For its Millennium Square Summer Series, Opera North joined forces with DJ Dave Beer to celebrate his legendary club night Back to Basics by adding a symphonic twist. VANESSA MUDD finds herself singing and dancing in the rain…
A Friday night in Leeds at an outdoor venue. I did not grow up here, but of course I expect it to rain. Feeling decidedly self-conscious dressed in a North Face fit only for the moors, the assault of a monsoon style storm catches me off guard.
I seek out my friend amongst the crowd. Neither of us remembers the original tour de force of Back to Basics, but we both soon realise the significance (and hence sell out nature) of the event.
“Look at all these happy people!” my friend muses. And it is true. Millenium Square is feeling the love as happy memories are accompanied by lots of bobbing and nodding.
My friend and I sip our coffees as the ground begins to tremble and a familiar pulsing beat travels from our ankles to our hearts. It is Adamski and it is loud! I am so busy enjoying the beats and reliving the joy of this track that I am oblivious that it is being performed by a live orchestra.
The tunes continue to build the excitement. As the rain slows, we all sing “Everybody’s free…” and – whilst we probably are not really that free these days – at least we all are at that precise moment.
There you have it. Tonight offers the chance to remember or to join in – to celebrate fun times. Like the weather, the sounds are storming. More glittered faces appear and a Beefeater strolls by (Yes! A real Beefeater. In Leeds!) making it feel more like the fabulous mini urban festival it is. The bass reverberates off the LGI back into the soles of our shoes. I look about me and realise this Opera North collaboration has given loyal Back to Basics fans exactly what they want.
There is my final surprise of the night. It is only when we pause to thank Opera North that I remember this is a collaboration. Those classically trained musicians, who look like they enjoyed tonight every bit as much as we did, are not overdone or clichéd – they are just very, very talented. The event showcases their immense combined skill, fantastic voices and bloody brilliant sound. Nothing could have dented the night’s atmosphere. Who cares if you are dressed in wellies, pac-a-macs, bin liners or even a North Face, when you can hear suchquality sounds and celebrate Back to Basics via Opera North Live?
This leads me to consider why it is important that Opera North continues to present such events. I am sure there will be purists who feel an opera company should be concerned purely with opera. When I lived in the “metropolitan” south,
this attitude, and atmosphere excluded me from any real exploration of opera. I have no expertise in the matter beyond knowing whether I have enjoyed something or not. This is a key point for me.
In Leeds I have felt included in all the opera events held at The Grand and Howard Assembly Room. At traditional operas I have not been made to feel unwelcome or looked down upon. This is something the venue and the city of Leeds can be very proud of and strive to maintain and develop. We should all feel welcome at all of the city’s venues.
Back to Basics was an excellent showcasing of this approach. Leeds may not be the first city to stage such an event, but at the end my friend declares: “Only in Leeds. Only in Leeds!” She means the welcome and the lack of pretension.
At its inception Back to Basics insisted on a dress code. Tonight it did not need one. The agenda was music, fun and celebration. Oh, and rain. Did I mention rain?
THE SYMPHONIC SOUNDS OF BACK TO BASICS with the Orchestra of Opera North was on 21st July 2017.