Madam Miaow's Culture Lounge returns to the St Ives Arts Festival 2013

Madam Miaow's Culture Lounge returns to the St Ives Arts Festival following last year's The Steampunk Opium Wars extravaganza that had a cast of thousands and played to a capacity audience of dozens.

This year, I'll read the first chapters of my novelisation of the The Steampunk Opium Wars: The Camellia and the Poppy which I'm having great fun writing. I'm also reading poetry from my "brilliant and dangerous" book, Reaching for my Gnu, published in Kindle and paperback.

I'm joined by the super-talented Charles Shaar Murray and Marc Jefferies, who'll be providing musical accompaniment and, in the case of CSM, reading his work as well.

In case you can have too much of a good thing, the adorable Bob Devereux, very funny Rob Barratt and the divine Steve Jones will be delighting our lovely audience with their spoken and sung words and music.

Should you find yourself in St Ives with time on your hands and a taste for a bit of kulcher among friends, then come and join us for the evening. Tickets should be avaiable on the door if they haven't sold out (this is the festival and that does happen). Advance tickets from The St Ives Visitor Centre, The Guildhall, Street An Pol, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 2DS

7.30pm Saturday 14 September 2013
St Ives Arts Club
Westcotts Quay
St Ives,
Cornwall TR26 2DY
£8.50 Tickets from The St Ives Visitor Centre: 0905 252 2250 or on the door if there are any left.
BYO drink

Look out for us at the Café Art where Charles Shaar Murray and I will be reading one early evening, exact date to be confirmed.
The Drill Hall,
Chapel Street,
St Ives TR26 2LR

We'll also be reading and playing at Bob Devereux's lunchtime Poetry in the Square sessions in Norway Square.

Crosstown Lightnin' "Werewolves of London" at the Black Velvet

A culture-rammed week began with Crosstown Lightnin' at the Black Velvet club in West Kensington last Saturday 18th May, supporting Bex Marshall and her band.

Here's Crosstown Lightnin's encore with special guest Stephen Dale Petit. Charles Shaar Murray, Buffalo Bill Smith, Marc Jefferies and Pete Miles play "Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon.

Video by Anna Chen.

Crosstown Lightnin' and Bex Marshall at Black Velvet: pix

Crosstown Lightnin' played their first gig in a while, the first of many more the way things are looking.

Charles Shaar Murray, Buffalo Bll Smith, Marc Jefferies and Pete Miles were tight as a gnat's bum and rocked the swanky new W14 venue, Black Velvet, with their punky blues.

Bex Marshall headlined with her 4-piece blues band. She has an amazing textured voice — from gravelly and snarling to sweet and melodic, and she wields a mean resonator. It's an awesome full-blooded BIG sound from a home-grown Brit.

Special mention to her backing singer who gave a soaring gospelled up acapella "New York, New York".

Some pix here. Videos of Crosstown Lightnin' to come.

VIDEO: Bird Call Blues

VIDEO Camellia and the Poppy from The Steampunk Opium Wars

Anna Chen sings The Camellia and the Poppy, the opening song of The Steampunk Opium Wars. Filmed at the National Maritime Museum on Thursday 16th February 2012.

With Charles Shaar Murray on guitar and Marc Jefferies on bass guitar.

Camera: Jeff Willis

The Steampunk Opium Wars pages here.

VIDEO Anna Chen sings at The Steampunk Opium Wars

I'm keeping them coming. Here's another video from the show at the National Maritime Museum on the 16th February, this time of me singing Anna May Wong Must Die! at The Steampunk Opium Wars.

With Charles Shaar Murray on Guitar and Marc Jefferies on bass. Jeff Willis took the video. www.annachen.co.uk

The Steampunk Opium Wars pages here.

Steampunk Opium Wars VIDEO: Lin Zexu Just Says No!

Here's the first extract from The Steampunk Opium Wars which debuted at the National Maritime Museum on Thursday.

The story so far ...

