Welcome Saxon Tor Kolltveit into the world!
“It is with great joy, Are Kolltveit and
I announce the birth of our son 'Saxon Tor Kolltveit.' Saxon arrived admist a thunder
storm at 9.16pm, Sunday 17th of July 2011. At 8 pounds 5, he's a healthy, beautiful
baby and we're both doing well. Thank you for all your love and support at this enchanting
time.” Emily Alice Ovenden
November 2011
Greetings from Eden...
I write to you from my own little Eden (my back
garden). The sun has decided to make an impromptu appearance so I am seizing the
opportunity, wrapped up warm and supping a lovely cup of tea, slurp.
As you all know
this year has been particularly busy for us here in Baebes Land. Collectively we
have been labouring (in more ways than one) to bear glorious fruit.
We are so grateful
to have been blessed with two new babies Charlie and Saxon who are both gorgeous.
I think I speak for everyone when I say how great it is to have Bev and Emily back
on board. We've missed them!
Creatively we are on fire at the moment and as well as
recording in Cambridge we have been working on a new set list for the Christmas show.
You'll be pleased to hear (I hope) that we'll be incorporating many of our new songs
into the show. We hope to see you at one of our Christmas shows and in the mean time
please tell your friends and family about our tour which starts on Dec 1st in Hereford.
Recording sessions for 'The Huntress' are going amazingly well. We have the challenge
of recording the vocals to 22 songs in just 7 recording sessions so we have been
putting in long hours of rehearsal to ensure that we make the most of our time in
the studio and make Kat's job easier when it comes to editing!
Last week we recorded
some of our big acapella numbers. Melpomeni joined us along with Jo and Tanya to
make the choir 9 strong. We made such an awesome sound acoustically; I can't imagine
it'll need much tweaking.
Our cup overfloweth with so many potential songs for 'The
Huntress', our next challenge will be to decide which songs actually make it on to
the album. We've not had a punch up yet but there is still time! We will be labouring
just a little longer so thank you for your patience. 'The Huntress' will now be unleashed
in spring of next year. In the meantime, as promised, you can download our xmas single
'Veni Veni Bella' for free from our website. This song features Emily on lead vocal
and she's looking very beautiful in the accompanying video
Filming for the video took
place at St John at Hackney Church, where we spent a full day working with Graham
Trott and crew, who did a fantastic job. Julia our manager was on hand to help prettify
the set and us. (not that either needed much prettifying as we are but natural beauties).
Thank you Julia and thank you to Father Rob for welcoming us into such a hallowed
space.
Three new Baebes, two new babies, two tours, a video, single and an epic album
all in one year. I think by the end of the year we'll deserve more than just a pat
on the back. Perhaps a big fat bonus?! Ah, a maiden can but dream. Well done ladies!
Xmas
here we come!
Fairy sparkles and blessings
Esther
x
In other news...
Solving your Christmas shopping dilemmas
Sarah's Christmas Cards
Our
very own Sarah Kayte has designed a range of photographic Christmas cards! If you
fancy sending a piece of original and quirky Baebe-
Limited Number Of Red Faerie Baebe Girlie T Shirts Now in Stock
If you've already
got a black one, nab it in red. These lovely soft T shirts are really cute. Available
in girlie sizes Small, Medium and Large. Please remember girlie shirt sizes are smaller
than regular unisex shirts http://www.mediaevalbaebes.com/tshirts.html
Esther's Solo
EP
Esther Dee & The Carousel's EP is a great stocking filler from just 5 pounds +
postage & packaging. If you would like a customised Christmas package hand crafted
and sent to you by Esther including a physical copy of the cd you can place an order
through Paypal and estherdee.thecarousel@gmail.com.
Or you can download digitally
from:
cd baby: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/estherdeethecarousel
or
iTunes:
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/esther-
Coming
Soon
Look out for brand new pewter pin brooches and pendants for sale in early December
and the new 2011 tour posters signed in silver.
In the meantime, we still have plenty
of CDs, DVDs, T Shirts, Tambourines, programmes and posters for sale in our Marketplace
so fill those stockings!
October 2011
Dearest Baebes Fans
Well it’s been a wonderful year for me so far. I was very sad not to join the rest of the Baebes on the US tour (Check out Sarah's photographic tour diary) but the consolation of getting to know my beautiful baby boy certainly made up for it. Saxon is now attending all Mediaeval Baebes rehearsals and he’s enjoying the singing as much as I am. Except for one new song, which make him howl like a banshee!
This week we started recording vocals for the new album, ‘The Huntress’. It’s been a very exciting process preparing for this recording and we’re certainly fired up about the sound of the choir with new and old voices blending superbly. The album is really coming on now and I think this could be our best album to date, capturing the timeless essence of the band.
However, unfortunately due to the arrival of two babies in one year our recording schedule has been delayed which means we will not be able to deliver the new album in December as previously promised. We are now aiming for Spring 2012 but believe me it's going to be well worth the wait and Saxon and Charlie are deeply sorry for this inconvenience. Naughty boys!
As a small apology for the delay, and as a little Christmas gift to you all we will be releasing a free download single of one album track ‘Veni Veni Bella’ in December. Early next month we will also be shooting a video to go with it for which I am enjoying the role of producer/dogsbody and we hope to bring you a visual feast to go with your mince pies and mulled wine.
December brings our most challenging tour of the year with Baebes and crew facing the harsh British weather. Last year we battled through snow, hail and brimstone to bring our seasonal splendour to your door, so join us and gorge on a banquet of enchantment, music and shameless frolicking on one of the dates below.
Lots of love
Emily Alice Ovenden
UK LIVE SHOWS
July 2011
Hi Baebes Fans,
I thought it was about time I wrote something as a new member of the band... Since
joining, I’ve had such fantastic experiences singing and performing with the girls,
but also laughing riotously and sharing the same filthy sense of humour (but we are
angels really of course).
As we prepare for our (glamorous – see Sarah’s last newsletter)
American tour and for recording the new album, we’ve got so many ideas in progress
and so much to get through, so there’s never a dull moment and there is so much to
look forward to. I can’t wait to be on the road in Maryland, New York and beyond
(sipping cosmopolitans and with film star hair, naturally), performing some of the
songs from the forthcoming album too (which is going to be amazing).
The new music
is just gorgeous and it’s great seeing how it’s coming on each week as Kat tweaks
and develops it all. There are some really beautiful and haunting songs to some upbeat
and rhythmic ones, as you would expect from the Mediaeval Baebes, but there is so
much focus on the harmonies, which means it’s going to be such a vocally rich album.
There’s so much music, so we’ll be trying some of it out on tour and look forward
to what the fans have to say about the new ones. You can pre-
Also, I’m really excited to be learning some of
the old Baebes songs, such as I Am Eve, which I seem to be drawn to in some hypnotic
way and actually have become obsessed with, but sadly I won’t get to sing the whole
thing through as Kat has got me on recorder for it for the American shows. ;-
We hope you’re enjoying what’s left of this temperamental summer and I’m so happy to get to write some news and properly introduce myself. It was great to meet fans in Belgium and Germany and surreal to be signing CDs which I haven’t sung on, but no one seemed to mind!
