Performing Arts
Revelations of a TV Director – Royston Mayoh
by Royston Mayoh
Beware of the Bull – PAPERBACK
(NB: PAPERBACK ONLY)
The labour and the love seep from every page. For Old Molly Metcalfe, for Leopold Alcocks, for Sister Josephine, but mostly for yourself, if your hands aren’t too encumbered, gather a book or two for Jake…” – Jon Richardson
“A timely paean to a velvet larynxed, storytelling wonderman…” – Cerys Matthews
by Paul Thompson and John Watterson
Beware of the Bull – The Enigmatic Genius of Jake Thackray is the critically-acclaimed first biography of the late, great singer-songwriter.
Admired by Jarvis Cocker, Alex Turner and Thea Gilmore, among others, Jake was one of the greatest and most original artists of the twentieth century; a unique talent and master storyteller whose songs are full of wit, poetry, irreverence and humanity.
The book reveals a life as extraordinary as his writing: difficult upbringing in the terraces of Leeds; strict Catholic education; transformative experiences in France and Algeria; time as an inspirational, unorthodox and highly creative teacher; meteoric development as a writer and performer; subsequent discovery by the BBC; Abbey Road recordings and influence on The Beatles; fame, fortune and remarkable television career… and Jake’s rejection of it all.
It is a story of a complex, charismatic and self-effacing man whom many loved, but few understood. Beware of the Bull was written with the full support of the Thackray family. Exclusive access to personal papers has allowed for the inclusion of a wealth of rare poems, photographs and ‘lost’ lyrics.
This paperback edition comes with a new foreword by the comedian Jon Richardson, an afterword by the authors, and further appendices with author Neil Gaiman and the distinguished conductor and composer Sir William Southgate.
*Among the Daily Telegraph‘s pick of the best music books of 2022*
Paperback – 512 pages – currently being reprinted
*Postage and packing included with UK orders only. Overseas customers may call us direct on 00 44 113 225 9797 during UK office hours, or order via this site and we will then reply to quote the required amount of postage for your country
All the Wrong Notes – Adventures in Unpopular Music
“…a very very funny and informative book . If you like good writing and folk music then you will love this.” – Norma Waterson
By Dave Hadfield
With an introduction by Bernard Wrigley
For almost 50 years, Dave Hadfield has followed the genres of music that grabbed his youthful heart and mind. Now, in ALL THE WRONG NOTES, he has written not just a musical memoir, but a personal and social history of the last half-century.
Like a Zelig with a finger in his ear, he has been where folk music has happened and describes it, affectionately but warts-and-all, in a way it has never been described before.
Hadfield’s sure ear for quirks and eccentricities produces unique takes on major figures like Bob Dylan, Ewan MacColl and Leonard Cohen. It celebrates the foot-soldiers and their role in keeping left-field music alive.
Humorous and provocative in equal measure, ALL THE WRONG NOTES is the key to a fascinating world of music.
DAVE HADFIELD has been a journalist and author for 40 years. This is his eighth book. He lives in Bolton with his wife, various children and an alphabetical CD collection.
Broken Time – The Complete Script
By Mick Martin
Lewy Jenkins is a young Welsh rugby player, lured north by the promise of money and sporting glory; the David Beckham of his day. Lewy’s sweetheart, Bessie Butterworth, is a rising star of the music hall. Beautiful and flirtacious, life has taught her harsh lessons.
These are the protagonists at the centre of Broken Time, a critically-acclaimed play by award-winning playwright Mick Martin. Set in Victorian Yorkshire, where fictional West Broughton Rugby Club are enduring a torrid run of defeats, it is a story of Corinthian idealism and class struggle amid the Industrial Revolution and tumultuous events that led to the historic rugby league – rugby union split of 1895.
After an eye-catching tour across the North of England, the complete script of Broken Time is published here for the first time. This edition also contains a foreword by Mick Martin himself and a specially commissioned introduction by respected rugby historian Professor Tony Collins.
An Audience of Curious People – The Story of the Proscenium Players
By John Fisher
With a foreword by Barry Cryer OBE
Founded in 1948, the Leeds-based Proscenium Players were the first Jewish Amateur Stage Group, regularly winning rave reviews for their varied artistic programme. Now, at long last, John Fisher, the organisation’s official chronicler, has charted their history in a book rich with photographs, bill postings, programmes and testimonials. Paperback, 160 pages.
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Founded in 1948, the Leeds-based Proscenium Players were the first Jewish Amateur Stage Group, regularly winning rave reviews for their varied artistic programme. Now, at long last, John Fisher, a leading light in the Pross’ productions and the organisation’s official chronicler, has charted their history in a book rich with photographs, bill postings, programmes and testimonials. It is a sparkling tale that will be of interest to locals and theatre historians alike. And one added bonus is that the book’s foreword is written by a very well known former Proscenium Player indeed – Leeds’ very own British comedy legend, Barry Cryer OBE. Bring up the curtain on An Audience of Curious People; a warmly-written book about theatre like no other.
