Tag Archives: Trust

Alfie Boe – The Fans Interview

The time was 11.30pm (approx), the place, the stage door of the Royal Albert Hall, the occasion… Alfie Boe answering fans questions!!!

Seriously, after a fabulously entertaining evening at SymFunny, a few hardy (or maybe plain daft???) fans waited in the what seemed perishing cold to see Alfie Boe.  Now, those fans who went to the Storyteller concert at the RAH in April 2013 may remember a similar wait in the definitely freezing cold – and he didn’t come out on that occasion!  This time, our patience was rewarded by Alfie posing for photos, signing programmes etc. and answering our questions.  Forgive me if I can’t remember everyone who asked a question but the interviewers include Carole, Sue, Gill, Karen, Lesley and Pauline as well as myself.

Alfie was his usual charming self and we were thrilled that he stopped for a few minutes as he was on his way back to the airport to fly back to Utah, via Germany and LA, if you were wondering!  That man’s air miles must take some beating! As one commenter recently said, “it’s like watching ping pong”.  Upon being asked when he would be back in the UK he said that he was spending as much time as possible with his family as the end of the year would be really busy – we know, Alfie!!  Alfie remained non committal about summer appearances apart from mention of a few corporate / private events, although it remains to be seen if they are in the UK or US.  There may be something in the offing in Edinburgh in July as Alfie has today been linked with a performance at the Edinburgh Castle festival on 19 July, although this has yet to be confirmed.

For fans who have booked for the tour in November / December, who for fans who haven’t yet decided, Alfie said that two or three tracks from Trust will be on the set list as well as songs from all the other albums.  Unfortunately, I was too star struck to ask if that meant just the Decca albums or everything – must try harder next time!!!  My personal guess would be that a fair amount of songs from Serenata will be there as the most recent album.

For those of you who were on the cruise, he thoroughly enjoyed himself…apart from being in his cabin all the time!  If there’s a next time, fans will have to entice him out and about!

Before all this though, Alfie performed four songs at the end of the concert, and the one I can’t get out of my head is Mambo Italiano (thanks to Linda W for sharing):

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Happy Easter Alfie Boe Fans

If you celebrate Easter as a religious festival or just enjoy eating chocolate eggs, this time of year is a Happy one.  Alfie is home in America at the moment, getting ready for the US release of Trust, although he has unfortunately hurt his back – get well soon Alfie!

As most fans will be aware, Alfie is from a strong Christian background and has often spoken of his faith and what it means to him.  He has also released a CD, Onward, which showcases Alfie singing hymns and spiritual songs.  Alfie sang one of these, Be Still My Soul, during the Songs of Praise Big Sing 2012:

Happy Easter!

Alfie Boe – Trust: Best Ever Album Due for US Release

Alfie Boe’s latest album, Trust, hit UK stores in November 2013 and quickly went gold. For US fans, their chance to own Trust comes towards the end of April when Capitol releases the album in America.
So, what do I think of the album? Having listened to Trust a lot since the release date, I can honestly say that I think this is Alfie’s best album to date. Long term fans will know that Alfie has been heading in this musical direction for a while now. The last three tracks of the previous album, Storyteller, are imbued with a blues, country and gospel sound that leads straight into Trust, particularly the glorious Glory, Glory Hallelujah and Rosie. My favourite songs are Keep Me In Your Heart and Glory Glory although there is a special place in my heart for Trust, the first song on any album to written especially for Alfie. Fans have long voiced the opinion that original material would be wonderful and it is definitely worth the wait.
There are a few songs on the album that are completely new to me but I love having my musical knowledge challenged and broadened by Alfie and have enjoying getting to know Forever Young and God Give Me Strength. Dimming of the Day is beautifully sung by Shawn Colvin, an artist I am enjoying getting to know but I have to confess a sneaking wish for the lovely tones of Emilia Mitiku, who sang with Alfie on his 2013 tour.
To give you a taste of the tracks, the video below was taken by Linda Wellington at the Huwawei Winter Concert at the Royal Festival Hall on 1 December 2013:

Since I first heard the first snippets from Alfie Boe’s latest album “Trust” two tracks stood out for me: Rosie and Glory, Glory. I defy anyone to sit still and not dance to Glory, Glory, in particular.  From talking to other fans, it was obvious that I was not alone in the opinion that those were the two tracks we wanted to hear live, above all others.  Well, it seems that good things happen to those who wait (in this case, we didn’t have to wait very long) as Alfie treated us to Rosie and Glory, Glory.  Playing the entire second act, Alfie and his extremely talented band (Murray Gould, Matt White, Richard Causon et al) burst into Rosie first off before moving easily into the album title song.  Rosie was everything we had hoped it would be, a fabulously foot tapping gospel infused number.  On this evidence, Rosie will remain a favourite for the live shows for some time.

US Alfie Boe Fans Look Forward to Trust Promotion

Sadly, due to a hurt back, Alfie has announced that all the scheduled promotion for Trust in the US has been postponed – get well soon Alfie!

Let’s hope Trust still has the same success in the US as it has here.

Until then, here’s Alfie singing “If You Go Away” at the Royal Festival Hall in December 2013 (thanks to Linda Wellington):

Trust Alfie Boe – Behind the scenes video shoot

What a lovely Friday gift from Alfie Boe – behind the scenes of the video shoot for “Trust” uploaded to youtube.

Although “Trust” has been available in the UK since November 2013, it is due for release in the US in April and can be pre-ordered from iTunes now!

