There is some pleasure to be had, singing in the rain, muses Richard Morrison, The Times’ Chief Culture Writer. Yet he continues, that only a Brit would consider singing in a gale.
Indeed, this is precisely what performers such as Mary Bevan have been doing as the lockdown across the country is slowly but surely eased. Bevan combined her “itchy feet” with a Twitter feed filled to the brim with “despairing performers” to create the outdoor concerts.
These outdoor concerts serve a dual purpose. The first, to allow her colleagues who have been silenced since lockdown started, to perform again. The second, the raise money for Help Musicians UK, a charity who helps provide funds for freelance musicians who have been failed by the government.
Bevan is not alone in her scheme. Indeed, James Clutton has devised a similar plan, creating what he referred to as a “definitely not a concert” concert, where the great and the good rehearsed arias.
Morrison notes: “I loved hearing songs performed live to an audience again, especially at a time when we’ve all been spooked into thinking that being within 15 yards of a singer is virtually an act of suicide.”
For Morrison it is possible that there is a silver lining to the pandemic, as he notes: “The music business had become such a relentless, high-pressure production line. Perhaps it’s time to refocus on the grass roots.” For he, as for other musical aficionados, the pandemic may prove that it is time to return to our roots after all.
