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The Herald Scotland
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Lulu's voice soars but is she struggling to break free from the past?
⭐⭐⭐ There is something that Lulu – who has now racked up more than 60 years in the business called show – wants her audience in Dunfermline to know tonight. 'I'm not retiring, by the way,' she tells us near the end of her raucously received gig at the Alhambra Theatre. And why should she? Dressed in diamante and white, she looks great for her age (she's now, as she reminds us more than once, 76). And she sounds even better. That soulful, rasping, rowdy voice with which she announced herself to the world as a young teenager with the single Shout back in 1964 remains intact, its dynamic range – greater than her songs and perhaps, at times, her own inclination, always allows – still apparent. She's something of a dynamo herself. As she slinks and shimmies around the stage she encourages her audience to raise the noise. 'Come on guys, you're not dead yet.' Not all of us can move as easily as her. Accompanied by her sister Edwina on backing vocals and a band who are all mountainman beards and headwear, she is an old-school trouper determined to put on a show. And therein might lie the problem. The format for the evening is a musical journey through Lulu's life. It begins with a nostalgic shuffle through a photograph album showing the many people she has been associated with in her life. The Beatles, Bowie, the Everly Brothers, Don and Phil Everly, Shirley Bassey, Elton John, Ronan Keating, her former husband Maurice Gibb and Dudley Moore all make an appearance. (Later there will be pictures of her with Jimi Hendrix and Tina Turner). Read more from Teddy Jamieson: But in many ways that gallery encapsulates the bipolarity of her career. She has always been drawn to soul and R&B (after opening with a relaxed reading of Shout she segues into a cover of Heatwave by Martha and the Vandellas and at one point she vamps a few lines from James Brown's Get Up I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine), but too often she has been drawn into the shallows of light entertainment. And so, after a bouncy take on Neil Diamond's The Boat That I Row (a top 10 hit for Lulu in 1967) she feels obliged to give us Boom Bang-A-Bang, her successful Eurovision entry for 1969 (four songs all ended up with the same votes and were declared joint winners). It's clear she's not a fan and she rattles it off as quickly as she can, but it sets the course for the evening; a constant push and pull between what she wants and what she thinks the audience wants. This is a curated show. It allows her to redraw the outlines of her back catalogue, remove the dross and play up the highlights. Even so, she feels obliged to include the big hits, including her loud but empty Bond theme tune The Man With the Golden Gun and her duet with Ronan Keating of Bob Seger's We've Got Tonight. Actually, the latter is one of the evening's highlights thanks to the interplay with her musical director Rick Krive, two great voices given space to soar. And it should be said the evening is full of fine things. Her take on Bowie's The Man Who Sold the World had a suitably Ziggy loucheness to it (as well as her amusingly accurate impersonation of the great man's south London accent). Performing Where the Poor Boys Dance and I Don't Wanna Fight – the latter a hit for Tina Turner – is a reminder that, with her brother Billy, she is more than capable of writing a good tune herself. But now and again the showbiz trouper in her slightly sabotages her best intentions; a few too many namedrops, one or two lurches into her 'Scottish' accent (although there's an element of play about the latter these days). Lulu pictured at Pinewood Studios in 1968 (Image: Newsquest) And she finishes the first half of the show with To Sir, With Love, one of the best things she's ever done and a number one hit in the United States in 1967. But this is an inflated, self-consciously epic take on the tune that doesn't totally suit it. And while it showcases the power of her voice it doesn't show its range and depth (as the recording does). Still, there's a lot to love here. Inevitably, she performs her 1993 comeback hit Independence and Relight My Fire (offering up a thank you to Take That for inviting her to sing it with them and for the LGBTQ community for supporting her through the years). And it's appropriate that she should give us a version of her mate Elton John's hit I'm Still Standing. Because, 60 years and counting into her career, she most definitely is. But you come away from this evening wondering what it might be like if she did a show for herself for once. Maybe she could perform her sadly overlooked 1970 New Routes album – recorded at Muscle Shoals with Duane Allman and Jim Dickinson – in full, or go back to the source of her love for soul and R&B and Rick Rubin it (think of what Rubin did for Johnny Cash). Retirement is the last thing she should do. But maybe another reinvention?
