King's Men Tour Blogs from previous tours
Mini Cathedrals Tour August 2024
Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th August
We were very fortunate to be invited to give concerts in Lincoln Cathedral on the 28th, and at Ripon Cathedral on the 29th. Both beautiful buildings surrounded by lovely country side, it was a lovely opportunity for 7 of us to reunite and sing together again since North & South Tours.
Mini Cathedrals Tour August 2024
Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th August
We were very fortunate to be invited to give concerts in Lincoln Cathedral on the 28th, and at Ripon Cathedral on the 29th. Both beautiful buildings surrounded by lovely country side, it was a lovely opportunity for 7 of us to reunite and sing together again since North & South Tours.
North Tour Summer 2024 Blogs
Wednesday 10th July - St Mary's Church, Kirkby Lonsdale
Day 1 North Tour Blog from Paul: North tour began where it always does: in the car park a few moments west of our beloved chapel. Here, we acquainted ourselves with the sleek Peugeot that’s been rented for the duration of our six-day long road trip, and were pleasantly surprised to find that it was furnished with air conditioning, ample leg-room, and seatbelts. The King’s Men have learned not to take such luxuries for granted, so commenced the four-hour drive to Kirkby Lonsdale in high spirits. Pausing for burgers at a service station just outside Birmingham, here we also purchased a frisbee and throwable foam torpedo, hoping for a chance to hone our considerable collective sporting prowess later in the week. The final leg of our first journey was passed with the customary bickering, while I carefully considered how I’d managed to empty the entire contents of my water bottle into my rucksack. Having reached the town and grappled valiantly with a confusing one-way street system, we explored the beautiful cottage in which we would stay for the night, and wandered thirty seconds across the back garden to find our concert venue. After a rehearsal in the church (which we later discovered was a college living of Trinity, one of our neighbours back in Cambridge), we tucked into a light supper and changed into our concert dress, a panicked ordeal which involved the usual screamed petitions ‘can someone tie my bow tie?!’. The concert was a great success, and we were particularly pleased that the audience enjoyed our sensitive new arrangement of the African-American spiritual ‘Swing low, sweet chariot’. After performing, we caught the explosive last minutes of the semi-final, and found that our first gig had served as a useful warm-up for the extensive shouted celebrations which soon occurred. The evening ended with one of our sleepy countertenors - who had selected a bed above the room in which we were playing a spirited game of cards - complaining that he felt as though he was being expected to sleep during the Treaty of Versailles.
Thursday 11th July - St Swithun's Church, Retford
North Tour Blog Day 2: Greetings from Retford! It’s your favourite Jacob from the King’s Men who isn’t an alto, here to update you all on our misadventures around the North of England yesterday 11th July.
8am, in our hosts’ beautiful home in Kirkby Lonsdale, we were roused by the raucous combination of seven different people’s alarms. If you’ve never heard a klaxon horn mixed with the theme tune to Monsters Inc, don’t worry, it sounds exactly like you’d expect. After a quick breakfast and frisbee training session, we were off.
Before heading to Retford for our next gig, we took a quick stop in Ingleton for a scenic walk around the waterfall trail there. The walk was advertised as 2.5 to 4 hours long but, paragons of physical fitness that we are, we were back in 1h 45 mins, even while stopping to admire the many stunning views.
One gruelling stop-and-start journey later (gruelling for our drivers, anyway – I slept through most of it) we were greeted in Retford by a lovely church, some very welcoming hosts, and a fabulously enthusiastic audience. It was an absolute joy singing there, and we wish them the very best as we continue on.
Saturday 13th July - Beverly Minster, Beverly
Hello! Harry here to take you through day 4 of North Tour.
After waking in the gorgeous Kirkburton, we quickly set off to our next destination of Beverley. The journey saw us winding through the endless beautiful villages of East Yorkshire, before the majestic Beverley Minster came into view.
