Culture: Creating a spectacle

A century of sound in one night is what awaits music lovers who attend to upcoming Sons of Pitches tour.

The sextet a capella band from the Midlands are touring this autumn with one aim, performing 100 number one hits, in one night, 20 times, beginning in Bristol, finishing in Shrewsbury and stopping off at The Apex on the way.

Already labelled by The Scissor Sisters as being ‘the cutest we’ve ever seen’ and by The Magnets as ‘the future of British a capella,’ Sons, as they’re more affectionately known, have taken the world by storm, touring the UK, USA and Asia in recent years.

Most recently seen on Sky One’s Sing: Ultimate a Capella, presented by Cat Deeley, the Sons are rightly enthusiastic about their upcoming, 100 number one hits marathon, collectively saying: “100 number one hits is going to be our biggest, best, and most enthusiastic show yet.

“We wanted to create a spectacle that would pay homage to some of the legendary artists while blowing away anyone who came to see it.

“Expect all kinds of genres, a bit of comedy, and the odd tearjerker.

“We’ll be singing iconic songs from start to finish as we all juggle massive hits in numerous medleys.

“The audience will have to keep an eye on the counter clock to see how many we’ve got left to sing.”

Originating from across the majority of Southern England the musical sextet consists of Mide Adenicke (Hackney), Joe Belham (Bath), Joe Hinds (Southport), Jamie Hughes (Bristol), Joe Novelli (Welwyn Garden City) and Josh Mallet (Somerset), from winning the talent show The Naked Choir 2015, to their most recent outing on Sky One; it’s been an incredible journey for the indelible mix of artists.

“The Naked Choir massively changed our lives,” admitted Joe.

“At the time of making the show we were toying with the idea of making the group professional and giving up our jobs, but becoming winners definitely made the decision for us.

“We’ve been able to reach an audience that we never would have had , which has led us to going on tours.

“It’s the same with Sing: Ultimate a Capella; that was such an incredible opportunity for us.

“To work on such a huge, high budget show was like nothing we had ever done before – the set alone blew our minds.

“We got to meet many unbelievable people – Midge Ure and Gregory Porter were highlights, but working with Cat Deeley was the best part.

“She is such a professional and couldn’t have been nicer to us – it was like we made a new best friend.”

But what about this impending tour, 100 number one hits in one night, over 20 dates – a tall ask at the best of times surely?

“This show will be our most ambitious project yet,” states Joe.

“We’re paying tribute to years of chart-toppers in the UK by singing 100 number one hits in one night.

“People can expect a huge array of genres, with rock and roll classics, disco groovers and emotional ballads.

“You’ll either be filled with nostalgia, or disbelief that you had forgotten some of these smash hits.

“You won’t believe how many songs you’d think had to be number one but didn’t quite make the cut.

“We want to make sure that we get the right balance of songs we think have to be in there and ones that our audience will definitely want to hear.

“When it comes to the actual performance, we are going to have to be ready for what singing that many songs will mean for our voices – and our fitness levels.

“It might take more than just a vocal warm-up for this tour.”

Sons of Pitches, October 15, The Apex, Bury St Edmunds. Call 01284 758000 or visit theapex.co.uk

Picture: Ellie J Photography