"Sting: When The Last Ship Sails" performing songs from his new album live from New York, to air on BBC One, Sunday 22 December...

December 22, 2013

"Sting: When The Last Ship Sails" will air Sunday, 22 December on BBC One at 10:55PM! Performing songs from his new album The Last Ship, the intimate live performance was recorded at a special fan club concert on October 2, 2013 at The Public Theater in New York. Inspired by his forthcoming play of the same name and drawing upon his memories of growing up in the shipbuilding community of Wallsend in the North East of England, the music explores the complexity of relationships, family, community and the passage of time.

Sting is joined by several musicians, many of whom hail from the North East (Kathryn Tickell, Peter Tickell, Julian Sutton, and The Wilson Family), including actor and singer Jimmy Nail, who will also appear in the play "The Last Ship." The songs are influenced by local music traditions - from pub-like folk tunes to a wall of sound from the full band.

In between songs, Sting shares anecdotes with the audience about his hometown and the Swan Hunter Shipyard at the end of his street that has had a lasting impact on him. He also provides insight to the hopes and passions of characters in the songs, many inspired by the men and women of this tight-knit community who lived and worked in and around the shipyard. The performance is accompanied by visual projections of the North East.

"Sting: When The Last Ship Sails" is directed by Paul Bozymowski and executive produced by Kathryn Schenker and Joe Killian.

Those in the UK can watch again via the iPlayer on the BBC website.

Comments
8
posted by Davidw
davidw
An amazing body of new work - hopefully we'll get a touring version of this in the UK with the man himself headlining, what a show that would be . . .
posted by sarah28
Practical Arrangement
At the gig Jo Lawry sang on this yet she does not on the CD. Real shame that - with her singing on it gives a gorgeous song even more pathos.
posted by lesharri
memories
I lived in the street where, at the bottom of it, the front of the ships ended. At night you could hear the banging and clanging of hammers as men built the ships. Swans buzza sounded for men to start and finish work. My dad was a crane driver there and I remember standing at the bank looking for him when the men came rushing out at the end of their shift. Watching Sting and Jimmy Nail and other band members brought back a lot of memories. The music was brillant, an excellent show. Thank you Sting
posted by Duckmcdonald
Different versions
Just watched the BBC gig fantastic performance but there were new songs and slightly different versions of the released Cd , is there going to be a full length version of the play made available at anytime
posted by suecraig
So, so, good
I started watching "when the last ship sails" last night - for 5 minutes because I was tired and had to be up early, but I could not tear myself away from it. Absolutely fantastic! "Practical Arrangement" made me cry - such a shame it didn't make it into the show - I hope it will still be published so that I can buy it?
posted by caroguzzi
FANTASTIC
I'm watching now on LiveTVCafe.net Great performance, Thank you all !!!
posted by dr007nc
EXPORT TO IMPORT!
Hmmm the show is in NYC taped by PBS - and it appears across the pond 2 months earlier! no fair! Hope to hear lots of reviews (though having been there I know it was great) Hope they managed to catch the vibe in the room.
posted by jeffreyscottjenkins
Jeffrey Scott Jenkins
Hope this becomes available on DVD...magical night!
Newer comments    1 - 8 of 8    Older comments

RECENT STORIES

Dec 21, 2013

On Saturday 21 December, Sting was one of the guests on BBC Radio 4's 'Loose Ends' programme, where he joined Nick Lowe, Orla Brady and David Quantick along with host Clive Anderson for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. In addition to being interviewed Sting performed 'Soul Cake' and 'The Last Ship'. The show is currently available for repeat listenings on the BBC iPlayer...