We spent a while exploring our amazing venue, before taking to the charming, albeit wet, streets of Beverley. Jacob and Tom decided that the stresses of tour had become too overwhelming, and so ventured off to find Yorkshire’s finest Thai massage, an experience they both described as ‘painful.’ Meanwhile Paul, Jacob, Tad and I rifled through the local charity shops to add to The King’s Men’s impressive collection of ugly jumpers.
After rehearsing in the flattering acoustic of the Minster, we were treated to a dinner of lasagna and cheesecake which reduced our lactose-intolerant second tenor to a Michelin Man lookalike.
Singing a concert in such an exquisite space was surely a highlight of my KM experiences so far, and was so well received by another infinitely friendly Yorkshire audience! The day drew to a close with a much-needed pint at a nearby pub. Hope everyone’s having a lovely summer, and see you tomorrow for more!
Sunday 14th July - St Andrew's Church, Penrith
Tom here to give a brief overview of day 5.
The day began back at last night’s concert venue, where we led a 2 hour workshop with some of the Beverley Minster choristers. A very enjoyable couple of hours was had by all, and the workshop ended with Paul teaching the choristers a beautiful 3 part arrangement ‘The Parting Glass’, which also served as last night’s encore. Thank you so much to Robert and the team at Beverley Minster for this opportunity - we hope to be able to return soon!
After the workshop, our drivers Jacob and Tad embarked on the trek across the Yorkshire Dales to Penrith, stopping for a lovely Sunday roast en route (which also meant Tom and Jacob could tune into the Wimbledon final).
Upon arrival at St Andrew’s Church, a brief rehearsal was followed by a communal nap in the vestry, only made slightly tricky by Alex deciding to try out playing Bach Partitas on the electric keyboard with the beat-box mode on.
Reenergised, we very much enjoyed our concert in St Andrews, and it was lovely to meet and chat to lots of the Penrith audience during the interval and after the concert. Especially grateful for such a good turnout given that I gather there was some football match going on? Thank you as ever for all our host families who put us up afterwards, without which these tours and concerts would not be possible.
Monday 15th July - St Peter's Church, Stockton-on-Tees
North Tour Blog Final Day: Penrith to Stockton
Hello! Alex here with one last North Tour dispatch. Having indulged in the cereals, pastries and Full Englishes kindly supplied by our Penrith hosts, the group set off to the Lake District for a delightful walk and wade in Ullswater. Though some had the foresight to pack trunks, with Tom swimming a fantastic distance in his fundraising effort for MacMillan Cancer Support (https://swimit.macmillan.org.uk/.../toms-macmillan-swim...), yours truly was left paddling meekly in only undies and a white concert shirt. Having found a new sense of freedom and lust for life, we folded ourselves right back into our cars for a scenic drive across the North Pennines to Stockton-on-Tees, our final concert location. Greeted with a warm acoustic and packed-out pews, it was a lovely send-off for our first alto, Jacob. An excellent singer and colleague with an irrepressible sense of humour (no matter how hard Paul has tried), he’ll be sorely missed. With our hosts, we were kindly invited back to the home of George, Sue and their adorable cat Sheba for a delicious supper, our post-concert adrenaline extinguished in waves of luxurious lasagne. With that, we slumped into bed, eager to catch a wink before the road back to Cambridge the next day. Thank you very much for following our tour, we’ll be back in late August with a jaunt around some of the North’s most glorious cathedrals!
