Please note: publicity material appeared last year which gave the false impression that Lyn Paul would be appearing in concert with the New Seekers. Lyn Paul does not have any involvement with the current line-up of the New Seekers and will not be appearing at any of the group's shows. Please read Lyn's message to her fans.
Lyn Paul
at Le Cabaret,
Friday,
8th May 2009.
Lyn Paul
and Ed Stewart.
Lyn Paul
and Gill Henry.
Live Shows
Lyn Paul and the
Sound of the New Seekers
Great news from Spain! Lyn has put together a new show in which she recreates the sound of the New Seekers. Lyn has teamed up with Ian and Gill Henry of Double Impact fame, backed by Steve Heald (drums), Nick Hollings (keyboards), Shuggy McDevitt (guitar) and Rowdy Willemson (bass).It's not an attempt to "recreate the New Seekers," more a case, as Lyn says, of "paying tribute to a band that I was lucky enough to have success with."
The first airing of this show was on the Costa Blanca at Le Cabaret, Lirios Centre, Cumbre del Sol on 8th and 9th May. Ian Henry replaced Nick Hollings on keyboards.
With tours of Holland, Germany, Japan and Australia in the pipeline plus local appearances on the Costa Blanca (including the Moraira Music Festival on 14th June), Lyn is hoping to introduce the New Seekers songs to a new generation.
22nd February 2009
Updated: 10th May 2009
Fab First Night at Le Cabaret
Happy band! Lyn Paul and the Sound of the New Seekers
pictured with Ed Stewart
after the first show at Le Cabaret,
Friday, 8th May 2009.
There were some late changes to the line-up of Lyn's band and some first night nerves - but what a show!
First up was a favourite from the New Seekers' shows of the '70s, Friends Medley, combining the song Friends with the Beatles' With A Little Help From My Friends. Then came the New Seekers' Eurovision hit Beg, Steal Or Borrow. Originally a duet between Lyn Paul and Peter Doyle, the song was given a new twist when Lyn came down from the stage and sang the lines directly to members of the audience. Lucky the man who got the line: "I look at you and I see what I've been looking for"! Returning to the stage, Lyn welcomed everyone and thanked people for coming to the show. Special mention went to DJ Ed Stewart, who was amongst the first night audience.
Another New Seekers' medley came next, the haunting Georgy Girl / Ticket To Ride. Evident here was the hard work that Lyn and the band had put into perfecting their harmonies - a real reminder of how good the New Seekers had been in their hey day and a treat for one member of the audience at least, who had not been a fan of the group and hadn't realised they were that good. This was followed by I Get A Little Sentimental Over You, the New Seekers' last-ever Top 5 hit and a song which showcased Lyn as lead singer.
Lyn then introduced Send In The Clowns. As she said herself, "a song that has nothing to do with the New Seekers", but a personal favourite of hers and a highlight of the show. This one really did showcase Lyn as lead singer.
Next up was Lyn's favourite New Seekers' single, Circles, the original version of which featured Eve Graham and Peter Doyle on lead vocals. It was interesting to hear Lyn's interpretation of the song, the words acquiring added poignancy with the passage of time and perfect for a night of nostalgia:
It seems like I've been here before,
I can't remember when,
But I've got this funny feeling
That I'll be back once again...
The song was performed with a swaying, almost hypnotic, rhythm that transported the audience back to a more innocent age. If there's a song Lyn should record her own version of, this is the one.
Lyn then took time out from singing to talk to the audience, introducing the "handsome young man at the back", her son Ryan. After regaling everyone with an amusing story about the day Ryan was born - it involves a mad dash to a hospital, a burglary and a New Seekers' CD (you'll have to go to the show to hear it) - Lyn sang I Will Survive. This was a more sophisticated take on the song than Gloria Gaynor's disco version, and one that reminded you why Lyn was so successful on the West End stage.
Gill Henry then had her moment in the limelight, singing a fantastic version of Hallelujah. As Lyn said: "She can hit notes only dogs can hear!" Move over Sandra Burke!
After this it was back to the New Seekers with Never Ending Song Of Love and a great guitar solo from Shuggy McDevitt. The man sure can play! By this point the show was really motoring along and Lyn kept her foot on the pedal with a rousing Rod Stewart medley, Sailing / You're In My Heart.
Slowing things down Lyn then performed a song from her album Late Night - the Roy Orbison classic Crying. This one was a show-stopper - not an easy song to sing, but one that showed off Lyn's vocal range and her ability to pack a punch emotionally.
