Description

Nick Heyward was born in Beckenham, Kent, on May 20th 1961. On leaving Kelsey Park School in 1977, he went to work as a commercial artist, but he had dreams of becoming a pop star. “I got into music because my girlfriend chucked me and because of Paul McCartney’s beard when he sung in ‘Let It Be’,” Nick told Paul Gorman in Music Week in 1995. And soon, Heyward and his friends were ditching names such as Boat Party and Captain Pennyworth left, right and centre and became Haircut 100.

They played the pop game perfectly, tucking their Aran jumpers into their trousers, riding the post-new romantic funk wave, marrying Chic with the Monkees and opening their shows with a blistering cover of Low Rider by War. Haircut 100 burnt briefly and brightly – the ultimate group of pals who, within a year, had hit the big time. It finished as quickly as it began; the band parted ways and Nick’s first solo album, North Of A Miracle, was released in September 1983.

North Of A Miracle set out his stall; a production masterpiece by Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick (XTC had initially wanted to produce Heyward), it contained heavyweight session players; Uncut were to say retrospectively that “If Elvis Costello had released this album, it might just feature in the lower reaches of those lists of all-time greats.”

Nick’s career continued through the next decade and a half – supporting Wham! at Wembley at their farewell shows; shaving his moustache off on live TV; releasing charming records, of which his first two of the nineties From Monday To Sunday and Tangled chimed with Britpop. He played the record company game across the years – and he has great experience of major labels and sizeable Indies; Arista, Warner and Sony have all sought him out; when Alan McGee was flush with Oasis cash in the late 90s and wanted to sign his personal favourites, Nick Heyward was at the top of that list, and 1998’s The Apple Bed was released on Creation.

But those days are over – you don’t have to be a voracious follower of musical trends to know conventional release channels have altered forever. Nick teamed up with Pledge Music, the direct-to-consumer site that allows Nick to speak directly to his audience, who have made Woodland Echoes a reality. While the battle for the music industry was playing out as the 00s became the 10s, Nick stood aside from all this, released two albums under the radar, and got on with the business of life; seeing his children grow up, and finding love. “Up until the Creation time it used to really matter that you were not around – now it doesn’t seem to matter if you haven’t been around for one year or 20 years; you can pick up where you left off. It’s the way that music has turned out – there was a time when people cared about disappearance, but now there isn’t; it’s not an issue anymore.”

The democratisation of music through streaming services means that people can graze tunes because they like them, or like the name of the artist, without worrying what the music press says – today it boils down to ‘do I like this record or not’? And with Woodland Echoes, there is a great deal to love. That said, Nick has had more than his fair share of adulation in the past – Danny Baker raved about Pelican West in NME, and Nick pulled off the remarkable feat of being feted simultaneously by Smash Hits and The Face. “This feels to me like the first part of a solo career,” Nick says. “I don’t really see it as ‘solo’; I just make music, that’s what it is. When you’re a writer, that’s what you do, you don’t see yourself as a ‘solo’ writer. This is the first time in years I feel confident and I believe in myself. I want to do it properly; that means having a manager; it’s taken me years to get to this point – I’ve got two things right in my life now – my lady and my manager; they were the two things I had missing.”

It’s a treat to have Nick Heyward back making premium pop music. In 1985, Nick told Smash Hits that “I want to make the kind of LP you can wrap up and give to someone as a present. No duff tracks at all, just 12 shining wonderful singles, I suppose.” In 2017, with Woodland Echoes, he has achieved his goal.

Description

Selby Town Hall is an award winning arts centre, located in a prominent position at the end of Selby's main street, Gowthorpe. The intimate venue, with a seating capacity of up to 150, hosts world class performances from across a range of art forms including music, comedy and theatre.

Built as a Methodist chapel in 1862, the venue ceased operating as a place of worship in August 1956. For several years following, it was used as a tyre depot, but the building was eventually left derelict and fell into disrepair in the late 80s. In 1992, Selby Town Council bought and renovated the premises which now houses the Town Council offices as well as the main performance space and a smaller studio room.

The Town Hall first opened its doors as a regular performance venue in September 2003 and has hosted many major stars, past and present, including The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, Dara O'Briain, The Wombats, Jenny Eclair, Chris Farlowe, Jeremy Hardy, Two Door Cinema Club, Alan Carr, Midge Ure, Wilko Johnson, Steve Howe and Jon Richardson.

The venue has been supported over the past twelve years by Selby Town Council, aided by several grants from Arts Council England, and has developed a reputation as one of the finest small concert spaces in the region, winning the innaugural Yorkshire Evening Post Nightlife Award for Best Live Venue in 2006 where it beat off competition from Leeds City Varieties, Jongleurs and Leeds Cockpit amongst others!

The Town Hall presents an incredibly diverse programme of professional performances from bluegrass to stand up comedy, boogie woogie to contemporary dance and world music to classic theatre, over two seasons of events each year. The Town Hall also co-ordinates a number of workshops for local schools and has previously hosted monthly band nights for under 20s and Sunday afternoon classical recitals.

While the acts are always of an international quality, the Town Hall still retains the intimate feel of a venue lovingly run by a small team of staff and volunteers who want to see great performances taking place right here in our little Yorkshire market town.

Provided the event has not sold out, tickets are available to buy on the door.
For most events, it is cheaper to purchase tickets in advance.
We can only accept cash or cheque for 'on the door' purchases.

We do not charge a booking fee for tickets purchased over the phone or in person, either by card, cheque or cash.

Tickets bought online will incur a booking fee of 90p per ticket. This money covers the cost of processing the payment.

All events are seated (unless otherwise stated).
Tickets are unreserved and seats are allocated on a first come, first served basis.
There is ramped access to front row seats.
Guide dogs are welcome.
We are sorry, but there are no induction loop or minicom facilities.
Recipients of Disability Living Allowance who require an escort can claim a free ticket for their escort - phone 01757 708449 and we will be happy to make suitable arrangements.
Those with a disability who require seating in a specific part of the venue can reserve their seat in advance - please phone 01757 708449.

York Street,

Selby,

North Yorkshire,

England,

YO8 4AJ.

01757 708449