South Tour Summer 2024 Blogs
Wednesday 10th July - Wiveton Church, Holt
Day 1 South Tour Blog from Matthew: The South Tour team departed in a leisurely manner from Cambridge at 2pm, aiming for the beautiful climes of Wiveton in North Norfolk. Our route included the scenic Elveden Forest and the less scenic BP service station in Swaffham (as Mike had forgotten to check his tyre pressures). We arrived in our concert venue, the beautiful church in Wiveton, in high spirits. After a brief rehearsal, we were provided with hearty portions of lasagna and strawberries and clotted cream, which left us feeling very well-fed before the concert. Our concert, the opening night of the Five Churches Festival, was a sell-out and the audience particularly enjoyed their chance to participate in Minnie the Moocher as our Assistant Musical Director, Matt, went roaming through the audience. We also managed to catch the last half hour of the England game sat outside the pub, but we sincerely hope our raucous celebrations don't affect our forthcoming performances. After retiring to our homestays, some of our members residing in the beautiful Bayfield Hall even enjoyed a game of snooker before bed. We look forward to travelling down to Kent for our next concert!
Thursday 11th July - St Peter's Church, Ightham
South Tour Blog Day 2 from William: Well rested and amply breakfasted, our merry band of songsters convened and set off for Ightham, our next destination. Arrival was delayed, however, by a stop to view one of our number's collection of puppies. The hearts of even our most hardened members were made tender at the sight of Mango the puppy and her siblings. Sadly, time waits for no one, not even someone with a puppy in their arms. We said our goodbyes, whispered sweet promises of return in the ears of our newfound companions, and departed. In search of emotional comfort, we decided to patronise an establishment offering American-style fast food in a service station. This decision, however, was not picked up by the group in the car behind, who had been too busy arguing amongst themselves to pay attention to the communications coming over the reasonably-priced walkie-talkies. Having filled ourselves and our shopping bags, we pressed on, through the Essex Borders, across the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge and into the Garden of England. Pleasant views and jollity abounded as we entered the little village of Ightham, early, as it somehow happened. Having been led in rehearsal by our musical director, we were taken to our beautiful host houses and fed wonderfully. On stage, we were kindly received by the residents of Ightam and its environs, and it seemed that an enjoyable time was had by all, not least us. It remained for us to be generously supplied in the local pub before arriving back at our host houses, weary but more than content. We settled into our comfortable beds and dreamt sweet dreams.
Friday 12th July - St Mary's Church, Bethersden
Hello again! Jack here, picking up our tale post-concert in Ightham.
Following a long stint in the local watering hole, the group retired to homestays for a well deserved rest. So restful, in fact, that Mr Todes could not even be awoken by the smell of bacon! Reconvening, we took in the stunning vistas surrounding Ightham Mote, before pub grub came calling to our ravenous King’s Men: pizza, burgers and a fruity tart for Mr Blake were the order of the day. Messrs Todes and Supramaniam had important admin to complete, though the latter remains to convince the group how table tennis constitutes administration… he didn’t help his case by losing the trusty KM football over the orchard wall.
We arrived in Bethersden in good spirits, ready for our third concert of the tour. The King’s Men have visited St Margaret’s, Bethersden since 1989, so we were thrilled to further our longstanding relationship. Our set was incredibly well received by a Bethersden audience as warm as ever: Mr Chan’s Beatles and Beach Boys tribute solos were especially enjoyed. On a personal level, it was an emotional end to the concert, performing Mr Greally’s arrangement of ‘The Parting Glass’. Last night’s concert marked my final engagement with The King’s Men, so this was a particularly poignant way to mark the end of a magical four years. We were delighted to be hosted at The George pub post-concert - the ales flowed, pub songs rang out, and the King’s Men enjoyed thanking their audience for such a rapturous reception.
“So fill to me the parting glass/Good night, and joy be with you all”. It’s been such a privilege to be a part of this group. But, for my colleagues, the tour continues! Stay tuned for their adventures in Beaulieu and beyond.
Saturday 13th July - Beaulieu Abbey, Beaulieu
Hello there, Mike here to tell the tales of South Tour Day 4!
Our journey from Bethersden to Beaulieu was another long one on our tour. To help break up our 3h30min car journey down the beautiful south coast, driving past the coastline and the amazing Lancing College and Chapel, we stopped for Lunch in Arundel. Although we didn’t have heaps of time, we were able to look inside the Catholic Cathedral and around Arundel. It being the place where our countertenor-extraordinaire William grew up, we thought we must visit the place which sculpted the development of a fantastic young man.
