We'll be starting our autumn term with some fantastic pop, then easing into old and new Christmas favourites.

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Along with some fascinating workshops and awesome open mics, we'll be holding a fabulous end-of-term concert - details to come. So get your sequins and santa hats ready.

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Ten years ago LCV began life as a tiny group round the piano at St Mary-at-Hill. Now look at us!

We couldn't let this milestone go by without a major celebration. And if there's one thing we do well - apart from singing, of course - it's partying!

We even still have some of our original members. How's that for staying power!

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Actual party details to follow, but watch this space...

As usual, LCV have been very busy in the run up to Christmas. We've performed at many events, including our own two Christmas concerts, and raised some much-needed money for charity.

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Singing at the Tower of London with MD Brunch

LCV were very pleased to take part in another weekend of singing at the iconic Tower of London. We joined over a dozen other choirs from around the country to provide some Christmas song for the sightseers visiting the Tower.

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Wandsworth Christmas Tree Festival

Our next Christmas gig was the tenth annual Christmas Tree Festival at St Magdalene church in Wandsworth. The church was adorned with 25 Christmas trees decorated by local families and businesses. Residents came to admire the trees, enjoy cake and mulled wine and be entertained by us.

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London Irish Centre

One of our favourite gigs of the year is the London Irish Centre's Christmas celebration. There is abundant mulled wine, Guinness (of course), mince pies and good craic.

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Station Charity Collections

This year we raised money for three charities - St Mungo's, Health Poverty Action and MENCAP. Our first gig was at Waterloo station where we entertained commuters and staff alike. The second was at Surrey Quays - where we were very glad to be inside! And the third was at Paddington, where our Christmas repertoire was greatly enjoyed by the enthusiastic collectors.

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Additional One-Off Performances

We were also delighted to provide some entertainment for the IMPA's Christmas conference at the QEII Centre in Westminster, and to take part in Voices of the City providing some Christmas cheer to city workers.

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Christmas Concerts

On 17 December we took over St Mary-at-Hill Church - our Wednesday home - to put on matinee and evening concerts. These events were sold out weeks in advance, and we loved performing to a packed house of our family and friends. These concerts were streamed so they could be enjoyed by audiences far and wide.

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...and finally...

Hackney Food Drive with Aisling Bea

On 21 December we were delighted to provide some entertainment at this annual charity event. We sang outside the Bill Murray pub in Hackney to an audience that filled the street and included many famous faces. After performing all our Christmas songs, Richard led a singalong from the roof for the enthusiastic audience below. The drive collected a roomful of donations for the Hackney food bank.

About 50 members of London City Voices will be entertaining the best of the London sports world at this prestigious award ceremony, held in the fabulous London Guildhall in the heart of London's Square Mile. Monday 6 December sees the sixth edition of this annual event, which celebrates the efforts of volunteers, physical activity projects and sports organisations who have helped so keep Londoners moving over the past 18 months.

LCV are very proud to support them and entertain everyone at the award dinner.

Hi everyone

Sadly, I'm afraid we're no longer able to use the Phoenix for our post-rehearsal singalongs. After the 2021 Christmas Party, we had an email from the owner, Colin Savage. He was clearly looking for a fight. The conversation deteriorated quite quickly. I've copied the entire dialogue below to save me from having to explain the whole thing numerous times. I did try very hard to be conciliatory, but he was having none of it. I should add that I had previously helped him out with establishing the cause of some damage that was sustained to his lights and screen after another group of people got rather rowdy there one Monday night.

To be honest, although it's a great venue, they've been notoriously unreliable and have kept us waiting outside numerous times. We'll be stepping up the efforts to find somewhere else close to Soho with sufficient space, a decent piano that we can use and a bar. If you know of anywhere, please do ask them if they'd be open to the idea of 20-50 people pitching up most weeks at about 8:15pm for a few hours and using their piano in return for the custom, and if they're keen, put them in touch with us.

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Hi. Can you let me know if you took off or attempted to take off the front or top of the piano when you were in for your party?

Thanks

Col

Colin Savage

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Hi Colin

No, but I did open the top lid to see if there was a mic inside. When I did, the front sort of partially fell off, as if it had been held in place by the top. I put it back straight away, and it didn’t seem to give any problem after that. I assumed it had been like that before. One of the bar staff guys was with me at the time - can’t remember if it was Ben or Matt - and should be able to verify that’s what happened. The only reason I opened it in the first place was that I’d asked for it to be miked. When I arrived, the staff knew nothing about it, so I was checking if it was already connected up.

Has it been damaged then?

Warm regards

Richard

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Yes it’s damaged now. I’ll check how severely and get back to you.  

Colin Savage

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So. Unfortunately the lid was pulled opened rather than being uncoupled first. Which broke the clips. We also had an XLR broken as the piano was obviously moved and the wires overrun. I’m not really too impressed that someone would think it appropriate to open the piano when the two techs weren’t on duty.

I’ll get marksons in to mend it. And I’m afraid the bill might be coming your way.

Thanks

colin

Colin Savage

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Hi Colin

Tried to ring you but it went to voicemail.

