Rainer Hersch at the Southbank Centre

THINK you know all those Christmas songs? Well listen to Rainer Hersch's interpretations and you may want to think again.

The comedian, writer, performer and classical musician will be bringing his own unique take on a selection of Yuletide tunes from yesteryear which have graced the charts at a special concert at the Southbank Centre next week.

From The Beatles to Mr Blobby, Harry Belafonte to the Human League and Benny Hill to the Military Wives, Christmas No.1 SINGALONG! will be a veritable jamboree of classic UK singles chart Christmas number ones.

"I have done a lot of shows at the Southbank Centre over the years. It's a lovely venue and the perfect place to do a mix of comedy and music which is what this is," he explains.

"Originally I was going to do Christmas songs from the 70s and 80s but then I thought number ones would be more interesting and fun to do so I'm looking forward to it."

But don't expect any of the original versions.

"My background is in classical music and a lot of the songs are quite classical in the way they are constructed. However, I will be doing my own special rendition of them, mashing them up a bit," he laughs.

"It's basically a sing-along, stand-up comedy trip down memory lane all rolled into one and the audience are very much part of the show."

Rainer's dual love of comedy and classical music began when he was at school.

"My first love was music and I got a real buzz out of it," he says. "My act of rebellion as a teenager was classical music. I got obsessively interested in piano and went to lots of concerts - many of which were at the Southbank Centre.

"I did a degree in economics but carried on playing music and started writing comedy shows. Eventually one fine day I realised I could earn a living out of doing both and I've not looked back."

Indeed he now performs shows all over the world as both a stand-up, soloist and with full size orchestras as well as his own eight-piece band.

And it will be this band who will be joining him on stage next week along with actress and singer Charlotte Page.

"Charlotte Page will help me do 15 numbers," he says. "Eight of them are cast iron classics and include Bohemian Rhapsody, and Ernie (the fastest milkman in the West) - they absolutely require audience participation!"

They will also be grouped in to categories including Classic, Novelty and Christian Songs.

"True classics are like those done by Slade," he says. "Those are my favourites because they are about having a good time over Christmas and put you in a party spirit. Not like Mr Blobby and the Band Aid single which are really cringy.

"Slade's Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day is definitely my favourite but imagine if it was Christmas every day – everything would be closed and we would be eating Turkey every day! It's nonsense!

"So, I will be doing a bit of song deconstruction as well. It'll be a bit like a Christmas cracker - full of surprises and hopefully go with a bang!"

Christmas No.1 SINGALONG! With Rainer Hersch and his orchestra is on at the Purcell Room, Southbank Centre on Saturday December 14. Tickets cost £20. Call the box office on 0844 847 9910.

Glenn Tilbrook

MENTION the name Glenn Tilbrook and most people will immediately think of the pop band Squeeze.

The Woolwich-born singer songwriter rose to fame with the group which was formed in Deptford in 1974.

Together, Glenn and friend and fellow Squeeze member Chris Difford were responsible for penning some of the catchiest songs to grace the charts - including the likes of Tempted, Cool For Cats and Up The Junction.

But after an astonishing 13 albums the group went their separate ways in 1999 after 25 years together.

It gave Glenn the breathing space to throw himself into a solo career which saw him release two albums, one of which featured actor Johnny Depp on guest vocals, and form another band, The Fluffers.

But there was clearly unfinished business when it came to Squeeze and in 2007 the band reformed releasing a greatest hits album and going on tour.

Since then Glenn, who still remains true to his South London roots, has continued to work on a variety of solo and other musical projects.

He's just back from a two-month tour of America, has a new album to promote and is catching his breath before he sets out on a string of dates across the UK - including at Blackheath Halls on Saturday, December 14.

"Life is good," he says. "In fact it's pretty amazing. I've just got back from America where I went all over the place. At one point our driver said we'd done about 13,800 miles in six weeks. Unbelieveable!

"Now I'm doing a two month tour of the UK which I'm really excited about."

It's an eye-watering schedule but for a pro like Glenn it's par for the course and as we chat it's clear he has lost none of the passion and enthusiasm for the job which he says is the best in the world.

"It's great fun being on the road and exploring," he enthuses. "There really is nothing like it and I'm very lucky because people still want to come and listen but it can be exhausting," he admits laughing.

However, his latest outing is with neither Squeeze nor The Fluffers or indeed as a duo with Chris. Instead it is a totally stripped back solo affair.

"Touring on my own is quite liberating," he says. "I love being in the band but it's nice to do things on my own from time to time and I realised I hadn't done that in the UK for about six years so thought it was about time I did!

"The great thing about being by myself is it can get a lot more experimental.

