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!
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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