News18
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Sitar For Mental Health Tour: Rishab Rikhiram Sharma Unveils International Tour Dates
Last Updated: In 2022, he became the first sitarist invited to perform solo at the White House for the Diwali event. Sitarist Rishab Rikhiram Sharma has announced the European and North American leg of his acclaimed 'Sitar for Mental Health" tour. The tour will kick start in New York on September 14 and conclude in Toronto on November 12. The show will launch at the prestigious NMACC India Weekend, part of a three-day cultural extravaganza featuring artists like Bollywood legends Shankar Mahadevan and Shreya Ghoshal. Following that, the tour will take place in Amsterdam on October 5 at the iconic Concertgebouw. On October 7, the show will be held in Paris at the Alhambra Theatre, with the final performance taking place at Meridian Hall in Toronto on November 12. Rishab is the youngest and last disciple of Maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar. He started 'Sitar for Mental Health" as an initiative to mental health recovery through the sounds of the sitar to help people heal. This idea came to him during the COVID-19 pandemic when Rishab was going through anxiety himself. He was born into a family that has a long and rich history with music. His father owns Rikhi Ram Musical Co., a famous shop in Delhi that sells musical instruments. The shop was started by his grandfather, Rikhi Ram Sharma. He told Telegraph India that he picked up the sitar while he was studying Music Production and Economics at City University of New York, Queens College Campus. 'A friend of mine installed FL Studio, and we cracked it on my laptop, and that's how I started making my beats. I wasn't mixing them—sitar and electronic production, but when I went to college, I collaborated with different hip-hop artists and rappers, and they really liked Indian music." Since the foundation of his initiative in 2020, he has performed in various countries, including the US, Canada, and South America. In 2022, he became the first sitarist invited to perform solo at the White House for the Diwali event hosted by President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, and VP Kamala Harris. First Published: July 17, 2025, 17:32 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
BBC News
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Bradford theatre audiences surge in City of Culture year
Bradford's two main theatres have seen a surge in visitors during the UK City of Culture 2025 celebrations, according to the Alhambra Theatre and St George's Hall, both managed by the authority, had each seen a rise in the number of people attending performances, a Bradford Council spokesperson 340,000 visitors headed to the Alhambra in 2024-25, up from 248,000 in 2023-24, while numbers at St George's Hall were up from 84,000 to 86,000 in the same Ferriby, portfolio holder for healthy people and places, said: "We are delighted to see so many people enjoying Bradford's incredible cultural offer." "The spotlight is on the city and district during this special year, and we are exceeding expectations," she added. The latest figures also revealed that the four museums and galleries managed by Bradford Council saw a 12% increase in visits during the first six months of this total, there were 97,368 visits to Bradford Industrial Museum, Bolling Hall Museum, Cartwright Hall Art Gallery and Cliffe Castle Museum and Park between January and June this year, compared to 86,992 in the same period last to the Cartwright Hall Art Gallery were up by more than a third, from 23,603 to 31,447 during the same period, according to the said: "The impressive growth is testament to the diverse and vibrant cultural offering during Bradford's year as the designated UK City of Culture."Bradford being chosen for the prestigious title had played a "pivotal role" in attracting both local and international visitors to the city who were "eager to explore the rich heritage and diverse exhibitions", she said."Bradford's theatres, museums and galleries will all be building on this momentum with more impressive listings designed to engage and inspire audiences, and we are committed to continuing our efforts to make culture accessible to all." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
The Herald Scotland
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
'Her voice is our gift to world' - 10 best gigs in July in Scotland
Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline, July 17 Lulu's career has always been a weird mismatch of hipster moments - the glory of her 1967 hit To Sir With Love, her time recording at Muscle Shoals, teaming up with Bowie - and long stretches of light entertainment-flavoured misfortune; the wavering accent, her Eurovision entry Boom Bang a-Bang and having to welcome the likes of Vince Hill and Roy Castle onto her 1970s TV show It's Lulu (though to be fair she also got to introduce Bill Withers, Roberta Flack and Aretha Franklin too). Her reputation is probably just one well-curated retrospective away from being positively reframed. (If in any doubt take a listen to Where's Eddie on her 1970 album New Routes; the best thing she's ever done?) You can decide between yourselves if her contribution to Take That's Relight My Fire makes the cut. Anyway, at 76, Lulu is currently in the midst of a long farewell tour that sees her turn up in Dunfermline this month. It's a chance to remind ourselves that her voice remains one of Glasgow's great gifts to the world. We should celebrate it more. Read more: Scotland's 10 best summer festivals that are not the Edinburgh Festival Sophie B Hawkins King Tut's, Glasgow, July 2 You couldn't want for a more intimate venue for the American singer-songwriter now celebrating the 30th anniversary of her second album Whaler (actually released in 1994). Hawkins carries the mistaken label of one-hit wonder for the success of her 1992 single Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover, but Whaler was home to Right Beside You which was also a top 20 hit in the UK. I suspect she'll play both on this visit to Glasgow. Alanis Morissette OVO Hydro, Glasgow, July 5 It's not always remarked upon, but while British pop (or to be more specific Britpop) was