When: 7.30pm on Saturday 4 April 2020
Where: St Michael’s, 36-38 George Leigh Street, Ancoats, Manchester, M4 5DG

PLEASE NOTE: Due to unforeseen circumstances the 365 tour has been cancelled. We apologise for an inconvenience caused, and refunds are available from point of purchase.

We’re delighted to be presenting the Manchester leg of Aidan O’Rourke, Kit Downes and James Robertson’s 365 tour!

Words, music, the disarming drama of stripped-back storytelling. Bringing together two of the UK’s leading folk and jazz musicians with one of Scotland’s most celebrated authors, 365 is a sparse, evocative and bravely original collaboration.

It began with the words. James Robertson wrote a short story each day for a year, each story containing exactly 365 words. At first it was just a personal project, a daily routine to test his own self-discipline and rigour, but it grew into a collection of sharp, lyrical and finely observed vignettes. Intrigued by the ritual and inspired by the potent atmosphere of the writing, Aidan O’Rourke – one of Scotland’s leading traditional musicians, fiddler of the folk supergroup Lau – decided to follow suit. He composed a tune every day for a year, each tune a response to one of Robertson’s stories.

Now they perform a bespoke piece weaving together words and music. This show is about old myths, folk legends, everyday lives, hard truths, tender tales, the alchemic power of words and music. Robertson’s short stories are tiny masterpieces told with heroic concision, and he reads them with gentle gravitas. O’Rourke’s music – deeply rooted in the Scottish tradition and spun with off-kilter lyricism – taps into the atmosphere of the stories and lets the message linger. Pianist/harmonium player Kit Downes, a heavyweight of the European jazz scene, adds bold and kaleidoscopic harmonies. The show is directed by Shilpa T-Hyland, one of Scotland’s most exciting young theatre makers.

“Bravely adventurous – epic and exhilarating” – The Guardian on Lau

“Downes has a quirky talent for making difficult music sound natural – even inevitable” – The Guardian on Kit Downes

“Few contemporary musicians in any category can match either his artistic ambitions or his achievements in bringing them to fruition” – The Scotsman on Aidan O’Rourke

This is a seated show.

This will be one of the first public concerts in St Michael’s since its recent re-opening, having been closed since 2004. The Roman Catholic church was founded in 1859 and became the heart of the Little Italy Community in Ancoats.

AGE RESTRICTION: This show is 14+. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to unforeseen circumstances the 365 tour has been cancelled. We apologise for an inconvenience caused, and refunds are available from point of purchase.

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