Darius Campbell will be bringing his swinging production of The History of the Big Bands to Lincoln next month when he takes the stage at the Lincoln Theatre Royal on 19th September 2010.

LoveLincoln.co.uk caught up with Darius to find out a little more about the show and where his love of performing came from.

When did you know you wanted to sing?

I’ve always loved singing: from a very young age I was drawn to it. When I was 12 I was part of the Scottish Opera performance of Carmen in Convent Garden in London. I remember being backstage and it was absolutely cavernous, bigger than front of stage.

It was filled with pieces of the sets, rigging, costumes and all sorts of things. It was kind of like walking into the wardrobe in the Lion, Witch and Wardrobe; I was completely enraptured with it.

I knew that I wanted to be part of this idea of telling a story in the form of singing and acting and I’m very lucky that my career has allowed me to explore that.

Was music a big part of your life growing up?

Music was always a big part of my life in various ways and forms. I loved music and formed my first band when I was 14. I actually turned down an opportunity to train professionally as an opera singer to go back to Glasgow because I missed my mates and the next thing I knew I was at university and then here I am today.

How would you say your music has developed over the years?

The auditions on Pop Idol that I loved the most were Big Band auditions. Big Band has brought my music back full circle. I’ve learnt to use the lower register of my voice and do things I’ve never been able to do before. Big Band appeals to a whole range of people across generations. When you find out the stories behind the classic records they’re truly fascinating.

Who are your musical inspirations?

Nat King Cole is a big inspiration to me. His use of base baritone within pop music hasn’t really been done since and he had an incredible voice.

The History of the Big Bands is a show that you’ve produced yourself and tells the story of the big band and swing era featuring jazz legends like Glenn Miller and Buddy Rich. What made you decide to put this show together?

About a year ago I was sat with my grandfather talking about his life and he was telling me about music and about how Big Band had such a deep social and communal significance back in the day.

You’d go to a local hall and meet your potential partner and dance to Big Band music and fall in love. He talked about how it was broadcast on the wireless and used to motivate the troops to lift their spirits. Also the idea of the pin up girl Is fascinating, I don’t think there’s a modern day equivalent to any of those things and I remember saying to him how much I wished I could go back and get a glimpse of what the world was like back then.

I did my research and found an amazing co-producer and put together a show that will transport the audience back to that era. We’ll have an 18 piece orchestra and there’ll be such an atmosphere of decadence, style and swinging swagger, which was only around back then, and is only possible now because we were able to research the original sheet music that they used.

The show takes the audience on a tour of the Big Band music greats and their lives and they’ll be an element of burlesque dance so the show will be great fun.

What home comforts do you miss when you tour?

My mum’s cooking! I only really get to eat my mum’s food once a year when I go home to Glasgow for Christmas. To be honest I’m so used to being away from home and up and down the country that home comforts are a very different concept to me.

You’ve starred in some highly acclaimed West End shows like Chicago and Guys and Dolls – what is it you enjoy about acting and how does it compare to singing?

I suppose it’s like when an artist uses oil paints and then uses the technique of sculpture to create something. They’re different techniques but expressions of the same art form. With acting you take a character and you mould it and shape it to create something that tells a story and singing is the same process: you take lyrics and music and shape them to tell a story, whether it be a story of love, loss, whatever. It’s the same idea and that’s what I want – to be a part of great story telling.

You’ve recently appeared in Carmen with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, in the biggest Operatic production ever in the UK, at The O2 arena. What has been your most memorable performance?

The performance at The O2 arena was just incredible, there were 20,000 people there and I was performing with 200 other people on stage. I was playing Escamillo, Carmen’s bull-fighting lover, it was a dream come true.

I’d have to say that my most memorable performance though was at the Royal Albert Hall – not because it was the Albert Hall – but because it was extremely special to me personally.

It was the first time my father was released from hospital. Well I say released what I mean is that he snuck out with two of his nurses who were on either side of his wheelchair; they didn’t tell the doctors! Although he had terminal cancer he was there to see and hear me perform and I sang a song I wrote for him called Live Twice and it meant so much to me. I hope I made him proud.