It was back to the hits of the New Seekers for the closing numbers: You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me and I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing. At this point Lyn introduced the individual members of the band, who had so successfully been the sound of the New Seekers: Ian, Shuggy, Tommy and Steve. The band then let rip on Pinball Wizard / See Me, Feel Me with Lyn unleashing the "rock chick" within. The audience was on its feet cheering and the show was over - almost. Lyn and the band then gave us a great encore - You'll Never Walk Alone, which Lyn dedicated to her husband Alan. Everyone was singing along, arms aloft, and at the end, Lyn was presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
"On a night like this the audience are the best critics as they all rose at the end to give the show a standing ovation. Lyn was the star, her performance outstanding – a great voice and wonderful smile as she interacted with the audience and they loved her." (Eric Taylor, Round Town News, 13th May 2009)
27th May 2009
Updated: 6th June 2009
More dates at Le Cabaret
The first night was a full house, with extra tables and chairs added to try to satisfy the demand for tickets. As a result Lyn Paul and the Sound of the New Seekers were invited back to Le Cabaret for two extra dates on 4th and 8th July.
Le Cabaret
Lirios Shopping Centre, 10-13 A
Cumbre del Sol Residential Development.
03726 Benitachell, Alicante.
Bookings: 686 933 195
On Tuesday, 23rd June Lyn and the band also appeared at a charity evening in aid of EPDA, (European Parkinsons Disease Association) at Salon Canor in Teulada.
28th May 2009
Updated: 18th July 2009
Here We Go Again
If you have visited the I Like Music website, please note that the pictured line-up of the New Seekers (featuring Lyn Paul, Eve Graham, Peter Doyle and Marty Kristian) is not the group currently touring the UK.
Lyn Paul is back in Blood Brothers. Having joined the 2009 touring production for two weeks in August, Lyn was persuaded by producer Bill Kenwright to come back for the rest of the UK tour. Now she's signed on for another six months!
Assembly Hall, Tunbridge Wells
23rd - 27th February 2010
Tel: 01892 530 613
Festival Theatre, Malvern
1st - 13th March 2010
Tel: 01684 892 277
Alhambra Theatre, Bradford
15th - 20th March 2010
Tel: 01274 432 000
Richmond Theatre, Richmond upon Thames, London
Tel: 22nd - 27th March 2010
Tel: 0844 871 7627
Theatre Royal, Nottingham
29th March - 10th April 2010
Tel: 0115 989 5555
Empire Theatre, Liverpool
12th - 24th April 2010
Tel: 0844 499 6677
Bristol Hippodrome
26th April - 8th May 2010
Tel: 0844 847 2325
Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton
10th - 22nd May 2010
Tel: 01902 42 92 12
Cliff's Pavilion, Southend
31st May - 5th June 2010
Tel: 01702 351 135
Buxton Opera House
7th - 19th June 2010
Tel: 0845 127 2190
New Theatre, Cardiff
21st June - 3rd July 1010
Tel: 029 2087 8889
Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham
5th - 17th July 2010
Tel: 01242 572 573
White Rock Theatre, Hastings
19th - 24th July 2010
Tel: 01424 462 288
18th December 2009
Tell Me It's Not True
In 2008 Lyn Paul gave her last-ever performance as Mrs. Johnstone in the West End production of Willy Russell's hit musical Blood Brothers. This August fans got another 'last chance' to see Lyn in the show when producer Bill Kenwright asked her to return to the touring production for two weeks.
Lyn appeared at the Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth (Tuesday, 18th - Saturday, 22nd August 2009) and at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley (Monday, 24th - Saturday, 29th August 2009) while auditions were held to find a new Mrs. Johnstone.
As Lyn recently said: "I don't believe in going back. The only time I 'go back' is to Blood Brothers because Bill has been such a big influence in my life and has been very good to me, I will always return for him."
The cast of the touring production includes.Sean Jones (Mickey), Simon Willmont (Eddie), Anna Sambrooks (Linda) and Paula Tappenden (Mrs. Lyons), all of whom have appeared in Blood Brothers with Lyn before. Watching the show at Lyn's last matinee in Bromley was a former Mrs.Johnstone and friend of Lyn's - Rose Marie.
Lyn Paul pictured with Paula Tappenden (Mrs. Lyons)
backstage at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley,
29th August 2009.
Lyn Paul pictured with Rose Marie
backstage at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley,
Lyn Paul first played the part of Mrs. Johnstone in 1997, making regular appearances in the West End production for the next 11 years, with occasional appearances in touring productions.
