BRIAN MAY and KERRY ELLIS
CANDLELIT CHRISTMAS CONCERT COMES TO LEEDS
In response to a clamour of public demand, Queen star Brian May and singing sensation Kerry Ellis today announced they are teaming up once more for a new series of UK concerts at the end of the year.
May and Ellis play Leeds Grand Theatre on Monday 12th December; tickets go on general sale this Friday 15th July
The concert marks the pair’s sixth tour together since their first ‘Anthems’ shows in 2011, which they performed on the release of Kerry’s first album, produced by Brian.
May comes hot from a hugely impactful Queen tour of festivals throughout Europe this summer including a performance at the Isle of Wight Festival, which the organiser himself has called the greatest performance in the Festival’s history.
By the time Ellis and May embark on their Christmas tour, the now widely critically acclaimed combination of Queen and Adam Lambert will have extended their tour de force in Asia. Ellis, in the meantime, has consolidated her huge reputation in the world of Musical Theatre. She stands as one of the all-time most lauded Elphabas in Wicked in London and on Broadway, and by December she will have delivered her starring role in the first run of the Off-Broadway hit Murder Ballad in London’s Arts theatre.
‘Intimate’ is a word Kerry uses when she talks about what first-time audiences might expect from seeing May and Kerry perform their upcoming shows: “Our show is definitely an experience; we like to move people, give them new experiences and take them on our personal journey, and we have a lot of fun. Brian always comes up with great stories to explain our choice of songs, and among them a lot of hidden gems that people have never heard before. We like to think it’s a very unique and special evening.”
Says May: “Our show is largely acoustic and usually performed by candlelight. It’s very loose and interactive. In contrast to the bombast of a Queen show, our relationship with the audience is very informal – truly live and spontaneous. This is now my favourite way of performing – it’s a lot of fun and anything can happen. It takes some courage, but we believe our audience loves the fact that we take the risk to run the show completely ‘wild’. No clicks, no loops, no clutter. It’s fundamentally just a voice and a guitar.”
This concert tour will feature new songs from the forthcoming second album Anthems II, which the pair has been working on for the last year. Their magic in these shows is born of simplicity. May swaps his trade-mark Red Special for a variety of acoustic instruments for much of the evening, and provides his own special arrangements to highlight the beauty of Kerry’s extraordinary voice. The repertoire also includes versions of Brian and Kerry’s personal favourite songs of all time, a few Queen tunes revisited, and material dedicated to awareness of wild animals, in tune with the passion that Brian and Kerry share for giving animals a voice. With a little support from keyboard whiz Jeff Leach, the show builds, and without giving too much away, it’s safe to say that the mighty crunch of May’s red special is brought in to bring the evening to an electric climax.
Kerry Ellis says: “It’s always a joy to be able to perform live with the ‘Doc’ and this time will be as magical as ever. We seem to always be developing and bring new ideas to the table. Alongside performing and recording we are still learning and for me that’s the exciting part. I feel very fortunate to be doing another tour together and sharing yet another show with our audiences.”
Brian May: “Although life has taken us both into so many new areas recently, live music is still what makes us tick – the greatest joy. And Ms Ellis is the perfect fellow band member! I’m grateful for the opportunity we have to bring this show to an even wider audience. I’m already working on hardening up the finger ends!”
Brian May and Kerry Ellis: Candlelit Christmas Concert is at Leeds Grand Theatre
on Monday 12th December
Tickets go on sale to Priority Members on Wednesday 13th July and general sale on Friday 15th July
Tickets are priced at £45
Book online at leedsgrandtheatre.com or call Box Office on 0844 848 2700