BBC2 Folk Awards

Last March we scored ourselves some tickets to the BBC2 Folk awards show! Several of the up and coming bands that we had seen at the Hebridean Celtic Festival were up for awards, so we randomly decided to venture down to London for the weekend. 

BBC2's Folk Awards!

We had some great seats, but then again, I don't think there's a bad seat in the whole place. 

View from our seats at the Royal Albert Hall

We arrived early, took a self-guided tour of the hall before purchasing some beverages. Even the ceiling was beautiful!

Ceiling of the Royal Albert Hall

In order, I've linked videos to small snippets of performances by Afro Celt Sound System, Fara, and Billy Bragg. Enjoy!!

Even though a lot of the songs preformed were downers, we had a really, really good time! 

Smiles, everyone! Smiles! 

Christmas Panto in Richmond

Sorry! Sorry! I'm still talking about Christmas, 2016. I'll try again to catch up…

In December 2016 we went in with several friends and rented a large house in Richmond, North Yorkshire. Amongst other things we did while there, was attend a Panto (more on that in a moment) in an 'untouched' Georgian theatre. 

The Richmond Theatre Royal was built in 1788, closed in 1848, reopened in 1963 (this time, with electricity!), restored and extended in 2003, and improved again in 2016. That said, it is still a wee, tiny theatre with bench seats that in America would be for 4, but here it's 6-8 people per bench. And forget about stretching out your legs!  

Panto is short for pantomime. But the name is weird & doesn't explain that it's a farce / children's play loosely based on a fairy tale (think: Snow White, Jack and the Beanstalk, etc.). Pantos are always, inexplicably, a Christmastime family event, even though it has nothing to do with Christmas.  

Georgian-era Richmond Theatre Royal

The shows are always great fun with loads of audience participation and silliness in spades. Although we were all adults, we got into the act and found ourselves throwing 'apples' (nerf-material colored balls) at the non-fairest of them all. This version of Snow White was set during the silent film era in Hollywood and the evil step mother was an aging film star. It was rather creative, and a fun time was had by all!