Looking forward to The Huntress coming out and being able to actually sign my name by my face!
Summer wishes and fairy kisses,
Clarey xx
The Mediaeval Baebes Auction
Whilst having a clearout in the office, we’ve come across some wonderful memorabilia
and we thought we'd give you the chance to own some of it!
We've put together some
unique packages for you and you’ve only got 10 days to bid. You could be the proud
owner of a one-
The Auction is starting
at 6pm (UK BST) and will end at 6pm (UK BST) on Saturday 6th August so get bidding!!!
Check out our AUCTION Page for further details.
Songbook and Sheet Music Now Available To Download
As the Mediaeval Baebes songbook
is currently out of print we’ve had a lot of enquiries about how you can get hold
of our sheet music. So, we’ve set up an online Sheet Music Shop -
UK December Tour Dates
We’re putting more dates in the diary for the UK in December.
We thought it would be nice to do some acoustic shows by candlelight for Christmas,
especially as some of the new material for 'The Huntress' will be particularly suited
to these kind of intimate shows.
Therefore we can confirm the following shows so
far:
13th December 2011 -
14th December
2011 -
15th December 2011
-
16th December 2011 -
18th December 2011 -
19th December 2011 -
20th December 2011 -
Ticket details below and on our
An Announcement From Emily:
'It is with great joy, Are Kolltveit and I announce the birth of our son 'Saxon Tor
Kolltveit.' Saxon arrived admist a thunder storm at 9.16pm, Sunday 17th of July 2011.
At 8 pounds 5, he's a healthy, beautiful baby and we're both doing well. Thank you
for all your love and support at this enchanting time.'
Emily Alice Ovenden
Em is doing well and was an absolute trooper, still singing her way through piles of new music less than a week before giving birth and she’ll be back rehearsing in no time.
Live Dates
USA East Coast Tour
Saturday, Sunday & Monday September 3rd, 4th and 5th
Maryland Renaissance Festival,
Annapolis, MD http://www.rennfest.com/
Tuesday, September 6th &
BB King Blues Club, New York, NY www.bbkingblues.com
Wednesday, September 7th
Sellersville Theater, Sellersville, PA www.st94.com
Thursday, September 8th
East Hartford Community Cultural Center, East Hartford, CT
www.ehccc.com
Friday, September 9th
St. Katharine Drexel Church, Alton, NH
presented by Arts on
the Edge Wolfeboro www.artsedgewolfeboro.org
Saturday, September 10th
Blackstone River Theatre, Cumberland, RI www.riverfolk.org
Tuesday,
September 13th
The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA www.birchmere.com
UK December Tour
Tuesday 13th December 2011
St Stephen’s Church, Bournemouth
Acoustic show by candlelight
Tickets
£16.25 (includes £1.25 booking fee)
Wednesday 14th December 2011
St Cuthbert Mayne
Church, Launceston, Cornwall
Acoustic show by candlelight
Tickets £16.25 (includes
£1.25 booking fee)
Thursday 15th December 2011
St Alphege Church, Bath, Somerset
Acoustic show by candlelight
Tickets
£16.25 (includes £1.25 booking fee)
Friday 16th December 2011
City United Reformed
Church, Cardiff
Acoustic show by candlelight
Tickets £16.25 (includes £1.25 booking
fee)
Sunday 18th December 2011
EM Forster Theatre, Tonbridge
Monday 19th December
2011
Buxton Opera House, Buxton, Derbyshire
Tuesday 20th December
Birmingham Cathedral
Wednesday 21st December
London -
Fri 29th July 2011
Esther
Dee & The Carousel
supporting Paul Mosley http://paulmosley.com/home.htm
The Reliance
336
Old Street
City of London EC1V 9DR
Bev Lee Harling would like to thank all Baebes fans
who pledged money towards the funding of her album 'Urban Gypsy'. She made the
target and the album is now in the mastering phase. You can still pledge towards
the costs of making the album and help raise money for St Michael's Hospice by visiting
HERE
27th June 2011
Mediaeval Baebes Newsletter June 2011
Hello Summer Bunnies,
It is Summer isn't it? It's been raining so hard that it's hard to tell. If it wasn't
for my beloved umberella with colour phasing fairylights I'm not sure what I'd have
done... (my vision for the future -
Anyway, these grey ol' skies only made the our recent trip to the Wave Gotik Festival in Leipzig all the more enjoyable. The sun shone down in Germany and we had a fantastic gig, premiering two brand new songs, one of which Esther and I got to choreograph a new dance for, taking reference from some fabulous Bollywood film clips. We thought the audience were just lovely and we sold clean out of merchandise afterwards so we think that maybe the feeling was mutual...
In other news, the veggie food was so delicious that it turned Tanya vegetarian -
Back home, we are enjoying honing some beautiful new material ready for the forthcoming
release of our new album, The Huntress. It will be a more stripped down sound than
Illumination, and packed full of treats including romance, magic, melancholy, celebration,
and the odd exorcism. We are working with genius recording engineer Dr Rob Toulson
and we will be creating a world class recording from a beautiful recital room in
Cambridge.
You can help to fund the making of the album by pre ordering it from our
website. The first 1,000 copies will come signed by the band with an added exclusive
bonus track. We've heard that a few of you have recently been having trouble with
our online shop but we've fixed these problems now and for those of you in Canada
having trouble with Paypal, there is some advice on the website so get shopping!
http://www.mediaevalbaebes.com/market.html
We can't wait to share more sneak previews
of the new material with some of you during our USA tour in September, and behind
the scenes we are planning a 'Tour Of Glamour' to counteract the hundreds of layers/thermals/sleeping
bags/hot water bottles it takes to get us through the UK Christmas Cathedral tour!...
However, we will be braving the elements once again and we're happy to announce the
first confirmed dates at Tonbridge, Buxton and Birmingham (details below).
Sticking
with glamour though, last week we had a photoshoot with the talented Scott Chalmers
for our USA tour. We'll post some of the new pics online shortly so keep an eye on
the website.
