Reunited after seven years, consummate crowd pleasers, G4, know how to put on a show.
Having reformed in November 2014 for a ‘One Night Only’ show in London, G4 quickly realised that a public appetite for more G4 was definitely still there.
With the occasional prom feel and doo-wop backbone, their harmonious blends had the Norwich Cathedral spire in a spin and the roof bosses twitching, with the handsome wooden arches and stained glass acting as the perfect backdrop for this sell-out performance, the first of their Christmas By Candlelight tour.
G4 made good on their promise to fill the set full of G4 classics as well as tracks from the ‘Christmas By Candlelight’ album, offering up ‘Danny Boy’ and ‘You Raise Me Up’, backed up by accompanying guitarist and pianist, combining in acoustical heaven.
In their younger years, churches and choir singing played a huge role in group’s Christmas experiences.
With that in mind, G4 were inspired to run a singing competition called Christmas Star Search, designed to identify talented young singers under the age of 16. The winner (to open the tour in Norwich and close the tour in Brighton), was Toby Peters, who joined the group onstage to sing the first verse of ‘Once in Royal David’s City’.
The Cathedral fell silent, a pitch-perfect performance.
With their truly immersive and harmonious blends, they were joined by the Norwich Rock Choir for ‘Oh Come All Ye Faithful’ – a haunting performance, synonymous with the reputation of this exuberant collection of beautiful singers who went on to accompany with exceptional harmonies.
This was the 21st time the Rock Choir have performed with G4, celebrating their 10th anniversary this year with a fantastic collaboration with the reunited group.
Throughout the tour, a member of the audience is invited on stage to be serenaded by the group, a genuine touching indication of the passion G4 feel towards their loyal audience.
This was the 21st time the Rock Choir have performed with G4, celebrating their 10th anniversary this year with a fantastic collaboration with the reunited group.
Opening the second half with ‘Silent Night’ from the back of the Cathedral, the quartet respectfully stepped down the main aisle to the haunting pipes of Norwich Cathedral organ.
Since reuniting, G4 have played to over 15,000 this year alone and dedicated their last song, ‘Bring Him Home’ (Les Misérables), to all people with missing friends and family.
Ending the show with a medley of Christmas favourites, the sing-along audience were left in no doubt that Christmas was just around the corner and G4 were back for good… which suggests that niceness really does go a long way.
With a series of eight shows in beautiful churches and cathedrals nationwide, these intimate shows see Jonathan, Ben, Mike and Nick share the songs from their eagerly-awaited new album, “G4 Christmas” including Christmas classics and carols, all delivered up-close and personal in some of the UK’s most iconic historic venues. “G4 Christmas”, G4’s fourth album, created with Pledge Music, released on 16th November.
Purchase your copy here: http://goo.gl/5KzKFU
Remaining tour dates:
25th November 2015, 7.30pm LINCOLN Cathedral
27th November 2015, 7.30pm BIRMINGHAM St Paul’s Church
7th December 2015, 7.30pm LONDON St James’s Church Piccadilly
14th December 2015, 7.30pm EDINBURGH Greyfriars Kirk
18th December 2015, 7.30pm BRIGHTON St George’s Church
This is G4’s fourth album, recorded in one of London’s historic churches where the natural acoustic enables the human voice to truly shine.
#HomeForChristmas #G4ChristmasStarSearch #G4Christmas
Due to the overwhelming demand for G4, they are delighted to return to the stage in 2016 with their new and exciting ‘Back For Good’ tour, which is set to further showcase their flawless vocals in even more towns and cities nationwide.
Join G4 in what promises to be yet another spellbinding performance. Tickets now on sale! Available direct from the venues below: 3rd April 2016, 7.30pm POOLE The Lighthouse 0844 406 8666 Buy Tickets 4th April 2016, 7.30pm IPSWICH Regent Theatre 01473 433100 Buy Tickets 5th April 2016, 7.30pm – CROYDON Fairfield Halls 020 8688 9291 Buy Tickets 6th April 2016, 7.30pm SKEGNESS Embassy Theatre 01507 613100 Buy Tickets 7th April 2016, 7.30pm DORKING Halls 01306 881717 Buy Tickets 8th April 2016, 7.30pm LONDON Cadogan Hall 020 7730 4500 Buy Tickets 10th April 2016, 7.30pm AYLESBURY The Waterside 0844 871 7607 Buy Tickets 11th April 2016, 7.30pm BIRMINGHAM Town Hall 0121 345 0600 Buy Tickets 12th April 2016, 7.30pm LEEDS City Varieties 0113 243 0808 Buy Tickets 13th April 2016, 7.30pm PORTSMOUTH Guildhall 0844 847 2362 Buy Tickets 17th April 2016, 9.00pm EASTLEIGH Concorde Club 023 8065 1478 Buy Tickets 18th April 2016, 7.30pm TORQUAY Princess Theatre 0844 871 3023 Buy Tickets 19th April 2016, 7.30pm STOKE Victoria Hall 0844 871 7649 Buy Tickets 20th April 2016, 7.30pm GRIMSBY Auditorium 0300 300 0035 Buy Tickets 21st April 2016, 7.30pm – FOLKESTONE Leas Cliff Hall – 0844 871 3015 Buy Tickets
About G4…
G4 are a four-piece British vocal troupe who first came to prominence when they finished second in Series 1 of The X Factor in 2004, and are known for their operatic delivery of modern pop songs. Originally a barbershop quartet,[1] the members met at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, from which the name G4, standing for “Guildhall 4”, derives.