"I work without a set list so I'm never completely sure about what I'm going to play until I'm on stage which makes it fun.

"The audience will have to come prepared to listen to a bit of everything - whether it's Squeeze the Fluffers or my solo work."

That's quite a lot to pack in then?

"It's not a bad back catalogue," he admits chuckling. "It's an amazing legacy and I'm immensely proud of my career and all the stuff I've done, particularly with Chris - we've had our ups and downs but we have written some great songs over the years and always end up coming back to each other. We are a good team."

And without wishing to be described as a workaholic, Glenn admits he can't sit still.

"I've got lots of projects on the go," he laughs warmly hinting at a collaboration with Chris on a new record early next year.

And there is another exciting project in the pipeline with Squeeze.

"We are working on some songs to go with Danny Baker's autobiography which is being made into a TV series," he says. "We have known him forever and it's a great project for a band like us to be involved in so that's been terrific."

But in the meantime Glenn is focusing on the gigs and his new album - Happy Ending - due out in January.

"The album has been influenced by, and is a comment on what's going on at the moment - things like Leveson Inquiry and the economy. It will be released as a vinyl, CD and download package which is exciting.

"And it will be good to be back in Blackheath. I still live up the road in Charlton and am very much a South London boy so it's always special to play on my home patch."

Glenn Tilbrook is at Blackheath Halls on Saturday, December 14. Tickets cost £18 in advance or £20 on the door. Call the box office on 020 8305 9300 or 020 8463 0100 or visit www.trinitylaban.ac.uk/blackheath-halls/

Blues Band

FOR Gary Fletcher, the old adage of being in the right place at the right time couldn't be more true.

The Streatham-born base player with the Blues Band was working as a cabbie in between gigs with other groups when drummer Wilgar Campbell got in his taxi.

"We got chatting and before you know it I met (Blues Band member) Dave Kelly who was forming a band with Paul Jones and Tom McGuinness from Manfred Mann and they eventually asked me to join," says Gary.

"It was pretty amazing really!"

That was 1979 and over the decades that have passed the group has stuck together touring across the globe and recording about 20 albums culminating in their current release Few Short Lines.

They are currently on a UK tour which sees a pit stop at Blackheath Halls on Saturday. (dec 8).

And for Gary it will be a welcome return home.

"We play here quite often," he says warmly. "It's a lovely venue. I visit quite regularly as I still have friends in Streatham where I grew up and whenever I'm here I always arrive a bit early so I can go for a bite to eat at one of the great restaurants before a walk over the heath."

And he adds the band is looking forward to the gig not least because Jona Lewie will be joining them on stage.

"We are very excited about it actually," he says warmly. "I have no idea what we'll be playing - with us there's no set list so sometimes we can end up playing stuff we haven't done for years so we just jam along. We usually get away with it though," he laughs.

"What's amazing is we never thought for one minute when we started that we would still be here all these years later but we are very grateful that we are.

"We've never been in the rock star category but do it because we love gigging and making good albums - we've never shifted albums for our pension funds!" he chuckles..
"And I think we've lasted because we only do about 65 dates a year, we have other interests outside the band and we never travel together so we aren't in each others pockets all the time. It works and we are still good mates which is great!"

The Blues Band is at Blackheath Halls on Saturday, December 7. Tickets cost £22. Call the box office on 020 8305 9300 or 020 8463 0100 or visit www.trinitylaban.ac.uk/blackheath-halls/

Scottsboro Boys - review

FOUR STARS

IN 1931 nine black teenagers boarded a train in Scottsboro, Alabama, in search of a new life. By the end of their journey, their lives – and those of every American – would be changed forever.

The boys were falsely accused of raping two white girls and were arrested, tried and found guilty. In fact over the years, they were tried numerous times and each time the guilty verdict was returned - despite one of the girls retracting her statement and admitting she lied.

Their story, which deeply divided America, had a powerful effect on American history and the American Civil Rights Movement and is now widely regarded as a miscarriage of justice.

And although this is a distressing and disturbing story that does nothing for the reputation of the American South, it provided the inspiration for Scottsboro Boys, a musical by award-winning composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb in 2010.

A production is now on at the Young Vic and a more powerful, uplifting and emotionally charged show you would be hard pushed to find.

Featuring five of the original Broadway cast, the acting, singing and dancing is terrific - in particular that of Kyle Scatliffe as Haywood Patterson, the most outspoken of the teenagers.

And although there is a slight unease at tapping ones foot along to songs about being electrocuted in the electric chair and lynchings the show is uplifting in its message about humanity and hope.

The direction is strong, the musical numbers tug at the heartstrings and the partnership of Colman Domingo and Forrest McClendon as Mr Bones and Mr Tambo and a host of other characters is an inspiration.