In the meantime, we are enjoying being Aunties to a new Baebes Baebey
-
With lots of Summer Lovin' from the not so Summery London town -
Sarah Kayte xx
PS. Of course the sun has come out now! :-
Forthcoming Live Shows:
USA
Labor Day Weekend -
Maryland Renaissance Festival, Annapolis,
MD
www.marylandrenaissancefestival.com
Tuesday, September 6th
BB King Blues Club, New York, NY www.bbkingblues.com
Wednesday, September 7th
Sellersville Theater, Sellersville, PA www.st94.com
Thursday, September 8th
East Hartford Community Cultural Center, East Hartford, CT
www.ehccc.com
Friday, September 9th
St. Katharine Drexel Church, Alton, NH
presented
by Arts on the Edge Wolfeboro www.artsedgewolfeboro.org
Saturday, September 10th
Blackstone
River Theatre, Cumberland, RI www.riverfolk.org
Tuesday, September 13th
The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA www.birchmere.com
UK LIVE SHOWS -
*NEW* Sunday 18th December 2011
EM Forster Theatre,
Tonbridge, Kent Box Office
*NEW* Monday 19th December 2011
Buxton Opera House, Derbyshire
Box Office
*NEW* Tuesday 20th December
Birmingham Cathedral Buy E-
Join us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
SOLO NEWS:
PYTHIA
Emily Alice's symphonic metal band has released an exclusive 'Beneath The Veiled
Embrace' Fan Box Set limited to 100 editions. Each box comes with an oversize full
colour art card personalised by Emily Alice, picture disc vinyl, T shirt and loads
of other goodies. For further information please check out the Pythia shop: http://m1.awfhost.co.uk/pythia/shop.html
Former Baebes member Audrey Evans is due to release her debut single on 4th July
with her new project ‘Tumbleweed’ More info HERE
May 2011 Newsletter online Now
Including
USA tour dates, Tanya’s blog, Illumination release in Germany, The Huntress. Read
it HERE
4th May 2011
New photos from Trolls & Legends in the GALLERY!
We Have A Winner
The winner of the Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal auction is Gail
Tyrell of Cambridge UK. Well done Gail and thanks for your support.
2011 USA Tour
Dates Announced!
The first of our tour dates in the USA have been announced. See
where we will be on our Live Dates page HERE
13th March 2011
MARCH NEWSLETTER NOW ONLINE
4th May 2011
Dearest Mediaeval Baebes fans, firstly let us apologise for the absence of a newsletter
in April.
We were so busy rehearsing and getting to know our new Baebes; Jo, Tanya
and Claire that the time just flew by. We performed our first concert with these
lovely ladies at Trolls & Legends Festival in Belgium and Tanya has written a blog
about her first Baebes trip which you will find below.
USA DATES:
We’re very excited to be able to reveal the first batch of confirmed USA
dates for September and they are:
Saturday, September 3rd Maryland Renaissance Festival,
Annapolis, MD www.marylandrenaissancefestival.com
Sunday, September 4th Maryland Renaissance Festival Annapolis, MD www.marylandrenaissancefestival.com
Monday, September 5th Maryland Renaissance Festival, Annapolis, MD www.marylandrenaissancefestival.com
Tuesday, September 6th BB King Blues Club, New York, NY www.bbkingblues.com
Wednesday, September 7th Sellersville Theater, Sellersville, PA www.st94.com
Thursday, September 8th East Hartford Community Cultural Center, East Hartford, CT
www.ehccc.com
Friday, September 9th St. Katharine Drexel Church, Alton, NH presented by Arts
on the Edge Wolfeboro www.artsedgewolfeboro.org
Saturday, September 10th Blackstone River Theatre, Cumberland, RI www.riverfolk.org
Tuesday,
September 13th The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA www.birchmere.com
Please note – At this time all venues may not have yet posted their September schedules.
We will be announcing more dates as soon as they are confirmed. All enquiries for
North American and Canadian bookings to Carolynspedden@gmail.com.
ILLUMINATION RELEASE
NEWS
Good news for some of you European fans, the Illumination album will finally
get an official release in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in June 2011 to coincide
with our appearance at Wave Gotik Treffen. The album will be released by Screaming
Banshee Records and distributed by Alive AG.
NEW STUDIO ALBUM
In the meantime we are
busy bees working on material for our next studio album tentatively titled ‘The Huntress’.
We have been performing some of the new material live and those of you who came
to our Christmas shows may remember hearing ‘Daes Irae’ and the Arabic solo from
Katharine called ‘Clasp Of A Lion’. We are hoping to include both of these songs
on The Huntress as well as the beautiful ‘Queen And Huntress’ which has provided
inspiration for the album’s title. As usual, to help us finance the recording and
manufacture of the album, we are taking pre-
TANYA’S BLOG
It was an early start for all of us as Ben and Maurice (our tour manager) drove us
over to Belgium via a van, car and the Eurotunnel. Sarah, Jo and I were in the car
and Jo handed out the avocado sandwiches she'd thoughtfully made. We passed the time
singing through the songs and snoozing in uncomfortable positions. Seven hours flew
by, and in 26ºC heat we arrived at the Mons Expo to do our sound check.
Trolls et
Légends is held in an old aircraft hanger with big echoey walls and a tin roof, but
Joe our sound man was undaunted. Meanwhile in the other half of the exhibition centre,
3,000 goblins, imps, fauns, stilt-
When the time came
to go on, I walked on first feeling utterly womanly in this beautiful Grecian-
Back at the hotel, we continued the fun and laughter with Trolls beer
and German group Faun, who guested on the Illumination album, until the early hours
when we made the trip home.
Thanks Mons –hope to see you again!
Tanya
X
You can see some photos of the Trolls & Legends show in our ‘Live Shows’ and ‘On The Road’ galleries HERE: http://www.mediaevalbaebes.com/gallery.html
SOLO NEWS
Bev Lee Harling
Bev’s baby is due any day now, in fact it’s already a week late –
typical musician. While she’s waiting for the arrival, Bev is raising money to finance
the release of her solo album ‘Urban Gypsy’ by setting up a Pledge Music Profile.
Not only can you buy the ‘Bev Doll’ and a cast of Bev’s hands and get exclusive
tracks and video but you can also help raise money for St Michael’s Hospice Charity.
Check it out HERE: http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/bevleeharling
NEW BAEBES!
Please welcome Clare Edmondson, Tanya Jackson and Jo Burke to the group!
More info on each of them coming soon to the Biography, See the latest newsletter.
Melpomeni
We are sad to say that Melpomeni has left the Baebes to spend time with
her family in Australia. More
The Forum is dead... Long live Facebook.
11th March 2011
Dearest Mediaeval Baebes Fans
As the founding member and Musical Director
of the Mediaeval Baebes, it has always been a vocational endeavour for me to bring
talented ladies together to create and perform beautiful and unique music. Over the
last 14 years, the Medieval Baebes has been an ever evolving collaboration of amazing
women. It has become something of a phenomenon that continues to transform, diversify
and reincarnate as time goes on. As many as 23 wonderful women have over the years
dedicated their time and passion to keeping the Mediaeval Baebes alive.
Being a Mediaeval Baebe can however be an all consuming undertaking and it is sometimes
a challenge to juggle being a 'Baebe' with everyday life. The Mediaeval Baebes has
become a unique organisation in that it is the evolving nature of the band which
has enabled it to continue. It is always sad for the group and for the fans when
a member of the Baebes decides to leave but it is equally invigorating and exciting
when a new member joins. So it is firstly with sadness that I tell you that our beloved
Melpomeni has decided to leave the Baebes in order spend more time with her family
in Australia. We will all miss her playful nature, her original and esoteric outlook,
her devastating voice and her avant garde dress sense. There is only one Melpomeni.
