The Week in Light & Sound
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A new Take That album, Odyssey, is also being released on 23 November. It will feature 27 tracks spanning three decades of the band's history, as well as three new songs.
Training Opportunities - Lighting designer Paule Constable has called on theatres to provide more training opportunities for emerging designers. Constable was speaking at The Stage Debut Awards 2018, where she presented the best designer award to Khadija Raza.
Constable said: “There should be more opportunities for designers to work on a body of work and more bursaries. At the moment it’s very informal – it’s designers who take on young designers as assistants – but actually buildings need to take on young designers and give them opportunities to work all over the industry and also give us environments where we can take risks. She added: “That’s what we all desperately need, to be able to take risks. There’s nowhere near enough of that for set and costume designers, lighting designers or sound designers.”
Cry Wolf - Wolf Alice won the 2018 Hyundai Mercury Prize for their second album, 2017’s Visions of a Life. On receiving the award, frontperson Ellie Rowsell said: “This means so much to pick this up with my three best friends”. Bassist Theo Ellis recalled how the band were knocked back by a record label head for their image, for Rowsell wearing makeup, and for their genre-resistant take on indie rock and post-punk, adding: “But here we are, so **** you!”
Prior to the ceremony, Rowsell struggled to express how appreciative they were for the nomination: “We were so happy we got nominated. It’s hard to show that. We’re just gormless!” At the show, the London four-piece performed their single Don’t Delete the Kisses, twice - once during the show, and then shortly after to celebrate their win.
Nadine Shah was the bookmakers’ favourite to win for her third album, Holiday Destination, leading the jazz outfit Sons of Kemet and guitarist King Krule. Before the ceremony, Shah criticised what she perceived as the prize’s creeping similarity to the more mainstream Brit Awards. “Now the Mercury is actually run by the same company, the BPI [British Phonographic Industry], I think it needs to find its feet again. It’s controversial of me to say so, but I do criticise it for that. It needs to establish once again, what is it that they’re trying to do. Why is Noel Gallagher being nominated? Why are there only two debut albums?”
Play On - Tina: The Tina Turner Musical has extended its run in the West End until July 2019. Producers said plans are also underway for a Broadway production of the musical, while a German production will open in Hamburg next March. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd, and written by Katori Hall with Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins, Tina stars Adrienne Warren and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, who are scheduled to continue until March.
(Jim Evans)
25 September 2018
