George Harrison celebration hits the road across Sussex
After a successful try-out tour, the All Things Must Pass duo – devoted to the music of George Harrison – are on the road for ten dates this spring.
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00:00 Good morning, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor for Sussex Newspapers, now always
00:06 one of my favourite interviewees, Alex Eberhardt. Now, you are half of the All Things Must Pass
00:12 duo, a fantastic duo dedicated to the wonderful music of George Harrison, and you are embarking
00:20 on a 10-date spring tour. You've got dates coming up in Chichester and Eastbourne and
00:25 Palborough and Alfriston and Stenning and Sowsey. The duo, which is an offshoot of the
00:32 Ten Piece Orchestra, is doing really, really nicely, isn't it? Do you have a preference
00:39 between the Ten Piece Orchestra and the duo, or are they just two sides of the same thing?
00:43 Two sides of the same thing. They're both really enjoyable, the duo being slightly more
00:50 portable and easier to organise, but musically it's just as much fun as the Ten Piece.
01:00 And the thing is, as you were saying, these brilliant songs work equally well with the
01:06 Ten Piece Orchestra and with the two-piece duo. What does that say about George Harrison,
01:11 do you think?
01:13 I think it just really shows the depth of these songs. They're not just merely pop songs
01:19 that you have to play with a covers band or with a drummer and the bass player and all
01:26 that, but it just works in any kind of setting. I even think it would, even with classical
01:34 instruments, it would even be great music as well, I think.
01:38 So do you have a different set list for the acoustic duo rather than the Ten Piece Orchestra?
01:43 This year we have pretty much the same set list. We've got four shows with the Ten Piece
01:51 in June and the Ten Date in April and May, and it's pretty much the same set list with
01:58 both outfits, yeah.
01:59 Absolutely. And how do you select that set list? There are some songs that you have to
02:05 do, aren't there?
02:07 That's right, yeah. There are certain songs from the Beatles' catalog, something, and
02:15 "Here Comes the Sun", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", you have to do, and you have to do
02:22 "My Sweet Lord" from the Old Things Must Pass album. But then there are so many songs to
02:28 pick from that sometimes it's hard. I try to give it a bit of variety so that there
02:35 aren't too many slow songs, but you mix it up with a more upbeat song as well. But there
02:41 is no shortage of good material to pick from.
02:44 Absolutely. And obviously you have to do "All Things Must Pass", but that "All Things Must
02:49 Pass" album is a particular favourite of yours, isn't it?
02:54 That's right, yes. And that was the first George Harrison album that I had when I was
02:59 13, and it still is my favourite. And there are so many songs that are really close to
03:07 my heart and I always enjoy singing them and playing them.
03:11 Isn't it funny how the first album you hear of someone does tend to remain your favourite,
03:15 doesn't it?
03:16 It's right, yes. Yeah. I was lucky then.
03:20 It's a very good place to start. And you've got all these dates which culminate in a date
03:27 for the Festival of Chichester on June the 13th as a duo. And then in June, you move
03:33 back to the Tenpiece for four dates, don't you?
03:36 Right. On the following day, on the 14th of June, we'll be in Aishe at a theatre for the
03:41 first time. And George used to live in Aishe, so the director of the Aishe Theatre approached
03:47 me and said, "Wouldn't it be an idea to have the 'All Things Must Pass' orchestra playing
03:53 in Aishe?" So that's the first time we're going there. But we'll come to our favourite
03:59 venues in Havant, the Spring Arts Centre, we're going to the Comedienne in Brighton
04:05 and also the Kenton Theatre in Henley-on-Thames every year.
04:11 Fantastic. And then in the autumn, you'll be thinking about doing another ten duo dates?
04:16 Yes. Yeah, I think it might be time then to go back to Feltham.
04:23 Yeah. Well, that was a great time, wasn't it?
04:28 And yeah, I'd like to expand it a bit more. Maybe go a bit further afield. This Spring
04:33 Tour is pretty much Sussex-wide, but I think next year maybe we could spread it out a bit
04:40 more.
04:41 So this year 20 duo dates, next year more?
04:46 More, maybe 30, who knows?
04:48 Fantastic. Well, good luck with that. Always lovely to speak to you, Alex. Thank you ever
04:52 so much.
04:53 My pleasure. Thank you.
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