Michael Auger on Collabro's Tour Bus & Royal Albert Hall

This was on Eagle Radio on 23rd March 16...the link is further down if you want to have a listen!!

Michael loves performing for Collaborators!

So the interview starts with the host Lewis Mason stating;

'So they've become friends of the station over the past couple of years since winning Britain's Got Talent and it's a delight to have them coming back to Guildford with a sold out show and joining me right now is Michael Auger from Collabro!'

LM: Hello mate.
MA: Hello! How are you doing?
LM: Really really good...you're so busy right now, you're here there and everywhere! Right now you are actually in the Collabro tour bus heading to Plymouth aren't you?
MA: Yes we are, we like to get to venues as soon as we can so that we're all rested before the show.
LM: And what is the Collabro tour bus like, does it have a bit of atmosphere...what's going on there?
MA: Ok, so there are only 6 seats which obviously is enough for us and each of our seats is actually a first class aeroplane seat.  The secret is that we're actually in Simon Cowell's old tour van and he replaced the original seats with aeroplane seats so we've got old school aeroplane seats in our van reclined at the moment!
LM: That's so showbiz, you are driving around in Simon Cowell's tour bus...I love it and of course you're gonna be bringing the tour bus to Guildford next week on Sunday, but of course it's all sold out which is amazing!
MA: I know it's amazing, it's our final show actually, they actually said that Guildford was a little bit too small but I was like 'no we have to go back to Guildford, it's my home town, we need it on there' and it sold out within a few days!

LM: So what's been going down best on tour in terms of the set list?
MA: So obviously all the Les Miserables stuff goes down amazingly, we tend to get standing ovations after 'Bring Him Home' and 'I Dreamed a Dream' so that's just absolutely amazing and also 'Memory' gets a good standing ovation as well which is from Cats and we also do a Phantom section, that gets people on their feet too.  We just can't believe that people are still standing up for us, we're just so overwhelmed, it makes is so much more enjoyable being on that stage!
LM: Absolutely, you say you can't believe it but of course Guildford sold out within moments of going on sale but of course people are thinking they can't get tickets but this weekend you play the Royal Albert Hall which is not far to travel so what an experience that is going to be!
MA: I know, Saturday night, it's going to be amazing, we actually did the Royal Albert Hall as part of a charity event recently and so it's great that we've been out on the stage as a little warm up and we can't wait to be headlining our own show!
LM: It's gonna be a brilliant gig so of course anyone who couldn't get tickets for the Guildford gig it's only up the road, you can pop down to the Royal Albert Hall!  So thank you for coming on the show and best of luck for Saturday!
MA: Thanks!

Here is the link to the interview...it's after 2hrs in!
http://www.964eagle.co.uk/resources/radioplayer/3/?od=/listen-again/838

Thomas and Michael - Chat Favourite Animations!

This post is a brief summary of Michael and Thomas' appearance in a recent TV programme 'The Greatest Animated Movies'

I have also uploaded some clips to my youtube channel but I am only a beginner so apologise that they are not very good but at least you get the idea! Here's the link https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkD1fTRRo1_OQaCaNQYxFeQ

The first film they chat about is Pokemon of course!!!

TR: When the movie came out and in one of the first scenes Ash was fighting this other trainer and he sent out this Pokemon, it was one which no one had seen before so everybody lost their minds! So good to its fans it keeps pushing out little titbits for them!

MA: But then over the course of the film you realise that it's love that conquers all, like any good film really.
TR: It's a really lovely kind of tale really where he realises that all this destruction and nihilism is completely wrong and he's got to, you know, love his fellow men and Pokemon.
MA: And Pikachu is really cute.
TR: Yeah Pikachu is really cute.

TR: Every masterpiece is underrated in its time...right?? (to Michael).
MA: Yeah.
TR: It was a huge morality tale, like in the movie there is a line 'I see now it's not the circumstances of one's birth but what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.' That wasn't a political leader or philosopher that said that...that was Mewtwo who said that!
MA: A cat!
TR: Yeah a big genetically modified cat!

FROZEN

They both sing a part from 'Let it Go'

Singing 'Let if Go'

MA: I remember on our first album they said 'are there any songs that you really want to go on the album?' and I remember saying 'Let it Go' from Frozen.

Michael talks Frozen!

TR: Whenever we sing that song we go 'have we got any Frozen fans?' and half of the people go 'yeah' and the other people go 'Ohhh'

Half the audience go 'Yeah!'

The other half go 'Ohhhh'

'The cold never bothered me anyway'

THE INCREDIBLES

'It's about a normal family' 

'Is it?'

'Ok it's about a seemingly normal family!'

