Easter South Tour
The King's Men this year had their first Easter North and South Tours since pre-covid! From the 10th to 16th of April, we gave concerts at Carlisle Cathedral, Lancaster Priory, Bibury (Cirencester), Westcott (Surrey), and Romsey Abbey.
Jack (Baritone)
Hello from the South! Jack here, to take you through the tales of our time in Westcott and Bibury. The KM Southern contingent set off in high spirits, taking in the familiar road to Westcott with a brief peradventure to St Albans Cathedral, sustaining themselves at the local Wagamamas. After a whistle-stop rehearsal, they delighted an enthusiastic audience with shanties, spirituals and some impromptu Chopin from Mr Davies! Westcott has been a perennial fixture on the King’s Men calendar, so we were delighted to continue our longstanding relationship. Following an evening of wine and Gershwin with our hosts - the men enraptured by the self-playing piano - a well-deserved rest awaited… well, after Mr Supramaniam had rescued Mr Harris from a gargantuan spider, that is.Keen to make haste to Bibury, the group’s collective indecisiveness resulted in a thrice-delayed, but nonetheless gratefully received, pub lunch in Marlow. Mr Tuft was particularly pleased to explore the town’s 200 year-old hydraulic water lock! KM’s trusty ball games made a resurgence upon our arrival in stunning Cotswolds surroundings, before conviviality amid the breaking of brownies became the order of the afternoon at one of our hosts’ cottages. Rufus and Scrumptious, two hosting canines, have been adopted as group mascots. Delightful suppers were enjoyed with our new host families, before beds (or pubs) came calling once more.
A scenic, sacred sojourn was selected for the next morning, the group taking in the beauty of St Peter and St Paul, Northleach. Mr Todes had exercised restraint all morning but, enamoured by the building’s palpable spirituality, cried out his ever-trusty call for a ‘bit of Tallis Lamentations, anyone?’ After prying the group away for lunch (Mr Rodgers gutted by his ‘this tastes like chicken’ venison ragu…), fine-tuning was done on our set. Mr Supramaniam prowled and growled, Mr Blake soared to dizzying heights, and a game of hide and seek was played mid-performance. The people of Bibury were hugely warm in their reception, the group particularly indebted to the generosity of their hosts, who prepared a delicious, full-team meal. With heavy hearts, it was time to depart; Mr Harris and Mr Davies missing the agreed call-time after one final effort to cajole Scrumptious into joining them in Cambridge. The group had a wonderful time, taking away lasting memories and new friendships and, hopefully, leaving behind some very happy audiences…
… and Mr Harris’ shaving razor.