Sarjeant Happenings: British performer Jennifer Reid brings one-night show to Whanganui

Jennifer Reid will perform at the Sarjeant Gallery on Tuesday, March 24.

British folk artist Jennifer Reid is set to bring her powerful, history-rich performances to Whanganui with a one-night show at Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery.

Reid, a singer, historian and performer, has built an international reputation for her commanding a cappella style and deeply researched approach to traditional song.

Her career spans stage and screen, including a role in The Gallows Pole directed by Shane Meadows, and appearances as a social historian on television programmes such as Great Canal Journeys and The Hairy Bikers: Pubs That Built Britain. As a musician, she has shared stages with artists including Pulp, John Cooper Clarke and Eliza Carthy.

Often described as a “folk song activist”, Reid is dedicated to reviving and sustaining working-class musical traditions from the industrial north of England. Her work focuses on songs passed down through oral history – many at risk of being lost – and reframes them as living, evolving forms of communication.

Audiences at the Sarjeant Gallery on Tuesday, March 24, can expect material drawn from her current tour, The Ballad of the Gatekeeper, alongside traditional pieces and new works responding to contemporary life.

“At the Sarjeant Gallery I’ll perform a range of historical material as well as songs that I’ve written in response to modernity,” Reid said.

“Tradition is a method for information exchange … we are a motley crew in this world, and I like to show that the grey area is huge and amazing.”

Her performances, delivered without accompaniment, are known for their emotional intensity as well as warmth and humour, bringing broadside ballads, street songs and dialect music vividly to life.

Reid’s return to New Zealand follows a warmly received previous tour.

“I’m touring here again because of the amazing reception I received last time,” she said.

“I made an impact and I want to carry that on.”

With limited seating available, those interested are encouraged to book early via the Sarjeant Gallery website.

Details

Tuesday, March 24

Doors open from 5.30pm; 6-7pm show – Jennifer Reid sings The Ballad of the Gatekeeper

Venue: Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery

Price: Friends of the Sarjeant $18, all others $20. Tickets from the online shop on sarjeant.org.nz, at the gallery or call (06) 349 0506.