Mighty fine skills on show

Aug 22 2007 by Chris Conway, Evening Chronicle

Young Reviewer CHRIS CONWAY enjoyed Newcastle’s Hip Hat Hooray International Busking Festival, as he reports here

PEOPLE of many different nationalities have no doubt walked down Northumberland Street, but seldom were so many in one location all working together.

On Saturday, international circus, juggling and acrobatic acts gave the shoppers of Newcastle one heck of a show.

This motley crew of acts had travelled far and wide from places across the globe, including Australia, West Africa and the Virgin Islands.

The day was funded primarily by the Arts Council and was free for anybody to enjoy.

Event organiser Jacob McGrath told me the whole idea behind the event was that “it’s for people who enjoy the arts and entertainment but can’t afford to pay to see them”.

But appreciation and gratitude for the effort the entertainers put in on the day needs to be paid, especially since “the acts make no money out of today, other than what people donate”, as Jacob explained to me.

Of all the exceptional entertainers, there were three that really were brilliant and managed to stand out.

These were Great Scott from Australia, The Mighty Gareth from Switzerland and Tim Tam from Japan.

Great Scott, with his upfront and confident crowd-pleasing personality, was extraordinary.

His ability as both a comedian and a juggler was fantastic and he really got the crowd going as he practised his juggling, while building a tower made out of champagne glasses – which he would later balance on while juggling three tennis rackets – and exchanging banter with the crowd at the same time.

He enlisted the help of two members of the crowd, who obviously really enjoyed themselves. After all, it’s not every day you get to help a man from Australia juggle three tennis rackets while balanced 10ft in the air on champagne glasses.

The next act I watched was The Mighty Gareth, whose speciality was to juggle chainsaws while talking to the crowd.

As dangerous as it sounds, he pulled it off safely, even while doing it next to a member of the onlooking crowd, who did, I have to admit, seem a tad nervous.

The nice thing about The Mighty Gareth was the fact he was able to engage with children without making them feel like children, and was still able to entertain the crowd at the same time, which certainly helped everyone to enjoy what was a fantastic show. Finally, I also took in Tim Tam, who had travelled all the way from Japan, another sign of how much hard work had been put into the event by both Jacob McGrath and the Arts Council.

Tim Tam were hilarious, especially when they were trying to assist each other on to bicycles. The fact they relied on each for balance, and often fell down was what really had people laughing, especially when Tam began to screech at Tim hysterically.

There were also aerial acrobatics on offer inside The Gate.

The day was well-organised, with little touches such as maps and guides offered to anyone keen on watching the events appreciated.

If everyone enjoyed the event as much as I did, it won’t be long before we’re seeing the eclectic mix of international acts back on Northumberland Street.