A TOP music festival is raising the bar with a specially brewed beer inspired by the famous First World War marching song, Pack up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag.
The foaming tipple, Private Perks Pale Ale, is being unveiled to launch the new fringe events at the popular North Wales International Music Festival in St Asaph where the iconic song was written.
The words were penned by George Powell and the music was composed by his older brother, Felix, who was an organist at the city’s cathedral where the main festival is being staged, from September 12 to 21.
While George was a choir boy, Felix was certainly no angel because he etched his name on the back of one of the cathedral’s stalls.
The fringe is the brainchild of the festival’s new Artistic Director, royal composer Paul Mealor, who wanted to create stronger links with the local community.
Among those who’ve entered into the spirit of things are Mark and Elaine Morris, who run the award-winning New Inn pub, in Lower Denbigh Road, with their daughter, Elizabeth.
They’re going to be staging three of the fringe nights, Welsh folk music with Angharad Jenkins and Patrick Rimes on September 14, an RnB/Hip-hop concert with Aisha Kigs on September 20 and a Comedy Night with Manon Ceridwen Evans, Caryl Burke and Gethin Evans on September 21.
To celebrate the Morris family have worked with the J.W. Lees brewery to make a small batch of the new brew.
It’s called Private Perks Pale Ale in honour of the British Tommy mentioned in the lyrics of the morale-boosting World War One song that won a competition in 1915 and is claimed to be the most optimistic song ever written.
According to Mark, the 4.2% beer is “perfect for all seasons, has balanced moderate bitterness, fresh fruit hops and pale ale malt”.
He said: “Staging the fringe events in the city is a brilliant idea and we thought brewing a special festival ale was the perfect way to mark the occasion.
“The fact that the North Wales International Music Festival is reaching out to the local community means it’s going to be reaching the parts that some other festivals don’t reach.
“Hopefully, it’ll get more local people in St Asaph involved, especially the younger ones and I’m sure it’s going to create a lovely buzz in the city.
“There’s already a lot of interest and what Paul’s hoping is that people migrate from the cathedral once the concerts are over and come down to the New Inn or wherever the fringe event is being held.”
Other fringe events include songwriting sessions at The Barrow on September 12 with singer-songwriter Jude Lane and popular singing duo Mike and Rosa, and a literary evening with poet Grahame Davies at Jacob’s Ladder on September 13.
The main festival runs from September 12-21, kicking off with the premiere of a new work commemorating the 90th anniversary of the Gresford Colliery Disaster.
Gresford: Up From Underground will be performed by the NEW Sinfonia orchestra and NEW Voices choir and recorded live by BBC Radio Cymru.
Other concerts will feature the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, The King’s Singers, Foden’s Brass Band, pianist Iwan Llewelyn-Jones, baritone Jeremy Huw Williams, North Wales Choral Union, and Welsh folk band Ar Log.
Another highlight this year will be the inaugural Pendine Young Musician of Wales competition that’s being funded by the Pendine Arts and Community Trust set up by the festival’s headline sponsors, the Pendine Park care organisation.
Sponsors also include the Arts Council of Wales, Colwinston Charitable Trust, Arts & Business Cymru, Tŷ Cerdd and Salisburys Chartered Accountants. This year’s event is part funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund for Denbighshire.
Artistic Director Paul Mealor said: “The main festival will feature a musical feast of some of our brightest, world class talents with something to suit everyone.
“The aim of the fringe events is to reach out to the local community in St Asaph with a host of very different events alongside our traditional concert programme.
“I am keen to extend the reach of the festival to include people who have never been before or may not have thought it was for them.
“The fringe will help us create an exciting new dimension and I am grateful to everybody in the local community, not least the wonderful Morris family at the New Inn, who’ve embraced the idea with such enthusiasm.
“The new Private Perks Pale Ale is the perfect way to raise a toast to this new and exciting departure in the festival’s illustrious history.
“It all links back to the cathedral which is the main venue for the festival. The fact Felix Powell etched his name into the back of a choir stall is amazing and there is a blue plaque commemorating the brothers in the High Street which is attached to the building where they were born.”
Tickets and further details about the festival programme and the free festival fringe events are available online at www.nwimf.com. Concert tickets are also available from Cathedral Frames, St Asaph – 01745 582929 (Weds – Fri, 10 – 4) and Theatr Clwyd by phone – 01352 344101 (Mon – Sat, 10 – 6).
