The Heaviest of Swells - Volume II

Covering the years 1871–1876, Volume II of The Heaviest of Swells picks up Leybourne’s life-story after the sudden announcement that he would be departing for America..

In five years full of incident, Beeching delves deeper into Leybourne’s attempted new ventures; as an actor; on a long tour of one-night stands with a classical actor and his unwise forays into management. .

As Leybourne continues his exhausting rounds of the Halls through bouts of illness, and his need to create new songs for the edification of his fans, Leybourne becomes the centre of attention in a scandalous court case.

By unravelling forgotten slang terms and dissecting these songs and their covers in detail, Beeching in his unique and entertaining style brings their relevance of the Victorian period and today into sharp focus..

The Heaviest of Swells - Volume I was shortlisted for the STR Theatre Book Prize 2011.