As usual, the way funding works, it is uphill from April until now just getting the applications and questionnaires and paperwork sorted. Then there is the programme to build based on success or otherwise.
At this point we are pleased to say we have a full programme, and just still waiting on some final news that will enable us to announce the full programme early next week.
In the meantime we are able to confirm that we are building on our living history presentations around the walls. Not only do we once again have The Siege Story in St Columbs Cathedral, we also have a new series of Siege Tales from seven characters around the Walls. Our hugely successful lunchtime Culture Bite menu of lunchtime perfomances from singer/songwriters and solo/duo artists is expanding to three new venues. There are lots of last year’s performances on our Maiden City Festival YouTube Channel.
Enjoy a lunchtime Culture Bite at venues within and around the historic Walls.
Our Line Dance Extravaganza looks on its way to be another extraordinary success on the opening Saturday night. Also on the Saturday night, following an afternoon of Bluegrass around the Walls, we have an all female concert lineup of Bluegrass inspired performances in The Junction on Bishop Street.
Thursday night is band night, with the Imperial Corps of Drums from Liverpool bringing the Mersey to the Foyle, and Them Beatles finishing a night of tribute to the sounds of Liverpool.
There is lot more, but we have to wait another day or so to complete the programme. So for full details, watch this blog or follow us on Facebook. If you can’t wait go to www.maidencityfestival.com and connect to lots of our micro sites and webspaces created from previous events.
The Festival’s Tribute to William Love is available at www.maidencityfestival.com/williamlove/ performed by the outstanding Blackskull Corps of Fife & Drums. In addition to the William Love tunes the Festival is delighted to be able to add to its YouTube Channel more of that evenings excellent musicianship with the addition of other arrangements and tunes, not by William Love.
We’ve been busy since the last post. At the end of November we launched a new mini website containing a Tribute to William Love. This was a selection of original compositions and arrangements by Londonderry man William Love, who grew up in the Fountain and played in many of the bands around the City. The Festival was delighted to have the Black Skull Corps of Fife & Drums playing these tunes and more at a a very special concert in the Memorial Hall. More can be found by clicking on this photo’s caption. This was taken when we unveiled a commemorative plaque close to where his home once stood on Wapping Lane.
Then, just this past weekend a new site was launched in time for the Anniversary date of 18th December, the Shutting of the Gates, when apprentices closed the gates against soldier’s loyal to King James. The impact of this spontaneous defiance was to lead to the siege of Londonderry 1688-1689, the consequences of which were of European importance. The Festival’s presentation of the Siege Story in St Columb’s Cathedral, itself of great historic significance to Siege times, is a ‘promenade’ style performance as each actor leads us to the next step along the Siege Story. We hope you enjoy, and perhaps even think about coming to see a live performance at the Maiden City Festival 2010.
Natty Wailer arrived. Not when it said on the programme, but adding together Jamacian Time and Londonderry Time he was probably right on the button two and a half hours late. Not that anyone seemed to mind as they had the lovely Henry Girls to entertain them until Natty appeared, and it was well worth the wait. Video posts later.
There were other great performances around the Culture Bite trail and more of those once the videos are posted. Don’t forget there is one more day of great lunchtime music around the Walled City. The 13 Rounds is not having a Culture Bite tomorrow, but there is an afternoon of light music from 2pm. Today was also the last of the Tea Dances at the Memorial Hall. For tomorrow there is the fantastic Balkan Alien Sound at Bloom’s Cafe, Skruff at the Cafe Nervosa, Magazine Street, Rodney Cordner at the Cafe Artisan, London Street, and The Flamingo Brothers at Louis’s Cafe, Shipquay Street. It was only today I noticed that the official name of the cafe is CafeLouis, but I have never heard it called anything but Louis’s.
Anyway, following the Culture Bites at lunchtime, there was the unveiling of a plaque in the Fountain to the late William Love. William Love was a composer of music for marching bands: though we have learned he also wrote music for hymns, waltzes for dances and jigs for fun. We were delighted that the Blackskull Flute Band from Glasgow was able to join in our tribute. The plaque is at a location at the top of Wapping Lane that would be roughly where William Love’s home would have been – long since demolished for development. His house would have faced onto Wapping Lane, onto which he would have stepped from his front door.
Music from this afternoon will be posted later on a webspace dedicated to William Love. Also included on that site will be excerpts from a concert by the Blackskull Corps of Fifes and Drums, which I hear in the main hall above me as I type. The Blackskull has long appreciated the music of William Love and has a CD dedicated to his music. In future years the Festival hopes to be able to build on this year’s small appreciation of William Love.
