Tag: Helen McCrory

“My Song” – Damian Lewis: The Story of a Photograph and The McCrory Award

“These are kids who otherwise would have no access to the arts and no space in which to express themselves freely, fully and joyfully. It’s brilliant what Debbi and HvH ARTS does. It’s incredible what it achieves. And I’m extremely proud to call myself its Patron.” — Damian Lewis

“My Song” – Damian Lewis by photographer and HvH Arts CEO Debbi Clark

This post is past due.

I bought this photograph by Debbi Clark, an accomplished professional photographer who is also the founder and CEO of Sir Hubert Von Herkomer Arts Foundation (HvH Arts in short) back in 2022 in support of The McCrory Award. 100% of the proceeds from art sales on HvH Arts Gallery fund this award, given annually in memory of Helen McCrory, to gifted unprivileged young people so they can have access to resources and training they need to fulfill their dreams. Continue reading ““My Song” – Damian Lewis: The Story of a Photograph and The McCrory Award”

Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis’ Triple Treat at Rough Trade East

It was exactly a year ago that Damian Lewis and his fabulous band had a special little gig at Rough Trade East in London. The evening started with pre-gig chat between Damian and his friend, collaborator and producer Giacomo Smith about the musical journey they have had in the last three years. Then Damian and the band played a couple of songs from the newly released ‘Mission Creep’ followed by Damian signing the copies of his debut album gig attendees received with their ticket purchase. That is what I call a “triple treat.”

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We Celebrate Damian Lewis as a Dad on Father’s Day

Damian Lewis is a fantastic actor. A generous philanthropist. He is a skilled player on the football field. And we have seen again in the recent Soccer Aid video that he can definitely sing. But, among all different hats he wears, that of fatherhood stands out as the most precious one. And how beautiful the stories we hear and the images we get of Damian as a father. So we’d love to share some of our recollections of him being a dad on this Father’s Day. 

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Our Top Songs From Damian Lewis’ Album Mission Creep

Damianista’s note: On the first anniversary of Damian releasing his critically acclaimed debut album Mission Creep, we would like to share our top songs from the album and tell you why we love these songs. Enjoy!

Damian has played guitar since he was 13-years-old and supported himself by busking through Europe – France and Spain to be precise – before his acting career took off. And let me tell you, his Martin guitar has proven a useful fallback. He has been quoted as saying, “I wanted the album to give a sense of a journey to this point, from busking ’til now” and that is exactly what he has accomplished with his debut album Mission Creep. He has proven to be a heartfelt songwriter and his sophisticated songs bleed of love, loss, vulnerability and authenticity. Stylistically Mission Creep covers a broad spectrum of genres, from folk and jazz/loose swing to rock and rootsy blues. So it’s no surprise that we blogmates picked different styles of songs as our top three. Some of us selected the more rockin’ blues songs while others singled-out the more jazz notes.

On stage? Well Damian is a compelling performer at music venues, singing with passion and tight-pant swagger, all the while backed by a phenomenal six-piece band playing a sonic palette of acoustic guitar, keyboards, saxophone and clarinet, mixed with bursts of electric guitar and sprinkles of the French harp (harmonica). Damian Lewis, the musician, is in his element. Period. Ladies and Gents, here are our top three songs by Damian Lewis from Mission Creep.

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Well, I Did It Again: Damian Lewis at Boisdale of Canary Wharf

“A Damian Lewis live show contains fun. Rock’n’Roll. Good music. And an amazing band that I play with.” — Damian Lewis at Latitude Festival Press Day

Yes, sir! All those coupled with a truly engaged and energetic crowd at Boisdale of Canary Wharf made my 48 hour lightning trip to London more than worth it! And I am ready to tell all about it!

Firstly, I thank my brilliant friend Patrick (who happens to be the drummer Will’s dad) for convincing me to go! Believe it or not, I was on the fence since we are now used to going three or four gigs at a time on tours. The Boisdale gig is a one off and it is of course wonderful if you live in London, or somewhere in Europe (short and cheap flights) but you need to factor in a lot in your decision if you fly from the US like me. The good news is that I could get my ticket with miles and Patrick gets a table for us. I tell my friends that I’m going and when they check they find out that the venue does not sell single tickets. And here is my Whatsapp exchange with Patrick when I share this information with him! Continue reading “Well, I Did It Again: Damian Lewis at Boisdale of Canary Wharf”