You may have seen our video page above or our channel of goodies over on YouTube, but since we’ve got a whole load of brand spanking new footage to share, I thought I’d just point you in the right direction.
We’ve even made helpful new playlists showcasing tracks by genre, so get stuck in below to feast your ears on new material including Bastille, James Bay and Kate Bush.
Enjoy!
Well…we’ve been back for a while actually, but with the autumn term ticking along and some fab new arrangements already shaping up most pleasingly, it’s about time we filled you in on what we’ve been up to…
One highlight has to have been helping our new friend Malcolm with a very special assignment – his proposal to his partner Jo. Hopeless romantics at heart, how could we refuse?!
Those of us able to feign a very important meeting that necessitated being out of the office at 2:30pm on a Thursday, met at Parliament Square in a state of very nervous excitement. It was a beautiful day and the square was full of people, including the token bagpiper, who it soon became clear we would have to compete with…
We chose the shelter of Benjamin Disraeli’s imposing statue to huddle behind for a quiet rehearsal, trying not to attract too much attention. Malcolm’s dad, who was helping to orchestrate the event, came to meet us, ready to catch the moment on camera.
And then we waited, scanning a sea of people for the couple.
It transpired that Jo had very thoughtfully chosen to wear a bright yellow dress which made her pretty easy to spot – thanks Jo! Once we’d found our target we made our stealthy way up behind them, ready to launch into our classic mash-up of the Beach Boy’s ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ and Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies’ (the ‘put a ring on it’ bit, obviously), with just a smattering of J-Lo’s ‘Jenny from the Block’ for good measure.
Against a background of sirens, birds, traffic, overenthusiastic spectators who wanted to join in, and the afore-mentioned bagpipes, we sang our hearts out, and watched Jo’s slight confusion turn to laughter, smiles and happy tears as Malcolm got down on one knee and asked her to marry him.
It was such a joyful occasion and we are so honoured to have been a part of it. When the song was over there were hugs, high fives, handshakes and applause all round. We were all grinning from ear to ear and so delighted to have been able to help.
Congratulations Malcolm and Jo! Thank you so much for including us in such a special moment, and all our best wishes for the future.
As you’ll know from the last month of shameless plugging, Pop-Up recently hit Peckham Liberal Club for our annual summer extravaganza. Here newbie Lauren shares her take on the night’s proceedings….
Clad in glitter and a fine sheen of ‘showbiz’ sweat*, the Pop-Up Choir livened up the Peckham Liberal Club last weekend with an extravaganza of singing and sparkle. Kicking off the night, aglow in the scarlet gleam of our cabaret-style grotto, was comedian Abigoliah Schamaun. Never disappointing, with her cutting New Yorker hilarity and louder-than-a-London-night-bus personality, the audience could never have been in any doubt they were in for a spectacular night.
Starting as we meant to go on, next up were rhythm and blues masters Mojohand. We couldn’t have asked for better support than their heady mix of double bass, bluegrass guitar and passionate vocals, which can only be described as a soul-shaking treat for the ears.
As the choir itself took to the stage, shimmering like a disco ball, we couldn’t help but be proud of the hours of hard work put into this gig, all the while spurred on by our seemingly magical MD Ellie, who breathes new life, energy and triumph into everything she touches.
Evidence of that came with two new arrangements: Kate Bush’s ‘Cloudbusting’, a powerfully mellow song that showcases the wonderful talent of our Alto 2s, and a breathtaking, vibrant mashup of James Bay’s ‘Hold Back the River’ and Bastille’s ‘Pompeii’, a multi-layered crescendo that sets hearts racing. One of my favourite parts of any performance is Ellie’s quiet pre-song hum that is echoed back to her by twenty five well-honed voices; the chord that brings us together and then propels us forward.
For all who came, we were thrilled to have you, and apologise for any glitter-blindness that may have been induced. Join us again next term and bring your friends, for no one should be immune to this much joy.
*’Showbiz’ sweat is no normal state of perspiring. Blame it on the hot, bright lights of the stage, the excitement, the fear, the three gin and tonics you quite possibly could have had after the performance, whatever you will – it’s the sweat of champions.
It’s not even lunchtime and already the Pop-Up Choir are already frantically sending each other messages to make sure that no one has a wardrobe clash. No chance. Did we mention that there may be quite a few sparkles this evening? I’ve even made myself a sparkly bow tie!