After enjoying William’s recommendation of the Arundel speciality dish, the bagel, for lunch, we picked up a new member of our group, Toby (Welcome!), officially starting in September, and pressed on to Beaulieu Abbey. Coming into Beaulieu, our drive took us through the beautiful New Forest, where we saw wild Horses and Foals. After a short rehearsal to help catch Toby up to speed with our concert repertoire, we explored the beautiful ruins of the old Abbey and enjoyed some specially made KM chocolate cake!
Our concert was extremely generously sponsored by Careys Manor and SenSpa, who even more generously fed us an absolutely splendid meal and put us all up in their hotel rooms. After dinner, we got chatting to a newly wed couple in the bar, and sang them Matt Supramaniam’s arrangement of Hide and Seek! We will certainly be very well rested for our onward travels and concert in Great Bedwyn tomorrow!
Sunday 14th July - St Mary's Church, Great Bedwyn
Hello all… Toby here, very excited to write my very first KM tour blog! After a comfortable night in our hotel outside Beaulieu, we rose bright and early to make the most of the swimming pool, steam room, and hot tub. My goggles were passed around to ensure everyone had a chance to crown themselves champion of the underwater-swimming-as-far-as-you-can competition. After concluding nothing, other than that it certainly wasn’t William, we decided to move on, and were treated to a delicious breakfast. We then packed our bags to head to our next concert destination, Great Bedwyn.
For today’s lunch stop we chose Salisbury, where we visited the cathedral (tickets are £1 less if you book online “in advance”, even if you are standing directly in front of the ticket desk) where we equally amazed by the architecture, the Magna Carta, and the absolutely enormous organ pipes. Max made a remarkably successful visit to a local charity shop, becoming a suit, a pair of shoes and a pair of trousers richer.
Lunch in Nando’s preceded the final stint of our journey to Great Bedwyn, where, upon arrival, we were greeted by very friendly hosts. After a short rehearsal (primarily for my benefit) of the music in set list no. 1, dinner was served - a delicious homemade fish pie. The subsequent concert was a great success, and we head swiftly back to our host’s wonderful converted chapel(!), where they had kindly set up facilities for watching of some sporting event that seemed to happen yesterday. Perhaps the less said about that, the better… After a delightfully comfortable evening with even more delightful company, we settled down for the night, in good spirits heading into our final day of tour!
Monday 15th July - St Mary's Church, Balcombe
The final day of South Tour, from Max Todes: Our final tour day began with breakfast in a gorgeous converted Methodist chapel where we had been fortunate enough to stay the night. Equipped with a snooker table, stained glass windows, and an all important TV with enough alcohol to drown our sorrows! We set off just after 10:30, allowing plenty of time to arrive at our next stop in Balcombe, and even had time to stop off in one of Britain’s best pubs, the Running Horses Inn. After a slap up lunch, and a rather complicated set of orders that saw the waitress have to serve Mr Supramaniam his main, starter then dessert, we headed across the road to investigate St Michael’s church. On discovering that its organ was unlocked, a common cause of delay on these trips, various members of the group set about demonstrating how loudly they could play it, whilst other members demonstrated how far across the road the could sit. We arrived in Balcombe for our final rehearsal and concert, taking the opportunity to really get down to the nitty gritty, establishing at long last that Mike ought to ‘just sing everything a bit sharper!’ After a successful concert we retired to Balcombe House, a residence that we were informed was only the third largest in the area, but was still suitable allowing for a capacious bedroom each.
