Line up for Greenwich Summer Sessions announced

Squeeze, Status Quo and Mark Ronson will all be headlining this year’s Greenwich Summer Sessions.

The concert series returns to the grounds of Greenwich’s Old Royal Naval College for its second year and will also include performances from The Divine Comedy, The Pogues and José González.

The sessions, which are the brainchild of local promoter, Peter Conway, will take place at the end of July with more acts still to be announced.

“Greenwich Summer Sessions got off to a great start last year and this year’s line up looks to be just as popular. Where better to to spend a summer’s evening than in the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College listening to a line up of top musical acts?” commented Cllr John Fahy, Cabinet member for Culture and the Olympics.

The announcement came this morning at a launch event at the Old Brewery in Greenwich attended by Squeeze legends, Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook . Tilbrook teased assembled journalists by announcing this would be Squeeze’s last ever gig – before clarifying he merely meant their last gig in July!

For Chris Difford, this morning’s launch was his first visit to the grounds of the naval college since  Sir Francis Chichester was knighted there in 1967.

I asked Chris, who no longer lives in Greenwich, if he was looking forward to seeing some familiar faces from his past. “I think there’ll be local faces and whenever we play locally, we get that. We’re like the village cat I suppose; we come back around and everyone strokes us”, he said.

Line-Up

26 July – The Divine Comedy / José González
27 July – Mark Ronson & The Business Intl. + support
28 July – Status Quo + Nine Below Zero
29 July – Squeeze + support
30 July – The Pogues + Support
31 July – TBA

More information can be found at www.greenwichsummersessions.co.uk

Tim Barnes awarded honorary degree

A former chair of the Greenwich Society has been honoured by the University of Greenwich for his work with law graduates.

Tim Barnes QC was awarded an honorary degree, Doctor of Laws (HonLLD), at a ceremony at the chapel of the Old Royal Naval College on Monday.

The award  is for Tim’s work as chair and founder member of the university’s Law Advisory Forum which was set up three years ago to improve the employability prospects of Greenwich Law graduates

Mr Barnes commented, “This is one of the most beautiful and historic campuses in the world. We owe a debt of gratitude to the University of Greenwich for coming here. Greenwich Law students are the best turned out, best presented and most articulate that attend events at our chambers. They display the commitment and enthusiasm that are crucial qualities for a legal career.”

Kim Everett, from the University of Greenwich, says: “We owe a great debt to Tim for all he has contributed to the university through the Law Advisory Forum. He firmly believes that our Law students can achieve great things and should have the opportunity to do just that.”

Greenwich Comedy Festival 2010

Following the success of last year’s Greenwich Comedy Festival, it returns again in 2010 with an even bigger and better line up.

Names confirmed so far include Jenny Eclair, Arthur Smith, Rhona Camerson, Ed Byrne, Phill Jupitus, Jerry Sadowitz, Adam Buxton and Stephen K Amos, Reginald D Hunter, Sean Hughes and Rufus Hound.

The festival will run between 6th  - 12th September with most acts taking place in the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College.

Click here for ticketing information

Greenwich Summer Sessions

A string of high profile music acts will be coming to Greenwich this July for the Greenwich Summer Sessions.

The sessions will kick off on Wednesday 21st July with Seth Lakeman and the Levellers. In the following days, music fans will be able to enjoy the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, former Squeeze star Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra – joined by Alison Moyet and Gilson Lavis, and then Deptford band, Athlete, will be headlining the final day.

The Summer Sessions will take place in the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College.

Tickets can be purchased online via Ticketmaster:

• Seth Lakeman / Levellers – July 21st – 6pm
• Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra – July 22nd – 6pm (Hospitality packages)
• Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Band – July 23rd – 6pm (Hospitality packages)
• Athlete and special guests – July 24th – 2pm

Discounts are available for residents of the London Borough of Greenwich.

Daily Photo: 19/03/10 – The ORNC at Night

Many thanks to Mike Curry who emailed me this night time photo of the Old Royal Naval College that he took recently. You can find more of his work on his website.

He is also currently auctioning a high gloss large sized print of another ORNC photo for charity – find out more.

Daily Photo: 19/01/10 – King Charles Court

King Charles Court -Click here to read more about the architecture at the Old Royal Naval College.

Antiques Roadshow Comes To Greenwich

The BBC’s Antiques Roadshow trundles into town next week and they are reminding people they can come along with their antiques to get them valued. The stalwart of the Sunday night TV schedules, now fronted by Fiona Bruce, will be at the Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College on Thursday 1st October.

If you have an item you would like to have valued by the experts, just turn up between 9.30 am and 4.30 pm. If you just want to go along to be part of the audience, you can get there up until 7pm.