In 2007, having landed the role of Vi Moore in Footloose The Musical, it looked as though Lyn's Blood Brothers days might be over. However, at the end of the year Bill Kenwright asked her to return once again - this time at the Empire Theatre, Liverpool, to celebrate the city's year as European Capital Of Culture.
After four weeks in Liverpool Lyn returned to the West End production of Blood Brothers for the last time, completing her run on 27th September 2008.
In December 2008 Lyn was voted the 'Undisputed Mrs. J. of all time' by fans of the show at the Blood Brothers Online website.
Finally! The answer to the question most often asked at this website: where can I get Lyn Paul's single Sail The Summer Winds on CD? The song is included on a newly-released CD soundtrack of the film The Dove. The CD is available from Harkit Records (£12.99), HMV (£9.99) and Play.com (£11.99).
4th February 2009
Lyn Paul Late Night
Late Night
Lyn Paul's latest album is out now! Lyn, who last released an album in 1975, returned to the recording studios in 2005 with Rod Edwards, the musical director from Blood Brothers.
On 13th July Universal released a CD which, for the first time ever, brought together the New Seekers' hits for Polydor (featuring Lyn Paul and Peter Doyle) with their three more minor hits for CBS (featuring Eve Graham and Danny Finn). Backed by a TV ad campaign, the CD entered the Official UK Albums Chart at number 17, achieving first week sales of 9,287.
The CD also includes five tracks by the group that currently calls itself the New Seekers. The inevitable comparisons you make between then and now do not flatter the current line-up: inferior songs, inferior vocals, inferior all round. Piggy backing on the hits of the classic line-up, the group members are sure to make themselves some money out of this venture, but it's unlikely they'll convince the doubters that they really are the New Seekers or that they are as good as the New Seekersreally were.
There's nothing new for Lyn Paul fans here but fans of Marty Kristian will be pleased by the last track on the album, Just Another Lesson. It's a previously unreleased track from 1982, written by Marty and featuring him on lead vocal.
18th July 2009
Updated: 29th July 2009
New on YouTube
Lyn Paul on YouTube
There are some great new clips of Lyn Paul on YouTube. Click on the links below.
On 9th January 1971 the New Seekers appeared on US television as guests on The Andy Williams Show, "dueting" with Andy Williams on the Nillson song One before singing their latest single When There's No Love Left.
In 1973 the group sang two songs on the BBC show It's Lulu: You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me, which was about to take them to No. 1 in the UK singles chart, and We've Got To Do It Now.
Both clips are now available on YouTube Check them out via Lyn Paul website YouTube page.
Updated: 6th July 2009
TV and Radio
On 'The Hour'
On Monday, 28th September Lyn Paul was a guest on STV's afternoon show The Hour, hosted by Stephen Jardine and Aggie MacKenzie. Lyn talked about her appearances on Coronation Street as a child, about the her days with New Seekers and about life on tour with the Blood Brothers cast.
On Sunday, 3rd May Lyn Paul was interviewed by John Curtis on Bay Radio's Ready Steady Sunday. John covered Lyn's career from the Chrys-Do-Lyns to the present day.
During the interview Lyn talked about Peter Doyle and lamented his departure from the New Seekers: "He was asked to leave... One other person... wanted to leave, if he didn't. And poor old Pete drew the short straw... The thing is the group was never the same, was never the same, after that... That voice was the talent... Eve and I had a sound together which I think was pretty good but that sound that Pete had was special."
Lyn also revealed that she is back in touch with Eve Graham: "I'm hoping that I can coax Eve out... I was talking to a journalist... Peter Robertson, and he and I are on a mission to try and drag her back into it... Maybe an album together? It would be nice."
John also asked Lyn about a possible return to Blood Brothers? Lyn's answer: "He [Bill Kenwright] asked me to do it just recently but, of course, my life is over here now... I love doing musicals but I'd like to concentrate on doing something over here."
Ready Steady Sunday again
Lyn Paul joined John Curtis for another chat on Bay Radio on 7th June. If you missed it, here are some of the highlights.
John asked Lyn to comment on "a current bit of controversy - you and Eve vs.the current band called the New Seekers " Lyn said: "I wouldn't say 'versus'... It's not that it's us vs. them... For many, many years I had to go and have CDs taken off the shelf because... the New Seekers... were re-recording all our stuff but were actually putting it out with a picture of myself, Eve Graham and Peter Doyle on the front, which, basically, is misleading for the public... I managed to get, I think it was about six, taken off the market but, of course, it costs a fortune. That's really the problem that Eve and I have, and Peter would have if he were here, God love him. If you're gonna do it, do it - no problem with that - but do it as yourselves... If you want to re-record them put your own pictures on the front... That's what upsets Eve and I, that our names are still being associated with this line-up of the New Seekers and we're nothing to do with it."