Wednesday 10th July - Wiveton Church, Holt
Day 1 South Tour Blog from Matthew: The South Tour team departed in a leisurely manner from Cambridge at 2pm, aiming for the beautiful climes of Wiveton in North Norfolk. Our route included the scenic Elveden Forest and the less scenic BP service station in Swaffham (as Mike had forgotten to check his tyre pressures). We arrived in our concert venue, the beautiful church in Wiveton, in high spirits. After a brief rehearsal, we were provided with hearty portions of lasagna and strawberries and clotted cream, which left us feeling very well-fed before the concert. Our concert, the opening night of the Five Churches Festival, was a sell-out and the audience particularly enjoyed their chance to participate in Minnie the Moocher as our Assistant Musical Director, Matt, went roaming through the audience. We also managed to catch the last half hour of the England game sat outside the pub, but we sincerely hope our raucous celebrations don't affect our forthcoming performances. After retiring to our homestays, some of our members residing in the beautiful Bayfield Hall even enjoyed a game of snooker before bed. We look forward to travelling down to Kent for our next concert!
Thursday 11th July - St Peter's Church, Ightham
South Tour Blog Day 2 from William: Well rested and amply breakfasted, our merry band of songsters convened and set off for Ightham, our next destination. Arrival was delayed, however, by a stop to view one of our number's collection of puppies. The hearts of even our most hardened members were made tender at the sight of Mango the puppy and her siblings. Sadly, time waits for no one, not even someone with a puppy in their arms. We said our goodbyes, whispered sweet promises of return in the ears of our newfound companions, and departed. In search of emotional comfort, we decided to patronise an establishment offering American-style fast food in a service station. This decision, however, was not picked up by the group in the car behind, who had been too busy arguing amongst themselves to pay attention to the communications coming over the reasonably-priced walkie-talkies. Having filled ourselves and our shopping bags, we pressed on, through the Essex Borders, across the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge and into the Garden of England. Pleasant views and jollity abounded as we entered the little village of Ightham, early, as it somehow happened. Having been led in rehearsal by our musical director, we were taken to our beautiful host houses and fed wonderfully. On stage, we were kindly received by the residents of Ightam and its environs, and it seemed that an enjoyable time was had by all, not least us. It remained for us to be generously supplied in the local pub before arriving back at our host houses, weary but more than content. We settled into our comfortable beds and dreamt sweet dreams.
Friday 12th July - St Mary's Church, Bethersden
Hello again! Jack here, picking up our tale post-concert in Ightham.
Following a long stint in the local watering hole, the group retired to homestays for a well deserved rest. So restful, in fact, that Mr Todes could not even be awoken by the smell of bacon! Reconvening, we took in the stunning vistas surrounding Ightham Mote, before pub grub came calling to our ravenous King’s Men: pizza, burgers and a fruity tart for Mr Blake were the order of the day. Messrs Todes and Supramaniam had important admin to complete, though the latter remains to convince the group how table tennis constitutes administration… he didn’t help his case by losing the trusty KM football over the orchard wall.
We arrived in Bethersden in good spirits, ready for our third concert of the tour. The King’s Men have visited St Margaret’s, Bethersden since 1989, so we were thrilled to further our longstanding relationship. Our set was incredibly well received by a Bethersden audience as warm as ever: Mr Chan’s Beatles and Beach Boys tribute solos were especially enjoyed. On a personal level, it was an emotional end to the concert, performing Mr Greally’s arrangement of ‘The Parting Glass’. Last night’s concert marked my final engagement with The King’s Men, so this was a particularly poignant way to mark the end of a magical four years. We were delighted to be hosted at The George pub post-concert - the ales flowed, pub songs rang out, and the King’s Men enjoyed thanking their audience for such a rapturous reception.
“So fill to me the parting glass/Good night, and joy be with you all”. It’s been such a privilege to be a part of this group. But, for my colleagues, the tour continues! Stay tuned for their adventures in Beaulieu and beyond.
Saturday 13th July - Beaulieu Abbey, Beaulieu
Hello there, Mike here to tell the tales of South Tour Day 4!