Dressing up seems to be the order of the day. Abigoliah Scahmaun, our host comedian, has asked more questions about dressing up than either what we are singing or what she should do.
We’ve also got some Peckham lights for Peckham Nights featuring the best of the area, including the pie and mash shop and err…the Meat Shop?!
If you want to see us there are still tickets on sale online for a few more hours. If you are very clever and enter the code POPUPPECKHAM when you go to our ticket site you will get them at £8!
Get your tickets here: www.thepopupchoir.brownpapertickets.com and enter the code POPUPPECKHAM now!
By the way, CASH IS KING in the Peckham Liberal Club so make sure you visit the cash machine before you get there.
Tickets are going fast – get yours here: http://thepopupchoir.brownpapertickets.com/
Don’t forget to click ‘attending’ here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/248910032145163/
Inspired by a fantastic recent gig over at the Effra Social in Brixton, we’re busting out the *glittery tinsel curtain for a night of A cappella at the Peckham Liberal club.
A guaranteed evening of feel good favourites, expect the full joyful acapella experience, featuring songs from Blackstreet to The Beach Boys, Taylor Swift and Aloe Blacc to Peter Gabriel – all with our own special twist.
As well as a licensed bar, to keep things interesting we’ll be joined by Abigoliah Schamaun, New York stand-up comedian extraordinaire and Mojohand, a five piece playing an infectious blend of rhythm and blues, rock and edgy soul. You can’t say we don’t show you a good time.
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, these are wonderfully eclectic mini-gigs hosted at the Chapel on Saturday’s throughout the year, bringing together amazing music, a magical, friendly atmosphere, tea and homemade cakes in one of London’s finest venues.
Pop-Up will be performing alongside Nat and the Noise Brigade and Ellie Ford and her band. Apparently we will ‘delight and surprise you with our playful arrangements.’ Totes.
An event for all ages, your lazy Saturday afternoon is officially sorted – come and join us! Free entry* 12.00 – till 2.00pm (*suggested donation £5.00).
Union Chapel, Compton Terrace, London N1 2UN
The other weekend saw Pop-Up performing at Chorus on the Southbank. It’s always great to hear what other choirs are up to as well as a guaranteed appreciative audience at the Royal Festival Hall! It was also our inaugural gig with Ellie at the helm so lots to look forward to.
Having navigated the choppy waters of sourcing choir MD’s a couple of times now, it always amazes me how a new set of ears can take some of our more well worn repertoire and make the material sound fresh and re-energised. Ellie is currently sprinkling her fairy dust across multiple tracks and it’s great to be able to give these songs a facelift. Judging by the reaction of the crowd in the RFH bar, we think they went down pretty well!
With plenty going on at the festival throughout the weekend, some of our more adventurous Poppers (namely Helen and Sarah) also got involved with the Twitter Chorus, an experiential session created by artist Tamsin Challenger.
The piece aimed to bring to life how we use Twitter as a communication tool – singers chanted REPLY! RETWEET! SELFIE! MORE! With around 100 or so voices clashing together in a noisy crescendo, you could definitely feel the chaotic and constant nature of the twitter feed.
Sarah’s take on it all? “When one is invited to join in a live piece of art, it’s probably best to check the small print as you may end up wondering round Southbank Festival Hall chanting odd things with blue lipstick on.” Indeed.
So all in all a cracking weekend of singing and post performance revelry for Pop-Up (we like to keep things in balance.)
Thanks for having us Chorus, see you next year?
What are your plans for next Saturday evening? How about stopping by the bar of the Royal Festival Hall at 8pm for a drink and to hear us sing some lovely things? A great start to your evening (and highly civilised and cultured) it’s also totally free – what’s not to like!?
The Southbank Centre kicks off their annual Chorus festival on Friday 18th March and celebrates and explores the power of singing together. There’s a huge variety of performances and vocal workshops to get involved with so why not check out the links above to see what else is on offer.
See you on Saturday!
This week we said farewell to our MD, Chris Bland. Ironically, the Blandmeister has actually brought Pop-Up some of its most original and complex arrangements to date. Here’s a taster of our last rehearsal with Chris when we whistled, sha-dooped, way-ooed and even rapped our way through some of our favourites, this one included:
And then in a sugar-fuelled afterparty we ate cake.
A heartfelt thanks to Chris for popping up out of the blue and transforming the way we sing. Good luck in all the music you go on to make and sing!
Love, The Pop-Up Choir
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