Penguin Cafe News

Penguin Cafe on facebook...

noreply@blogger.com (Arthur) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:35:00 +0000

We're now up on facebook which, while an imperfect solution to wade through, makes things rather easy to update etc...

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Penguin-Cafe/167122207932?ref=ts

End Of Tour Party coming up at Bush Hall, Sheperds Bush, on the 29th of November

noreply@blogger.com (Arthur) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:30:00 +0000

To celebrate the year and to basically have a chance to have all our nearest and dearest along for a concert a bit closer to home we've decided to have one last gig before we settle in for Christmas.

Its going to be at Bush Hall and its in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust. Tickets are now on sale at:

http://www.wegottickets.com/event/63575

and

http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_london&query=detail&event=356747&interface=

Summer would seem to be over - but it was really good so its not all bad.

noreply@blogger.com (Arthur) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:06:00 +0000

The Summer tour went great - thank you to all of you who made it to the various festivals and halls up and down the country and beyond. We spent a huge amount of time in the tourbus and it was much more fun than we would have thought reasonable to hope for.

We ended up in Milan and hope to go back to Italy next year for more concerts - and possibly even further afield.

We've got a concert coming up on the 26th of October at the Barbican on stage with the brilliant Guillemots - along with a host of acts to celebrate 75 years of the British Council.

Other dates lining up for the next few months are Glasgow on January 26 and Belfast on February 5. Also we're hoping to get out to Tallin at some stage....

Our DVD and live mini-album are due out next month but that will most likely get its own post. Mixing it tomorrow...

MFPC playing Thursday 23rd at WOMAD...

noreply@blogger.com (Arthur) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:51:00 +0000

Late addition to the Summer's line-up - Womad on the Thursday

Galway Tickets on sale now!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Arthur) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:18:00 +0000

MFPC's first ever overseas concert is taking place at the Galway Arts Festival on the 17th of July. Tickets on sale now at https://galwayartsfestival.ticketsolve.com/shows?page=3

Music From...

noreply@blogger.com (Arthur) — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:27:00 +0000

MUSIC FROM THE PENGUIN CAFÉ - Tour Dates - Summer Tour 2009

Arthur Jeffes has brought together a group of musicians to create Music from the Penguin Café, playing the music of his father, Simon Jeffes and the Penguin Café Orchestra and combining it with his own compositions.

The ensemble that Arthur has drawn together are about the same age as the original members of the PCO when they first started playing together in the late 1970s. Music from the Penguin Café will be touring from June this year into the early autumn, playing at festivals, concert venues, clubs and parties.

Fri 5th June: MANCHESTER, Royal Northern College of Music
0161 907 5200/ www.rncm.ac.uk
Sat 13th June: LONDON, ICA
0207 930 3647/ www.ica.org.uk
Sun 14th June: LONDON, ICA
Sat 20th June: BEXHILL, De La Warr Pavilion
01424 229 111/ www.dlwp.com
Sun 28th June: GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL, Acoustic Stage
www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk
Tues 30th June: MILTON KEYNES, Stables Theatre
01908 280814/ www.stables.org ……./
Mon 13th July: HARROGATE, International Festival (on sale shortly)
01423 500 500/ www.harrogate-festival.org.uk
Thurs 16th July: SALISBURY, Larmer Tree Festival
01725 552300/ www.larmertreefestival.co.uk
Sat 18th July: GALWAY, Galway Festival (on sale shortly)
(+353) 91 509700/ www.galwayartsfestival.com

Plans are still coming together for August and September, but festival dates already confirmed include The Big Chill, Bestival, Snape Proms in Aldeburgh, the Festival Internazionale della Musica in Milan and a run of dates at the Edinburgh Festival.

The Penguin Café Orchestra is probably best known for tunes such as ‘Telephone and Rubber Band’, written around the sound of an engaged and ringing telephone, or ‘Music for a Found Harmonium’, used in the film Napoleon Dynamite. Their quintessentially English sound, influenced by folk, bluegrass, avant garde classical music and pop, has enjoyed a continuing cult status. The sudden death of Simon Jeffes in1997 brought the Penguin Café Orchestra to an abrupt end.

Since then the music has lived on in numerous film soundtracks and commercials. The musicians have reunited to play only once, with Arthur, in December 2007, to mark the tenth anniversary of Simon’s death.

