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Download a flyer
Should need to print a copy of this months listings, you can download a copy of our regular flyer by clicking the PDF icon. |
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These days artists and bands tend to book their tours months in advance. In order to give you the best notice of up and coming shows we list events once they have been confirmed by the band or their management
The downside of this is that dates can change due to unforeseen circumstances, sometimes at very short notice.
We do our best to ensure that this site is kept as up to date as is possible, with updates happening at least once a week.
Therefore to avoid disappointment we recommend that you check these listing prior to setting out for your show especially if you are traveling any distance.
A guide for Artists and Promoters
The quickest way to get yourself included in our listings is to send an email to rideout at stayfree.co.uk once your gig is confirmed.
We also need you to do the following -
Put the name of the artist or band name along with the date of your show in the email subject line.
Attach a reasonable sized photograph. A 72dpi, jpeg, bigger than 200x200 pixels would be fine. Please don't email files over 1mb in size. If in doubt please drop us a line before sending. Let us have your web address so we can link to your site or Myspace page.
Send us some text. Whilst we are happy to tidy up spelling or grammar, we don't have the time to write or edit copy for you. Ideally we need a nice concise 'blurb' of between 75-100 words. Please don't send a three page biography, or else we are likely to bounce it back to you. If you have a selection of press quotes send what you have as we can usually easily compile something from them. There are plenty of examples of the sort of thing we need here on the site to help you out.
Please note - If you have played at The Musician before and we have text on file, we will continue to use use it for any subsequent listings unless you supply new copy.
If you spot any errors please send an email to derek at indiecentral.co.uk.
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Coming to The Musician in October |
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Kris Dollimore has played with many international bands and artists including The Godfathers, The Damned, Dee Dee Ramone and Johnny Thunders. He’s also a member of Del Amitri. As a solo artist Kris has toured the length and breadth of the UK & Europe, has released three critically acclaimed solo albums to date and will release a widely anticipated new album in 2014.
Whilst Kris is known for his blues playing, his work is admired not only by blues fans, but also fans of acoustic and folk music. Kris’s has chosen a field where his playing is at its most exposed. A man, a guitar and a voice.
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The Willows are a folk roots family band from Cambridge. Regularly compared to the likes of Alison Krauss & Union Station and Laura Marling, their musical style pulls influence from both Americana and UK Folk traditions. Fronted by the stunningly distinctive voice of Jade Rhiannon, supported by rich vocal harmonies and sensitive acoustic musicianship, The Willows have a distinctively refreshing sound that continues to captivate and inspire audiences everywhere they go.
Formed in spring 2010, the band have spent their formative years plying their trade in numerous folk and acoustic clubs all over the UK, supporting the likes of LAU, Uiscedwr, Rory McLeod, Peatbog Faeries and Lucy Ward along the way. Performances at the likes of Cambridge Folk Festival, Folk By The Oak, FolkEast and Secret Garden Party have followed, helping build a reputation as a compelling festival band.
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David Bowie; a living legend for his timeless music and incarnations as Ziggy Stardust, The Thin White Duke and so on. Hear the songs and experience the theatre recreated live onstage through the personae of Paul Henderson and Aladdinsane, the greatest David Bowie tribute in the UK and beyond!
In the words of gig goers across the UK, “Paul’s vocals and theatrical movements reflect Bowie’s with disturbing accuracy”. Whether portraying the 70’s era Ziggy Stardust, the Thin White Duke or Bowie’s 80’s/90’s songs in this totally live show, many who have seen this performance simply called it “spot on”.
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Jim Burns first poems appeared in 1962 and he has continued to be an active voice in his poems, stories, reviews and articles about beats, bohemia and jazz. He edited Move (1964-1968) and Plantar (1976-1983). His articles continue to appear in magazines such as 'Beat Scene'. Adrian Manning is a poet from Leicester. He is also editor of Concrete Meat Press. Michael Curran is a poet and publisher from London. His Tangerine Press has published books by Billy Childish and William Wantling.
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Since arriving on the tribute scene as "Slyde Alive", Slade UK have left fans open mouthed with the accuracy of their show. Once thought impossible, Slade UK recreate the experience of a real Slade show with all the power of the original band. Once seen, never forgotten. Relive a time when Noddy and the lads were the best live rock & roll band in the world.
Highlights so far - being chosen to open for the legendary Roy Wood of Wizzard on his 2013 Christmas tour, appearing on the main stage of Tribfest 2014, meeting Don Powell and finding out Mr Noddy Holder himself approves.