Michael's Edna Mode

'My God you've gotten fat!'

'More Edna Mode'

'Maybe we could have capes'

Thomas does Edna Mode!

'No capes!'

Talking about Chicken Run!

Talking about Chicken Run, Thomas loved the pile of chickens!

SPIRITED AWAY

TR: While it's a children's movie it's very adult in the concepts that it takes on, a lot of it is about greed!
I know it sounds crazy but, it's great!

It sounds crazy!

TR: Over here in the West it's very fluid and very neat and there they are not afraid to make the character of Sen kind of clumsy and to make the animation reflect that!

FANTASIA

MA: You almost want to go 'oh what's that about?' it sounds like fantasy, it almost gives you that impression, you're expecting magical things to happen!

Michael describes Fantasia

They both sing a tune from the movie!
TR: It's lovely that everything is choreographed in it, all of it is choreographed to the music it's just something really special to watch, especially knowing that it was made in 1940 when animation options were limited!

TR: I've never seen the ending! When I was a kid, there was one scene where this huge bat comes off the top of a mountain and it goes...(he does an impression of it!) and that scared the bejesus out of me when I was a kid...I had to turn the VHS off, I couldn't watch past that point so I've never seen the ending...is it good? (turns to Michael) Is it good?

The monster story!

Thomas' monster face!

'Is it good?'

'Is it good?'

Thomas doing another impression!!

Thomas Redgrave - "I couldn't believe how incredible the festival was"

Here is an article where Thomas talks about the time he was part of a large choir who were competing in a festival.   He loved taking part and they came third at the Llangollen event a few years ago!

Here is the link to the article which also confirms that Collabro will be performing at Llangollen International Eisteddfod.

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/collabro-stars-return-llangollen-international-11071000

Michael Auger chats about #ActTwo Tour

Here Michael Auger chats to Signal radio host Paul Fairclough on his show which was broadcast Saturday 19th March.  Host Paul talks to Michael over the phone while he is in their tour bus!

Smiley Michael!

Below is a transcript of their chat for those who are unable access it and as the recorded version isn't available online indefinitely.

Here's a link to the page where you can listen to it!

https://audioboom.com/boos/4323469-michael-from-collabro-talking-with-paul-fairclough

The interview starts with host Paul Fairclough stating that Collabro are currently travelling to the next venue of their Act Two tour.

PF: I'm glad to say that we haven't got Jamie on the phone as Michael has taken the honours of speaking to us and if we had Jamie we would have to say 'tour' (in Jamie's accent) and not 'tour'.

MA: Yes you would.

PF: Because he's the only one out of the five of you that is really precious about the word 'tour' for some unexplained reason and every time you've been on it's developed into this full blown argument!

MA: Oh dear...
PF: Over which version it actually is!  Now is he in the van and is he asleep?
MA: He is in the van, he's got his headphones in at the moment so he won't know that we are talking about him!
(they laugh)

PF: So how is the journey going?
MA: Yeah its amazing, I mean funnily we were just in Gateshead up north so Jamie's accent did come out quite strongly there!

PF: Is that the same with all of you that when you end up...if it's near to your home that your accent becomes a lot stronger?

MA: I think so...I think for me and Richard being from down south I don't think our accent really changes but definitely for the northerners I think they get a bit more into it when they go up north.

PF: It's been beautifully choreographed this route as most tours tend to be (he runs through some of the venues). (He laughs).

MA: I thought there was a hint of sarcasm there!

PF: I guess it just fall as to whether you can get the venues on a particular day.

MA: Absolutely, I think what they do is do all the northern dates then suddenly a venue will say 'oh we've got a space' and they say 'oh go on then we'll squeeze it in'.

PF: So it's a bit of a trek from Cambridge to Stoke then back to Cardiff.

MA: Yeah but we love it, we've got an amazing van and we all get on so well, it's so strange, even more so than last year I think.  Something like a tour really brings everyone together and we all just absolutely love singing live for our fans!

PF: So what's in the tour then?

MA: It's the Act Two tour so it's got everything from Act Two which is very exciting.  It's got all the favourites from Stars our No One album, then we've got loads of new stuff too.  We've tried to put in a few different types of music, we found that with going into Japan and America everybody loves a different style and want Collabro to try swing or up tempo numbers so we're trying to put that in there as well and see how they go down on tour.  Then we've got special guest star Catriona Murray whose an amazing Soprano and we do Phantom of the Opera together and she just blows the whole audience away!

PF: And you've also got A J Brown with you as well.

MA: Yeah and he's an amazing support act, he writes all his own stuff, he's got some amazing tunes and we're all singing them backstage before we go on stage!