She will continue with her solo career and we hope that those of you who are Melpomeni
fans will keep up to date with her pursuits at: www.myspace.com/melpomenirising.
Consequently,
over the last few months we have been plundering the farthest corners of Faerieland
in search of enchantresses to become the next generation of Mediaeval Baebes and
it is only now that we can reveal the secret that we have found THREE of them, YES
THREE!!! So, we would like to introduce you to:
Clare Edmondson
The daunting task of
finding another Baebe after Melpomeni’s departure, ended when we met Clare Edmondson.
This woman is something of a phenomenon herself, with one of the most angelic voices
we’ve ever heard. She also plays the harp, the recorder, the clarinet and the piano
and is multi lingual (a very useful talent to have in this band).
Tanya Jackson
Tanya will be joining the Baebes as a singer and instrumentalist. A
talented guitarist, Tanya is a mature student at Goldsmiths College in London studying
Classical voice and composition. She particularly loves traditional vocal music and
harmonies and sings in the London Bulgarian Choir. Tanya says she is delighted to
have found kindred spirits in the Mediaeval Baebes.
Jo Burke
Last but by no means least, please welcome Jo Burke who will be covering
Bev’s maternity leave from now until at least September 2011 and we are absolutely
thrilled to have her. Jo has been playing fiddle with the folk singer Mary Hampton
for three years. She has a great passion for traditional music, sings in the Bulgarian
choir with Tanya and has been arranging songs on her violin and piano for many years.
All three ladies will be accompanying us to Belgium, Germany and the USA later in
the year.
NEW ALBUM NEWS!!!
This year the Baebes will be recording their next studio album in
May and June, scheduled for release in December 2011.
After the sumptuous and instrumentally
complex feast that was Illumination, the Mediaeval Baebes' 7th Studio album (working
title, "The Huntress") will be playing more to the unadorned elegance of the band's
a cappella strengths amongst accompanied pieces. This move towards the simplicity
of arrangement that is characteristic of the Baebes' earlier albums was inspired
by our recent acoustic shows at Ely Cathedral's Lady Chapel and St John's Church
in Hackney.
I am thrilled by the prospect of this "return to our roots" with the added
sophistication that years of experience have provided.
Those of you who attended our
Christmas tour in December will have been treated to material from our forthcoming
album which includes a setting of one of the most famous of all Latin poems "Dies
Irae", a song using words written by an Arabic woman entitled "The Clasp of a Lion"
and the bittersweet rumination on the transience of beauty that is "The Rose Bud".
As usual, to help fund the recording we are putting the album up for pre-
Our website forum has
recently fallen prey to spammers and it has prompted the decision to remove it from
the site. We are much more likely to interact via our official Facebook page whic
also has the facility for group discussions so we encourage you to join us HERE.
We
are looking forward to seeing some of our European fans when we visit Belgium and
Germany over the next few months and are very excited to be returning to the USA
in September. Keep an eye on the Live Dates page on our website for more information.
With
much love
Katharine Blake and the Mediaeval Baebes
xxx
Join us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
We are busy working on plans for 2011 including some overseas dates. We are planning on visiting North America in September 2011. All interested venues and event producers should contact Carolyn Spedden.
New video Interview
Lead Us Into Temptation online here
6th February 2011
Dear All,
I hope you have managed to gently ease yourselves into the new year and
are keeping those spirits high.
This month we have been warming our hearts and getting
in the mood for luuurve learning some new songs and working on an especially romantic
set for our Valentine’s Day concert at High Barn in Essex on Feb 14th. Tickets available
from http://www.high-
If Cupid's bow hasn’t yet aimed and fired successfully
then why not treat yourself? As the cold winter months take their toll and the promise
of spring still seems far off, what better time could there be to unwrap another
of our special treasures?
I am of course speaking of our latest album ‘Temptation’.
Thank you so much for all your lovely comments. We love the new arrangements and
feel very proud that we have created yet another wonderful gem. For more insight
into each Baebe’s character both in and out of Baebe-
This
month we have been in the studio recording some tracks for an art project by Serena
Korda called ‘Laid to Rest’ to be exhibited at the Wellcome Trust Collection as part
of their 'Dirt: The Filthy Reality of Everyday Life' exhibition. This project will
explore the history of London’s dust heaps and the impact they had on the city and
its people culminating in a performance procession and live performance from the
Mediaeval Baebes in London. Details to be announced soon. For more info visit: http://www.wellcomecollection.org/press/press-
Entry
to the Welcome Trust Collection is free and if you’ve not yet discovered it and would
like an enlightening day out I highly recommend it. http://www.wellcomecollection.org/
We
have also been busy recording at Kat’s this week for medieval folk band Faun’s latest
album release. Some of you may be familiar with their contribution to our album
‘Illumination’.
We are also performing on the same bill as them at the Trolls & Legendes
Festival in Belgium on 23rd April. They are a wonderfullly talented band and we
look forward to hearing the final mixes!
http://www.faune.de/web/index.html
We are
excited to be returning to Europe this year and will be appearing at the 20th Wave
Gotik Meeting in Leipzig, Germany which takes place from 9th-
And…
Finally,
due to much demand we are very pleased to announce that this year we will be returning
to
Until
next time,
give a little love and it all comes back to you…
Love
-
Esther
xxx
SOLO PROJECTS AND OTHER NEWS
Esther Dee & the Carousel will be playing 2 sets on
12th February 2011
8pm & 10pm
Birmingham
Hippodrome Stageside Bar & Restaurant
Thorp Street,
Birmingham
B5 4TB. (UK)
Free Entry
Esther's new EP is now available on Itunes:
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/esther-
There are also 50 personalised & prettified EP packages left selling for £5 plus
postage. To order using paypal email: estherdee.thecarousel@gmail.com
alternatively
order online from cdbaby:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/estherdeethecarousel
PYTHIA
Emily's heavy metal project has signed a two album deal with hot Japanese label
'Spinning'. Beneath the Veiled Embrace will be released in Japan on 23rd February.
As well as the original full UK release there will be 3 extra tracks, "Sarah" (Acoustic),
"Tristan" (Acoustic) and the band's highly acclaimed cover of the Gary Moore song
"Thunder Rising".
The band are also on the lookout for a piece of woodland in or around Kent in the UK to film a video in, if you happen to be lord or lady of such a manor, please email pythia@hotmail.co.uk
Nick Marsh & The Waltzing Bones
Long time Baebes collaborator Nick Marsh will be performing
with his band The Waltzing Bones which features Katharine Blake and Emily Alice Ovenden.
Chancery
Blame + Nick Marsh & The Waltzing Bones + Rasp Thorne & The Briars
Saturday 12th February
2011
Underbelly
11 Hoxton Square
London
N1 6NU
£6 entry
Facebook Event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=184294944928906&ref=ts
Club Bellissima
Katharine Blake and Nick Marsh finally unveil the name of their joint
project 'From the Deep' at the relaunch of their performance club "Bellissima".