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There's a phenomenal buzz surrounding Matt Andersen. With his jaw-dropping talent, commanding presence and passionate delivery, he enthrals audiences around the globe, often to the point of eliciting spontaneous mid-set standing ovations.
Raised in the blue collar community of Perth-Andover, New Brunswick, Andersen learned early the value of hard work and determination, and has carried those lessons over into his impressive music career, playing more than 200 shows in 2012, in the process building a mushrooming worldwide fan base.
“Canada's greatest guitarist made one acoustic guitar sound like a fully staffed band. Outrageous skill and contagious joy”
“A gust of fresh air on the blues and folk scene”
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Red Sky July are husband and wife duo Ally McErlaine (guitarist in 15 million-selling band Texas) and Shelly Poole (previously one half of million-selling duo Alisha’s Attic) along with former model Charity Hair (The Alice Band and latterly The Ailerons, with Blur’s Dave Rowntree).
Red Sky July came together to make music they love without boundaries or expectations. It was set to be a ‘soul food’ side project, however one day a week soon became seven and a group of songs with a hazy, alt country, americana inflected sound soon found their way into shaping and becoming a whole new venture.
The band have enjoyed support slots on tour with the likes of Deacon Blue and James Walsh (Starsailor). With fantastic reviews rolling in, the band were invited to appear as special guests of Jools Holland as part of his 2013 UK Summer Tour and made such an impression that they were invited back to perform at his sold out performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
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Gulp is Guto Pryce (Super Furry Animals) and Lindsey Leven, with Gid Goundrey providing guitar and Gwion Llewelyn (Race Horses) on drums. Fuzzed-up bass, dream-folk vocals, acoustic and electronic drums and synths…their cinematic and ethereal sound is a musical manifestation of the road trip; the landscape and events along the way, filmic scenes and melodies – from the sun-squinting, flickering saturation and lens flare of the Californian desert to the gloamin of rural Scottish and Welsh homescapes.
June 2012 saw the release of their debut single, Game Love, which received a 5* review from Artrocker magazine and pick of the week in The Guardian Guide.
In late 2012 Gulp toured the UK and Ireland supporting Django Django and also contributed to the Django’s Hi Djinx! remix LP with a cover version of 'Hand of Man'.
A second single ‘Play’ was released July 2013 and debut LP ‘Season Sun’ will be released in July 2014.
“It’s an amalgam of 21st-century electronic squiggles and vintage airy psych-folk, as contemporary as video games and as old as the hills”
Maia, formed in Autumn 2009, are a four-piece alternative, acoustic band from Huddersfield, playing all sorts of disco, sci-fi, folk-pop on ukulele, cajon, trumpet, banjo, mandolin or whatever else is lying around.
“Much more than just another accoustic folk band, Maia are cut from a different cloth. Sounding like a harder brasher Mumford & Sons fused with Wild Beasts… i.e. pretty fucking fantastic. My new favourite band.”
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“F***ing amazing! I loved his playing… I really loved his playing!” - Jeff Beck
“A really great player!” - Gary Moore
“This is a young man to look out for as he is no doubt a rising talent and should be supported when he comes to a local venue.” - Blues Matters Magazine
When you hear comments such as the above from some of the worlds’ greatest guitar players and one of the leading UK roots magazines you just know they have heard something very special. Twenty-five year old Ben Poole is currently being described as the most exciting young blues guitarist to come out of the UK for a long, long time.
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John Otway and Wild Willy Barrett are a slightly anarchic folk rock combo, merging humour, sentimentality, storytelling and fierce musicianship into a great show. Otway’s vocals and somewhat manic stage antics are combined with Wild Willy’s guitar/fiddle playing.
The duo are probably best known for “Really Free”, “Beware of the Flowers (Cos I am sure they’re going to get you, Yeh)”, “Racing Cars” and “Louisa On A Horse” dating from 1977-78. |
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Norman Watt-Roy is one of the most admired bass guitarists playing today. His work over the last four decades with talents as diverse as Ian Dury & The Blockheads, Wilko Johnson, The Clash and Nick Cave demonstrates the sheer range of his talents. Moving effortlessly between musical genres: from R&B to Jazz Fusion, Bebop to Dance, Norman brings a special rhythmic interpretation to all his work. He is after all responsible for the memorable riffs behind such pop hits as Relax by Frankie Goes To Hollywood and Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick by the Blockheads.
On this latest tour he is joined by some worthy jazz musicians—among them friends Gilad Atzmon, Asaf Sirkis and Frank Harrison, performing their favourite songs along with tracks from Norman’s recent album Faith & Grace. A collection of original jazz-influenced compositions and new interpretations of classic hits like Wilko’s Roxette and Dury’s Billericay Dickie, Faith & Grace has been acclaimed by one critic as, “an impressive artistic statement” (Ian ‘Jazz’ Mann). The tour promises to be of a similar standard and is not to be missed.
