Two unforgettable nights at the Kenton raise £38,000 for Parkinson’s UK

Mike Hurst’s farewell concerts brought music legends, family and friends together on the Kenton stage for an extraordinary celebration of a six-decade career.

The Kenton Theatre played host to two remarkable nights of music, memories and friendship as legendary record producer and musician Mike Hurst brought his farewell shows to Henley, raising a combined £38,000 for Parkinson’s UK.

Across two sold-out performances, Mike was joined on the Kenton stage by an extraordinary line-up of friends and collaborators from a career spanning more than 60 years, including Sir Tim Rice, Mike d’Abo, Chris Farlowe, Andy Fairweather Low and Yusuf/Cat Stevens.

For an intimate 240-seat theatre in Henley-on-Thames, it was quite a weekend.

Mike, who lives locally in Bix Bottom, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2022. The concerts coincided with his 84th birthday and marked the culmination of a series of performances at the Kenton over the past three years.

But these were much more than farewell concerts.

They became a celebration of a remarkable life in music, of friendships stretching back decades and of the special connection between Mike, his family, Henley and the Kenton.

Mike was joined by his daughter Amelia, sons Jonas and Michael, and a host of musicians and friends. Musical direction came from Michael Gosley, while Mike’s daughter Muffin, who runs the Kenton’s Saturday youth classes, also took part.

The setlist travelled through Mike’s extraordinary career, including Under the Moon of Love, I Love My Dog and Handbags and Gladrags, alongside songs and stories from more than six decades in the music industry.

Mike’s career began as a member of The Springfields before he became one of Britain’s notable record producers, working with artists including Cat Stevens and Manfred Mann and producing a string of hit records.

Yet for his final concerts, he chose the Kenton.

Speaking afterwards, Mike described the weekend as being “like a dream” and said the audience had been “fantastic”.

The feeling was clearly mutual.

The concerts prompted an outpouring of affection in the Henley Standard, with audience members writing to the paper to describe the performances.

One called the evening “a night my sister and I won’t forget”, while another wrote:

“Where else on the planet will you find a concert like this in a modest if affluent town?”

Perhaps the loveliest request of all was simply:

“Please, please more of this next year.”

For the Kenton, the weekend was also a reminder of what makes a small independent theatre capable of creating very big moments.

Lottie Pheasant, Theatre Manager at the Kenton Theatre, said:

“There was something incredibly special about these two nights. To have Mike surrounded by his family, lifelong friends and some extraordinary names from British music, all together on our stage, was a real privilege.

“The Kenton may be small, but weekends like this show exactly what a theatre at the heart of its community can do. Two sold-out houses, an incredible £38,000 raised for Parkinson’s UK and memories that will stay with all of us for a very long time.

“We are enormously grateful to Mike for choosing the Kenton as the place to bring this chapter of his extraordinary career to a close.”

The concerts have particular poignancy because Mike has spoken openly about living with Parkinson’s. Rather than stepping quietly away from performing, he used his farewell shows to raise money for the charity supporting people affected by the condition.

And although Mike has called time on performing, he isn’t disappearing from music altogether. He told the Henley Standard that his next project is a documentary and said he intends to continue writing and working on Parkinson’s fundraising.

After six decades in music, two packed houses in Henley provided a fitting final curtain.

£38,000 raised. Two sold-out nights. One tiny historic theatre. And a weekend the Kenton won’t forget.