PF: He did Tom Jones for us last year at Betley Court Farm our concert in August so we know what he's capable of and a great act.

MA: Yeah yeah we met him at Betley too, I think we were on the following night.  He's just a really great guy, he actually played the saxophone in stage with us because the boys surprised me for my in Llandudno in Wales.

PF: A cold night in Llandudno is nothing to be worried about...it's got one heck of a rake that stage, you feel like you are going to fall into the pit!

MA:Oh god I know!  Well we have this amazing set with lots of stairs and a lift and everything and we were literally trying not to fall into the audience although I am sure they would have enjoyed it!

PF: So as you say you are trying all these new things as you don't want to get pigeon holed like people originally did saying 'oh they only do show tunes.'

MA: Exactly, I think obviously we've done a lot of show tune covers, pop crossover covers but we also want to enter our into maybe doing some of our own songs or like I said earlier swing and actually in Japan we recorded 'I Dreamed a Dream' in Japanese so we're even doing things in different languages now!

PF: How was it learning the Japanese?

MA: Oh we did it phonetically so we sort of cheated really but it sounds great.  We actually won an award for it over there, their Gold Disc Award along with Sam Smith and Megan Trainer for the Best New Artist.

PF: I must admit years ago I talked to the Osmonds about their success in Japan and at the drop of a hat they can do their songs in Japanese, it's in there, you never forget it!

MA: I know, Richard actually made a joke on stage that we were going to sing it in Japanese and I always think can we actually do that one night!

PF: Or maybe just do a verse of it in Japanese and then go back to the English unless that totally messes your head around!

MA: Well I suggested this but the boys think it would be a bit confusing.

(they laugh)

PF: Well best of luck with the rest of the journey because you are only a few minutes away from the Regent now.

MA: Yeah we'll be sound checking soon, then into catering and then to the meet and greet as well so we meet all you lovely people.

PF: The kettle was on here but apparently you didn't have the time to experience the usual Signal coffee which as you know will assist your voice immensely this evening!

MA: Oh perfect of course we'll be there.

PF: Probably end up in the hospital if you'd had it to be honest!

MA: We'll stick to honey and water!

PF: We look forward to seeing you guys soon.

MA: Yeah...cheers, bye!

And this is where the interview ends!

Hope you enjoyed it!!

Richard Hadfield Returns!!

Here is a lovely article with an interview with Richard!

Click on the link!
http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/14317672.Star_singer_to_make_comeback_show_to_the_Brighton_Centre/

Collabro will take their time over Album Three

So even though I was a little sad when I read this it's totally understandable and good things come to Collaborators who wait!!!

Here is the link where Jamie explains about Album Three!

http://www.thegayuk.com/collabro-will-take-time-album-three/

#ActTwo Tour Reviews

So I thought it would be a good idea to start putting links to the reviews of Collabro's Act Two Tour in one place!  Here are the links!!  It's always great to read good stories about the boys!!

Review in Ipswich Star http://ipswichstar.co.uk/1.4441758

Harrogate Review
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/features/letters/14326403.Fantastic_night_watching_Collabro_in_Harrogate/

Shields Gazette Review
http://www.shieldsgazette.com/what-s-on/gigs-music/review-collabro-act-two-tour-the-sage-gateshead-1-7795970

Nottingham Royal Concert Hall Review
http://www.nottinghampost.com/Collabro-Nottingham-s-Royal-Concert-Hall-Review/story-28935116-detail/story.html

I will be adding more as I see them!!

Review of @Collabro Southend Cliffs Pavilion

This is a lovely review of the Act Two show at the Cliffs Pavilion in Southend!

One of their now famous Tour Selfies!

Here's the link!
http://mytownsouthendtheatre.weebly.com/collabro---act-two-tour-review.html

Michael Auger @Collabro Tour is Fun, Theatrical & Musical!

Here is an interview with Michael Auger where he chats about the Act Two Tour!!!



http://www.thelowdownmagazine.com/Interview_Collabro-13382.html

@Collabro Harrogate Article

This is a lovely little article from someone who went to see Collabro in Harrogate, there are also links to other articles on this page too!!

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/features/letters/14326403.Fantastic_night_watching_Collabro_in_Harrogate/

@Collabro chat - Partying Too Loud plus Tom and Matt's Fidgeting War! BBC Radio

This an interview with BBC Radio Manchester Becky want prior to their show at the Bridgewater Hall venue!

The Selfie from Bridgewater Hall

Here is a transcript as it's only available on iPlayer for 30 days!

