The Friday Night Club with The Unthanks kicks off on Friday 26 September at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music: a new quarterly night curated and hosted by The Unthanks bringing together music, storytelling, and surprise guests.
The first show features Clara Mann, Fiona Mozley, Tim Dalling and musicians from Royal Northern Sinfonia.
Created through The Unthanks’ Artistic Partnership with The Glasshouse, the club makes space for collaboration across genres, artforms and ideas.
Folk pioneers and Artistic Partners of The Glasshouse, The Unthanks have announced an eclectic new event: The Friday Night Club. Curated and hosted by the band, the quarterly show launches on Friday 26 September, featuring singer-songwriter Clara Mann, author Fiona Mozley, musician Tim Dalling and members of Royal Northern Sinfonia – the home orchestra of The Glasshouse.
The Friday Night Club with The Unthanks in Sage Two will present musicians, poets, comedians, classical and jazz ensembles, short films, local legends and touring artists. Pop-up surprises are promised, with The Unthanks opening and closing the show. The trio also invites audiences to make an evening of it with food before the show and a drink in the bar afterwards.
For its debut, Franco-British ‘almost-folk’ newcomer Clara Mann will present her first album, Rift. Possessing the prickly intensity of Aldous Harding, she’s described by The Independent as already having “gone from one-to-watch to one of the best songwriters in the country”.
Yorkshire author Fiona Mozley will reveal how her Booker Prize-shortlisted novel, Elmet, is being transformed into a site-specific theatre piece for Bradford City of Culture this Autumn, featuring music and performed by The Unthanks.
Tim Dalling will mix clever storytelling and poetry with the wild fun of old-time variety shows. His songs, often about serious matters like death and gratitude, can make audiences laugh one moment and cry the next.
The Unthanks and fellow Artistic Partner, violinist Maria Włoszczowska, collaborated to select the music that members of Royal Northern Sinfonia will perform. For the launch night, they’ll share music by Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara. Writing his String Quartet No. 1 at just 23, during his neo-classical phase, there are hints of Stravinsky mixed with Finnish folk music in the first and final movements. The Slavic romance of the middle Andante hints at the freer, tonal beauty of his later work.
Last autumn, The Unthanks, Maria Włoszczowska and Corinne Bailey Rae were announced as Artistic Partners, working with The Glasshouse and Royal Northern Sinfonia over three years. Supporting the creative ambitions of these artists, The Glasshouse is helping them to curate and create new work, collaborating with musicians who are part of the venue’s vibrant community and visiting programme.
The Friday Night Club stems from The Unthanks’ role as Artistic Partners at The Glasshouse, reflecting the venue’s reputation as one of the UK’s leading spaces where artists and music lovers come together.
The Unthanks’ musical director Adrian McNally said,
“We firmly believe in the cultural intelligence of modern audiences and healthy mischief. If a folk singer is followed by a cello sonata, followed by a stop-motion film, followed by a comedian, followed by a jazz ensemble, it might be a surprise, but surely not a problem.
“We doubt the majority of concert goers will bat an eyelid and, hopefully for the artists involved, it will be enriching to find their work bookended differently, reaching new ears and not relying exclusively on their fanbases”.
Lucy Scott, Senior Producer at The Glasshouse said:
“Our Artistic Partnerships are about artists shaping new ideas for music and connection. With The Friday Night Club, The Unthanks are turning Sage Two into a welcoming place where creativity can take unexpected turns, bringing together different artforms and ideas into the room. Sage Two is the perfect setting for it: great sound, an intimate atmosphere, and a space where artists can take risks, try things out, and surprise us.”
The post The Glasshouse launches The Friday Night Club appeared first on The Classical Source.