You’ve recently had a very frightening experience in Spain, has this changed your outlook on life?

I feel really lucky to be alive and very blessed to have the faculties that I took for granted before: my arms and legs and taste. I was very fortunate that I – literally – walked away from the accident. I’ve been through a process of reflection since and I’ve been recovering and taking the time to heal so that I’m ready for the tour.

I’ve been doing physio every day and having chiropractic massages, acupuncture all sorts of things. I’m glad for the experience in a way. Although the pain that I’ve gone through is not great what I’ve got from the experience as a whole is.

This is your second visit to Lincoln now after your appearance at the Lincoln Theatre Royal Gala Night. What do you like about the city?

Lincoln’s got a really great sense of history and heritage. I love the castle and the cobbled streets and Bailgate area. It’s also very green, there’s this lush greenery which kind of reminds me of Scotland which I like. The people are very friendly and warm and the last time I was in the city I had such a great welcome and the audience was fantastic.

What’s next for you after your Big Band tour?

I’m a one step at a time kind of man. Right now I’m concentrating on getting fit for the tour – getting better – and working on putting the final touches to it so it’s the best that it can be when it kicks off. After that, who knows?!

Chef Nigel Brown is due to kick off his tour of cookery demonstrations at the Lincoln Theatre Royal on 3rd September 2010.

LoveLincoln.co.uk recently caught up with Nigel to find out a little more about the show and where his love of cooking came from.

What can the audience expect to see from your appearance at the Lincoln Theatre Royal?
This won’t just be a regular cookery demonstration – it’s a demo with a difference. It’s going to be more theatrical. We’re introducing a new dimension to cookery theatre, and it’s going to be more sexy, vibrant and lively.

There’ll be essence bubbles which will float out across the auditorium carrying various scents of the food which the audience will be able to smell as it gets close to them.

It’s based around an 8-course meal; I’ll demo canapés, starters, a soup course and a fish course before we break for a 15-minute interval. The second part will involve something called Gold Leaf Stig, and I’ll be doing desserts and petit fours followed by a grand finale which will bring everything together.

There’ll be an opportunity for someone to win a prize which is a day voucher for my cookery academy worth £175 and freebies will be given out so people will have the chance to go home with something. Recipe cards will also be issued at the end and I’ll have grill girls who’ll be my glamorous assistants.

Will there be a chance for the audience to get involved and sample the food at the Theatre Royal event?
Members of the audience will have the chance to get stuck in and samples of the food will be given out. Obviously it’s not practical to think that everyone will get the chance to sample something, as much as we’d like them to be able to, but some audience members will get to taste the food.

We’ll also have a question session at the end.

There’s lots of convenience food around that you just heat and eat. What’s your top tip for people who want to improve their cooking and why do you think it’s important for people to try and cook home-made fresh food?
Come to my cookery academy: we teach anything and everything food-related! It’s about inspiring people; in my opinion food and cooking should be fun. It’s not just about peeling a potato; it’s about creating a culinary masterpiece. Cooking, for me, has always been about being creative and artistic and showing people what you can do with food from simple ingredients to complex ones.

These days I think it’s essential that I inspire and encourage people to get back to basics and make them realise that cooking isn’t scary, it can be easy. It’s all about experimenting and trial and error, not just sticking to the same tried and trusted dishes week in and week out. Make the effort to cook good food with good ingredients and you can’t go wrong.

I recently had a kitchen nightmare when I attempted a Mississippi Mud Pie. What’s been your worst culinary disaster?
It happened recently actually at a Love Food Hate Waste cookery demonstration at the Great Yorkshire Show. I was doing a cook-off competition with Richard Fox and we had to come up with recipes off the cuff with the ingredients we saw. I chose to do a soufflé pudding, which turned out to be a bit of a live disaster, it just needed a little longer to cook. I can assure you that the recipes I’ll be doing during my tour are all tried and tested so there won’t be any disasters with those!