Knifeworld
(Baebes instrumentalist Kavus Torabi's project) are also playing.
Knifeworld + From
The Deep + Marcia Mello
Thursday 3rd March 2011
Ryan’s Bar
181 Stoke Newington Church
Street
London
N16 0UL
Doors 7:30pm
£3 entry
10th January 2010
Happy New Year to you all!
Bev here, writing this newsletter after a very successful Christmas tour and some nice Christmas resting and feasting too!
Thank you to so many of you who braved the elements and battled their way to our
shows in all the snow and media hype. Some of the best shows were the ones where
we managed to triumph over adversity, whether it be sound equipment stuck in snow
on the motorway, or being one Baebe down due to various different lurgies.
My favourite
show by far was at St. Pancras Church in London where all our brave workshop participants
came and sang a truly spellbinding rendition of the Coventry Carol…magical!
We also had the delights of signing our new Temptation album at the concerts, and singing some brand new material from our next studio album which we’ll be recording later this year.
After our sell-
We are currently making plans for the rest of this year and have a couple of shows lined up in Europe, hopefully with more to follow. We are also currently in the process of organising a North American & Canadian tour for September 2011. Interested venues and events producers should contact Carolyn Spedden at carolynspedden@gmail.com.
2011 is also going to be all about trying to get Temptation ‘the show’ financed,
staged and ready to go. If you haven’t bought the soundtrack album yet then get
it now from www.mediaevalbaebes.com/market.html Produced and mixed by our very own
Katharine Blake, the double album of 32 tracks specially recorded at High Barn, is
by far the best representation of our live sound that we’ve ever done.
I’ll leave
you with an exclusive new interview we did all about the show... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZBkI6imT6U
Lots of Love
B x
Solo News:
Bev Lee Harling
I have a brand new website for my project Bev Lee Harling and The
Kitchen Sink, so please swing by and have a virtual cup of tea with me. Later on
this month I’ll be making my new album Urban Gypsy available for Pre-
Esther Dee
Esther is a busy bee this week. She’s recording a duet with singer/songwriter
Paul Mosley which will feature on his forthcoming album.
http://www.myspace.com/paulmosley
People can now digitally download Esther’s solo EP from CDBaby at: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/estherdeethecarousel
OR...
For
a uniquely packaged physical copy of the CD costing £5 plus postage please send an
email request to estherdee.thecarousel@gmail.com
Esther Dee Live show:
12th Feb
The Hippodrome Stageside Bar
Birmingham.
Melpomeni
If you missed Melpomeni’s album launch, here is another chance to catch
her perform at Underbelly in London. This should be a great night as long-
12th February 2010
Melpomeni + Nick Marsh
& The Waltzing Bones
Underbelly
Hoxton Square
London
MEDIAEVAL BAEBES LIVE DATES
Valentine’s Day
Monday 14th February
High Barn Great Bardfield, Essex
http://www.high-
A night of candlelit romance with the Mediaeval Baebes
Saturday 23rd April 2011
Trolls & Legends Festival
Mons, Belgium
Monday 13th June 2011
Germany
-
Join us on Facebook
30th November 2010
Dear Mediaeval Baebes Fans,
December is always a busy month for
the band and this year is no exception.
We have thirteen shows booked in cathedrals,
churches, theatres etc around the country. Taking inspiration from our forthcoming
theatre show, "Temptation" our reinvented Christmas Shows will be leading the audience
on an epic journey through Heaven, Earth, and Hell, and back. Our December dates
promise to be our most theatrically adventurous tour to date, and we will also be
performing some brand new material, plus some oldies that haven't graced our set
for many a moon....
Our London show at St Pancras Church on Saturday December 11th
will be providing a unique opportunity for anyone who has ever harboured a desire
to get up on stage with the Mediaeval Baebes. All those who attend the Christmas
themed Baebes singing workshop in London on that same day run by Bev and I, will
be invited up on stage during the encore to perform some of the songs they have learnt.
Book HERE.....
The tour is going to be a particularly gratifying experience for me
this year, because it will mark the unveiling of the 33 track soundtrack album "Temptation"
featuring the music of the Mediaeval Baebes. This project is particularly close to
my heart as it is the first time I have been entrusted with the job of producing
(and mixing) an album of this magnitude. It has been an extremely rewarding experience
as I have had the opportunity to re-
If you are not able to attend our Christmas shows
you can always buy this double album along with its glossy accompanying brochure/programme,
replete with fabulous photos and very entertaining text from our website. This beautifully
packaged offering would definitely make a wonderful Christmas pressie for someone....
(NB. The Temptation album and programme will be in stock at the end of this
week. Overseas customers need to order by 8th December and UK customers by 15th December
to ensure delivery in time for Christmas.)
If you’re in the UK, look out for the
December issue of Classic Rock Presents Prog magazine which hits the shelves on 15th
December and has a 4 page feature on the Baebes.
We’ve posted some new photos on
the website taken by the very talented Hayley Madden. Check them out HERE.
All that’s
left for me to say is that we hope to see many of you on the road this year, we are
venturing out into the snow, hot water bottles, duvets, and thermals at the ready
so make sure you have the mulled wine at the ready for us. All dates and ticket info
below... We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas full of joy and laughter and
warmth.
Much love
Katharine Blake
xxx
24th November 2010
As our High Barn show has sold out in December, we have added another
date there for Valentine’s Day 14th Feb 2011. We’ll be performing an acoustic show
by candlelight for all you romantics!
19th November 2010
New photos in our gallery
from Hayley Madden Here3rd November 2010
A New Mediaeval Baebe on the way -
2nd November 2010
We did a great photoshoot with Hayley Madden recently which will
be used in Classic Rock Presents Prog magazine December/ Christmas issue. How
are the Baebes prog you might wonder? Buy the magazine and find out! Photos from
the shoot will be online soon.
26th October 2010
Premium tickets for Birmingham Cathedral on 18th December have now
SOLD OUT but you can still get mid priced and cheap tickets HERE
24th October 2010
Katharine Blake has recorded a song for the forthcoming album ‘The
Leader Of The Starry Skies -
11th October 2010
Thanks to everyone who came to see our very special acapella acoustic
shows. We raised over £1,000 for charity. We enjoyed performing these shows very
much and hope to be able to do some more next year.
November 2010
I’ve got my sleeping bag and goblet at the ready, my essential touring equipment
for the mighty MB Christmas tour... At the end of this month we will be mounting
our most action-
Make sure you check the dates and join us
for some festive revelry.
Beloved ‘Musical Director’ Katharine Blake
has twiddled her last knob (on the mixing desk) and the new soundtrack to ‘Temptation’
will be hot off the press and delivered to your door in time to serenade Santa as
he squeezes down your chimney.
