Gail Hendrickx, Alan Clayson

The wheels of the universe sometimes just come together to create something extraordinary! The show promises an extravaganza that will appeal to both devotees of chanson and anyone wishing to be entertained. As well as works by Jacques Brel, Charles Aznavour, Scott Walker, The Singing Nun and other chansonniers, Gallic and English. There will be ventures into curious but connected realms by the two principals and a multi-talented array of choral and instrumental accompanists.

Long before her impact on a wider world, Gail Hendrickx was a television and radio star in Wales. Her breadth of vocal expression equals that of Maddy Prior, Mari Wilson, Ute Lemper and diverse other vocalists who, for all the unavoidable influences, are likewise unclassifiable. While equally at ease singing to her guitar in the intimacy of a folk club, Gail has undertaken numerous tours, fronting The Prague Jazz Collective – with whom she delivered a memorable sell-out concert at Newbury’s Corn Exchange in 2007.

Alan Clayson has been presenting chanson since 2011, initially to tie-in with La Vie Bohème, his acclaimed biography of Jacques Brel. Recent media coverage has described it as ‘mesmerising’, ‘a man possessed’, ‘a master raconteur at the top of his game’. In the wake of a recent concert in New York his performance was dubbed ‘definitely more than a performance—an experience!’. Prior to his renown as a music historian, Clayson was leader of the legendary Clayson and the Argonauts and has since become ‘one of the more extraordinary figures to emerge from rock ’n’ roll’ (The Independent).