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Artist News Gigs & Festivals
Mel B announces ‘in conversation’ shows in Leeds and London
By Andy Malt | Published on Thursday 27 June 2019
Needing a bit of a rest from singing after the recent Spice Girls reunion tour, Mel B has announced two spoken word events for later this year. Taking place in Leeds and London, the ‘in conversation’ shindigs are titled ‘A Brutally Honest Evening With Mel B’. It’s going to be brutal, don’t you know! Don’t go saying you haven’t been warned.
The show promises to “examine every aspect of Mel’s life, from where she began to where she is today”. I don’t know how long that will take, but it already sounds like you’re going to be there overnight at least. And that’s before I tell you that also appearing on stage to share their own anecdotes and memories will be her mother Andrea, sister Danielle and daughter Phoenix. Oh, and there will be “never before seen video content” too.
Seriously, what is the running time of this thing? However long it takes, the experience will, and I quote, “shatter your illusions in every way possible”. How many ways are there to shatter an illusion? Four? 38? 5,894,401? The only way to find out is to book tickets, I guess.
“I’m so honoured to be sharing my story – good and bad – because I kept so many things secret for so long out of shame and I have learnt over these past few years that through talking, through sharing you learn and you make real bonds with people”, says Mel B in a very long sentence, which might give you some indication of what to expect from this show.
Or perhaps, in fact, she’ll speak in short, sharp bursts once on stage. You know, to shatter one of those illusions you’ve already stored up.
“This is a first for me”, she adds of the live shows, forgetting that she’s been interviewed numerous times before. “I want to make it very special, very real and very intimate. I know there will be tears but I am also hoping for few laughs too because that’s the woman I am – as you will discover”.
The first show will take place at the Leeds Grand Theatre on 25 Aug, then on 1 Sep she will appear at London’s Savoy Theatre. At both events she will speak to celebrity interviewer Louise Gannon, who also co-wrote Mel B’s autobiography, ‘Brutally Honest’. You’d think she’d have had enough of asking her questions by now. Maybe she’s thought of a few new ways to have her illusions shattered since the book was put together.
Suggesting that this is indeed possible, Gannon says: “I have no idea what to expect – that is always the deal with Melanie – but I can guarantee it will be an unforgettable night”.
Tickets for the Leeds show are on sale now, with London going on sale on Friday. The shows will also support Women’s Aid, the national charity working to end domestic abuse against women and children, of which Mel B is a patron. So, a very good cause which might make you want to have a serious think about all the mocking you’ve just done of this event.