Jonathan Ansell will be appearing in http://www.chesterfieldtheatres.co.uk/shows/snow-white-the-seven-dwarfs-pantomime-(schools).aspx#.VlYV6eFOdaQ from Tuesday 8th December to Thursday 17th December 2015.
About Rock Choir…
Rock Choir is the UK’s largest and most popular contemporary choir, with nearly 20,000 members in over 320 local communities nationwide. It offers adults and teenagers the chance to sing and perform popular contemporary songs, with no auditions and no requirements to read music or have any previous singing experience. Rock Choir is for anyone who just loves to sing! The choir’s popularity is phenomenal and its achievements are extraordinary. It has released two top twenty albums and performed en-masse at the 02 Arena (London), the Liverpool Echo Arena, Wembley Arena, Hammersmith Apollo, NEC and the Royal Albert Hall. In 2011, Rock Choir was the subject of a popular 3-part ITV1 documentary ‘The Choir That Rocks’ and has made numerous other TV appearances, including BBC Breakfast, The One Show, Good Morning Britain, The Paul O’Grady Show and The Alan Titchmarsh Show. Rock Choir’s uplifting ethos of fun, friendship and community spirit is a huge part of its attraction. At an individual level, it helps improve people’s self-confidence, enables them to develop new singing skills and enjoy a dynamic new social life. Singing together and achieving such a great sound gives members a huge sense of fulfilment. Added to this is the glamour and excitement of performing in public, which, for many, is a truly liberating experience!
About Missing People Home for Christmas Appeal…
Jo Youle, Chief Executive of the charity Missing People says “We’re thrilled to have been chosen by the wonderful G4 boys as their charity partner for the Christmas album and tour. Not only will their powerful and inspirational voices uplift and inspire us, they are also supporting our Home for Christmas Appeal which will help us to offer a lifeline to missing people and their families at what can be an incredibly lonely and heartbreaking time of year.” Every two minutes, someone goes missing in the UK. For their families the thought of Christmas without them is heartbreaking. The charity Missing People offers a lifeline when someone disappears, bringing missing adults and children home to their loved ones and supporting the families left behind. Missing People’s Home for Christmas Appeal is aiming to raise £20,000 to help the charity provide their vital helpline at the most difficult time of the year. G4 will be supporting the Home for Christmas Appeal by holding a series of collections at their Christmas By Candlelight tour.
For more information about the appeal, visit: www.missingpeopleorg.uk/homeforchristmas
Facebook: missingpeople.uk
Twitter: @missingpeople #homeforchristmas
About Norwich Cathedral…
Norwich Cathedral is an English cathedral located in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. It is the cathedral church for the Church of England Diocese of Norwich and is one of the Norwich 12 heritage sites.
The cathedral was begun in 1096 and constructed out of flint and mortar and faced with a cream-coloured Caen limestone. A Saxon settlement and two churches were demolished to make room for the buildings. The cathedral was completed in 1145 with the Norman tower still seen today topped with a wooden spire covered with lead. Several episodes of damage necessitated rebuilding of the east end and spire but since the final erection of the stone spire in 1480 there have been few fundamental alterations to the fabric.
The large cloister has over 1,000 bosses including several hundred carved and ornately painted ones.
Norwich Cathedral has the second largest cloisters, only outsized by Salisbury Cathedral. The cathedral close is one of the largest in England and one of the largest in Europe and has more people living within it than any other close. The cathedral spire, measuring at 315 ft or 96 m, is the second tallest in England despite being partly rebuilt after being struck by lightning in 1169, just 23 months after its completion, which led to the building being set on fire. Measuring 461 ft or 140.5 m long and, with the transepts, 177 ft or 54 m wide at completion, Norwich Cathedral was the largest building in East Anglia.
Tour images courtesy of Shane Finn at www.visual-devotion.co.uk