We are planning to preview the show in 2011 but for
now, this is your last chance to be credited as a sponsor in the limited edition
programme featured in the deluxe package so order now to add your name to Mediaeval
Baebes history and avoid disappointed grandchildren.ORDER HERE
Photographic phenomenon
Hayley Madden has yet again been providing a magical setting for the ladies. Revel
in a four-
Katharine & Bev will be presenting a special Mediaeval Baebes Christmas
Singing Workshop on 11th December 2010. This is your big chance to stun your friends
and family with your newfound ability to sing carols in Medieval English. Oh how
the cold winter nights will fly by.
Well, that about wraps it up from
me and I’m sure I can speak for all the Baebes when I say I hope you all have a very
merry Christmas and a happy new year. But more importantly let us not forget it’s
my birthday on the 24th of December, surely the most important day of the holiday?
; )
Love as always
Emily Alice Ovenden
Special Announcement:
A New Mediaeval Baebe on the way -
Solo News:
Bev Lee Harling
Bev’s residency at Wilton’s Music Hall finishes with a
show on 8th November
Go along and witness her unique talent involving pots, pans,
vegetables and an electric drill.
FREE
MORE INFO HERE
Pythia
New T-
Live Dates
12 Nov 10 The Scala, London, UK
14 Nov 10 The
Asylum , Birmingham, UK
3 Dec 10 Hard Rock Hell Festival, UK www.hardrockhell.com
More details at www.pythiamusic.com
Esther Dee
Esther is currently recording a six
track EP which will hopefully be ready in time for Christmas stockings.http://www.myspace.com/estherdeemusic
Melpomeni
If
you missed Melpomeni’s album launch party back in August, here’s another chance to
see her performing songs from her solo album with her band:
17th November 2010
The
Buffalo Bar, London
(Next To Highbury & Islington tube)
FACEBOOK EVENT
Tickets £5 in
advance from HERE
Katharine Blake
Katharine Blake has recorded a song for the forthcoming
album ‘The Leader Of The Starry Skies -
The album will be released on 6th December and can be pre ordered at:
October 2010
A big hello from Baebe-
We recently returned from two very special acapella gigs where we sang accompanied
only by candlelight and the beautiful accoustics of the venues (St John's church
in London and the aptly named Lady Chapel in Ely Cathedral). Audience members who'd
also seen us sing with our band said that these intimate concerts were a completely
different experience -
Touring without our usual male contingent made it a true case of sisters doing it
for themselves, epitomised by the lovely Melpomeni opening a bottle of red with her
Gucci heel -
We are all excited about the imminent release of our live double album to accompany
our forthcoming theatrical show Temptation. It has been lovingly produced by our
very own Katkins who is confident she will have it finished within the next week
or so. She knows each song inside out and back to front and it's sounding great (it's
also the first album I appear on so it's extra-
Next year seems to be approaching fast and we are starting to get some Spring dates
in place which will give us the opportunity to visit our European fans -
In the meantime -
Sarah xx
Other News:
SINGING WORKSHOP
We have planned another singing workshop to co-
The workshop will take place once again in the beautiful surroundings of Jackson's
Lane Studio 1 from 11am -
There will be a chance for those of you who are attending the workshop and the show in the evening to perform with the Baebes at the end of the St Pancras show which we think will be very special!
There is special discount available for those of you who will be attending the workshop and the show on the same day.
Buy both together at http://www.mediaevalbaebes.com/workshops.html
PYTHIA
Check out a full page picture of Emily's heavy metal band PYTHIA in the October issue of Metal Hammer.
PYTHIA's next live dates are:
10 Oct 10 The Face Bar Reading, UK
22 Oct 10 Waerdse Tempel Heerhugowaard Netherlands With Arch Enemy
23 Oct 10 Metal Female Voices Festival Belgium
More details at www.pythiamusic.com
BEV LEE HARLING & THE KITCHEN SINK
Bev's band has a residency throughout October and November in the Mahogany Bar at the amazing Wilton's Music Hall.
The dates are:
18th October
1st & 8th November.
Free Entry.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=145076185535595&ref=ts
13th September 2010
Tickets for our December tour are now available in person from
most of the venues on the tour and from some of your local Tourist Information offices.
Check the live dates page for updates.
1st September 2010
Unfortunately we have had to cancel the two dates we had planned
in September at St Ives Festival and St Petroc Church In Bodmin. Refunds will be
arranged for those fans who bought tickets. Our sincerest apologies for any disappointment
caused.
September 2010
Hi Everyone,
Esther here. Just popping by and sprinkle a little fairy
dust into your mailboxes.
Given the weather’s recent offerings I thought it the perfect
time to bring you the latest news from Baebeland. As the summer wanes we offer you
a rare treat to see us perform a concert unamplified and unaccompanied in the awesome
setting and natural acoustic of St Pancras Chruch, London and Ely Lady Chapel at
Ely Cathedral in September. If you haven’t already, book your tickets now!
Kat recently
returned from a well deserved family holiday in the south of France after having
worked day and night for weeks on the ‘Temptation’ soundtrack album. She is now back
at work and confident we will have the whole thing finished by the end of September.
Go Kat!
In the last month Pom gave a knock out performance at the launch of her debut
solo album before abandoning us once more for her grand piano on the high seas. Bev
and I performed at Secret Garden festival with Gypsy sing band Manouche and Emily
has been working hard on her latest Pythia album.
I’m looking forward to next week
when we will all be reunited as we start rehearsals for the acapella shows. In no
time Xmas will be here and you’ll once again hear the pitter patter of bare baebes
feet over cold stone floors as we commence our UK Xmas tour of Cathedrals and theatres.
Hot water bottles and woolly socks at the ready!
Onto the new year and we will soon
be announcing live dates for 2011. I can at this stage reveal that we are planning
dates in Europe starting with an appearance at Trolls and Legends Festival in Belgium
on 23rd April.
In the meantime you can always rely on one of our albums to warm your
heart, transcend your daily troubles and ease the passing of summer. http://www.mediaevalbaebes.com/market.html
Furthermore,
if you fancy a daytrip to sunny Birmingham, I will be performing a solo set of my
songs at the Symphony Hall, one of the UK’s finest concert halls on Sunday 12th September.
More details below.
Until the next time, stay well
Love Esther
xxx
August 2010
Hi Everyone
Blissed out on this gorgeous British summer we’ve been having (and having just had my birthday fun on a Baebes weekend at Jersey Opera House) we Baebes have been grabbing the sun where we can as we record our latest spectacular Live album.
We didn’t just record the album live in a Medieval barn, we slept in it too! The screams could be heard for miles around the sleepy village of Great Bardfield as we all became convinced there was a noisy poltergeist trying to infiltrate our lovely, cosy cushions and frilly duvets in the darkness of the creaky old barn. Imagine our embarrassment when emerging in the morning without a wink of sleep, we discovered that someone had left the ice making machine on in the bar over night! Yes, we Baebes love to live the dream.
