Friday, February 20, 2015 Follow us on Twitter @Argus_The Guide


3 Music Shaky tops Millennium hit parade Celebration


WELSH rock and roll legend Shakin’ Stevens is to perform at Wales Millennium Cen- tre’s St David’s Day concert on March 1. Stevens, who has sold millions of albums and singles worldwide and earned a multitude of gold, platinum and double plati- num discs, will join the all- Wales line up to celebrate 50 years of number one hit sin- gles made famous by Welsh artists. For Shaky, best known for


his chart topping hits, Green Door, This Ole House, Oh Jul- ie and Merry Christmas Eve- ryone, it will be his debut ap- pearance at the Millennium Centre. Hosted by BBC1’s One Show presenter Alex Jones, Ste- vens will be joined by Ricky Valance, who made rock and roll history in 1960 by be- coming the first Welshman to reach number one in the UK charts with “Tell Laura I Love Her”. The track sold over a mil-


CHART TOPPER: Shakin’ Stevens


Open-minded blues band set for comeback


TONIGHT, The Blues Band make a wel- come return to Newport Riverfront. It’s been 36 years since former Man-


fred Mann members Paul Jones and Tom McGuinness formed a pub band to “play the blues for beer money.” The public’s eager response took them


by surprise, providing a career for life be- yond the boundaries of pop, in the musi- cal tradition they love. While staying committed to their au- thentic blues roots, their ability and craftsmanship enabled them to explore new directions and expand their creative repertoire. What makes The Blues Band stand out from their often over-amplified peers is their historical understanding of every diverse category of the blues. They demonstrated this with 1994 acous-


tic album Wireless. Their open-minded musical resourcefulness also shone through with the joyful and punchy big band blues vitality of 1999’s Brassed Up. While the Chicago-based electricity


of Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker remains in their act, they wowed their fans in 2000 with another acoustic album, Scratchin’ onMyScreen. In 2002 the classic line-up bounced back, with the dynamic vocal and instrumental duo Paul Jones and Dave Kelly elegantly supplemented by Gary Fletcher and Tom McGuinness’s increasing vocal contributions. Argus reviewer Andy Howells said of


The Blues Band’s 2011 Riverfront show: “Tom McGuinness and Dave Kelly, mixed with Paul Jones’ energetic harmonica playing, Gary Fletcher’s deep bass sound and Rob Townsend’s drum-beat tied the band firmly together.” The show starts at 7.30pm. Call 01633 656757 for ticket details.


NEWPORT SHOW: The Blues Band HALF-TERM SPECTACULAR


FUN FAIR RISCA


COMMERCIAL STREET


MON 16th to SUN 22nd FEB


(inclusive)


open: DAILY 2.30pm -9pm NO ALCOHOL


ON-SITE SECURITY FUN FAIR


RISCA’S BIGGEST EVER


ALLOWEDON-SITE


MEGA THEME PARK RIDES


THIS IS A FAMILY FUN


FAIR SUITABLE FOR ALL FAMILY MEMBERS


lion copies. Joining Ricky on stage will be John Owen- Jones and Sophie Evans, who will be singing some very spe-


NUMBER ONE LEGEND: Ricky Valance


cial arrangements of No 1 hit songs.


Famous for his roles Jean


Valjean in Les Misérables and as the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera, John Owen-Jones is an award-win- ning West End and Broadway performer. Named runner-up from over 10,000 hopefuls, Sophie ap- peared on the hugely popular BBC series Over The Rain- bow. She subsequently took on


the role of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium. Since then Sophie has gone on to become an ac-


John Owen-Jones


complished live performer, feature in several TV pro- grammes and make her big screen debut alongside Si- monPegg in TheWorld’s End. Hits by Welsh artists in-


clude tracks by Dame Shirley Bassey, Ricky Valance, Spen- cer Davis Group, Mary Hop- kin, Dave Edmunds, Shakin’ Stevens, Bonnie Tyler, The Flying Pickets, Manic Street Preachers, Stereophonics, Duffy, and of course Sir Tom Jones, whose huge hit “It’s Not Unusual” got to No 1 50 years ago, in 1965. The stars will be accom- panied by the Welsh Pops Orchestra featuring pianist


WELSH STAR:


SOLOIST: Lucie Jones


Gwilym Simcock, conducted by Matthew Brind. The centre will celebrate


St. David’s Day throughout the weekend with free per- formances from Welsh art- ists on the Glanfa stage plus a chance to experience the taste of Wales in the centre’s ffresh restaurant. On the menu will be tradi- tional Welsh dishes including cawl, roast leg of Welsh lamb and slowcooked Welsh beef. Wales at No.1, at Wales Mil- lennium Centre on St David’s Day, March 1. Tickets priced from £17.50 – £35. For information visit:www.


wmc.org.uk


HotChocolateTribute Night at TheParkway Hoteland Spa, Saturday21stFebruary


Featuring the UK’s number one ErrolBrown Tribute Act.


Enjoy a3course meal pluscoffee& chocolatemints,our residentDJand ErrolBrown Tribute Act.


NP116EE


Enjoy the show, HotChocolatebythe log fire on arrival,makeyour ownchocolates during the afternoon and enjoy full useofthe facilities.


Only£30.00 perperson. Whynot upgrade? Just £150 percouple


Book Nowon01633 871199 ParkwayHotel, Cwmbran Drive, Cwmbran, NP443UW


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12