The East India Company has been growing mass-produced opium in Bengal and swamping China with the narcotic, turning an aristocratic vice into a mass addiction. The Emperor calls in Commissioner Lin Zexu to enforce the ban on opium and stop the British drug smuggling operation.

Song: "Lin Zexu Just Says No!"

With Hugo Trebels, Louise Whittle, Anna Chen, John Crow, Paul Anderson. Music from Charles Shaar Murray and Marc Jefferies. Video footage by Jeff Willis — additional material by Oliver Shykles. Lin Zexu portrait by Sukey Parnell. Show still by Jan Jefferies. Edited by Anna Chen.

Pictures here

The Steampunk Opium Wars pages:
The Steampunk Opium Wars Home Page
Afterview
The Company: who we are and how to find us.
Gallery: debut performance at the National Maritime Museum.
VIDEO: Lin Zexu Just Says No!
VIDEO: Britannia sings "Money"
What they said ...

Anna May Wong Must Die! great pix by Jan Jefferies

We played the final show last night at the New Diorama Theatre (Saturday 12th November 2011) in front of a lively audience.

There was a quantum improvement from Thursday with most tec glitches sorted, the lads louder and rockier now that the awe of the theeayter had abated somewhat. Confidence was up all round and we are looking at ways to take the show further.

Produced by True Heart Theatre as part of the In The Mirror season at the New Diorama Theatre, London NW1, and directed by Wing Hong Li. With legendary music writer Charles Shaar Murray and The Plague’s Marc Jefferies. Jan Jefferies looked after us and took the pix on Anna’s Lumix TZ20.

Some more pix here.

Photo copyright Anna Chen

First night Anna May Wong Must Die! pix

First night done.

Tec hitches aplenty but all performed with great gusto and fun by myself and the wonderful Charles Shaar Murray and The Plague's Marc Jefferies, rockin' the show on guitar and bass.

I'm still making last minute changes to the script which is now at the stage where I can start cutting like a surgeon on speed. Plus the emergence of Tinglan Hong — Hugh Grant's squeeze and mother of Bamboo, or "Happy Accident", as "Ting Ting" mischievously claims is the baby's Chinese name — now doubles the number of Chinese women who can be named by audiences. (The other being a certain custard-pie kung-fu minder for geriatric billionaires.)

I'll be pleased when I'm off-script. But, for now, my baby's growing. Just like Bamboo.

One more show tomorrow then the great uphill task of memorising all 70 minutes of it. Wish I could plug in and upload in my sleep.

ANNA MAY WONG MUST DIE!
Written and performed by Anna Chen
Live music from Charles Shaar Murray and Marc Jefferies
Saturday 12th November 20:30
£8.50/£6.50
There will be a Q&A after the Saturday performance
Presented by Wing Hong Li for True Heart Theatre at the New Diorama Theatre, NW1
More info here

Anna May Wong Must Die! opens tomorrow: satire, crudity and politics

OK, this is it, guys and gals. Anna May Wong Must Die! gets its first London theatrical outing tomorrow night (Thursday 10th) at the New Diorama Theatre, followed by another on Saturday.

Legendary cultural writer Charles Shaar Murray and The Plague's Marc Jefferies will be providing live music.

I'm performing the show as a "work-in-progress" at the New Diorama Theatre as part of True Heart's In The Mirror season. Also performing during the week: Lucy Sheen and Veronica Needa. (Details on the webpage.)

I'll be on-script as it's still early days in the life of this piece (so no press), but I hope to come out of the week with the play nailed. I look forward to to hearing some solid feedback, especially from the Saturday Q&A session where the three of us will be chatting to the audience.

It's unusual, maybe even unique, to get three Chinese diaspora writers and performers together like this in one venue in one week so please do try to make it as we might never get this chance again.

