This Flight of the Conchords-esque duo mix their talents as a poet (Harry) and musician (Chris) into a wonderful blend of infectious songs packed with sharp, clever wordplay ★★★★★ Sunday Post
They display more comic flair in the first 20 minutes than most musical comedians manage in an hour Chortle
Following a sell-out, celebrated run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, The Russell Howard Hour (Sky) regulars, World Poetry Slam Champ Harry Baker & Jazz virtuoso Chris Read, tour the UK with the Guardian highlighted Comedy-Rap-Jazz show ‘Harry & Chris Save The World’ from 2nd October to 22nd December.
Last year their family friendly songs prevented an apocalypse and almost saved pandas from extinction. Now that they’re drunk on Comedy-Rap-Jazz power, they’re hoping to live up to these outrageous claims in their latest hour of music, lyrics and belly laughs. But can a musician and poet best-friend-double-act save the world from impending doom? All we know is that their act has been crowned by almighty talk show host Jonathan Ross as “fabulously entertaining” and were selected as one of the ‘Best Shows At The Edinburgh Fringe’ by the Guardian.
World Poetry Slam Champion, performance poet (and maths student) Harry Baker’s poem about prime numbers has been shared on TED.com and has been translated into 21 different languages with a combined viewership of over 3 million along with his other 4 TEDx talks. Harry’s blistering wordplay (★★★★★ Three Weeks) has seen him coined as ‘a champion’ by Ed Sheeran, ‘a show stealer’ by Scroobius Pip and Scott Mills described a performance on his BBC Radio 1 show as ‘the greatest thing I’ve ever seen’. Harry’s debut anthology, The Sunshine Kid was published with Burning Eye in 2014 and a subsequent show of the same name was voted Best Spoken Word show of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2015.
Acclaimed musician Chris Read (’Brilliant’ Evening Standard) is an ‘up-and-coming talent’ (All About Jazz) on the UK jazz scene and performs regularly around the country, as well as overseas at venues including the Lincoln Centre in New York and at many festivals including Montreux Jazz Festival, and the Cheltenham Jazz Festival. 2016 saw him release his debut album If I Knew. Chris also performs regularly as a solo artist and with the Chris Read Quartet, and is working on a new musical for stage and screen.
Having played together in various forms for 10 years, Harry and Chris performed their debut hour at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2016 which they’ve since toured across the UK, earning them a Leicester Comedy Festival Award nomination in 2016. The Hook recently created a music video to their World Cup Song which was released on 7th June, while the pair performed their first joint TedX talk ‘Finding Joy Through Comedy-Rap-Jazz’ in July, and they were made BBC Radio 2’s resident musical act for the Simon Mayo and Jo Whiley Show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August.
What The Press Has Said About Harry & Chris
Their latest fringe offering makes for a pleasantly diverting hour Brian Logan, Guardian
[Harry Baker’s] intricate, quick-fire rhymes have always been on the impressive side of mind-blowing, but in a new and unexpected departure, he’s teamed up with the honey-toned singer and jazz guitarist Chris to create a bewitching new sound The Scotsman
A charming and uplifting hour of good tunes, sharp lyrics, and endearing performers ★★★★ Fest
It’s a thoroughly enjoyable show packed with clever lyrics that’ll… leave you awestruck ★★★★ Sunday Post
The duo combines Harry’s inventive lyricism and punalicious language with Chris’s musical ingenuity to put on a truly capturing and uplifting show ★★★★ Edinburgh Guide
Often ingenious, often beautifully simple, always creative and always hilarious ★★★★★ Just For Culture
Chris Read’s proficiency on guitar provides competent hooks upon which Baker can hang his talents for badinage The Wee Review
Harry Baker and Chris Read are blisteringly talented ★★★★★Fringe Guru
Their work will leave you heart-warmed and encouraged ★★★★ Three Weeks
Baker and Read have confidently established themselves as the apex of jazz-poetry duoships ★★★★ Scots Gay
Tour Dates
Date | Venue |
02-Oct-18 | Birmingham, Old Rep |
03-Oct-18 | Shrewsbury, Henry Tudor House |
04-Oct-18 | Oxford, The North Wall |
05-Oct-18 | Leicester , Y Theatre |
06-Oct-18 | Paignton, Palace Theatre |
08-Oct-18 | Nottingham, University Student Union |
10-Oct-18 | Stockton, ARC |
11-Oct-18 | Leeds, University Student Union |
12-Oct-18 | Newcastle, The Stand Comedy Club |
13-Oct-18 | Plymouth, Barbican Theatre |
01-Nov-18 | Worcester, Worcester Live |
02-Nov-18 | Canterbury, Gulbenkian |
03-Nov-18 | Bristol, The Wardrobe Theatre 5pm |
03-Nov-18 | Bristol, The Wardrobe Theatre 8pm |
10-Nov-18 | Poole, The Lighthouse |
11-Nov-18 | Manchester, Frog and Bucket |
16-Nov-18 | Maidstone, Hazlitt Theatre |
20-Nov-18 | Edinburgh, The Stand Comedy Club |
21-Nov-18 | Glasgow, The Stand Comedy Club |
22-Nov-18 | Hull, City Hall |
23-Nov-18 | Teesdale, Barnard Castle |
26-Nov-18 | Cambridge Junction |
28-Nov-18 | Great Torrington, The George Hotel |
30-Nov-18 | Great Torrington, The Plough |
06-Dec-18 | Colchester Arts Centre |
07-Dec-18 | Maidenhead, Norden Farm Centre for the Arts |
12-Dec-18 | Thundersley, Congregational Church |
13-Dec-18 | Stafford Gatehouse Theatre |
14-Dec-18 | Fareham, Ashcroft Arts Centre |
15-Dec-18 | Brighton, Brighthelm Centre |
22-Dec-18 | London, Leicester Square Theatre |
For more information and press tickets, please contact: Florrie Sheehan at fsheehan@avalonuk.com 0207 598 7222