I’m a pianist, and I’ve been a professional musician for the last thirty years. It’s perfectly acceptable to open a piano lid to check for a microphone.

There was absolutely no sense of resistance in opening the lid. If I broke any clips on it, they must have been extraordinarily flimsy. I’ll obviously pay for any damage that I’ve inadvertently caused, within reason, but lifting the lid is not an activity which would normally cause damage. If it is the case, there should be a clear notice to that effect, and all staff should also be informed so they can advise.

As I explained, the only reason that I opened the lid at all was that I was expecting the piano to be miked up and ready for me, as was confirmed in Peter’s response to me on 3 Dec. Given that I’m also a fully trained sound engineer, I had no qualms about checking to see if this was a problem that I could fix. I rang Peter to ask, but it went to voicemail. Matt also messaged Peter, but received no reply, so it was agreed that it would be fine for me to check that the mics were in place. I’ll say this again - it had already been agreed that the piano would be miked, and given that we were expecting a lot of people, it wasn’t going to be possible to continue the party without this.

It was the staff’s suggestion that the piano was moved forward, and I helped them to do this. Again - I’ll replace your XLR cable if you want me to, but perhaps in future, the staff should be shown what cables are placed where in order to avoid breakage? I didn’t check this myself because I assumed that as it was their suggestion, they knew what they were doing and weren’t doing anything that they shouldn’t have been.

I’m a responsible musician who make a point of taking care of equipment, particularly when it’s not mine. I’m very sorry that this happened on my watch, but I have to state quite clearly here that I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary, and that the only reason it happened at all was that the piano was not left ready for me to use.

Many thanks

Richard

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Thanks for this. The situation is this.

On Sunday the piano was working and undamaged

On Tuesday half of the sound wasn’t working and the xlr had to be replaced by the tech

On Wednesday the other tech reports that the clips to the front panel have both been broken off

I’m afraid as the techs have reported both can only have happened on Monday night.

We allow you to use the piano because you are an md but I don’t rota a tech on. And the piano in the past has been used as a favour because you are a pianist. We have never promised amplification or you to move it as if for a show

Obviously the xlr lead was run over and crushed when it was moved on Monday night. The bar staff aren’t meant to move the piano either. However if they assisted you to move it it is partly their fault that the cables were overrun. It shows you what happens when people who are not trained to move it move it

Then half the sound would not have worked. Hence your worry that the mics weren’t working

Sorry no. I don’t expect you to open a piano. Especially when the tech wasn’t there. And obviously as the piano was too quiet someone has thought that they would take off the front panel to increase the sound. And broken not one but both clips to hold it on.

We do you a favour every Monday and don’t charge for use or for a tech. But it seems that you think that we should be providing a service - amplification mics etc.

In future we will have to treat this like all other bookings and charge for hire of space and a tech to cover as running this as a favour has led to raised expectations and damage to the piano.

If you can give me any other explanation of what happened to the piano between the techs leaving it working on Sunday and returning to it not working on Tuesday do let me know.

Col
Colin Savage

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Hi Colin

I’ll address this point by point.

I’m afraid as the techs have reported both can only have happened on Monday night.

This we’ve already established, and I’m not doubting it at all.

We allow you to use the piano because you are an md but I don’t rota a tech on. And the piano in the past has been used as a favour because you are a pianist. We have never promised amplification or you to move it as if for a show.

You were not party to my email conversation with Peter. I understand all that in the normal course of things this is the case. However, Peter offered us the whole venue for a wider choir party on 13th, and I specifically asked him for the piano to be miked and a vocal mic provided as well, to which he responded “All good”. We were told we could have up to 200 people there, and hence my request.

Obviously the xlr lead was run over and crushed when it was moved on Monday night. The bar staff aren’t meant to move the piano either. However if they assisted you to move it it is partly their fault that the cables were overrun. It shows you what happens when people who are not trained to move it move it.

People don’t need training to move the piano a few feet, but I would have thought it wise to let them know exactly where the leads are. I obviously don’t work there, so I was not aware that the bar staff aren’t supposed to move the piano.

Then half the sound would not have worked. Hence your worry that the mics weren’t working

The mics worked perfectly. While we were setting all this in place, around 7pm, the staff plugged a microphone into the lead marked “piano vocal” (or something like that). I was allowed to push the faders marked “piano” and the one marked “piano vocal” up on the desk, and we established that the piano mics ad the vocal mic were working as expected,  Nothing more needed doing, it was perfectly loud enough. Incidentally, I didn’t have to do anything else on the desk, but I actually own an A&H QU-24 myself, so I’m very familiar with how it works.

Sorry no. I don’t expect you to open a piano. Especially when the tech wasn’t there.

I appreciate that you may not expect me to open the piano, but nevertheless, it’s a perfectly acceptable thing to do in the normal scheme of things, especially when a) I’m a pianist, b) I’m a sound engineer, and c) the agreed tech requirements haven’t been met.

And obviously as the piano was too quiet someone has thought that they would take off the front panel to increase the sound. And broken not one but both clips to hold it on.

