The voices Joni Mitchell inspired are coming to the Minack

Some songs outlive the person who wrote them, carried forward by everyone they touched along the way. On September 29th, a clifftop stage above Porthcurno will hold a whole evening of them. The Songs of Joni Mitchell arrives at the Minack Theatre, a show built entirely around the woman whose writing keeps finding its way into other people’s voices.

Two singers, and the songs they keep coming back to

At the centre of it are Jesca Hoop and Lail Arad, both acclaimed singer-songwriters in their own right, both drawn back again and again to the same catalogue. At the Minack they will perform intimate interpretations of their favourite Joni Mitchell songs, joined on the night by very special guests Naima Bock and pianist Richard Sears.

The line-up shifts from show to show, and that is part of the appeal. Previous guests have included Kate Stables of This Is The Kit, Vashti Bunyan, poet Simon Armitage, Lisa Hannigan, Gail Ann Dorsey, Rachel Sermanni, Jackie Kay and Sam Amidon. Each one brings a different reading of a Joni song to the stage, so no two nights land quite the same way.

From a birthday tribute to a touring show

The show was originally conceived and curated by Lail Arad to mark Joni Mitchell’s 80th birthday. Get In Her Ears called it “a perfect celebration of Joni Mitchell”, packed with “heartfelt and intricate performances”. What began as a one-off tribute has since grown into something with real momentum.

A few months before Lail’s show first ran, Jesca Hoop had presented Legend: The Joni Mitchell Story, the award-winning six-part BBC Radio documentary and podcast about Joni’s life. That grounding in the detail of who Joni Mitchell is, and how she wrote, feeds straight into the way the songs are handled on stage.

The project has a recording to its name too. Ahead of their last tour, Jesca, Lail and Kate Stables released a companion EP on Small Matter Records, The Songs Of Joni Mitchell Vol. 1. Four treasured Joni songs, recorded up close, offering a hint of what the live show does with them.

A debut that turned into something bigger

The show first drew notice with a debut at London’s Roundhouse, followed by sold-out tours, rave reviews, and a film of their Paris show that now plays on Arte TV. Cerys Matthews called it “such a stand-out show”. Clash Magazine described “a spectacular multi-artist re-casting of Joni Mitchell’s work”. Ann Powers of NPR singled out their version of “Raised on Robbery” as “cool fire”.

Zoe Ball put her finger on what happens when the voices meet. “Their voices individually are just perfection. You could hear a pin drop. And then the three part harmonies when they sang together, where just exquisite.” The Arts Desk called it “a stellar line up of artists” reimagining “Mitchell’s most magnificent works”, and Far Out Magazine settled on “a gorgeous roving tribute”.

Booking

The Songs of Joni Mitchell runs at the Minack Theatre in Porthcurno on September 29th at 7pm, and lasts around an hour and a half with no interval. Tickets are priced from £12 to £48, available through the Minack Theatre website or from the box office on 01736 810181, open daily from 10am to 4pm.

“Absolutely fantastic,” said John Kennedy of Radio X. “What a combination of voices. So, so good.”