Our journey from Bethersden to Beaulieu was another long one on our tour. To help break up our 3h30min car journey down the beautiful south coast, driving past the coastline and the amazing Lancing College and Chapel, we stopped for Lunch in Arundel. Although we didn’t have heaps of time, we were able to look inside the Catholic Cathedral and around Arundel. It being the place where our countertenor-extraordinaire William grew up, we thought we must visit the place which sculpted the development of a fantastic young man.
After enjoying William’s recommendation of the Arundel speciality dish, the bagel, for lunch, we picked up a new member of our group, Toby (Welcome!), officially starting in September, and pressed on to Beaulieu Abbey. Coming into Beaulieu, our drive took us through the beautiful New Forest, where we saw wild Horses and Foals. After a short rehearsal to help catch Toby up to speed with our concert repertoire, we explored the beautiful ruins of the old Abbey and enjoyed some specially made KM chocolate cake!
Our concert was extremely generously sponsored by Careys Manor and SenSpa, who even more generously fed us an absolutely splendid meal and put us all up in their hotel rooms. After dinner, we got chatting to a newly wed couple in the bar, and sang them Matt Supramaniam’s arrangement of Hide and Seek! We will certainly be very well rested for our onward travels and concert in Great Bedwyn tomorrow!
Sunday 14th July - St Mary's Church, Great Bedwyn
Hello all… Toby here, very excited to write my very first KM tour blog! After a comfortable night in our hotel outside Beaulieu, we rose bright and early to make the most of the swimming pool, steam room, and hot tub. My goggles were passed around to ensure everyone had a chance to crown themselves champion of the underwater-swimming-as-far-as-you-can competition. After concluding nothing, other than that it certainly wasn’t William, we decided to move on, and were treated to a delicious breakfast. We then packed our bags to head to our next concert destination, Great Bedwyn.
For today’s lunch stop we chose Salisbury, where we visited the cathedral (tickets are £1 less if you book online “in advance”, even if you are standing directly in front of the ticket desk) where we equally amazed by the architecture, the Magna Carta, and the absolutely enormous organ pipes. Max made a remarkably successful visit to a local charity shop, becoming a suit, a pair of shoes and a pair of trousers richer.
Lunch in Nando’s preceded the final stint of our journey to Great Bedwyn, where, upon arrival, we were greeted by very friendly hosts. After a short rehearsal (primarily for my benefit) of the music in set list no. 1, dinner was served - a delicious homemade fish pie. The subsequent concert was a great success, and we head swiftly back to our host’s wonderful converted chapel(!), where they had kindly set up facilities for watching of some sporting event that seemed to happen yesterday. Perhaps the less said about that, the better… After a delightfully comfortable evening with even more delightful company, we settled down for the night, in good spirits heading into our final day of tour!
Monday 15th July - St Mary's Church, Balcombe
The final day of South Tour, from Max Todes: Our final tour day began with breakfast in a gorgeous converted Methodist chapel where we had been fortunate enough to stay the night. Equipped with a snooker table, stained glass windows, and an all important TV with enough alcohol to drown our sorrows! We set off just after 10:30, allowing plenty of time to arrive at our next stop in Balcombe, and even had time to stop off in one of Britain’s best pubs, the Running Horses Inn. After a slap up lunch, and a rather complicated set of orders that saw the waitress have to serve Mr Supramaniam his main, starter then dessert, we headed across the road to investigate St Michael’s church. On discovering that its organ was unlocked, a common cause of delay on these trips, various members of the group set about demonstrating how loudly they could play it, whilst other members demonstrated how far across the road the could sit. We arrived in Balcombe for our final rehearsal and concert, taking the opportunity to really get down to the nitty gritty, establishing at long last that Mike ought to ‘just sing everything a bit sharper!’ After a successful concert we retired to Balcombe House, a residence that we were informed was only the third largest in the area, but was still suitable allowing for a capacious bedroom each.
