Musicport Festival, which is back in its ancestral home this year at Whitby Pavilion and runs 18^th - 20^th October 2013, is delighted to announce that the legendary Neil Innes will perform live on stage on Sunday 20^th @ 9:30pm.

Neil has also very kindly agreed for Musicport Festival to show the biographical film " The Seventh Python" earlier that same day on Sunday @ 3pm

www.musicportfestival.com  

Neil Innes

Probably the most important figure in British musical comedy since the heyday of vaudeville, Neil Innes is that rarity among musical comedians, a side-splitting satirist who can also write perfectly straightforward, catchy pop songs.

Born in Danbury, Essex, 1944. In 1964, Innes started at Goldsmith's College School of Art& joined the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. In 1967 Innes started work on Do Not Adjust Your Set, where he worked alongside future Pythons Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin & which led the off shoot Beatles parody The Rutles. Through all of this, Innes was still a member of the Bonzo Dog Band who released their first album Gorilla in 1967. By 1968 they had played with The Bee Gees and Cream before touring the U.S. where they worked with The Byrds and Joe Cocker.                                

The Bonzos also had a guest turn playing 'Death Cab for Cutie' in the Beatles film Magical Mystery Tour. He then teamed up with Scaffold and Liverpool poets to form the GRIMMS, producing three more albums (Grimms, Rocking Duck and Sleepers).

In 1974, Neil joined the circle around Monty Python, acting as their warm-up man as well as becoming one of only two non-Pythons to receive a writing credit. This would start Innes's association with Monty Python that would give him the tag the '7^th' or 'the unofficial' Python. These stem from Innes's appearances in The Holy Grail playing the squire who gets squashed by both a cow and the Trojan rabbit, and of course Sir Robin's ill-fated minstrel, and The Life of Brian where he gets thrown into the arena amongst other things, as well as in many of their live shows.

In the post-Python era Innes continued his association with Monty Python, appearing in a number of films and TV shows alongside the infamous Pythons.

The year 1978 saw the first of 3 seasons of Innes's of T.V. show The Innes Book of Records. Through all of this Innes remained part of the Python circle, appearing in many of the live shows, where he starred in sketches and reprised many old Bonzo songs.

The 1980's saw Innes's one man tour Neil Innes is Joe Public, a number of appearances at the Edinburgh festival, and Innes's involvement in many top rated children's shows. The 1990's saw a resurgence in interest in The Rutles with the release of a CD in 1990 containing the original songs plus six others heard on All You Need Is Cash. Later that year a tribute album called Rutles Highway Revisited was released featuring a host of respected underground and alternative artists. There were also appearances at 'Beatlesfest 1995' and the performance of Rutles songs for British comedian and impressionist Rory Bremner.

1994 saw the 25th Anniversary Monty Python tribute by American Cinemateque and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Monty Python: Lust for Glory). During the festivities, Innes took to the stage as Ron Nasty and an all new Rutles line up. This concert was so well received that Innes decided that it was time for a new Rutles album and so 1996 saw the release of the excellent 'Rutles Archaeology'.

On 28 January 2006 most of the surviving members of the Bonzo Dog Band played a concert at the London Astoria to celebrate the band's official 40th anniversary with well known comedians including Rik Mayall, Ade Edmonson and Phil Jupitus taking the parts of the late Vivian Stanshall. This was followed up with a national Bonzo tour. A few members of the Bonzo Dog Band now perform regularly as "3 Bonzos and a piano"

In 2008, a film about Neil Innes called The Seventh Python premiered at the Rockers Film Festival on June 26, 2008 (and which we will be showing at Musicport) chronicling his association with the Pythons, the Bonzos, the Rutles - even The Beatles and Britpop band Oasis (who he famously and successfully sued for plagiarism).

'There was so much fun packed in, I only realised later we had not heard the Bonzos' greatest hit, Urban Spaceman. We were laughing too much to notice.'
THE GUIDE

'An unrecognised national treasure, he stands as a beacon of wilful, almost archaic silliness.' * * * *
THE SKINNY

Tickets for the full weekend are £85 (£80 concessions) with 11-18 year olds half price. Day and session tickets are also available too.