Kat and I are also preparing for the Christmas singing workshop, which we are incredibly excited about. As well as offering a special discounted price on both the workshop at Jacksons Lane and the Baebes concert at St Pancras Church in the evening, we will also be inviting those of you from the workshop to come and join the Baebes live on stage for one song! We will be choosing our most festive songs to include in the workshop, such as In Dulce Jubilo and Gaudete to get everyone in the festive mood. More info HERE
We would also love to congratulate Richard, our sound engineer on the new Temptation Live album, who has just had a beautiful healthy baby boy! This has set back our recording schedule a little, but judging by the gorgeous pictures of him we’ve seen, it’s a happy delay to have. To those of you who have pre ordered the 'Temptation' live album package, we're sorry that it won't be delivered in August but we are now hoping to have it finished by the end of September. On the plus side, if you haven't ordered it yet then there's still a bit more time to save up your pennies!
Last week we did a new photoshoot with the amazing Hayley Madden who is creating a magical mystical purple theme which we'll be using for our tour in December. Hayley has done some beautiful pictures of the Baebes in the past so we can't wait to see the finished results. Check out some of her other work here.
That’s all from me this month, don’t forget to check out all our new gigs on the
website, we have added even more dates to our UK tour including Warwick and Rotherham
so we hope to catch up with you at a gig soon.
Summer Lovin’
Bev x
Other News:
As you know, we are doing some live a capella dates in support of St John's At Hackney
church seating appeal. Emily has set up a Just Giving page for those of you who can't
make any of these shows. Visit It HERE
Melpomeni's Album Launch
Thanks to those of
you who helped pack out Melpomeni's album launch party this week. For those of you
who missed it, the album is now available and you can ORDER IT HERE
Melpomeni calls
herself a "philosophical songwriter" Her debut album 8 Tragedies, 2 Love Songs &
A Breakdown is an ode to her eclectic influences, musical experimentation and a nod
to the darker side of herself. Her passion for music and life are spliced into one
and magnificently presented in an eleven-
PYTHIA on Rock Band Network!
For all you gamers out there. You can now join Pythia
in your living room as part of the Rock Band Network! Check it out HERE
July 2010
Hi Everyone
A Well earned break was on the cards for the Mediaeval Baebes
in the last few weeks.
Sarah took the time to be with her family in Greece and has returned looking like a radiant bronzed Goddess. Emily has been raising money for new seats with her seating appeal for St. John at Hackney church (more details below), Katharine and Bev have had another successful Mediaeval Baebes singing workshop, and Esther and Bev have played at Glastonbury with Trio Manouche!
I have taken the time to indulge my romanticism by singing and playing a stunning black grand piano on a ship across the North Sea, and rehearsing my songs of love and tragedy for my album launch on the 29th July (see details below).
Baebeland swiftly beckoned though, and the last couple of days brought your ladies together again in wine and song to prepare for our concerts at the Jersey Opera House on 16th and 17th July.
Emily and I had either too much wine or not enough attention, so we decided to break into the crumbling chapel at the Abney Public Cemetery to give the spirits a taste of our voices. We were met by a very kind and graceful blue ghost who told us that if the next shows were anything like this dishevelled elegance, they would be exquisite. What fine taste this ghost has!
I can't believe we've already started thinking about Christmas but we've added lots more UK dates to our December tour (dates below), there are a couple more dates yet to be confirmed but keep your eye on the live dates page of the website for more information.
Well, with the recording of the new live album on the schedule for this week, I must dash.
Till next time,
Love and sparkles,
Melpomeni.
xxx
Apologies -
New Double Live Album!!
We are currently putting together a new album as a soundtrack
to our new show Temptation. We can reveal that the album will be recorded in June
and July at a genuine Mediaeval barn in Essex called High Barn.
The album will be
ready by the end of August 2010. We have put together a special pre order package
BUY IT NOW!
29th July 2010
Even More Live Dates Added! Rotherham Minster on 5th and Warwick Arts
Centre on 17th December! See Live Dates for more info
20th July 2010
New Christmas
Singing Workshop announced for 11th December. Special offer if you are attending
the St Pancras show in the evening on the same day and book together you can received
£7 off combined ticket price. There will also be special guest performers at the
St Pancras show -
15th July 2010
New photoshoot today with the wonderfully talented Hayley Madden who
is creating a magical mystical purple wonderland for us. Pics coming soon!
7th July 2010
New Live Dates Added ... Liverpool, Carlisle, Norwich, Arundel, London,
Leicester... Got to Live Dates to find out more!
Merchandise CD SALE!!
We have cut the price of all our CD albums to £10 only -
21st June 2010
Very excited to be starting the recording of our Temptation show album
tomorrow!
17th June 2010
Charity A Capella Shows in September. We have announced two more special
‘laid bare’ shows in September at St John’s At Hackney and Ely Lady Chapel. See
Live Dates for more info.
June 2010
Hello everyone
First of all I would like to thank everyone who has so generously purchased our pre-
This is going to be a very busy and exciting month for me as I am going to be producing
the “Temptation” soundtrack album which we can now reveal will be recorded at the
awe-
Don’t be surprised if my little girlies have a guest appearance on it somewhere (the distant chatter of Faerie voices) .
This month Bev Lee Harling and I will be hosting our second singing workshop in the beautiful Jackson’s Lane theatre in Highgate on Saturday June 19th. There are still some places left, so please book now at http://www.mediaevalbaebes.com/workshops.html
We will be teaching 5 songs from the Baebes repetoire and finish the afternoon with a performance to which you can invite your family and friends. Singers of all standards are welcome.
In September the Mediaeval Baebes will be debuting their a cappella /acoustic show. In contrast to our regular shows where we sing through amplification with guest musicians we will be performing as a six piece choir, unadorned by accompaniment, and unamplified in the natural and intimate acoustic of various churches and chapels across the country, starting in Cornwall.
This will also be an opportunity to hear some material from the Mediaeval Baebes forthcoming seventh studio album…
We can now also confirm some dates for later in the year and the first announced dates of the Mediaeval Baebes Christmas tour when we be returning with the full band. All forthcoming dates as follows:
Fri 16th July2010 Jersey Opera House
Sat 17th July 2010 Jersey Opera House
Fri 24th Sep 2010 St Ive’s Festival, Cornwall (NB: Unaccompanied A capella performance)
Sat 25th Sep 2010 St Petroc’s Parish Church, Bodmin (NB: Unaccompanied A capella performance)
Thu 18th Nov 2010 Stafford Gatehouse Theatre
Wed 8th Dec 2010 High Barn Great Bardfield, Essex
Tue 14th Dec 2010 Cheltenham Town, Gloucestershire
Sat 18th Dec 2010 Birmingham Cathedral
Sun 19th Dec 2010 Ludlow Assembly Rooms&
Mon 20th Dec 2010 Lichfield Garrick
Further information on all shows and ticketing details can be found here
And finally -
Lots of love Katharine Blake xxx
Solo News:
Monday 21st June
Katharine Blake & Nick Marsh perform at Faery Fest in Bodmin and Medaieval Baebes fans can get a £10 discount on the regular ticket price if they call this hotline 01736 330201 and quote 'Katharine Blake'
3 Wishes Faerie Fest
Bodmin Moor, Cornwall
www.fairyfestival.co.uk
Thursday 29th July 2010
Melpomeni Album Launch Party
Melpomeni + Special Guests
Zigfrid Von Underbelly
11 Hoxton Square,
London N1 6NU
Tickets £5 in adv plus booking fee
http://www.etickets.to/buy/?e=4987
May 2010
These last few days the Mediaeval Baebes have found themselves once more experiencing
the extraordinary. Our last minute trip to Lebanon was not only a musical triumph
but also a well-
A big thank you to our hosts, Alice and Roger Edde & Guy Yazbeck
for showing us the meaning of 5 star luxury. The trip will certainly go down in history
as one of the Baebes’ most enjoyable outings and I would urge anyone to visit this
fascinating country.