going all 'we're going to live forever,' in 1995, its North American equivalent was an angrier affair. Grunge hadn't disappeared and the Riot Grrrl movement was still a force, after all. And then Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette announced herself to the world in 1995 with the exhilaratingly ferocious You Oughta Know, the lead single from her multi-million-selling Jagged Little Pill album and one of the great, snarky revenge songs against straying boyfriends. ('And every time I scratch my nails/Down someone else's back, I hope you feel it.') Thankfully, Morissette's life has moved on a bit in the interim, but she comes to Glasgow fresh from Glastonbury with Liz Phair in support. A chance to relive some righteous 1990s feminist anger perhaps. Billie Eilish OVO Hydro, Glasgow, July 7 & July 8 And two days later in the same venue… Eilish is still only 23, but she already has a decade of music-making, three albums and a raft of awards (including a couple of Oscars and nine Grammys) behind her. For someone who has been described as the 'ultimate bedroom artist', concocting her music in the comfy familiarity of her own home, she has proved more than capable of translating the results for an arena audience (in 2022 she became the youngest ever headliner at Glastonbury). This is pop music a quarter of the way through the 21st century. Kendrick Lamar and SZA Hampden Park, Glasgow, July 8 You might say the same of the recordings of Kenrick Lamar, of course. The rapper is taking a break from his ongoing beef with Drake to team up with singer-songwriter SZA - fresh from their Super Bowl appearance together - for a world tour. If you want to get a sense of where black America is right now… Summer Classics: The Scottish Chamber Orchestra The Town House, Hamilton, July 17; Castle Douglas Town Hall, July 18; Ayr Town Hall, July 19 The SCO is on manoeuvres in the west of Scotland in July with performances in Hamilton, Castle Douglas and Ayr. The programme includes Haydn's Symphony No 80 in D Minor, Beethoven's Symphony No 4 in B-Flat and the world premiere of Rewired, a concerto for soprano saxophone and chamber orchestra composed by Jay Capperauld, recent cover star of this very magazine. Lewis Banks is the solo saxophonist for these evenings and the orchestra will be conducted by Jonathan Bloxham. Read more: Death never takes a holiday but you do: 10 best crime novels to pack for summer Colin Steele's STRAMASH Queen's Hall, July 18 Part of the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival, Colin Steele's supergroup STRAMASH promise a fusion of jazz, folk and classical music in this Edinburgh gig. Steele, who cut his teeth playing with Hue & Cry back in the 1980s, has been one of Scottish jazz's most reliable pleasures; a trumpet player who has explored the music of Miles Davis and the songbooks of Joni Mitchell and Scotland's own Pearlfishers. This should be a good reminder of his musical adventurousness. C Duncan Tolbooth, Stirling, July 19 This special one-off show in Stirling celebrates the 10th anniversary of Architect ('classical meets dreampop,' according to the Guardian in 2015), the Mercury-nominated debut album of the classically trained Glaswegian multi-instrumentalist C Duncan. Any excuse to take in his hazy romanticism should always be seized. Public Image Ltd Kelvingrove Bandstand, Glasgow, July 29 Now, it would seem, permanently estranged from his fellow Sex Pistols (who replaced him with singer Frank Carter on their own recent trip to Glasgow), John Lydon is still touring the world with his other band PiL and still playing the role of the world's most willful contrarian. Lydon has had a rough couple of years, losing his wife Nora and his manager and best friend John 'Rambo Stevens'. But he remains committed to playing live, and onstage he remains the blustering, bolshy presence he's always been. Take that as a threat or a promise. He's right about one thing, though. PiL were always a better band than the Pistols. Teenage Fanclub Kelvingrove Bandstand, Glasgow, July 31 Two nights later (with Anastacia sandwiched in between), it's the turn of Bellshill's favourite sons to play the Bandstand. Teenage Fanclub remain what they have always been: a guitar band with an ear for a hook and an ability to make music that can make you feel happy and sad at the same time. They are soaringly melancholic, if you like. This seems as good a way as any to see out July.
Business Journals
13-05-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Podcast: Craig Smith talks Alhambra Theatre revival, business acquisitions
In the latest episode of Florida Business Minds, Jacksonville entrepreneur Craig Smith joins JBJ Editor in Chief James Cannon to share how he's turned passion projects into cornerstones of the local business community — including breathing new life into the historic Alhambra Theatre and acquiring St. Johns Food Service. Smith, who got his start selling beepers and troubleshooting failing franchises before he was old enough to drink, opens up about buying legacy businesses with little prior experience in their industries. From saving the Alhambra from closure in 2009 to transforming a 70-year-old food distribution company into a strategic asset, Smith reflects on lessons in leadership, reinvestment, and what it means to build a business with purpose. GET TO KNOW YOUR CITY Find Local Events Near You Connect with a community of local professionals. Explore All Events He discusses the challenges of competing with national brands, the emotional weight of running a theater that's created lifelong memories for generations of families, and his plans for the newly acquired Dick's Wings and the St. Augustine "Big Red Bus." 'My leadership style is simple,' Smith says. 'I think about every one of the 150 people who work with me when I make a decision.' Sponsored by TECO Peoples Gas, the Florida Business Minds audio series features candid conversations with business leaders from the Orlando, South Florida, Tampa Bay and Jacksonville regions. Find more Florida Business Minds podcasts here. Sign up here for the Business Journal's free morning and afternoon daily newsletters to receive the latest business news impacting the First Coast, and download our free app to get breaking news alerts on your phone.
