Sunshine, Surprises and Spellbound Stories

In the last couple of weeks I've been to Liverpool, Sheffield, Newcastle, Altrincham (nr Manchester), Birmingham and Bath.  It's been wonderful!  I've really enjoyed exploring the new music with my fabulous band and the response from the audiences has been amazing.  It's so rewarding to get such positive feedback about a project so close to my heart.

And the sun has been shining!  We've had some really warm weather on our travels and it really makes a difference with such long car journeys.  And another perk of being on the road is that allow myself a cooked breakfast every morning.  I don't eat just before a performance as it prevents me breathing deeply and affects my singing so I think I can justify a morning fry up!

An interesting aspect of bringing the songs to the different audiences around the country is that I've discovered that a lot of people are amazingly well read!  Quite a few of the books on my list, although critically acclaimed, are a bit obscure and some are very difficult reads... but I've found some people in the audience have read even the most challenging such as "The Master and Margarita" or "Beloved".   It's also been really lovely to chat to people at the end of the gig and to hear about what they've been reading - and I've come away with some great tips for new books to read!

Some photos tweeted during the tour:

@julietkelly @PARRJAZZ @FrederiksHopeSt #enchanting pic.twitter.com/w03gpbK90E
— PARRJAZZ (@PARRJAZZ) September 9, 2014

@julietkelly Hi Lovely gig at the Black Swan with JNE Loved your version of Wuthering Heights what an encore !!! :) pic.twitter.com/N6R2geWkbe
— Ken Drew (@Kenbay6) September 12, 2014

Lovely start to the 1st set, inspired by Sophie's World. @julietkelly and band sounding beautiful in #Altincham pic.twitter.com/OfEAHnZ8nd
— The Cinnamon Club (@TheCinnamonClub) September 18, 2014

#365happydays day 194 ish - live #jazz from @julietkelly band at @THSHBirmingham on Friday http://t.co/k7wrHFiN0J pic.twitter.com/Znxva0Vo5r
— Phil Beardmore (@PhilBeardmore) September 21, 2014

And here is a cool shot I took of the band on our evening off in Bath just before the last gig of the second leg.

Nick Ramm, Eddie Hick and Oli Hayhurst looking very cool

Still a few dates to look forward to next month - can't wait!

02 Oct - The Spin, Oxford  OX1 4DF
12 Oct - Verdi @ Royal Albert Hall, London  SW7 2AP - Sunday Brunch 12-2pm
14 Oct - St Ives Jazz Club @ Western Hotel, St Ives, Cornwall  TR26 2ND
15 Oct - Restormel Arts @ Bosuns, Charlestown, St Austell  PL25 3NJ