He’ll be performing at the Festa das Lata in Coimbra on October 25 – an event held to welcome new students to the city’s university.

Tickets for the show go on sale this coming Friday (September 7) via www.ticketline.pt or by calling +351 217

From Take That to Kanye West, when pop’s biggest stars want shows with the wow factor, they come to pioneering British theatre designer Es Devlin.

There aren’t many British theatre designers who can say that their sets have been seen by millions of people worldwide, screamed at, captured on film and endlessly commented on in forums on YouTube. But Es Devlin certainly can, as her luminous, powerful and ambitious designs tour the world with the biggest names in music – the likes of Mika, Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Take That and the Pet Shop Boys.

More than a million people in Britain – mostly whooping women – saw Take That’s Circus tour in 2009, the brainchild of the 39-year-old Kent-born Devlin, who had a life-size animatronic elephant centre stage as the pop boys dressed up as clowns, played on bicycles, tricycles and unicycles in a burst of colour and spectacle.

When I visit Devlin there is a small-scale version of this elephant on one of the shelves of her south London studio. She recently got permission to extend the space so that she, her husband and her two children can live and work side by side. It is packed with models, from the bright, sinister clown face that spewed out acrobats, balloons and a Chinese dragon in Mika’s 2008 Parc des Princes gig, to a tiny version of the gothic set for next year’s production of Batman at the O2, in which the head of the Joker looms over the tiny cardboard audience.

Although she has been working mainly on pop and opera over the past seven years, Devlin says the inspiration process for any production is the same: “Initially I use pure musical immersion, which aims to bypass the more literal forms of interpretation and appeal more immediately to instinct.” Later, she responds in a more language-based way, to the lyrics, libretto or script.

Once this initial process is over, she then shows the models of her ideas to the creative team, which they generally love. Or not, as the case may be. One of the models she picks up is of a temple that has recently been scrapped from Shakira’s world tour: “Felix Barrett and I are working together. We thought the three levels of the temple could rise slowly through the performance.” In Barrett, artistic director of the immersive, site-specific theatre company Punchdrunk, she has found a like-minded collaborator. Devlin admits though that when faced with a pop star, artistic sacrifices often have to be made: “Together we would really like to instil some of what we do in theatre, but we are struggling with the infrastructure. We’re used to what we can deliver in rehearsal, but most pop stars don’t rehearse.”

When Devlin began designing sets at the Bush theatre in London in the mid-Nineties, she found the theatrical world restrictive. “You had a lot of really well crafted but very naturalistic set design, and I’d be thinking: why are we pretending we are in a real room? Why not make it something beautiful, which could actually express some of the subtext of the piece?”

Devlin hasn’t worked in theatre for five years, but next week she is revisiting old haunts and designing a new play, Pieces of Vincent, for the fringe Arcola theatre in London. Coming back into a small-scale theatre might prove challenging, as the theatre space at the Arcola is compact, with large columns that must be manoeuvred around (“just don’t sit behind one of them” she laughs). But her reputation has meant that much of the technical support – the playback systems, LED screens and projectors – has been gifted to her.

Where theatre can be restrictive, she says the pop tours have enabled her to express some of her vision. One of her more fruitful collaborations has been with hiphop star Kanye West, whom she first met when he rang just 10 days before his Touching the Sky tour in 2005, saying he had sacked his designer and needed a new design – fast. He had seen her work with punk band Wire in 2003, when she had made the band members stand in separate illuminated boxes in the walls and connected them to ECG machines and MRI scanners.

West’s Glow in the Dark Tour was their second collaboration, which came after he saw Devlin’s design for Salome at the Royal Opera House in 2008. The rapper had wanted to be the only thing on stage, so Devlin created barren landscapes projected onto screens around him – a lone musician in an alien world.

The two artists have similar visionary tastes, which is not always the case with certain, unnameable pop stars: “Sometimes it’s nonsense. It’s Alice in Wonderland – do this, do that, I want a pink one, I want a red one. Can I have one that’s actually a jelly fish,” Devlin says.

But as far as the future of British theatre design goes, Devlin is very excited, having recently seen Earthquakes in London at the National and Sucker Punch at the Royal Court, both shows that push the limits of what can be done with a set and an audience. “The way you are placed in the space already adds to your interpretation of the work,” she says. “I think theatre design is blossoming. In the mid-Nineties I really felt as if I was giving too much, but now there is more of an appetite for an ambitious designer,” she says.

The evening will begin with a dinner cocktail at the Riviera Beach marquee adjacent to the Palais and will end in TFWA’s private club, The Scene, with cocktails and dancing into the small hours. The Scene Restaurant will be open from Monday to Thursday for lunch between 12.00 and 14.30, although exhibition participants may also eat in the Bay Restaurant next to Bay Village.