I can assure you - and you can check the CCTV - that this did not happen. We did not need to, as after the piano was turned up, the mics were working perfectly. The front remained on the piano and I closed the lid of the piano again as soon as I saw that the mics were attached there. No-one took the front off at all - as I said - when I lifted the lid at the beginning, the front dislodged itself, and I caught it and put it back. It only fell a short way forwards before I caught it.

We do you a favour every Monday and don’t charge for use or for a tech. But it seems that you think that we should be providing a service - amplification mics etc.

No - as I explained - this was a conversation which you were not part of. We’re very grateful for the use of the piano, and we don’t normally require a tech, as there are only about 25-30 of us. On this occasion, however I had politely asked if it was possible on this occasion, and was told that it was no problem.

To be fair, however, we bring quite a lot of business to the Phoenix when we’re there, and I don’t charge you either for entertaining your other clients by playing piano for a couple of hours, which we do on a regular basis. I don’t really think that this is a particularly helpful direction to take this conversation. It’s always been a win-win situation, and I’d like to keep it this way. Like I said, within reason, I’m happy to pay for damage that I think I’ve caused - but not that I haven’t.

I understand that you’re upset that you think I’ve treated your equipment badly, but at no point have I done this. There is some misunderstanding going on, and you’re making some unfair assumptions. I did what any other competent professional in that situation would have done, and there was no mishandling or roughness of any equipment at any time. I’m quite prepared to accept responsibility for the XLR cable, although I do think it would be sensible to explain where the cables are to staff so they can be careful.

If you ask the staff what we were like as customers, I think you’ll find that they’ll say that we were polite and helpful throughout. Because I was effectively “on duty’, I just had one alcoholic drink all evening and helped to usher my lot out the door at the end of the night (there were a few others not from our party there too).

In future we will have to treat this like all other bookings and charge for hire of space and a tech to cover as running this as a favour has led to raised expectations and damage to the piano.

Alternatively we could have a proper conversation about how to manage it, and then everyone could be much happier all-round. Let’s look for a proper solution together rather than closing this door. I’d be quite happy to come in and have a chat with you in person and I can hopefully reassure you that I’m not the kind of person to be careless with other people’s equipment.

Warm regards

Richard

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This gets worse. What were you doing in the tech room using our equipment?

I’m really sorry but this is way too haphazard - along with reports that your singers weren’t great with the staff - I’m afraid I don’t want you at the phoenix again.

I wasn’t going to charge you for anything for mending the piano. But some contrition would be nice

You were charged nothing for a piano, helping yourself to our tech,

and a free party space in the west end.

Not happy at all.

Please find yourself another post rehearsal space next year.

Thank you.

Colin Savage

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Hi Colin

Apologies for the delay in responding.

This gets worse. What were you doing in the tech room using our equipment?

I was given express permission by your staff to go in there, after the promised piano amplification wasn’t working. Obviously I would never go into a tech room without the permission of a member of venue staff.

I’m really sorry but this is way too haphazard - along with reports that your singers weren’t great with the staff - I’m afraid I don’t want you at the phoenix again.

Please tell me which staff member complained, and about which of my singers. This is the first that I’ve heard of that. I expect that this is also caught on CCTV, so I’d be very happy to go through that with the owner and review the exchange. All of my choir know that they would have to explain themselves to me if they were rude, so I find this hard to believe - I’d need some specifics before addressing this. Incidentally, we weren’t the only people there, so I’m not sure how the staff would know who were my choir and who weren’t.

You were charged nothing for a piano, helping yourself to our tech, and a free party space in the west end.

This is a misrepresentation. We were invited to come in the first place by Peter, and urged several times to bring lots of people. He contacted me to suggest the party, not the other way around. I was told that the piano would be ready and miked, and it wasn’t. At no point did I “help myself” to your tech.  All I did was check that the mics were in place, help the staff move the piano and, when invited to do so by the staff, turn up the sound. I literally lifted the lid once, which is when the front fell. I cannot imagine that I was responsible in any way for breaking the clips, but if that is what happened then I’m very sorry, and as I’ve said all along, I’ll pay for repairing it.

Colin, can we at least have a conversation about this in person? I love the Phoenix, and so do my choir. Your staff have always remarked how much they enjoy what we do. Your other customers were loving what we were doing on Monday, and I had several people who weren’t from my party come up and thank me for playing (I played for about three hours). Your staff were actually really helpful and simply wanted to help me out of an awkward moment, when it didn’t seem possible to contact anyone.

Warm regards

Richard

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Good luck finding another venue.

Thanks very much

Colin

Colin Savage

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This Monday we held our first post-rehearsal singalong since 2021! The Crown and Two Chairmen welcomed us with open arms, and an enthusiastic crowd joined in with all the singalong classics.

The bar is just a little further up Dean Street than St Anne's so very easy to find. Lovely friendly staff and clientele - and they do food! There's even a tv screen just behind the keyboard, so we may even be able to show some lyrics - very useful for those of us not quick enough to find them on Google.

Do come and join us next week - start researching your favourite songs now!