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.
Easter South Tour Blog - 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.
Easter South Tour Blog - 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.
Easter North Tour - Paul (Musical Director and Bass 1)
While Jack and his colleagues frolicked in the Cotswolds on the second day of their tour, the other half of our merry band of songmen began their trip to the North. Armed with backpacks stuffed with polished shoes, black tie, and (rather optimistically) swimming trunks, the team met bright and early on Thursday morning. Despite our eagerness to begin the five-hour drive, there was a panicked false start when one of our members realised he'd forgotten his music, and sprained his ankle in his haste to retrieve it. To protect his dignity, that member should probably remain nameless. Once Alex found his music, our two cars (driven expertly by Jacob and Henry) set off. The journey flew by as we lost ourselves in barbershop classics booming from the car radio, and soon enough we arrived in Carlisle. After a coffee and a millionaire's shortbread, which I promptly spilled over my lap, we rehearsed in the beautiful cathedral, while bemused tourists looked on. The concert later that evening garnered a standing auvation from an impressive majority of the audience, which we soon celebrated in the local pub with our kind hosts.
The next day, we took the scenic route out of Carlisle by glancing off the edge of Scotland. After realising that it was equally rainy on that side of the border, we continued the road trip towards Keswick. We ended up, predictably, in another pub, which served us steak pies, chicken supremes, and fish & chips. The next leg of our journey had us speeding through the lake district, while Tom apologetically finished off his aromatic prawns and sweet chilli dip in the car. Our concert that evening was in gorgeous Lancaster Priory, a venue several of us remember fondly from our most recent summer tour. Another successful concert behind us, much merriment was had over olives, salted nuts, and - yes - beer. The only thing on our schedule for the next morning was a drive home, which we augmented with a detour through the peaks. After a pitstop in a dense forest, Harry led us through the undergrowth to find a spot by a lake, where we affectionately sang 'Oh, Danny Boy'. Our epic travils entered their final stage with Matthew once again folded up like a piece of origami in the back seat.
While Jack and his colleagues frolicked in the Cotswolds on the second day of their tour, the other half of our merry band of songmen began their trip to the North. Armed with backpacks stuffed with polished shoes, black tie, and (rather optimistically) swimming trunks, the team met bright and early on Thursday morning. Despite our eagerness to begin the five-hour drive, there was a panicked false start when one of our members realised he'd forgotten his music, and sprained his ankle in his haste to retrieve it. To protect his dignity, that member should probably remain nameless. Once Alex found his music, our two cars (driven expertly by Jacob and Henry) set off. The journey flew by as we lost ourselves in barbershop classics booming from the car radio, and soon enough we arrived in Carlisle. After a coffee and a millionaire's shortbread, which I promptly spilled over my lap, we rehearsed in the beautiful cathedral, while bemused tourists looked on. The concert later that evening garnered a standing auvation from an impressive majority of the audience, which we soon celebrated in the local pub with our kind hosts.
The next day, we took the scenic route out of Carlisle by glancing off the edge of Scotland. After realising that it was equally rainy on that side of the border, we continued the road trip towards Keswick. We ended up, predictably, in another pub, which served us steak pies, chicken supremes, and fish & chips. The next leg of our journey had us speeding through the lake district, while Tom apologetically finished off his aromatic prawns and sweet chilli dip in the car. Our concert that evening was in gorgeous Lancaster Priory, a venue several of us remember fondly from our most recent summer tour. Another successful concert behind us, much merriment was had over olives, salted nuts, and - yes - beer. The only thing on our schedule for the next morning was a drive home, which we augmented with a detour through the peaks. After a pitstop in a dense forest, Harry led us through the undergrowth to find a spot by a lake, where we affectionately sang 'Oh, Danny Boy'. Our epic travils entered their final stage with Matthew once again folded up like a piece of origami in the back seat.