Live and Local - Surprising Shows In Surprising Places
Loon & Theatre mi mi’s adventurous weekend in Matlock
On Wednesday 16th January, Loon & Theatre mi mi arrived at Highfields School in Matlock for their performance of The Phileas ‘P. Souper’ Tour. After a successful show, they asked local Promoter, Rob Francis, how they could get back to their accommodation in Parwich, a village 10 miles away. It turned out that Parwich was where Rob lived and so he kindly escorted them back. Little did he know that Loon & Theatre mi mi were about to make a huge impression on the residents of Parwich…
The following day, Simon from Loon wandered into the local pub and asked the landlady if they could come in and play some tunes later that evening and she happily agreed. So that evening, Loon and Theatre mi mi turned up at the pub, instruments in hand and played away to their hearts content to a few of the locals. The landlady was so impressed that she asked them to come back and play on Saturday night. The band were supposed to be somewhere else that night but managed to reschedule and happily returned to The Sycamore in Parwich.
By the time Saturday arrived word had spread around the village and the pub was full to the brim! Everyone was eagerly anticipating the arrival of Loon & Theatre mi mi. Rob Francis (Live & Local Promoter and local resident of Parwich) said:
‘word had got round the village about this crazy musical mixture who played strange instruments, sang strange songs and mimed strange mimes and the pub was full to bursting – even little kids found their way in. Loon & Theatre mi mi raised the rafters and one pub regular said: “we’ll not see anything like this again for some time” - and we won’t - many thanks to Live & Local for providing us with Loon & theatre mi mi!’
Through Live & Local booking Loon & Theatre mi mi for Highfields School, the local community of Parwich were able to experience a great performance of quirky music and entertaining mime. The mime artists performed a scene on a tandem bike travelling through Paris and the audience were totally absorbed, amazed and transfixed. This was one night that Parwich villagers will never forget.
Simon from Loon summed up the evening saying:
‘for me these types of gigs have the potential to be real gems and events that you will remember for the rest of your lives. The idea of delivering original music and exciting theatre in a traditional pub crammed to the rafters with locals in a space not much bigger than a large front room, was for me, the essence of what we are all about.’
When the Live & Local office heard about this story we were really touched. It summed up exactly what we aim to do – bringing quality entertainment to rural communities: 'Surprising Shows in Surprising Places'! If you haven’t seen the show, fear not, Loon will be returning in the autumn for another tour around Live & Local venues. Sign up to the mailing list and you will be the first to hear the latest news on our shows - and make sure to tell your friends!
