us were going ‘look at that!’ at all the incredible, delicate creations.  

“I just put this voice on and said, ‘I bet they haven’t got any pasties, have they?’” 

A new comedy character, Keith Platt, Professional Yorkshireman, was born. A charity shop raid created his costume and, at his first gig, Howard even impressed comedy legend Frank Skinner. 

For the last 16 years, he has continued to perform as Keith, having finally found his comedy voice. Unexpectedly, the character brought him back into the metal scene: he performed stand-up at the Download festival in 2014, where he closed his set with a cover of Pantera’s Walk, complete with a plastic guitar to smash up. 

Reforming Acid Reign

There was talk of a reunion in 2015 to mark 25 years since their final album. However, now each had their own lives and commitments, the band members struggled to find time to rehearse and drifted apart again.  

Members of the original Acid Reign line-up, formed at Granby High School: Mark Wharton, Adam Lehan, Ian MacDonald, Howard Smith and Kev Papworth

Howard invited friends – all former fans – to join him for some rehearsals and soon realised he could bring Acid Reign back in a new form for a new era. 

Now made up of members from around the UK, the band put out a new album in 2019 and Howard said it was a completely different experience. 

“Originally, when you put something out, if the critics didn’t like it you had no real way of knowing what the fans thought. Now, because of social media, they tell us directly. It’s great – you feel much more connected to what they think and how your album is being received.” 

Covid put paid to hopes of a tour of South America, but Howard said the first festival they played last summer, Bloodstock, was an incredible experience. They are now lined up to play Dominion Festival in July and are looking forward to writing and recording their next album. 

The sudden death of original band member Ian Gangwer last year was “devastating” for Howard, bringing back memories of how close they all were in their teens and early 20s. However, he has taken comfort in seeing the impact he has on other people, whether they know Acid Reign from the early days or a new fans. 

“Nothing will ever touch that kind of feeling when people come up and stop me and say, ‘I just want to say thank you for doing this and making me feel 16 again’. My response is always, ‘thanks for coming and making me feel 16 again too’.”

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