What advice would you give to aspiring chefs?
Patience and determination. If you have patience you’ll succeed. Also never say never, everything can be done and if you don’t ask you don’t get. If you think of an idea or an opportunity, don’t wait for it to come to you, go out and get it for yourself.
What made you decide to open your cookery academy?

I opened my academy three years ago in August 2007. I decided to do it after I’d been invited to work at Jean-Christophe Novelli’s cookery school, The Novelli Academy, to deliver a course called Passionate Puddings and Decadent Desserts and released some cookery school DVDs. They were so popular I decided to open my own cookery school. Now we’re so busy we moved to the new premises in June.

A one-day course is at my academy is £175, half-day is £95, and we offer additional courses too. We’re about to launch the new website in a couple of weeks www.nigelbrownchef.co.uk so all the information and contact details will be on there and we’re on Facebook under Nigel Brown Cookery Academy.

Was cooking a big part of your life growing up?
Cooking was a huge part of my life growing up. From the age of 1 I took an interest in cooking and my parents have been involved in the catering industry my whole life and own their own restaurant so I was always around food. It just felt right to me to follow in their footsteps. It’s in my blood you might say.

When did you know you wanted to make a career out of cooking and become a chef? What is it about cooking that you love so much?
It was probably around the time I finished college at 18. I was working full time in my parents’ restaurant and I knew that it was something I could see myself doing. When I was about 20 I got my teeth into some brilliant catering and chef jobs over in London at some good hotels and it just grew from there.

I also got to spend time at the French cookery school Ecole Le Notre where I gained a lot of experience and knowledge about specialist pâtisserie work. (This got the thumbs up from me. Having just returned from a holiday in Paris I can honestly say no-one does pâtisseries like the French).

What’s your favourite Lincolnshire produce?
Well Poacher Cheese is an old favourite; I use that quite a bit. But you can’t beat Lincoln Red Beef or good old smoked haddock from Grimsby.

My colleague Niki wanted me to ask you what the secret to good Eggs Benedict is…
Get someone else to make it for you! Seriously though the secret to a good Eggs Benedict is getting the egg right so that it’s a nice soft poached egg.

What’s this I’ve heard about a book…?
It’s in the talking stages at the moment, hopefully next year when I do my next tour we can release a book with all the recipes incorporated from the tour.

What’s next for you?
After the Lincoln appearance I’ll be touring the show around the UK and, a bit of a sneak peek – I’ll be doing a show with Jean-Christophe Novelli in March 2011 in Hull. He’s a good friend and we’ve worked closely with each other so watch this space.

Edit: Nigel Brown – Yes Chef, at Lincoln Theatre Royal has now been cancelled.

Singer/songwriter Mim Grey will be taking the stage in a show coming to the Lincoln Theatre Royal on 2nd September 2010.

LoveLincoln.co.uk recently caught up with Mim to find out a little more about her and what it is she loves about music so much.

Was music a big part of your life growing up? When did you know you wanted to sing?

It was a huge part. I grew up with two older sisters and two older brothers, different music would constantly be coming from each bedroom and my Dad always had classical music playing. From the age of about 8- 10 I’d sit in my bedroom with my guitar and write ditty tunes, I always knew I wanted to be involved in music somehow but not necessarily a singer.

There was actually a time when I wanted to be an actress and then I moved in with friends who were musicians, and one of them, Paul, found one of the tapes I’d made – that I never would have played myself in front of other people – and he put it on at a party we were having one night. I walked into the room and it was just crazy, everyone loved it.

Paul told me I had to sing, he gave me 7 days to learn a set to a gig he was playing, I did a lot of covers like Van Morrison and Sting but it was amazing. He really encouraged me.

Who are your inspirations, musical and otherwise?

I love James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Sting and Randy Crawford – so many! I like soul and jazz, but what really grabbed my soul and my heart was the likes of James Taylor, Joni Mitchell and even The Carpenters.

