| Main Performers | John Grant,
Elizabeth Fraser - speakers |
| Set List | Conversation (John Grant, Elizabeth Fraser),
- 'Blue Bell Knoll', E Fraser,
Conversation (John Grant, Elizabeth Fraser) |
| Performance Notes | John Grant returns to the Royal Albert Hall to chat with one of his biggest influences, Elizabeth Fraser from Scottish rock band Cocteau Twins, in an intimate Elgar Room conversation.
Joined by Classical Album Sundays Colleen Murphy, John Grant and Elizabeth Fraser will discuss the Cocteau Twins fifth album Blue Bell Knoll (released in September 1988); a rare chance to see Fraser talk about her distinctive music, which influenced an entire generation of performers, including Grant.
Royal Albert Hall presents this special event in collaboration with John Grant as a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Royal Assent of the 1967 Sexual Offenses Act, marking the decriminalisation of homosexuality in the UK. Proceeds from the event will be donated to charity Stonewall.
"Grant set the tone of the evening before the event had even begun with his statement in anticipation of the night: Blue Bell Knoll is one of the best albums of the eighties and of all time. I get to talk to Liz Fraser about the creation of this masterpiece and you don't, so there! A certain degree of fawning was always to be expected considering the godlike status of Fraser in much of the music industry, which Grant maintains throughout, and Fraser is similarly complimentary of him, particularly of his zen interview style. Along with the adoring audience, this ensures the night is full of tenderness, flattery. and collective good will that could be construed as sweet and cheering or a little icky and overblown depending on your point of view. Either way, the night jaunts along with a fairly free conversation that remains rooted principally in the music itself more than anything else.... The midpoint of the night even features Blue Bell Knoll played on vinyl for its full 35-minute duration, whilst everyone simply sits and listens."
(DrownedinSound.com, 10 August 2017)
This was the fatest selling Elgar Room event in the Hall's history up to this date, selling out in seven minutes. |
| Related Archival Material | Digital Photography |