If you have items which are too big to carry along, you can contact the team in advance by emailing photos to antiques.roadshow@bbc.co.uk (the deadline is tomorrow, Friday 25th). They will then arrange to come and examine selected items before Thursday and help you get them to the show.

The Roadshow last visited the Naval College in 1998 when a book of Japanese prints bought in a junk shop turned out to be worth £3,500.

What’s On This Week: July 27th – August 2nd 2009

This week’s events are something of a thespian’s dream.  The Old Royal Naval College’s outdoor Shakespeare season starts with Henry V this week from Wednesday to Sunday evenings (plus weekend matinees) by the Rainbow Shakespeare Company.  Their primary focus is usually on school theatre projects so their aim here is to make Shakespeare accessible for all the family, but they also take the traditionalist’s view that Shakespeare should be kept simple and styled of its time.  Good on them if you ask me: Shakespeare just isn’t right without breeches, monologues and a vague sense of confusion about what’s going on.

Feeling a little more daring is the Black Sun Theatre Company who are staging 100% Comedy 100% Chekhov at the Greenwich Playhouse this week until 16^th August.  In most people’s mind the words ‘Comedy’ and ‘Chekhov’ are generally mutually exclusive – the playwright is best known for his surreal, modernist studies of misery – but apparently he did write some funny one-act plays that are summarised into a trendy ‘potted’ version here.

Firmly back in ‘serious theatre’ territory is Greenwich Theatre on Friday evening with their production To Care For, which looks at the role of older people in our society since the post-war era.  With specific reference to their role as both carers and patients, the play was created out of interviews with older people and is based on their real-life experiences, so expect a real-life angle.  No swords or mad kings in this one (I hope) but it should be very thought-provoking stuff.

Finally on the much lighter end of the scale, The Albany in Deptford has a comedy night on Wednesday, previewing some of the Edinburgh Festival sets by ex-Friday Night Project host Rob Rouse and up-and-coming Pippa Evans.

Are there any other events happening in Greenwich this week? Use the comments section below to tell us about them.

What’s On This Week: July 6th – July 12th 2009

The heat wave may be over but the joy of jazz is still worth getting out of doors for, with the Greenwich Beer & Jazz Festival at the Old Royal Naval College from Wednesday.  There are three live acts every day with a good mix of renowned jazz and blues experts, such as saxophonist Courteney Pine, with some emerging talent like the Hammond funk band Jezebel Sextet. This energetic troupe will no doubt have you dancing round the lawns in no time, especially if you’ve taken the challenge of sampling the 70 beers on offer seriously.  The ale is as much the star of the show as the music, with a focus on smaller brewing companies -local Meantime is heavily featured – and every variety of ale known to man. 

If you like your al fresco music a little less crowded The Wantage Brass Band are playing a mix of favourites and new arrangements at the bandstand in Greenwich Park on Sunday afternoon. 

Said the witches in Macbeth: “When shall we three meet again?” Well, this Tuesday onwards at Greenwich Playhouse, apparently, in Something Wicked This Way Comes.  I admire anyone who tries to do something new with the ubiquitous Shakespeare and writer/director David Hunt has risen to the challenge by making an entire play out of the bard’s best villains.  Check back to read my take on it later in the week on Greenwich.co.uk.  Along those literary lines there’s also a discussion of The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis at St Alfege’s on Tuesday. 

A little further afield the Plumstead Harmonies are performing Music for a Midsummer Evening at St Mark and St Margaret Church on Saturday in Woolwich.  There’s instrumental music and singing with a programme covering baroque to present day and there’s also some poetry and light refreshments, so it should be a very pleasant affair.

Anything else happening in Greenwich this week? If so, post it below in the comments section…

“Henry Days” Draw Thousands to Greenwich

A weekend of events to mark the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII’s accession to the throne attracted an audience of thousands.

The two day event, titled the “Henry Days”, was jointly organised by Greenwich Council and the Greenwich Foundation – the charity that looks after the Old Royal Naval College.

There was face painting, Tudor dancing, archery and demonstations of knights in combat. Probably the best time was had by the actor playing Henry VIII who got to lord it up round Greenwich as the most famous English king there has been.

Councillor John Fahy, Cabinet member for Culture and Olympics, said, “Henry VIII is undoubtedly one of the most significant figures in world history and his extensive links with Greenwich are a source of great pride in the borough. As well as being Greenwich-born, his chief residence was the former Greenwich Palace, which is now the Old Royal Naval College, and therefore was the most appropriate venue to commemorate such a special occasion. I was absolutely delighted to see so many people in attendance and I hope everyone enjoyed the occasion.”

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