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Miss 600 are a UK duo who produce a 'pop with a jazz twist' sound. David Amar is a multi-instrumentalist who has been playing since he was a small child and beauty Hannah Garner had just formed a YouTube channel onto which she loaded tracks of herself singing acappella renditions of various covers into a web cam. So well received were these that not only had hundreds of thousands of fans viewed them but four thousand subscribed to the channel.
Their debut singles 'Twist' and 'Typically Me' received massive exposure whilst making the Radio 2 A-List and live performances on 'Dancing With The Stars' and Sir Terry Wogan's Radio 2 show have further enhanced their growing reputation. In May 2013, Miss 600 performed at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall for their biggest live performance to date.
Kristyna Myles is no stranger to the big stage and a songstress whose currency is rapidly increasing, thanks to the success of two highly acclaimed singles, prior to the release of her debut album ‘Pinch Me Quick’, recorded with Grammy award winning producer Ken Nelson (Coldplay, Paolo Nutini).
Discovered playing the streets of Manchester, Kristyna went on to win BBC Radio 5 Live’s Busker of the Year competition and artists she has opened for include Will Young, Lisa Stansfield, The Wanted, Mick Hucknall, Nile Rogers and Chic. Other career highlights include appearing live at SXSW in the US and touring Europe with Chris De Burgh.
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scottmatthewmusic.co.uk
Hailing from Wolverhampton, Ivor Novello award-winning singer-songwriter Scott Matthews started 2014 with a brand new self-produced album entitled 'Home Part 1', which was released early in March. It marked his fourth studio album since the release of his debut 'Passing Stranger' in 2006.
Scott's musical past has seen him experiment with funk, indie, rock and soul, but his solo career has seen him take a more focused route towards folk and blues, indeed drawing comparisons to the likes of American songwriter Jeff Buckley.
Scott has not only embarked on a number of sell-out headline tours, but has also been fortunate enough to tour with some of the world's most respected artists, including the Foo Fighters, Snow Patrol, Rufus Wainwright, Tori Amos and Robert Plant.
“The most promising home-grown singer/songwriter to emerge in years”
“Lovingly nurtured, matured-in-the-cask wisdom and honeyed melancholia”
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Some of the world's finest, most provocative, most lyrical and poetic music came out of the melting pot that was Greenwich Village, New York in the 1960s. Artists such as Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, and Joan Baez cut their teeth in the folk clubs and bars during that time.
Positively Fourth Street is a multimedia show that celebrates all of these artists and many more. With footage from the time, stories around the songs, as well as the songs themselves, this is a trip back to a time when music was in the cafes, and revolution was in the air.
Ben Bowden is a seasoned performer who has played all over Europe in various bands and groups. He currently plays Paul Simon in the touring show, The Sounds of Simon. He has a deep interest in music from the early 60s, especially Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, and Phil Ochs.
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erlandandthecarnival.com
thejohnsteelsingers.com
When unassuming young Orkney music-maker Erland Cooper picked up his guitar and travelled the length of the country to play a show in London’s Notting Hill, little did he know that a chance encounter with musical veteran Simon Tong (The Verve, The Good The Bad & The Queen, and Gorillaz) would be the start of a unique songwriting friendship. Together they formed Erland & The Carnival and now, nearly a decade later, arrives Closing Time - the band’s third, most accomplished album yet.
Opening a new chapter, Closing Time is an understated, inward looking collection of songs that feature stunning string arrangements and Erland’s impassioned vocals at centre stage.
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Following recent support dates with Jack White and a headline slot on the BBC Introducing stage at T In The Park, The Amazing Snakeheads have announced a full UK tour for October 2014, including their biggest London show to date at The Electric Ballroom on the 23rd.
he band's debut album, Amphetamine Ballads, which saw its UK release in April, was featured on Pitchfork as their Advance Stream last week to coincide with the US release of the album. A monument to the redemptive powers of rock 'n' roll - full of rage, romance and dark humour - Amphetamine Ballads is an uncompromising, astonishingly visceral record.
“It's been a long time since going to a gig was a visceral, unpredictable experience. [The Amazing Snakeheads are] one of Britain's most exciting new bands”
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Band of Friends consists of musicians who played with Rory Gallagher throughout his career. Gerry McAvoy (bass) played with Rory for 20 years; from 1971 to 1991 and because of this has a great insight into the man and his music. Gerry played on every album Rory ever made. Ted McKenna (drums) played with Rory from 1977 to 1981. Marcel Scherpenzeel (guitar) grew up with Rory's music and Gerry is quoted as saying "This is the closest guitarist to Rory you will ever hear".
