9 Lessons and Carols @ St. Gabriels Aldersbrook

@matthewtaylorx: 9 lessons & carols@ st gabriels. Prof orchestra & vg choir get you into xmas mood - welcome spiritual reminder after a materialistic weekend of shopping x/xx

No score given 'we don't do god'. As a non believer one can still enjoy and be moved by religious worship and by individuals celebrating their faith. An excellent orchestra and good acoustic with church choir emboldened by their voluntary helpers. This was a reflective calming end to the weekend

Underbling & Vow @ Hoxton Hall

@matthewtaylorx: Underbling&Vow@HoxtonHalla wonderful music hall currently having major refurb. Funny Ed fringey music hall act with modern world twist. 7/10

Quirky double act get the audience involved from the off with knees up mother brown including all the actions.

Simple idea of time travel allows this act to take the audience back to Dickens and return to the modern day having paused for a number of sing songs, a raffle and a game of pass the parcel along the way. Interesting audience included a few folk like me, a lot of 20 to 30 somethings and a small female posse of local youf. Who despite sitting at the front found their attention swinging between the show, apparent blank disinterest in everything and the lure of their mobile phones. Nanna the lead (only) female (still not sure if it was a feminine man in drag) of the double act gave us a lesson in audience engagement and handling including drawing the youf into the show.

Hoxton Hall is one of two music halls in London. It has secured heritage lottery funding to improve its basic M&E infrastructure and some back office facilities initially (phase 1). Phase 2 will renovate the Hall and other areas. Very exciting times for this social enterprise charity that seeks to provide arts related development opportunities for young adults and school children in the area.

They have invited me to be their chair of trustees from March.

Goodbye Barcelona @ The Arcola

@matthewtaylorx: Goodbye Barcelona @ The Arcola Dalston. Excellent musical play about English anti fascists who went & fought in the Spanish civil war 8/10

Strong cast in this shabby chic theatre in trendy dalston

John Wilson Orchestra @ The Royal Festival Hall

@matthewtaylorx: John Wilson orchestra@royal festival hall. MGM musicals from the 20s to 60s. Lovely music played a little too quietly. Great vocalists. 8/10

Nice family night out. Average age over 55, possibly higher. A few children (saw 2), not many my daughters ages. The lady who fainted in the choral seating behind the orchestra did not prove to be too much of a distraction despite the tooing and froing of the crowd of helpers she attracted.

3 encores reflected the warmth of the audience and the entusiasm of the artists