Kevin Rowland

The Stoller Hall

This semi-staged concert is based on our preconceptions of mental illness, with each piece having a connection to the psychology of the mind – centred around Peter Maxwell Davies’ harrowing depiction of the ‘madness’ of King George III.

Maxwell Davies was a key member of the Manchester School of Composers, who reshaped the landscape of British music in the late 20th century. 8 Songs for a Mad King is a melodrama with a libretto based on the real-life observations of King George III, presenting an extravagant and disturbing portrayal of his condition. 

Vocalising weirdly as he bemoans his fate, trying to teach his instrumentalist-birds to sing – our musicians becoming projections from within his own mind.

Manchester Camerata: 8 Songs for a Mad King

Warts and all, mainly my own.’

Join Dexys’ iconic frontman Kevin Rowland, one of the great mavericks and creative geniuses of British music, for a truly special evening discussing his astonishing and subversive new memoir, ‘Bless Me Father’.

From the juvenile courts of his troubled teenage years to the early days of the New Romantic scene in the late ’70s and beyond, Kevin will recount his darkest hours, deepest desires and greatest joys. 

Dexys’ Kevin Rowland – A Life Story In Conversation