Rory's music reached a massive audience from Norway to Spain, from Japan to the USA. Sadly we lost Rory on 14th June 1995, and to his devoted fans and followers this was the ultimate tragedy. The Band Of Friends is not a tribute to Rory, more a celebration of his life and music.
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Live, Mick Pini is simply brilliant - but why take our word for it; Eric Clapton called him the “legitimate successor to Peter Green”, while Mick Vernon described him as “ having the energy and attack that made Freddie King one of the greats. There are too few great guitarists working the European scene. Sure there are many good ones, but only a few have the potential to make a mark in a way Peter Green did many years ago.” Perhaps the most telling tribute is the fact that when Mick is in town, Mick Double, Eric Clapton’s manager can regularly be found at the back of the room, quietly enjoying Mick’s set.
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Luke Daniels, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, has forged a reputation over the past two decades as one of the British folk scene’s most respected musicians. Both as front man, on a remarkable series of albums in his own right, and as an in demand melodeon player for the likes of Ian Anderson, De Dannan, Riverdance and as a regular in The Cara Dillon band.
Over the course of a twenty-year career Daniels has performed at The London Jazz Festival, The Royal Festival Hall and festivals in the UK and internationally. Luke also worked alongside Howard Shore and The London Philharmonic Orchestra as a soloist on the movie soundtracks for Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
“Intense, poetical and oft dark yet recounted through pleasing melodies. A rich tapestry has been woven into the songs; like a thoughtful unpicking and re-stitching of life’s journey." - R2 Magazine
"Exceptional writing"
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The Howlin’ Brothers are a three-piece string band that brings heart and passion into every performance. Their upbeat shows are heavy with original and traditional music, featuring the sounds of slide banjo, harmonica and old-time fiddle.
More American Beauty-era Dead than picking-and-grinning Scruggs redux, the Brothers steer the current fascination with string-band hominess back toward rock music. The complexity created by having three lead voices puts them on a continuum with the Band, as well.
And yet the Howlin’ Brothers - whose new album Trouble is out on producer Brendan Benson’s Readymade Records – sound like nothing so much as themselves, no small feat anymore. Credit their trio of composers, each of whom sings his own lyrics. That gives Trouble a thrilling episodic variety.
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The Old Dance School's expansive landscapes of ear-bending contemporary folk place them as true innovators of the genre. Duelling fiddles, soaring brass crescendos, and irresistible grooves, their live show charts their remarkable journey from ballet school basement jam sessions and cowshed rehearsals, to remote lighthouses, to headline appearances at international festivals.
The seven members of The Old Dance School may seem fresh faced, but don't let them fool you, the diversity and scale of each one's musical journey is quite remarkable. From international jazz festivals to European opera tours, film score commissions to classical recitals, green festivals to tattoo conventions, members of The Old Dance School have performed, recorded and toured with artists such as Martha Wainwright, Cerys Matthews, Graham Coxon, Zoe Rahman, Michael McGoldrick, Neil Yates, Jim Perrin, The Destroyers, Kevin Dempsey, and Chris While.
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A great night of alternative rock at The Musician, featuring three fantastic and distinctive acts.
one4six2 is a musician, cartoonist and writer from the sticks of Leicestershire with his cardboard band.
Mammoth are a two-piece bass and drum rock machine.
Article are a five-piece dual-vocal rock band with more influences than you can shake a stick at.
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The Watch are a 5-piece band from Milan. Their music is inspired by the classic style prog of the 70’s and in particular, by the music of Gabriel-era Genesis. The band have 4 albums under their belt featuring their own material, but since 2009 have been producing stunning stage shows focused around Genesis albums with the aim of blending these classic records with music of their own. The Watch, so incredibly authentic in what they are recreating, are endorsed by none other than Steve Hackett.
Tonight they will perform the classic Genesis double album ‘The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway’ in it’s entirety.
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Nell Bryden sings from the heart and shoots from the hip. The songstress from Brooklyn has the urban lifestyle in her blood, the country/folk spirit of Americana in her soul, and the great American songbook in her head.
Love and loss are the fuel that lights her songwriting fire. Rhythm and melody come as naturally to her as a morning latte in a Greenwich Village café. And a well-travelled journey through life provides a rich seam of experience to mine.
