Richard Dawson & Asiq Nargile & Spires That In The Sunset Rise Live at St. Gabriel’s Church

Sing your song boldly and you will find others who want to share in its spirit. From hearing each other play at the North-East’s TUSK Festival last year, Richard Dawson and Asiq Nargile found a great riddle in one another’s song. Thankfully for us, their fascination for the other’s (and the other’s) music has led to a short, double-bill, UK tour, including a date at St. Gabriel’s Church in Heaton. 

Dawson’s performances have grown more beautiful and peculiar the wider he has travelled. In this House of The Messenger, the characters from his latest album might find their reflections augmented in the stained glass and who knows how they will handle this portrayal? 

Nargile will be visiting from Georgia, via Turkey, to share her tales. She unwraps her songs using a saz, with all its sharp percussive sounds and string rattles. 

Though the aesthetics of two different spoken languages separate our troubadours, a more fundamental expression unites them. In addition, for this Newcastle leg of this tour, the Chicago duo Spires That in the Sunset Rise will also play. Using a multitude of instruments, STITSR will be guided by their songs as they play in improvisation and the unknown. 

[2015.08.06] for NARC Magazine.

The Tempest - Improbable Theatre Company - At Northern Stage, Newcastle

This autumn at Northern Stage, Prospero is, once again, returned to the shores of a remote island where he will torment his brother as an act of revenge for his sibling’s thievery.

Though The Tempest is a classic and has had many interpretations, Improbable’s sense of theatrical urgency, and focus on what they describe as what is ’really happening in the moment,’ will no doubt bring an energised reworking to the moments of this story. 

As a company, Improbable have been invested in creating theatre for over twenty years, keeping improvisation at the heart of their exploration. It is from such a tendency that some truly exciting spectacles have been produced. 

Many of their previous shows have utilised puppetry too, and whether this is the case here or not, it will no doubt be a colourful and visually stimulating stage from start to finish. 

As themes of deception and manipulation play out in the story, rest assured, on and off-stage, Improbable will be working to colour your mind in illusion too.  

Phelim McDermott is taking charge of this tale of magic, and with the great Tyrone Huggins portraying the rightful Duke of Milan, with all his wizardry, this interpretation is set to inspire wonder.

[2015.08.06] for NARC Magazine.