And despite it being a bladder busting 105 minutes without an interval this is a quite simply an extraordinary show that should not be missed.

The Scottsboro Boys is on at the Young Vic, The Cut, Waterloo until December 21.

Tickets from £10. Call the box office on 020 7922 2922.

Jo Brand

SHE has been a psychiatric nurse, is a BAFTA-winning stand up comedienne, actress, writer and broadcaster and been manhandled by self-styled makeover experts Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine in the name of fashion, but now Jo Brand is facing the biggest challenge of her life - panto.

The show in question is Aladdin which opens at the New Wimbledon Theatre on Friday, December 6 and in which she stars as the Genie of the Ring.

"I fancied a bit of a change to be honest," she laughs when I ask her what prompted her to take on the part.

"I realised I'd never done pantomime before so when it was offered, I thought why not?!"

I meet Jo in the basement of a rather dimly lit bar in Wimbledon on a very drizzly, cold day before rehearsals start.

And despite her sometimes sarcastic and droll demeanour on TV, she is incredibly relaxed and full of bonhomie as we chat about her forthcoming stint on stage and her lengthy and impressive career.

"Obviously I would have loved to be Cinderella because I'm a role model for glamorous women but they asked me to be the Genie of the Ring, God help me, so it will be quite amusing I'm sure," she chuckles.

"I’m no actress – I’d never describe myself as that but I wanted to have a go... tick it off the list so to speak.

"Also it's near where I live so I can get back home really easily which is a major consideration these days!" she laughs.

Joining her on stage will be award-winning actor Matthew Kelly as Widow Twankey and street dancers Flawless as the Peking Police Force.

"Fortunately I'm not going to be doing any prancing about myself - I shall probably be exhausted enough just watching them," Jo adds grinning widely.

As well as starring in the show, Jo will also have a hand in writing it.

"It will be another first for me in that I've never written panto before but I'm looking forward to it. The script hasn't been finalised yet though I'm sure there will be plenty of ad libs and gags.

"The worst bit will be putting on all the make up and wearing all the fancy glittery clothes - which is clearly not what I'm used to," she says gesturing to the outfit she is wearing - casual trousers, a baggy top and boots.

"Mind, you at least it can't be any worse than being dressed by Trinny and Susannah," she laughs.

"That was a very strange experience. I think whoever dreamed up the show thought I needed a makeover. It made good TV I suppose but they were hilarious and it was a bit of a laugh. I just looked totally different.

"I don’t wear black all the time these days so I suppose that's a partial victory for them. But I still wear the boots,” she adds flashing them in my direction.

Her appearance caused some to question whether her aggressive, men-hating comic routines and all-black wearing days were behind her.

"People always seem to think you mellow as you get older but I don’t think so," she says.

“What was hilarious was that when I was doing the stand up back in the early days, people thought I hated men which was ridiculous as I didn’t at all. They also thought I was a lesbian, again not at all."

In fact she is married with two daughters and lives not far from where she was born in Wandsworth, an area she loves.

"I love South London. It's very gritty and there are some parts of it which have seen better days but it has a good feel about it.

"Years ago it always had a reputation for being quite crime ridden and I remember South London Press was always full of crime and murder stories and the like.

"Now I think it's a bit calmer and there is more of a sense of community with people looking out for each other which is great.

"It did give me material for stand up.

"When I started out there were very few women on the circuit - it was just people like me and Jenny Eclair - and it was tough. There still aren’t a huge amount – but there are some very talented women out there so it's getting better.

"There was always a lot of heckling and you had to be tough so I just used to ignore it, give a put down or heckle back. You have to give as good as you get."

But she says it was a walk in the park compared to her previous job as a psychiatric nurse which she did for 10 years including stints at the Maudsley in Denmark Hill and South London Bethlem.

"Working as a psychiatric nurse it does make you think – it’s a really tough profession to be in and you are surrounded by some incredibly vulnerable human beings.

"The Maudsley is incredible in the work it does and I'm very proud of having been part of that. It hardens you completely though so after about 10 years I realised I'd had enough and needed to do something a little more light hearted."

However, the experience did leave her with a deep love of and for the NHS - which she showed when she penned and starred in the BBC Four award-winning comedy series Getting On which was set in a geriatric ward.

And she is now furious at the way she sees it being dismantled by the current Government.

So has she ever thought about going into politics herself?

“Oh goodness no,” she laughs. “I’d never be any good at that - I'm much too gobby!”

Aladdin is on at the New Wimbledon Theatre from Friday, December 6 until Sunday, January 12, 2014.

Tickets from £10. Call the box office on 0844 871 7646.