Preston Reed - Guitarist
Guitarist PrestonReed will be performing at The Lights on
Thursday 2 October. For those not familiar with him,
Preston hails from New York State and has recorded 13 albums since
1979. Now based in Europe, this talented musician
composes and plays all of his own work on a range of guitars, from
steel string acoustic, solid body electric, semi-acoustic,
12-string and classical, amongst others.
His work ranges from bluesy early rhythm and blues to ballads to
jazz and rock. And this vast range of explosively
original music is likely to forever change your expectation of a
guitarist. First-time listeners find it impossible to
believe that they're hearing just the one musician, in real
time. Reed attacks the entire instrument in a never-ending
search for the orchestra he knows is lurking inside. At full
tilt, his fingers, thumbs, fists and hands suggest a drummer,
keyboardist, bassist and several guitarists at work.
Reed's compositional talents extend to film soundtracks and
prestigious commissions for the Minneapolis Guitar Quartet, and as
well as appearances alongside Bonnie Raitt and Linda Ronstadt his
major performances include an historic live satellite broadcast on
Turkish National Television in 1997 with renowned sax player and
composer Arif Sag which reached an audience of 120 million in 17
countries, prompting a flood of international telephone calls to
the station from stunned viewers.
He has charmed audiences on three continents and continues to tour
with the same hunger and relish that informs his guitar playing.
The secret, he says, is to relax and let the guitar
patterns run by themselves.
Tickets are available from The Box Office on 01264 368368 or
on-line at http://www.thelights.org.uk/
Issued August 08
Circus of Horrors
Created in 1995 after a chance meeting (ironically at a funeral)
between Dr Haze and Circus impresario Gerry Cottle the
Circus of Horrors made it’s debut at the
Glastonbury Festival of that year. The show has since
toured the world from Argentina to Uruguay to perform at major
venues and festivals, achieving cult status and generally dragging
Circus screaming and shouting into the 21st
century. On Monday 24 November you can catch it at The
Lights in Andover.
Set in the late 1800’s in an archaic institution in
France. A side show owner, Dr Haze, buy’s the mad house
to present his new show to rival the Operetta and soon to be Dance
Hall of Decadence, “Moulin Rouge”. Dr Haze liberates
the lunatics and turns them into his performers to present his new
spectacular “Bloody thirsty and Burlesque”. But
beware, all is not well and the show ends in an apocalyptic
nightmare. The lunatics have taken over the asylum!
Be prepared for death defying circus acts, blood curdling
stunts, a huge uncontrollable cast of Burlesque Beauties complete
with flying lunatics, all complemented by pulsating lighting and
devil driven rock ‘n’ roll.
Lights Director Heather Whittam “This is a very popular
show which has regularly wowed the crowds at Salisbury City Hall.
Bringing Circus of Horrors to The Lights will certainly
give our audiences something to talk about as it is completely
different to our usual offering” http://www.circusofhorros.co.uk/
Tickets are available from The Lights Box Office on 01264 368368
or on-line athttp://www.thelights.org.uk/
Issued August 08
Comedy Moments at The Lights
The autumn season at The Lights is packed with comedy moments
courtesy of top drawer comedians booked to appear either at the
regular monthly Comedy Club or as stand-ups in the theatre.
Hard on the heels of the sell out show for Stephen
Merchant in August comes the regular Sunday evening comedy
club on Sunday 14 September. Working with Off the Kerb
Productions, agents for some of the biggest names in UK comedy
ensures a steady flow of quality acts, and this month features
Canadian Jason Rouse, award winning Steve
Weiner and Lloyd Langford.
Pete Firman, a man sometimes described as “The
MySpace generation’s Tommy Cooper” - brings his interestingly
named show “FlimFlam” to The Lights on Sunday 21 September –
a show that promises to be a unique brand of anarchic magic and
off-beat comedy.
Then, on Friday 3 October, one of the most popular comics
working in the UK today Jeff Green, will
demonstrate his razor-sharp observational style combined with
abundant natural charm which have marked him out as one of the
brightest talents on the British comedy scene. As
well many TV credits, he regularly plays to sell out audiences with
rave reviews.
Sunday 12 October sees the second Comedy Club which for this
night features ex-public schoolboy and trained Rabbi Josh
Howie, diminutive Liverpudlian, guitar-wielding satirist
Steve Gribbon and Dan Atkinson,
currently on the Edinburgh and Beyond 2007 live tour.
November’s Comedy Club line up includes trained actor, writer
and stand up Hal Cruttenden who has a host of
radio and TV credits to his name including Rob Brydon’s Annually
Retentive and the BBC’s Omid Dialli show. He’ll
be followed on stage by Rufus Hound, BBC presenter
and host who has covered Top of the Pops, DanceXtra and Glastonbury
and Reading Festivals. Completing the November line up
will be JoJo Smith who has gone from open spot to
British late-night television star, from global fame on the
Internet to international comedy performer.
A return visit to Andover by funny man Ed Byrne
with “Different Class” a blisteringly funny new one man show about
marriage, class, the youth of today and anything else that strikes
him as humorous, is booked for Saturday 22 November.
The final funny act for the autumn season is Simon
Day who rose to prominence in “The Fast
Show”. In this new stand up show “What a Fool
believes” he will attempt to explain what it is like to be a clown,
hero, genius, loser and true artist – all in one show!
Tickets for the Comedy Clubs and shows are available from the
Box Office on 01264 368368 or on-line at http://www.thelights.org.uk/
Issued August 08
September at The Lights
Two very different shows start the autumn
season at The Lights. BBC Antiques Roadshow
presenter and broadcaster Eric Knowles presents his Antique Antics
on Sunday 7 September, an enjoyable mixture of fascinating,
often irreverent anecdotal reminiscences with a focus on the
audience’s treasures. Prior to the show the audience
are invited to bring along their very own “treasure” for Eric to
value.
In complete contrast on the following Friday
12 September The Lights Arena will be hosting a standing concert by
the well established and much loved band The Hamsters.
Known as a blues-rock attraction who usually perform rootsy rock,
blues and Americana, they will be performing 2 sets of Jimi Hendrix
and ZZ Top songs, for which they are widely regarded as being the
UK’s leading interpreters.
Other shows in the first month of the season
include the regular Comedy Club on Sunday 14 September, followed by
the free Acoustic Night on the Monday.
Another big sound will come from a repeat visit to The Lights by
U2UK on Friday 19 September. Live music complimented by
full multimedia and an exciting light show authentically recreates
U2’s stadium tours throughout the years.
Children will enjoy the enchanting Three Billy
Goats Gruff and Other Furry Tails at 11am on Saturday 20
September. This show asks - Why was Goldilocks wandering in
the woods? What really happened between the wolf and his
three porky friends? And, How did the goats overcome a mighty
troll? – all explored by the wonderful Theatre of Widdershins with
puppets and a sound track that will stay in your head long after
you’ve left the theatre.
Completing the month’s offerings will be
off-beat comedian Pete Firman, sometimes described as the Myspace
generation’s Tommy Cooper. And finally, a return visit
by the Elvis on Tour show, featuring Lee Memphis King the UK’s most
successful Elvis impersonator and finalist in the BBC’s “The Worlds
Greatest Elvis”. Pure entertainment at The
Lights.
Issued by: Teresa Bradley, Marketing
Manager, The Lights, 01264
368833