About

A RIOT OF MUSIC AND HUMOUR

Join Britain’s leading hot-fingered mandolin virtuoso Simon Mayor, and silver-voiced songstress Hilary James, for an unmissable evening of musical fun. It’s probably the diversity of their repertoire that surprises people most: from folk songs to blues, classical mandolin show-stoppers, hot swing fiddle, quirky poems, limericks and comic songs. All this peppered with Simon’s unique brand of off-beat humour and Hilary’s honey-dripping voice and amazing bass mandolin, make for a massively entertaining evening not to be missed. Serious stuff – but don’t take it too seriously!

If you’ve heard them on BBC Radios 2, 3 or 4, you’ll know just what a treat is in store.

Simon Mayor’s many faceted career has included two nights as soloist at Wembley Arena, his own series on BBC Radio 2, an album in the Classic FM Top Ten chart and causing mayhem at a Canadian humour festival. His first anthology of poems, limericks and anecdotes, Of Death and a Banana Skin On Ilkley Moor was received on BBC Radio 3 as ‘uplifting’.. ‘magic’... ‘made me laugh a lot’…‘the start of something big!’.

From one of the The Sunday Times 'Top Ten Albums of the Year’ to a Radio 2 playlisting, Hilary James has sung her way across the globe from Los Angeles to Singapore, her voice easily crossing the great musical divides from folksong to blues, Irving Berlin and Berlioz.

Also a fine artist, illustrator and filmmaker, her art has featured on album covers, books and in a series of short film animations - two featuring our very own Ilkley Moor. Oh! and she’s famed too for an unusual taste in bass instruments, most notably the mighty bass mandolin. Have mandobass will travel!  

‘A witty and captivating mix of folk, swing, blues and classical showstoppers’ (The Guardian)

‘One of the world’s great mandolinists. Just fantastic to go and see live.’  (BBC Radio 3)

‘One of Britain's finest voices'  (BBC Radio 4)

‘Left you feelin’ lik’ you war floatin’ on a peerie cloud somwhar’  (The Shetland Times)