VOXX – The West End Tenors on their German concert tour
VOXX have been performing internationally for many years now. Made up of 4 of the finest young male voices in Europe – Adam Bayou, Michael Storrs, Leo Roberts and Oliver Metcalfe – they bring their unique brand of personality, friendship and incredible talent to audiences across the world.
Individually they have worked on world famous shows such as Les Miserables on the West End as well as International Concert and Theatre Tours and numerous television shows including the BBC Proms and Eurovision. The group also performed on the BBC prime time TV Show Pitch Battle.
Together they perform a wide range of songs from many different genres – everything from Classical and Musical Theatre right through to Rock and Pop. With world-class vocal arrangements and orchestrations to match their voices their shows keep audiences on the edge of their seats from the first note to the last.
Now they are finally coming to Germany. Their brand new album “Rise” was released just in time for the start of the 2019/20 season.
We had the opportunity to interview Voxx founding member Adam Bayou about the group’s history and the upcoming German tour:
VOXX – The West End Tenors
(c) https://baystoentertainment.com
When was VOXX founded and why?
VOXX – The West End Tenors was formed in 2015 between myself and Michael Storrs initially as duo. We had worked together on a contract in the West End became great friends and decided that our voices worked well together. In our experience of other groups, we thought we had something special to work on. We created a big sound together, but decided the following year to increase the size of the group to 4 as there was more of a market for 4 male vocalists and it looks more powerful onstage.
Between us, we had mutual friends who we decided would enhance the group, so decided to ask them to join us. There are lots of male groups in the industry, but we believe with the combination of 4 vocalists and with our special West End connection of crossover between musical theatre, opera, rock, pop and classical music, we have a group that is entertaining, exciting, classy and high quality.
What can you tell us about the name of the group – VOXX?
The name VOXX comes from the latin word ‘Vox’ meaning ‘Voice’. To differentiate ourselves in the industry, we decided to put an extra X on the end.
Do you have any rituals before going on stage? Superstitions? Stage-fright perhaps?
There are no specific rituals, but we always come together in a tight huddle before entering the stage and press our knuckles against each other.
Are there differences whether you are on stage in a concert or in a musical?
Yes, absolutely! When we are in a musical, we are always portraying someone else, but in a concert like this, we are allowed to be and express as ourselves, which is a huge difference. Sometimes it can be easier to portray a character, but the advantage we have is that we have worked together for so long now, we are comfortable performing as ourselves.
Have you been in Germany before?
I have been very lucky to tour around Germany several times over the last 8 years. Every time has been magical and as special as the last.
Why a tour in Germany?
We have a great working relationship with the already established production company 3for1 Trinity Concerts. They are extremely passionate about producing quality shows for European audiences and we are delighted that they have decided to produce, along with our experience of performing in Germany before, our very first tour around the country.
And why did you choose small towns and venues for the tour?
I think it’s very important to have big ambitions, but not to ask for too much too soon. VOXX – The West End Tenors is a new name in Germany and Europe, therefore we would rather start a very small tour this year and be successful with audiences, rather than book big venues where we could possibly not get any audiences at all, based on being new. The heart of any country is in all of it’s towns, so it’s important to make sure that the smaller towns and venues are able to see our show, not just the major cities. Every year, we try and grow a little bit bigger.
How many shows are you going to do in Germany?
We are currently booked for 21 shows beginning on December 29th 2019 running until January 21st 2020.
What songs will you perform? Musical only, pop songs or a mix? How was the programme created?
So, myself and Michael initially sit down and make a list of songs that we love and like to perform ourselves. The list is then cut down to songs that would work lyrically and meaning wise with 4 singers. In music, there is no point in singing something if it means nothing to the performer and the audience.
What things are you are looking forward to at most during the tour?
One of the things that immediately springs to mind is how lovely German audiences can be in reaction to good music that they like and love. We can’t wait to see an audience reaction, but also we are looking forward to embracing German culture again and visiting some fabulous cities and towns.
We are not going to give too much away, but we will have a mixture of classics from the worlds of pop, rock, classical music, music theatre and opera. This includes songs from stage and screen, classics from Nessun Dorma to Livin’ On A Prayer and musical theatre standards from Les Miserables and Phantom of The Opera.
Could you imagine playing in a Musical in Germany?
There have been many great productions in Germany over the years, ‘Love Never Dies’, ‘Tarzan’ to name a few, that have graced the stages in Germany. Our backgrounds determine that we would play musicals in any country if the opportunity was there, so to perform a musical in Germany would be fantastic. We have many friends who have performed in great productions in Hamburg and/or English Theatre Frankfurt.
Thanks to Adam Bayou for the interview.
On the following dates VOXX – The West End Tenors will be on tour in Germany:
| 29.12.19 | 18:00 | Meiningen | Volkshaus |
| 30.12.19 | 20:00 | Schwerin | Capitol Kino |
| 31.12.19 | 18:00 | Rostock | Stadthalle |
| 02.01.20 | 20:00 | Neubrandenburg | Konzertkirche |
| 03.01.20 | 20:00 | Niedernhausen | Rhein-Main-Theater |
| 04.01.20 | 19:30 | Gersthofen | Stadthalle |
| 05.01.20 | 15:00 | Bad Elster | König Albert Theater |
| 06.01.20 | 17:00 | Germering | Stadthalle |
| 07.01.20 | 20:00 | Ravensburg | Konzerthaus |
| 08.01.20 | 20:00 | Schwabach | Markgrafensaal |
| 09.01.20 | 19:30 | Selb | Rosenthal-Theater |
| 10.01.20 | 20:00 | Hannover | Theater am Aegi |
| 11.01.20 | 19:30 | Mörlenbach | Bürgerhaus Mörlenbach |
| 12.01.20 | 20:00 | Bremen | Glocke |
| 15.01.20 | 20:00 | Gütersloh | Stadthalle Gütersloh |
| 16.01.20 | 20:00 | Wolfenbüttel | Lindenhalle |
| 17.01.20 | 20:00 | Bad Orb | Konzerthalle |
| 18.01.20 | 20:00 | Bernburg (Saale) | Kurhaus |
| 19.01.20 | 19:00 | Iserlohn | Parktheater |
| 20.01.20 | 20:00 | Kiel | Schloss |
| 21.01.20 | 20:00 | Lübeck | Musik- und Kongresshalle |
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