We are pleased to announce our new show is entitled ‘Temptation’
A short trailer is available to view as part of the Barclays Business Take One Small
Step Competition
https://www.takeonesmallstep.co.uk/Entry/View/1541
Please take a moment to view the trailer, back the idea and leave some positive feedback
as this could really help us take home the top prize. In the ever-
To accompany the show, there will be a brand new DOUBLE live album of exclusive new arrangements and recordings of the songs featured in the show.
By ordering now, you can help us move forward with our plans. I know, I know; it is always me plugging away at selling our merchandise but if ever there was a time to show your love – THIS IS IT!
We have put together a special package on pre-
In addition to the above packages, if you are kind of heart and overflowing with spare cash (a rarity these days we realise) and you would like to help us put on this show purely for the sheer joy of helping us to make it happen then we would welcome any donations to the cause however small. If you would like to donate, please click on the donate button below.
Well, I think I’ve been banging on long enough so I hope you all have a great summer and whatever you do, resist everything except TEMPTATION.
Love
Emily xxx
April 2010
A very happy Spring-
Blossom, daffodils and sunny skies abound here in London -
We’ve just spent an intensive few days working with an extensive and talented crew.
Together, in a North London theatre, we created a fantasy-
Lights, camera, action upon a magical feast of singing, dancing, whirling twirling
dresses, upside-
The promo will be online soon and we hope you enjoy it – just a taster of what’s still to come!
Summer 2010 is at present taking the Baebes from a festival to an opera house to
a castle and then well and truly through the gates of Faerieworld -
Why not brush up on some of the Baebes repetoire and help us raise the finances to get this show on the road by visiting our shop and treating yourselves to some CDs and DVDs.
With much, much magic
Sarah xxx
March 2010
Dear Baebes fans
Esther here. Just thought I'd flutter by to give you some of our latest news.
Last month saw the beauteous baebes venture into the desert to perform for the Arizona Renaissance festival. A welcome break from the city and the sludge, we pulled out our summer dresses and sandals to enjoy the sunshine over Valentines weekend.
A little pink and frayed around the edges after 4 shows a day, a glass of wine in the hot tub was the perfect way to wind down. Thank you to our resident fool Kavus Torabi and Frank Moon on oud who provided the entertainment. We now have our sights set on the ultimate hot tub for our office feeling strongly that from now on we need more bubbles in our business.
Personal highlights of the trip (other than the shows) were watching the sunrise over the mountains, climbing superstition mountain, managing to convince the mediaeval bloakes that a go on the bungie was a good idea and a rather intense session of fuseball which helped me to get in touch with my inner hooligan.
The baebes would like to thank all of the people we met for their hospitality and those who made the whole trip possible.
Back to work and our latest update on the show as we continue to make swift progress. We are all very excited and are currently in movement rehearsals with choreographer Lucie Pankhurst. We are in training to up our fitness levels and fast, singing on our steppers and treadmills daily, drawing inspiration from a more contemporary goddess Beyonce Knowles!
We can now reveal that the set and costume designer will be Chloe Lamford. Chloe won best design at the 2007 TMA awards and was short listed for the Linbury prize for set design in 2003. Her work is diverse and she has designed for the theatre, opera, dance, film and TV.
We are filming a promo for the show next week with award winning film director Shelly Love and of course we're filming and photographing lots of lovely snippets for the 'making of' DVD!
So far we've only had a sneak preview of our half made costumes so it's going to be amazing to see the finished versions which will far exceed anything you've seen us in before!
Of course pretty frocks and set building costs a lot of money so please do help us out by heading to our online shop where you can buy lots of lovely CDs TShirts, DVDs, signed Tambourines, bags and posters. You will want to say you were there first when the show takes off!
Over the coming weeks we are planning an eBay auction of Mediaeval Baebes rarities and 'money can't usually buy' items so look out for news on that shortly.
The show promises to be a visual feast which will finally do justice to the beauty within the music and see the Baebes pushed to their limit in which the visual performance will match the musical intricacy.
And finally, I'll get to swing from the rafters like a real faery!
Love
Esther xxx
Feb 2010
Hello lovelies!
Bev Lee here, checking in with you all after a VERY eventful January.
While for others the snow has been a perfect excuse to bunk off work, we Baebes have been battling our way through the snow flurries to begin our hectic schedule of Theatre Show rehearsals.
We are bursting with excitement about our brand spanking new show, and we are lucky enough to be working with some truly talented people. Over the next few months we will gradually be teasing you with juicy snippets of information about the show, and maybe even posting the odd cheeky video clip or two, now that Emily has been threatening us all with her new HD video camera!
So, without further ado, I can now reveal that the director of the show...drum roll Ben please.....is...the wonderful Micha Bergese! Micha has been involved in a plethora of amazing projects such as Shaolin Monks – Wheel of Life, and is Creative Director for the current stage production of Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds. As well as working with such glitterati as Mick Jagger, Tina Turner, Leonard Cohen and The Pogues, he also choreographed and appeared in the film version of Anne Rice’s “Interview With A Vampire” alongside Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. Of course, quite a few of the Baebes found themselves blushing when they met him on realizing that he played every teenage girl's fantasy man as “the huntsman/wolf” in Angela Carter’s film “The Company of Wolves”. Woo! Hot stuff!
Alongside all the show shenanigans Kat and I have also been studiously working away, creating an exciting afternoon's experience for our Baebes singing workshop on 20th March in London.
We’ve had a fabulous response so far, and tickets are selling like hot cakes, so with only a few places left please take the plunge soon to avoid disappointment! And yes – mediaeval bloakes are welcome too – its not just for baebes!!
More information at http://www.mediaevalbaebes.com/workshop.html
So, before I sign off just a quick shout out to all our fellow mediaevallers in Arizona who we’ll be seeing very soon on Feb 13th, 14th and 15th at the Arizona Rennaisance Festival. Last one to the outdoor hot tub’s a loser!!!!
Kisses
B x
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