For all ticket & all other enquiries please ring 01947 603475 or visit  www.musicportfestival.com

Musicport was established in 2000 to promote live music and music education in Whitby and the surrounding area with its primary event being Musicport World Music Festival each autumn. Over the last thirteen years the festival has grown year on year and has established itself as a prestigious event in the festival calendar attracting major names such as Rachid Taha, The Buena Vista Social Club presents Cachaito Lopez etc, Toumani Diabate, Levellers,Misty In Roots, Courtney Pine, Talvin Singh, Richard Hawley, Hugh Masekela,  Chumbawamba, Altan,  Mory Kante, Osibisa, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, & Los De Abajo.

2008 saw a major change with the festival moving to Bridlington from Whitby but in 2012 it returned to its spiritual home in Whitby where it will remain.

As well as the festival Musicport also run a regular concert programme (The Compass Club) both in Whitby  Artists who have appeared as part of previous concert programmes include Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart, Midge Ure, Daby Balde , Yusa, The Easy Star All Stars, Hazel O'Connor, Asere, Black Umfolosi, Sharron Shannon, Waterson Carthy, & Kate Rusby.

They are partners in the North Yorkshire Youth Music Action Zone and also run a regular programme of education workshops and activities.

With over 50 acts in one indoor venue over 5 stages this 3 day event will take you on a world journey with acts from Tuva, Denmark, Peru, Zimbabwe , Bosnia , USA, Tanzania, Mali, Iran & Egypt. 

With Neville Staple (The Specials & Fun Boy Three) and his band headlining on Friday night, Saharan blues band Tamikrest on Saturday & the highly acclaimed & mesmerising Bosnian singer Amira finishing the Sunday proceedings, there are many hidden treasures amongst the wide-ranging & ambitious programme.

v      A rare festival appearance from legendary reggae DJ  - DJ Derek

v      Live art projections in the DJ café

v      A comic opera about the history of yodelling by Ergo Phizmiz.

v      Free fringe events at The Metropole Hotel, Whitby

v      Films workshops and a fabulous festival bazaar as well as themed food and real ale street events, school and community workshops.

Renowned for its friendly atmosphere and the quality of the acts it books, the festival is now in its 14^th year.

The full line-up so far, with more acts still to be announced, is:

v      Tamikrest (Mali)

v      Neville Staple Band (The Specials / Fun Boy Three)

v      Amira Amulette Trio (Bosnia) **

v      Arifa (Turkey) UK debut  Sunday Ancient musical traditions from the Middle East and Balkans **

v      Baladi Blues Ensemble (Egypt)

v      Neil Innes (The Ruttles, Bonzo Dogs etc)

v      Skip "Little Axe" McDonald (USA)

v      DJ Derek

v      Los Chinches (Peru/UK)

v      The Orchestra That Fell To Earth

v      (original members of Penguin Cafe Orchestra)

v      Ballet Nimba (West Africa)

v      Radik Tulush (Tuva) (Huun Huur Tu &  formerly Yat Kha)

v      Louis Barrabas & The Bedlam Six

v      The Moulettes

v      Wonderful Sound Of The Cinema Organ

v      Himmerland (Denmark)

v      Tantz (klezmer)

v      Jadid Ensemble (Turkish/flamenco )

v      The Young'Uns   

v      Hoda (Iran)

v      Steve Folk

v      Dan Walsh

v      Ergo Phizmiz

v      Jon Sterckx

v      Whiskey Dogs

v      Boff Whalley (ex Chumbawamba)

v      Mestisa

v      Patsy Matheson

v      CC Smugglers

v      Common Tongue

v      Lanre

v      Plumhall

v      Luke Sharples

v      Forro Porro

v      Jon Palmer Band

v      Flying Chilli Beats

v      Dj Tooley