ANNA MAY WONG MUST DIE!
Written and performed by Anna Chen
Live music accompaniment from Charles Shaar Murray and Marc Jefferies
Thursday 10th November 19:30
Saturday 12th November 20:30
£8.50/£6.50
(There will be a Q&A after the Saturday performance)
Presented by True Heart Theatre at the New Diorama Theatre, NW1
More info here

REVIEWS AND MEDIA FOR ANNA CHEN

"Charming, witty and sophisticated ... I am entranced, won over."
The Sunday Times

"Hard hitting and often hilarious ... arresting ... engrossing and provoking."
The Scotsman

"... sensitive, intelligent ... insistent and illuminating."
The Herald

"It's the stuff of brilliant satire ... riveting."
The List

"Very witty."
Graham Norton

"I'm taking you shoplifting."
Jenny Eclair

“Cutting edge …”
Stewart Lee

More press here

Crosstown Lightnin' at Abbey Mills Blues Festival: punk jacket

First the important stuff. Last night, I finally gave my ancient punk jacket an outing after an absence of nearly 20 years.

Oh, and by the way, the grand occasion was Crosstown Lightnin's gig at the Colour House Theatre for the Abbey Mills Blues Festival.

Charles Shaar Murray, Buffalo Bill Smith, Marc Jefferies and special guest Dick Jude on drums (the Great Pete Miles is gigging in Poland) entertained us until the witching hour.

Here's Crosstown Lightnin' playing Muddy Waters' Can't Be Satisfied.

How I was reunited with my punk jacket here.

Crosstown Lightnin' On The Road Again

I enjoyed immensely last night's Crosstown Lightnin' gig, the first with new drummer Pete Myles who joined Charles Shaar Murray, Buffalo Bill Smith and Marc "The Exorcist" Jefferies for the Abbey festival weekend. Pete brought a sensitive interplay to the performance and a strong sense of dynamics making Canned Heat's On The Road Again a hypnotising mesmeric experience.

I managed to video proceedings despite being strangely drawn to the Caribbean food stall. Several times. The curried goat with rice and beans was delicious but incredibly bony. However, the jerk chicken was only £2 for a fat succulent grilled quarter. £6 with rice and beans. Go figure.

Had to miss out on the super-talented Peter Conway's gig tonight where I was to provide guest vocals on one song. Sadly, the stage at The Good Ship in Kilburn is minuscule and wouldn't hold Peter's band and guest musicians who were to include Phil Ryan and Charles Shaar Murray as well as myself.

It was the stages that got small! But we will do more.

So I stayed in and edited a backlog of videos instead for your pleasure. Others are going up on my Madam Miaow YouTube page.
Have a look at Crosstown Lightnin' play Bourbon, Beer and Barbecue at the same gig.

Poetry this coming Thursday at Farrago.

Crosstown Lightnin' On The Road Again

I enjoyed immensely last night's Crosstown Lightnin' gig, the first with new drummer Pete Myles who joined Charles Shaar Murray, Buffalo Bill Smith and Marc "The Exorcist" Jefferies for the Abbey festival weekend. Pete brought a sensitive interplay to the performance and a strong sense of dynamics making Canned Heat's On The Road Again a hypnotising mesmeric experience.

I managed to video proceedings despite being strangely drawn to the Caribbean food stall. Several times. The curried goat with rice and beans was delicious but incredibly bony. However, the jerk chicken was only £2 for a fat succulent grilled quarter. £6 with rice and beans. Go figure.

Had to miss out on the super-talented Peter Conway's gig tonight where I was to provide guest vocals on one song. Sadly, the stage at The Good Ship in Kilburn is minuscule and wouldn't hold Peter's band and guest musicians who were to include Phil Ryan and Charles Shaar Murray as well as myself.

It was the stages that got small! But we will do more.

So I stayed in and edited a backlog of videos instead for your pleasure. Others are going up on my Madam Miaow YouTube page.
Have a look at Crosstown Lightnin' play Bourbon, Beer and Barbecue at the same gig.

Poetry this coming Thursday at Farrago.