Musicians in this Summer's line-up include Becca Waterworth (cello), Andy Waterworth (double bass), Arthur Jeffes (piano, cuatros), Des Murphy (ukelele), Vince Greene (viola) Neil Coding (piano, ukelele), Tom Chichester-Clark (cuatro, guitar), Cass Browne (percussion) and Darren Berry (violin).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT SALLY REEVES ON 01223 864710
sallyreeves@btinternet.com

Music From the Penguin Cafe

noreply@blogger.com (Arthur) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 08:53:00 +0000

Arthur Jeffes, Simon's son, is playing some of the Penguin Cafe music at a series of dates through the Summer of '09. For details watch this space or check the listings of the UK festivals.

For enquiries regarding bookings please contact David Jones at Serious (david@serious.org.uk)

Mailing list teaser

noreply@blogger.com (Arthur) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 07:49:00 +0000

If you're not on the mailing list yet and would like to be informed if a new thing happens later this year with the music then do let us know your details. We promise not to send you lots of emails. Just email the-table@penguincafe.com and ask to go on the list.

2008 Digital Remasters of the first 5 PCO albums

noreply@blogger.com (Arthur) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:03:00 +0000

Exciting news as the first new releases for a long time are being rolled out as a collaboration between Editions Penguin Cafe and EMI. The first five albums have been painstakingly remastered by Tony Cousins and Arthur Jeffes - and the results are something we're all very happy about.

There are a few other things happening, not least among which is the dance track 'Paddy's Revenge' which samples the Patrick Street version of Music For a Found Harmonium. Fans in the UK and quite possibly further afield should be looking out for a very very catchy track which really does stick in your head.

Remastering Project and new compilation in the Offing...

noreply@blogger.com (Arthur) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:02:00 +0000

EMI and Zopf are a good way along in a new comprehensive remastering project in which the first four studio albums along with When In Rome are to be re-released with 1-bit remastered audio and artwork returning to a more faithful rendition of the original vinyl artwork.

To coincide with this project, a new 'Brief History' is being lined up. A one-disk collection emphasising the development of the PCO from the very beginning, this compilation has us all very excited and is sounding excellent.

No more concerts planned

noreply@blogger.com (Arthur) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:17:00 +0000

Although the December concerts were awesome and everyone loved them, there are no more concerts or tours planned at the moment. If, as and when anything happens we'll let everyone know that has signed up to be kept informed. If you would like to be put on the mailing list just drop us a line with your details - thetable@penguincafe.com.

The concerts went well - and we're all tired, happy and recovering after what was an exhausting and very moving gig.

noreply@blogger.com (Arthur) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 13:20:00 +0000

Thank you all who came and made it so good. We got great reviews (5 stars in the Guardian) and the team behind it are all extremely happy with how it went... someone from the venue was saying it was 'the best gig (they)'d ever been to'...

We have no plans for further concerts in that incarnation so we're really pleased that the last gigs of the PCO were so magical.

Tickets nearly sold out for December Concerts

noreply@blogger.com (Arthur) — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 10:59:00 +0000

Tickets are very nearly sold out for the up-coming concerts in December at the Union Chapel, London.

The Penguins have been working very hard and its starting to sound great. The music being out in the air again is a great feeling for everyone involved.

Penguin Café Orchestra Celebrate 10th Anniversary with 3 concerts

noreply@blogger.com (Arthur) — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 09:33:00 +0000

Upcoming PCO Concert
Penguin Café Orchestra

Celebrate 10th Anniversary with 3 concerts
11th, 12th and 13th December 2007
Union Chapel, Islington, London
Doors 7pm, concert 8pm
Tickets £20 unreserved + booking fee
Booking info: 08700 600100 / ticketweb.co.uk &
0870 264 3333 / seetickets.com

On December 11th and 12th musicians of the fabled and fabulous Penguin Café Orchestra will re-convene to play two concerts at the Union Chapel in Islington, North London.

The shows are timed to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the death of the PCO’s founder, sole composer and spiritual proprietor, Simon Jeffes, who died of a brain tumour in December 1997.

The Penguins started out as an imaginary ‘concept’ ensemble following a dream Jeffes had during a severe bout of food poisoning in 1972. In its earliest incarnation the PCO existed only as a recording project. Over the next 25 years this gradually fleshed out into a unique, 10 person hybrid of pop, avant garde and chamber music which fetched up performing all over the world.

By the end the PCO’s tunes had mysteriously infiltrated most areas of the culture, as they continue to do, encompassing Brian Eno’s Obscure Records label, the Royal Ballet’s “Still Life At The Penguin Café”, a long list of film soundtracks and an even longer list of TV adverts. One has recently popped up as the theme to Radio 4’s brainiac knowledge contest, Round Britain Quiz.