Its 1 hr 35 mins into the show.

http://bbc.in/1TKZqlV

It starts with host Becky Want introducing them;

BW: Here they are, it says on my script that they are the operatic boys who got to the Britain's Got Talent final after being together for only a month and went on to win!  Of course I am talking about Collabro, that was back in 2014 and here they are, Michael, Richard, Jamie, Matt and Tom.

Collabro:  All say hello!

BW: Would you agree with that? Operatic boys?

RH: More of a musical theatre boy band really, more of a West End, Broadway kind of sound.

MA: Because we're sort of starting a new trend no one really knows what box to put us in, so we're just trying to break all the rules with you know from opera to pop to swing to everything! It's kinda fun isn't it, breaking all the rules!

JL: Breaking the rules!

MA: Everyone thinks I'm Hermione Granger from Harry potter

JL: He is Hermione Granger!

MP: With a weird voice!

They all laugh

BW: We've been talking to you Jamie because Luis Triano from the Great British Bake Off has just been here and you follow him on Twitter he said, have you met him yet?

JL: Yeah I've just met him outside...I'm waiting for a Bakewell Tart!

RH: (Laughs)

MA: You have to give in to us now, you said it on air, it can't be taken back!

(Luis was a guest earlier on the show!)

BW: OK...I will let you have one of Luis' or maybe more than one Bakewell Tarts! (they all laugh)

Oh surely you can't be eating Bakewell Tart before you're about to go on stage at the Bridgewater Hall tonight...can you?

JL: Some of the boys have crazy metabolisms, Tom especially just has to go the gym to put weight on!

TR: I'm sorry

JL: Which I find like borderline offensive because my metabolism left me when I was about 25!

RH: He's been slowly disappearing, his trousers are getting smaller and smaller.

TR: I've literally...we had a fitting before the tour and since then I haven't been gyming and I've lost weight so I had to get, not a whole new wardrobe but...I'm gonna stop talking because everyone is staring at me really evilly like daggers...

BW: Yea no ones ever got any sympathy with the poor person who can't put on weight!

RH: Yea exactly

BW: You're on a real loser there I'm afraid!  So hows it all been going?

MA: It's been amazing I think we've done four shows now and they've all been completely sold out which is insane!

JL: We're at Bridgewater Hall tonight abd we've just release some tickets, out PA we've taken it off the floor so we've got more tickets.

MA: Oh we've opened up more seats?

JL: Yeah, we've opened up more seats so...

BW: Jamie when you said we've taken our PA off the floor I thought you meant your Personal Assisant

JL: No our PA system...(laughs)

BW: So there's more seats at the front?

JL: I don't know if they have shuffled things around but there's definitely some great seats just opened up so...

BW: You've played the Bridgewater Hall before...

RH: Yeah with Jason Manford, Christmas Show 

MP: It was, it was lovely and Santa

BW: That is an amazing venue.

RH: Yeah it was really nice and obviously last year we did the Lowry and this year we are doing the Bridgewater Hall and it's just going to be fantastic to do two completely different venues either side of Manchester.

BW: Are you all getting on as well as ever or is that all just a big pretend.

MP: We are but occasionally Tom annoys me because he just sits there and he just like taps and it really annoys me! 

TR: Or a leg goes or I move a chair or I swivel...

RH: Fidgety things really annoy you don't they

MP: It does which is ironic because I fidget 

JL: He's very fidgety...

BW: Which is why Tom is svelte like because he is fiddling the whole time and twitching all the time...

TR: There you go...

BW: Burning up energy all the time

MA: It's funny, we share a tour van, we're actually in Simon Cowell's first ever tour van and he's actually replaced the seats with first class cabin seats from an aeroplane, so we can now recline...

JL: As you do...

MA: You know...we just chill out

BW: Tell us more about that...that's really cool

MA:  It's a plain black van from the outside so no one really suspects anything, then you walk in and there's all these like seat recliners, you've got tables, drinks holders, xbox, ipads, everything

JL: At the back there's a fridge with wine

BW: If it was Simon Cowell's first one how long ago was that then?

They all laugh and agree they shouldn't say!

BW: If he had that years ago then what an earth has he got now!

JL: I don't think he even travels by car any more 

BW: Oh doesn't he.

JL: I think he's probably got like a space copter

MP: Like a teleport

BW: Are you friends with him would you say.

JL: We haven't really seen much of him recently because he's obviously been really busy with a baby 

MA: We couldn't go to the Brits because we were on tour.

JL: We were on tour but then we saw him actually recently at the Syco party at Kensington Palace...but we had to turn the music down as we were disturbing the baby...Wills and Kate were in residence...we got told off! 

BW: That's so funny...all these experiences its amazing 

JL: Just drop that one in there...

BW: But impressive I must say!  If you're gonna get told off why not be from them!