A native New Yorker with a fondness for old-time music and vintage clothes, she's seen the world and absorbed its musical influences: country and jazz, blues and soul, and more besides. You can hear as much of it – or as little – as you care to find in her music. Because, for all its familiar scents and flavours, her songs are distinctly her own.
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Jon Allen has a voice you don’t forget. Just ask Jools Holland, who demanded Jon appear on “Later…” after hearing him on the radio. Or Duffy, who heard his version of “Mercy” and called him in to the studio – only to find that he wasn’t the black soulman she had imagined. Or the millions of viewers of “Homeland” transfixed by his track “Joanna”. Or the BBC producers repeatedly A-listing his songs. Or fans Guy Chambers, or Mark Knopfler, or Jo Whiley, all of whom have been entranced by his trademark mix of catchy tunes and folk- and Sixties-inflected country blues.
In Jon's own words, "If I were to try to describe my music or my sound I would say ‘Green’ (joke). Seriously, I guess I have a soulful, slightly gravely voice and I’m into roots, blues and folk music."
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paulmccluremusic.com
Otis Gibbs is a man in search of an honest experience. He is often referred to as a folk artist, but he’s also a man who has planted over 7,000 trees, slept in hobo jungles, walked with nomadic shepherds in Romania, was a fifth grade yo-yo champion and once wrestled a bear (and lost). Otis has played countless, theatres, festivals, bars and house concerts and has managed to carve out a living while remaining happily independent. He has spent the last fifteen years travelling across America and abroad documenting this world, and has a story to share about each stop along the way. He’ll be featuring tracks from his seventh album, “Souvenirs Of A Misspent Youth”.
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Widely considered one of the best blues guitarists in the world, Kirk Fletcher has commanded the respect and acclaim of critics, peers and fans across the globe. He is a four-time Blues Music Award nominee and has played with a variety of popular artists, including a four-year role as lead guitarist of The Fabulous Thunderbirds. He is also the frontman of his own band, having released three studio albums. A live album and a fourth studio album are currently in the works.
“Kirk is hands-down one of the best blues guitarists in the world.”
“Fletcher favors toothy Strat tones, stinging bends, and flurries of tight, staccato riffs that seem to pop from his fretboard like little firecrackers”
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No matter where they go in the world, people tell the sisters that they've never heard or seen anything like it, that they have a completely unique sound and perform with what seems to be an inexhaustible energy. That's Baskery's aim, to never stop surprising. Baskery is a band built on what three people can do together. The music is not to be confused with country or bluegrass just because the instrumentation involves a double bass, a six string banjo and acoustic guitar.
The trio is not bound to any genre and this is what makes Baskery a little hard to figure out just by listening to their albums. It's all there in the live act, cause it is real. The three sisters can't recall when or why they started playing, the music’s always just been there. "Performing live has become the most natural thing to us". That’s where the high energy level on stage hails from, a pure and reckless love to the art of performing music.
"This is absurdly wonderful... Stockholm sisters turn Americana on its head"
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A live performance of music from The Byrds and Crosby Stills Nash & Young: remarkable music from a remarkable time.
The Marrakesh Express are John Butler, Rick Willson, and Adam Ellis. Together these three great voices deliver a note perfect performance of some of the finest harmony singing in all music. From the early Byrds classics such as Mr Tambourine Man, Turn Turn Turn and 8 Miles High, to the later CSNY songs such as Guinevere, Our House, Ohio and more, the band take the audience back to a time of protest, revolution, dropping out, and making great music.
This is the only show of its kind, and a truly brilliant night’s entertainment .
“The Byrds for me are more important than the Beatles, and David Crosby is the last word in rhythm guitar playing.”
“If there are any better bands than this in Britain today I’d like to hear them.” - The Evening Standard
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"When it comes to unparalleled new local bands, Strangler Figs stands out. These five talented musicians have taken the local music scene by storm, Joe Pickering on vocals, Joel Hanson on double bass, with James Lyons on drums, Freddie Pickering on keys and Rosie May Price doing vocals. Inhabiting the world of anthemic art rock, they make music of exceptional quality and inventiveness. Listening to them play I thought of Elbow and Gogol Bordello for some reason, although Radiohead, The Pixies (which they have been known to cover) Duchamp Pilot (with whom they are associated) and Peter Gabriel might have been more apt. Stylistically they are in a class of their own; their music speaks to you, it’s enchanting, alluring and engaging and quite out of the ordinary, pushing at the boundaries of musical idioms."
Join us for a screamingly good night of music, drinks and fancy dress on Halloween. As well as the haunting Strangler Figs, you can enjoy the ghoulish Stray Bullets and the rabid mystery band Acid Haystack & The Shattered Villain!
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