TFWA delegates can enjoy a range of business networking opportunities starting on Sunday October 17 with a golf tournament at Mandelieu Golf Club, sponsored by Gebr Heinemann and Hugo Boss. This will be followed by the opening cocktail at the Carlton Hotel. Other activities include a tennis competition at the Club Sportif de Montfleury sponsored by Ajmal and a cooking class at Les Apprentis Gourmets.

Further information about all these activities and pre-registration information can be found at www.tfwa.com. Sports and leisure activities should be pre-booked; invitations to the Opening Cocktail and Le Premium Evening are part of the Full Delegate package and are only available upon pre-registration.

The ‘Rain’ singer doesn’t worry about impressing people who aren’t already fans because he knows the songs he produces don’t fit in to typical genres.

The 26-year-old pop star explained: “If you don’t understand my music it’s obviously not meant for you. My music is not calculated. It is a product of circumstance.

“It might appeal to you because of the life you’ve had or because you relate to the stories. But my music is not fashion. It’s not sound. It’s not scene. I was never accepted into a scene. I tried! And I would have liked it! But I can’t and I just don’t know how to do it. I don’t know how to make any other type of music than the music I make.”

The singer – whose real name is Michael Holbrook Penniman Jr. – also admits he wasn’t surprised when he revealed he was bisexual that no one seemed to care.

He explained: “Look, I’ve always said I can fall in love with a man. I can fall in love with a woman. And I’ve always said that I have no shame in that. And I don’t think there was any negative reaction to what I said coming out as bisexual.

“In fact I don’t think there was any reaction – I don’t think anyone was surprised whatsoever. I don’t think anyone gives a s**t. I think people just want me to have a label.”

I was thirteen, my trousers were too short, there was sweat on my brow and my suspenders were rubbing against the back of my neck. That summer evening in Bordighera, I decided I hated Italy. Here, everything was difficult. I couldn’t get served in cafes, I felt uncomfortable and unfit and my sisters got all the attention. Foreign women have no idea what Italy really is; ask an awkward teenage boy instead. He knows the truth.

Growing up, our summer vacations would almost always be spent in the south of France. We would drive from London in our white Toyota Previa, crammed with luggage, pillows, my parents, a few family pets including a rabbit hidden under my seat, and my four siblings. Siting on the floor of the car wasn’t an option it was a necessity. As long as the trunk was able to close and the police didn’t see us, we would be off from London on our 20 hour journey to the sun. To this day, driving by car is still my favourite way of getting around, even on tour.

When you come from a big family, everything in theory should be harder, but in practice everything is easier. Even if we didn’t have much money there was always somebody making a joke, starting a conversation or more entertainingly an argument. The south of France was always our destination because for us it was cheap. We would stay with family, go to the beach, and drive to Italy as often as possible.

Bordighera and the streets of San Remo, were my first experience of Italy. My mother loved the food and the people and they loved her back. With her big colourful dresses, rounded figure and swarm of children, she was welcomed in Italy where in France it was always frosty looks. My sisters, with their good looks and smiles, revelled in the attention. My brother was only a child, and enjoyed the fact that in Italy he was never told off or told to be quiet. My father, who had lived in Rome, spoke Italian and had charm. Charm! That was one thing I certainly did not have at 13. I was awkward. Quiet but with sudden outbursts of expression, which would make people around me feel uncomfortable. Perhaps I was seen as odd or effeminate. My clothes were often things I had made. Shortened trousers, suspenders, collared long sleeve shirts and bow ties. I was not at ease with myself and I felt the Italians were not at ease with me. I would drift around the streets on my own, ordering ice cream at every shop I came across. The easy-manners of Italian young men were devastatingly intimidating to me. I would run away from them.

It is precisely this unease that drove me so intensely into music. Through music I could turn into anything or anyone. I could be charming, I could be listened to. Through music I became comfortable with myself and through music Italy eventually accepted me. There are few places in the world where I enjoy playing live more than in Italy. Playing the Milano Forum was the proudest moment on my last tour and it reminded me what a strong influence Italy had been on me when I was very young.

My second encounter with Italy happened much later and far from Italy, in London. I was 19 and was studying opera at the Royal College of Music, where for three and a half years I sang as a baritone. From the moment I walked into my Italian song class, with my professor Marco Canepa, I felt like that awkward 13 year old all over again. Professor Canepa was a short middle aged man. He spoke frankly and honestly, in a heavy Italian accent. He wore red suspenders and loved opera. In the three and a half years of teaching me, I sang to him only five times and always the same song; Scarlatti’s ‘Gia il sole dal Gange’. I was terrible. I was now a pop singer pretending to be a classical singer and sounding like a 60 year old baritone. Canepa was desperate. He called me “the mute”. When I had my last lesson with him, I told him that one day he would be able to see me in Milan but that it would not be at La Scala, as it would be too small. He thought I had lost my mind.