We've got loads more to talk about...I'm going to play 'I dreamed a dream' from you the Collabro boys!

I love this song and yet again feel emotional at the overwhelmingly beautiful Collabro sound!!

BW: Lovely. lovely stuff, we've got the Collabro boys with us here and that was them singing 'I Dreamed a Dream', Michael, Richard, Jamie, Matt and Tom and tell me about that song actually.

MA: So recently we went to Japan, its sort of a home from home for us, they actually wanted us to sing in Japanese so we learnt I Dreamed a Dream in Japanese and we've actually recorded a track and a music video over there with us singing I Dreamed a Dream in Japanese.

JL: And released it

TR: Which Michael is going to demonstrate for you now!

(they laugh)

MA: I'll do the first line for you now... (he sings in Japanese) 

JL: And actually then what they were really impressed with was the fact that we performed it live because most artists just learn it by phonetics and then just never sing it live...but we actually performed it live on our Japanese tour and what's really nice its we've just won a Japanese Gold Disc Award for the top three international artists which is along side Sam Smith and Megan Trainer which is really really cool!

TR: We were actually number one..

MA: We thought we were equal but actually it was one, two and three on the list and we were number one and we were just like we've beaten Sam Smith...he's just won an Oscar

BW: Yeah man of the moment! It is it's amazing...that was fabulous you singing there in Japanese Michael not that I could say oh you got it wrong there...

RH: Exactly

BW: You could sing anything but I'm sure it was ok.  Can I also say Jamie, well all of you, apart from Richard have tried the blueberry Bakewell Tart courtesy of Luis Triano who will be listening to hear the verdict.

JL: Delicious...thank you Luis, it was absolutely fab...Bakewell Tart is actually one of my favourites.

MA: Need to try and make some for the rest of us now.

RH: I'm gonna have to catch Luis on a cheat day I think!

BW: Are you on a diet?

RH: I'm just trying to be good

BW: Are you?

JL: It's so easy on tour isn't it just to eat crap

RH: It really is...people bring you huge like Millies Cookies and Toblerone...

MA: I like the fact that we're all trying to eat healthy and we've all given in accept for Richard.

JL: Although Rich did have to have some of that cookie...that was a naughty night

BW: You talk about...people bring you things...I've had loads and loads of Tweets, I knew we would from your fantastically loyal fans 

MA: Collaborators!

BW: Yes Collaborators, I always remember that actually it was you Richard who when you won Britain's Got Talent said thank you to our Collaborators

RH: Yeah

BW: It was you...

RH: Yeah 

BW: I can see you saying that now and here you are as you say at the Bridgewater Hall tonight, it's a sell out although some tickets have just been released but, here they all still are, following you and loving you.

JL: It's sort of turned from a fan base into a bit of a family actually.  It's gone from this really dedicated fan base to these people, they've got their own page on Facebook, the Collaborators page which is a group that they all kind of like from all over the world have celebrations every week of things like Collabro day or...

RH: Michael Monday...

JL: Michael Monday and things and they all open champagne at the same time...it's incredible...they are so cool.

MA: Recently we just did Harrogate and then Blackburn and we saw about ten or twenty people who came to Harrogate and then travelled to Blackburn the next night and paid for a hotel room and everything and booked new tickets so that they could see us again because they were like you're not coming up North again, they just want to come and see us over and over which is great!

BW: No wander you've always got a big smile on your face

MA: Always.

BW: When you think about that though..

MA: We're so lucky...

BW: You're lucky but, there's pressure you know you can't have an off night can you because what if they have travelled all that way and you're certainly not going to be having an off night tonight at the Bridgewater Hall.

RH: Hopefully not, we've just had a day off so hopefully we'll be in fine voice.

JL: Well last year Richard and I were really, really sick and the other boys took our solos, that was Oxford I think and we actually could have cancelled, if one member is sick it's actually really difficult to cover that, I mean we really were ill and we just thought you know what these people have bought tickets to come and see us and we'd feel awful wouldn't we if we didn't go on stage.

RH: Yeah completely.

BW: Just lots and lots of people Tweeting so I'll just say for example Lucy saying listening now, loving it...

MA: Is it Lucy Bailey?

BW: It is...

MA: Oh we know Lucy, she does loads of edits for us like picture edits of they screen shot a live performance she'll put a quote next to it like ....

BW: Aww...well done you for knowing her surname

JL: It's a family

BW: Now Act Two is the current album that's out now...have a great time tonight...are you going to give us a quick burst of something?

MP: We should do a little bit of 'All I Want' 

The boys sing A Capella and it's wonderful as always!!  

This is where the interview ends!!!