Beyond The Proms: The Breath at Davenham Players Theatre

The Breath
Davenham Players Theatre
Davenham, Northwich, 25th September 2025

Today is Monday 13th October, so I am writing up this account a few weeks in retrospect. The gig itself took place on Thursday 25th September. As I write this, the Autumn Leaves [the namesake of an old favourite tune of mine, incidentally], are making for a pleasant spectacle around the confines of my home. I have been enjoying the return of a busy schedule, having lately been to see Fiddler on the Roof at the Liverpool Empire, Moulin Rouge at the Palace Theatre in Manchester, Troilus and Cressida at The Globe, and Dead Ringers 25th Anniversary Tour at the Floral Pavilion theatre in New Brighton. And with lots more to come before Christmas. All familiar venues to me, but the show I am writing about here took place at a venue and location that was completely unfamiliar, despite it only being a twenty-something minute drive away from my house.

On the evening of Thursday 25th September, I take a shortish drive to Davenham, just on the south end of Northwhich. It turns out to be a charming little hamlet, with a spackle of cute tea rooms and a pub, The Bull's Head, offering a centerpiece. 

The venue is the Davenham Players Theatre, and it has not doled me a ticket. This show forms part of the 'Jazz@Davenham' initiative, and so in this spirit my name is added to a guestlist upon request, and I'm to pay at the door, £13 cash or card. It's a nice touch: very Ronnie Scott's! The auditorium is cosy, with a makeshift feel to it. It's like a village hall that has been decked out to look the part - and it does. It carries, I noted, a familiar scent that is common to church halls and charity shops: a cross-pollination of Parma Violets and hair lacquer. The walls and ceiling have been draped in black fabric, and there is some mobile stage lighting dotted about the place. The acoustics feel sufficiently dampened, and it all makes for a terrific little venue I have to say.

The sound levels are good for such a small room; not too quiet or too loud. And the music that follows is my cup of tea. Stuart McCallum sits to play the acoustic guitar, which he does with mastery. Ríoghnach Connolly delivers a fine vocal performance on all songs, with humorous interludes and anecdotes throughout the set. My favourite tunes are the ones with the supplementary instrumentation. She plays what looks like a table-top squeeze box, of which I am sure there is a technical name. On some songs she also plays a flute - this makes the music feel more 'Irish,' and it is this what moves me the most.

Before I go I have a quick chat to Stuart McCallum who is in charge of the CD and vinyl sales. I let him know that I had only recently discovered them, having heard their Prom on BBC Radio 3. He tells me it was a surreal experience (or words to that effect), and I intimate that it must have been extraordinary with the orchestra backing them. I want to buy a CD: it's a tenner cash, or twelve with card. Regrettably I have no cash on me, but it is twelve pounds well spent. I had a listen back when I got home and it's a very pleasant disc, packed with music I will no doubt chill to when the mood directs me. 

This is the beauty of doing things like the Proms Marathon. If it wasn't for the BBC Proms I would not have known about The Breath, and if it was not for The Breath I would not have encountered Davenham and its charming theatre. The venue is now on my radar for any other acts that might tickle my fancy.

Paraorchestra and The Breath (Bristol)

Paraorchestra and The Breath
Bristol Beacon

Bristol is a city I have only become familiar with in the last four years, with my first visit being in September 2021. I've since been back a few times, and I never pass up on an opportunity to return. The word 'bohemian' often comes up, and I totally agree. I love the contemporary Brisolian in-your-face multi-culturalism, and take satisfaction in knowing that those 'controversial philanthropist' shithouses, like Edward Colston, would turn in their graves if they could see this peaceful and happily-mixed city today.

And it's the Bristol Beacon, formerly known as Colston Hall, that hosts tonight's Prom. When I'm in town I always like to see a show if there's something on, and in the past I've visited the Bristol Old Vic and The Bristol Hippodrome. But, alas, not yet the Bristol Beacon. So I don't know much about the venue itself. I have a look online at some interior pictures, and it reminds me of The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, or even our own Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool.

In my ignorance, for some reason I thought the Paraorchestra was something to do with parachutes. I think it's because there's an annual hot air balloon parade in Bristol, isn't there? But no, the Paraorchestra is in fact an orchestra formed of members with disabilities. I didn't know such a thing existed, but why shouldn't it?

Tonight it is a duo called The Breath, and they're being accompanied by the Paraorchestra, led by Charles Hazelwood. 

The music starts and, to me, it sounds folky. With a name like The Breath, that now makes sense. It's like an EPIC folk music. Hard to put my finger on it, but a bit like singing around a campfire, on a large scale. There's some interesting instrumentation. Is that a low Irish tin whistle? And I think I hear some uillean pipes? I think it's Ríoghnach Connolly (that makes sense), who talks during a break in the music, and she's both witty and human. She mentions Belgian colonial hand-chopping when talking about the song Antwerp, and I note that as a shrewdly-observed quip.

Some of the inflections remind me of the music of Jose Gonzales, and I'm a fan of his. [One of the best concerts I ever saw was him at the Royal Festival Hall, backed by the String Theory orchestra, in 

2017].

A Prom that offers me something new is always welcome, and I see that The Breath have a gig coming up at the Davenham Players theatre in Northwich, on Thursday 25th September. It's about a 25 mins drive away from my house, so I may well pop along to that.

Image: Pixabay.com