The 2007 version of the orchestra will largely comprise the musicians who played in the final line up of the 1990’s. These include founder members Helen Liebmann (cello) Neil Rennie (ukelele) and Geoffrey Richardson (viola/clarinet). They will be joined by Peter McGowan (violin) Steve Fletcher (piano) Barbara Bolte (oboe) Annie Whitehead (trombone) and Jennifer Maidman (bass/percussion). Brief guest appearances are expected from the PCO’s original producer, Steve Nye, and Simon Jeffes’ son, Arthur Jeffes. The set they plan to perform will be closely modelled on the music contained on the double live CD from 1994, Concert Program.

The decision to regroup without their leader and prime mover was not an easy one for the orchestra to make. It was only after a small private reunion last year at trombonist Annie Whitehead’s birthday party that the idea of more public performances felt feasible. Cellist Helen Liebmann, who was Jeffes’ partner at the time of his death, insists that these London shows are all that the PCO will be undertaking for the foreseeable future: “This anniversary seems like a really good moment for us to get together to re-find and celebrate Simon's music"

Tuesday 11th Wednesday 12th & Thursday 13th December 2007
Union Chapel, Islington, London
Doors 7pm, concert 8pm
Tickets £20 unreserved + booking fee
Booking info: 08700 600100 / ticketweb.co.uk & 0870 264 3333 / seetickets.com

Third night announced for December concerts at the Union Chapel - www.seetickets.com and www.ticketweb.co.uk

noreply@blogger.com (Arthur) — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 16:40:00 +0000

A third night has been announced for the concerts at the Union Chapel on December 11th, 12th, and now 13th. www.seetickets.com and www.ticketweb.co.uk

Upcoming PCO Concert

noreply@blogger.com (Arthur) — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 14:34:00 +0000

Penguin Café Orchestra

Celebrate 10th Anniversary with 2 concerts
11th & 12th December 2007
Union Chapel, Islington, London
Doors 7pm, concert 8pm
Tickets £20 unreserved + booking fee
Booking info: 08700 600100 / ticketweb.co.uk &
0870 264 3333 / seetickets.com

On December 11th and 12th musicians of the fabled and fabulous Penguin Café Orchestra will re-convene to play two concerts at the Union Chapel in Islington, North London.

The shows are timed to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the death of the PCO’s founder, sole composer and spiritual proprietor, Simon Jeffes, who died of a brain tumour in December 1997.

The Penguins started out as an imaginary ‘concept’ ensemble following a dream Jeffes had during a severe bout of food poisoning in 1972. In its earliest incarnation the PCO existed only as a recording project. Over the next 25 years this gradually fleshed out into a unique, 10 person hybrid of pop, avant garde and chamber music which fetched up performing all over the world.

By the end the PCO’s tunes had mysteriously infiltrated most areas of the culture, as they continue to do, encompassing Brian Eno’s Obscure Records label, the Royal Ballet’s “Still Life At The Penguin Café”, a long list of film soundtracks and an even longer list of TV adverts. One has recently popped up as the theme to Radio 4’s brainiac knowledge contest, Round Britain Quiz.

The 2007 version of the orchestra will largely comprise the musicians who played in the final line up of the 1990’s. These include founder members Helen Liebmann (cello) Neil Rennie (ukelele) and Geoffrey Richardson (viola/clarinet). They will be joined by Peter McGowan (violin) Steve Fletcher (piano) Barbara Bolte (oboe) Annie Whitehead (trombone) and Jennifer Maidman (bass/percussion). Brief guest appearances are expected from the PCO’s original producer, Steve Nye, and Simon Jeffes’ son, Arthur Jeffes. The set they plan to perform will be closely modelled on the music contained on the double live CD from 1994, Concert Program.

The decision to regroup without their leader and prime mover was not an easy one for the orchestra to make. It was only after a small private reunion last year at trombonist Annie Whitehead’s birthday party that the idea of more public performances felt feasible. Cellist Helen Liebmann, who was Jeffes’ partner at the time of his death, insists that these London shows are all that the PCO will be undertaking for the foreseeable future: “This anniversary seems like a really good moment for us to get together to re-find and celebrate Simon's music"

Tuesday 11th & Wednesday 12th December 2007
Union Chapel, Islington, London
Doors 7pm, concert 8pm
Tickets £20 unreserved + booking fee
Booking info: 08700 600100 / ticketweb.co.uk & 0870 264 3333 / seetickets.com