You’ve worked with the likes of Paul McCartney and Kylie Minogue; who has been your favourite artist to work with and why?

I’ve worked with Dave Stewart from the Eurythmics, a quiet bloke but a great laugh, and I’ve sung with Paul McCartney. He’d heard a CD of mine from years ago and wanted to meet me. He was throwing a party for Christmas and I went with a band and sang a bit of background jazz and some of my original stuff when he got up on the stage with me.

It was so surreal, I remember thinking as I was going home that night how unbelievable it was that I’d sung with Paul McCartney and he’d sung some backing vocals for me!

Kylie was sweet; I was only with her for a short time though. I wrote the chorus to the track Obsession which is on her Body Language album. It’s amazing what artists get away with though. I sang the lyrics to the track Promises and she really liked it, when she sang it was almost as if I could hear an echo of myself underneath her voice.

She copied every inflection and every vocal I’d done on the track. To me that’s a bit of a cop out instead of making a song your own. Maybe I should blow my own trumpet and see it as a compliment that Kylie Minogue copied me!

Which do you prefer, singing live or recording?

Singing live! You can’t beat it, it’s absolutely fantastic. When I perform in Lincoln I’ll have a 7-piece band with me including piano, violin, guitar, bass and mandolin. I’ve got a really cool band; I hired and fired quite a lot along the way to find the perfect fit.

Is there a track on Grey Matters that’s a personal favourite of yours?

There was a track I wanted to add to Grey Matters, it was a cover of Frosty the Snowman, the intro is really beautiful and I sing it live quite a lot. I have a percussionist who has a rain stick and which we use for the track and it’s just incredible to listen to but I was told we couldn’t include the song.

I’ve written two other albums now – your writing matures as you go along. My song writing partner, lyricist Cori Josias, can take a line I’ve come up with and just make it more beautiful. I’ve been working with her on a consistent basis for about four or five years now and it’s great. Cori does a lot of her own stuff as well; although she’s quite pop-orientated and I kind of have to drag her out of that pop idiom. On the other hand she drags me back when I’m too lost in my own little world. We balance each other well.

What has been the most memorable gig you’ve played?

I’ve played some brilliant gigs like ABC, and there was Paul Young at Wembley, there were 10,000 people in the crowd but it’s not your own. My favourite gig was probably when I played at the Scoop Festival a few weeks ago which is part of More London, it’s a free gig and they have different bands on each night, it’s great. I was stood in this amphitheatre looking out over Tower Bridge, the weather held out and it was absolutely beautiful. The atmosphere was fantastic.

How do you think your music has developed over the years?

Well I think it’s about honing each song, never just sitting back and saying that’ll do. For the new album we wrote a song called Chesapeake Bay which is about when I first started singing.

I started writing it about four or five months ago and I kept going back to Cori saying “I’m just not happy with it”. I particularly wanted to make this song the best it could be but I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, there was just something about it that wasn’t working for me.

One morning I just woke up and knew I what changes I wanted to make to it, I halved the chorus, both in time and lyrically and now I think it’s the best song we’ve written so far.

What do you usually do before and after a performance?

I don’t really get that sick feeling before a gig any more, which is a good thing because I don’t perform well under stress. It’s the adrenaline rush which I feed off and I just tell myself not to get nervous, this is what I do and I’m going to really enjoy it.

I was doing a gig in Bangkok once and Stevie Wonder’s band was in the club and we ended up performing together. One of them told me to sing every gig like it’s your last gig and its good advice; I plan to do this for as long as possible and I want to enjoy every minute of it.

It doesn’t matter if there are two people or 2,000 at a gig, if you perform half-heartedly then the audience feed off that and so do the band so I give it my all when I perform.

What’s on the agenda after your Lincoln tour date?
I’ve got the material for two new albums which I’m itching to get out there so hopefully I’ll be working on that. It’s about keeping things fresh, especially when your music isn’t mainstream.

Mim Grey’s performance at the Lincoln Theatre Royal has now been cancelled due to unforseen circumstances.