WOW Festival: Mirth Control With Sandi Toksvig – HER

By Sarah Leeves


For the fourth-year running, Southbank Centre’s WOW – ladies around the globe Festival has actually produced a programme of remarkable occasions and visitors; Malala Yousafzai, Ronnie Spector and Vivienne Westwood to mention but a few fantastic females. Just like every WOW event, Sandi Toksvig presents a night remembering the achievements of females this season was no exception;

Mirth Regulation

was extraordinary, melodious, beneficial and discover precisely why.

To coincide utilizing the centenary of the Basic World War, the evening celebrated ladies regarding the period. As Sandi mentioned, the tv series was actually « slightly silly but stuffed packed with details you didn’t understand you didn’t know » and now we were treated to a variety of music shows, stories of heroism and some very special friends.

The Royal Festival Hall is an acoustic delight plus the all-female drumming ensemblem


She Boom,


established the evening with an amazing show of powerful percussion. With genuine enthusiasm and beat, the females loaded both hallway and audience with infectious, foot-tapping beats. With an uplifted crowd, in arrived Sandi to rapturous applause.

Now, any fan of Sandi can ascertain of the woman wit and remarkable knowledge of background. Not merely one so that anybody down, she managed united states to a retelling from the very first globe War as it might have happened in a bar fight, in which Germany and Italy happened to be necking pints, Britain supping a sherry and Japan silently playing snooker during the back area.

Perhaps the the majority of serious of songs followers may have been stumped of the composers we had been handled to. The works of both Lilian Elkington and Dorothy Howell happened to be masterfully executed from the all-female onstage band, performed from the exceptionally skilled Jessica Cottis and a little-known woman called Sue Perkins (apparently she’s got one thing to perform with meal?). To know the music played by this type of an experienced ensemble ended up being spectacular and humbling, but to consider that both composers were almost forgotten about from the songs globe seemed violent.

Sharon D Clarke introduced a soulful mix to the show, crooning the songs of Adelaide Hall. Given she forgot the words towards the very first and had to resume (by using an audience user’s spectacles), but this merely put into the comedic, laid-back environment of the night. As though Clarke’s vocals was not enough, she was accompanied by members of Southbank’s Voice Lab and Hackney Community Choir; talented, passionate and video game for a laugh.

Comedian Jeremy Hardy gave food for idea with a fascinating perspective on sex and it’s really social buildings, celebrity Sheila Hancock recited The Sisters Buried at Lemnos (written by the late, fantastic poet Vera Brittain) and stage-phenomenon Hannah Waddingham exercised her musical power, all beneath the alert attention of Sandi, wearing a rather « fetching but itchy » RAF consistent. Special thanks a lot needs to be given to Jude Kelly; creative Director of Southbank center, without whom the function wouldn’t normally being possible.

The complete evening was actually inspiring and interesting, a real match towards achievements of females across the world. Lest we forget the fallen ladies, the ones who toil constantly which will make ends satisfy, the females exactly who mend to make carry out therefore the women which only want to have a great time. We all have been females of the world; we all have been great, we must be counted and we are typical achieved within our own unique methods.


Sarah likes mentoring trampolining and ingesting well-made mojitos… certainly not collectively. She writes articles for DIVA, reviews on her local paper and postcards for friends. Find the girl on Twitter:


@sleevsie22