Lyn continued: "It's tantamount to stealing your identity. Eve and I were beginning to feel like we weren't there. When you see them interviewed or you read anything about them, they talk as if they were actually at the inauguration of President Nixon, they actually sang in front of the Queen, they did the Royal Variety, they recorded all these songs. It's as if we didn't exist. It's a strange thing. It's a very funny feeling."
Talking about her days with the classic line-up of the New Seekers, Lyn described how the process of recording and releasing records worked: "They said: 'You're doing this' and that was it! ... Dave Mackay, who was our record producer, he would just say: 'Right, there's this number, that number, that number. Here's your tapes.' We'd take a tape away with our own harmony on it, go away and learn it, come back and then we'd record it... You go in and record half a dozen songs. They are then sent to the record company. The record company decides which one is going to go out as a release... We had absolutely nothing to do with it other than going into the studio and recording. That was it! But they served us well."
Lyn again talked about the group after Peter Doyle had left: "We had Peter Oliver come in and he was terrific. He had a great voice but it wasn't Peter's voice. The sound then changed because we didn't have Peter Doyle's voice there and also the dynamics in the group changed. It just wasn't the same... If you bring somebody else into a format that's already established, there's going to be, not a problem, but there's going to be such a huge change that it either moves on to a different sphere or it has to finish." Had the classic line-up with Peter Doyle stayed together, Lyn's hunch is that "it would have lasted an awful lot longer... we could have carried on for another four or five years. Maybe even longer, who knows?"
Back in Britain, Lyn has been featured in two articles in the Daily Mail, along with online articles on the Daily Telegraph and News of the World websites:
Speaking about these articles on Bay Radio, Lyn said: "A lot that was said wasn't actually printed correctly, which is par for the course when you talk to the press... They only wanted to drag up dirt from 30 years ago, rather than tell what was going on." (Ready Steady Sunday, Bay Radio, 7th June 2009). When John Curtis, who was interviewing Lyn, urged his listeners to read the article of16th May online, Lyn replied: "No, please don't!"
Astounding!
Lyn Paul's two-week return to Blood Brothers in August brought more great reviews:
"Other highlights of the superb cast include... Lyn Paul as Mrs. Johnstone, who captured the raw emotion in the last show-stopping song that could move a heart of stone." Nicky Findley, Daily Echo
"Lyn Paul is astounding as downtrodden single mum Mrs Johnstone, reprising the role she played in the West End more than a decade ago.
It’s a role she obviously knows inside-out and is utterly believable, even if the plot is not at times.
Lyn steals the show whenever on stage and her vocals are as powerful and stirring as her acting." Matthew Jenkin, News Shopper
"Mrs Johnstone (Lyn Paul) plays the part of the doting but struggling mother very well, who carries the guilt of giving up her baby around with her... A magnificent play, with a magnificent cast. A must see for all." Natalie Jones, Denbighshire Free Press, 9th September 2009
Updated: 27th September 2009
Who said that?
Today
Yesterday is a cancelled cheque; tomorrow is a promissory note; today is the only cash you have - so spend it wisely. Kay Lyons
O, that a man might know
The end of this day's business ere it come! William Shakespeare, 'Julius Caesar' (Act V, Scene I)
What next?
Prediction is very difficult, expecially about the future. Niels Bohr
I have learned to live each day as it comes and not to borrow trouble by dreading tomorrow. It is the dark menace of the future that makes cowards of us. Dorothy Dix, 'Her Book'
I never think of the future. It comes soon enough. Albert Einstein
The future is hidden even from the men who made it. Anatole France
There are two options: adapt or die. Andrew S. Grove
My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there. Charles Franklin Kettering
It is not wise to look too far ahead; our powers of prediction are slight, our command over results infinitesimal. John Maynard Keynes
What we call our future is the shadow which our past throws in front of us. Marcel Proust
If to do were as easy as to know what were good to do, chapels had been churches, and poor men's cottages princes' palaces. William Shakespeare, 'The Merchant Of Venice' (Act I, Scene II)
Where next?
The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive. The great opportunity is where you are. John Burroughs
It isn't where you came from; it's where you're going that counts. Ella Fitzgerald