Always nice to see Alfie xx

Trust can also be ordered via the link below:

 

Short but Sweet – Alfie’s flying UK visit

Out of the ashes of the fated US tour, Alfie Boe rises again – at least for a few days to promote Trust (best ever album!) and his forthcoming appearance in Mr Selfridge.  At this point in time, we all know that Alfie should be at the beginning of a sellout tour of the USA. Sadly, it was not to be and instead, the UK fans got to see him on the Alan Titchmarsh TV this week. Now, some US fans were a little put out about this but all is not lost as Alfie said he is flying back to America this weekend in order to promote the US release of Trust!

For those of you who don’t know the Alan Titchmarsh set up, it’s a daily, live TV show broadcast from the ITV studios in London.  I applied for tickets, not really expecting I would get them and lo and behold, I got two tickets! Unfortunately, I knew straight away I wouldn’t be able to go as it clashed with work so Linda Wellington (she of the wonderful photos and videos, aka one of The Two Linda’s) went with my mum, Iris. The day and journey didn’t start too well as there was a tube strike and as usual, rain and big gusts of wind. However, they met up as planned and had a fabulous time, ending up in the front row.  For those of you who know Linda, this is not unusual! Alfie was on the show the whole time which caused some hilarity involving beach balls and leaf blowers.  My mum was particularly pleased that she caught one of Alfie’s balls!

The show closed with Alfie singing “God Give Me Strength” which is, I think, one of his favourites from the album as he always picks this if asked to choose (frequent occurrence on radio).  Linda was thrilled to see guitarist Murray Gould  – when I watched the show later, I was almost as thrilled to see Murray as Alfie!

Alfie also mentioned he may do more Neapolitan songs on the “Trust” tour later this year, so in anticipation, here is Alfie singing Chitarra Romana at the Royal Albert Hall in April 2013:

As ever, thanks for reading – I’ve been writing for 6 months now and you beautiful people have visited over 3,000 times. Thank you so much xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

2013 – What a Fa-boe-lous year with Alfie Boe!

So, as the end of 2013 rolls around and before we look ahead to the  delights of 2014, this blog is all about the best bits of the year with Alfie Boe and his wonderful fans, some of which I’m proud to say have become my dearest friends over these past twelve months.
This time last year, I had yet to meet Sally, Janet, and Margie, to name but a few and now these wonderful women have become firm friends, along with The Two Linda’s and Cecelia.  Margie and The Two Linda’s have featured in their very own blog posts and Sally and Cecelia will be seen here very “soon”, to coin a word close to Alfie’s heart but not to ours!!! Pauline and Paul from Jersey also deserve a mention, not least for heroically putting up with my 7yo over dinner on two occasions.  Others, I am looking forward to meeting over the next twelve months.

Best moments with Alfie Boe in 2013…so many, not sure I can do them justice but I have managed to narrow them down to my top 3, so here goes (in no particular order – guess where I borrowed that phrase from x):
Hearing songs from Trust at Alfie’s concert at The Royal Festival Hall in December – did not expect to hear those fabulous songs sung live so soon after the album release. Highlights were Rosie and Glory Glory Hallelujah.
Seeing Alfie at the Classic Brits in October, having the opportunity to give him a birthday card and then seeing that same card tweeted by the man himself with a thank you to “all the beautiful arrows”.  I’m not sure I’ve fully recovered from the excitement yet!
Seeing Alfie perform at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the Storyteller tour and a very special duet on Bring Him Home with John Owen Jones.
All these events and many more were enjoyed with many lovely friends who have become a very special part of my life and given me the confidence to do so many new things, not least to start this blog. To all of you, thank you xx

To round off, I’ve included three photos that make me smile whenever I look at them – my three favourites of 2013. Two taken by Linda Wellington and one by Annie Lloyd on Linda’s camera (she is in the picture!)

alfie me HMV correct sielinda murray

Happy New Year – wishing you all a very happy, peaceful and prosperous 2014 xxx

 

Hallelujah – Alfie Boe and his band showcase “Trust”

Since I first heard the first snippets from Alfie Boe’s latest album Trust two tracks stood out for me: Rosie and Glory, Glory.  Upon hearing the full length versions for the first time when Trust was released in November, those two songs quickly became my favourites.  I defy anyone to sit still and not dance to Glory, Glory, in particular.  From talking to other fans, it was obvious that I was not alone in the opinion that those were the two tracks we wanted to hear live, above all others.  Well, it seems that good things happen to those who wait (in this case, we didn’t have to wait very long) as Alfie treated us to Rosie and Glory, Glory at the Huawei Winter Concert on 1 December.  Playing the entire second act, Alfie and his extremely talented band (Murray Gould, Matt White, Richard Causon et al) burst into Rosie first off before moving easily into the album title song.  Rosie was everything we had hoped it would be, a fabulously foot tapping gospel infused number.  On this evidence, Rosie will remain a favourite for the live shows for some time.  Once again, thank you to the lovely Linda Wellington for sharing the video

Glory, Glory rounded off the evening, before an encore of Forever Young, and in typical Alfie style, half the audience ended up dancing on the stage!  This really was glorious and we should all say Hallelujah for its inclusion on the album – absolutely loved it.  Another live show favourite for sure.

Other songs from the evening included Trust, Wayfaring Stranger, If You Go Away and Keep Me In Your Heart, all beautifully sung but the highlight for me (Rosie and Glory, Glory notwithstanding) was Dimming of the Day with Laura Wright.  Finishing off the first half in style, Alfie and Laura’s voices blended wonderfully to showcase this lovely song we first heard on the Storyteller tour earlier this year.  Laura performed throughout the first half with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Tiffin Boys Choir and was at times, breath taking.

 

Thank you for reading and Merry Christmas!