Fast forward five years and I find myself playing my first Italian show at the Alcatraz in Milan. Half way through, I sit down and play a very quiet song called Over My Shoulder. After singing the high long high notes, the crowd starts making a lot of noise. I am horrified, I think they are booing me and just about get through the rest of the show. It wasn’t until afterwards that I realise they weren’t booing but cheering because they liked my singing. I had never come across an audience like that before. Professor Canepa never felt so far away.

My teenage hatred for Italy has turned into love. I now realise that Italians get it. Whatever “it” is. They see beauty and the extraordinary in things that others consider ordinary. They see beauty in sadness they and are not afraid to make themselves heard. Italy reminds me of of my family, screaming and laughing and our long journeys in our old Toyota Previa.

Mika

For the past few months you’ve been racing to accumulate points by entering competitions, buying tickets, merch and records and contributing to the Mika fanclub.

Alas, all good things must end, and the game is coming to a close on October 31st, 2010.

At that time, the very top players will be invited to an exclusive, intimate Mika gig. Yet more leading number nabbers will be invited to an exclusive Champagne reception with Mika himself.

In the meantime, we will no longer be awarding points for posting comments, photos or videos to mikasounds. You’ve all done us proud and helped build a thriving community. Now we think it’s time to let it grow at its own pace.

Instead there’ll be two new ways you can win points as Mika’s Magic Numbers draws to a close.

First up, we want YOU to design a Mika t-shirt. You can be as creative as you like, let your imagination run wild. All entries will be posted on the site and get you a 1000 Mika points.

The winner – as chosen by Mika – will see their design put into production for sale in the Mika Store and also earn 25,000 Mika Points. Just email your designs to tshirts@mikasounds.com for your chance to win.

Secondly, we want to know what you think of Mika’s music – post a video review of your favourite albums and singles to date and it’ll earn you 1500 points.

Good luck everyone.

Source

Click on the image for more pictures.

Why play a set when you can put on a show? That seemed to be Mika’s motto at this Edge festival gig, where the stage dressing and many of the surprise set pieces that occurred were as arresting as the songs themselves.

One particularly odd moment came at the start of Love Today, when a procession of women (presumably) dressed in bright neon-coloured wedding dresses paraded onto the stage in a funeral march, followed by a group of stagehands carrying a more thanlife-sized doll of a smiling ginger-haired boy.

On they came and off they slowly went, leaving the doll sitting in the middle of the stage so Mika could knock it about during the song.

If that sounds weird E well it was, but at least the singer was making an effort.

Whatever you might think of his light, poppy and sometimes a bit over-the-top music, Mika (real name Michael Penniman Jr, from London) seems dedicated to putting on a show that his audience will remember.

The singer, in white shirt and trousers, pointed out during the set that this will be his last gig in the UK “for a while”, and it was clear he wanted to leave the live stage with happy memories.

So among the distinctive extra touches were the sight of him performing Dr John while standing on top of his piano wearing a cape bearing multi-coloured feathers and a top hat, kind of like Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat meets Cabaret.

A huge pink and yellow flag bearing the word Billy! was winched up into the air until it was almost blocking out the stage during Billy Brown, while heart-shaped pink balloons were passed out to the front few rows of the audience during Happy Ending.

Of course, it was all as camp as the proverbial row of tents, but there was also something playful and charming about it.

Mika seems to treat his shows like playtime for himself and his audience, and heandhisfive-piecegrouparelikethe In the Night Garden house band.

The backdrop of flowers offset by two giant, dove-filled wreaths at the sides of the stage emphasised the fact that he was trying to create a kind of innocent fantasy world.

Musically it was also a sweet set, with the singer having sacrificed a bit of his over-the-top performance style for the new album The Boy Who Knew Too Much.

The likes of Grace Kelly and Big Girl (You Are Beautiful) were still there and fans were delighted to hear them, but far more affecting were gentle Happy Ending and the tender piano ballad Over My Shoulder, while We Are Golden, Blame It On The Girls andthe housey Rain are more universal pop songs than what he’s written before.

It’s tempting to say there was more style than substance here, but there was just enough of the latter to make sure everyone went home happy.

JOHN KELLY

“It’s already late… of course”

“But I loved my trip. Esp the music by Dai Fujikura. Walked around every corner of Warsaw “