Coming to The Musician in January 2024

Nashville born and bred singer-songwriter Kevin Montgomery returns to The Musician in Leicester for an evening of music and hopefully some laughs. The legendary Jude Johnstone will join as the opener.

Montgomery’s mom sang with Elvis and Dad wrote songs like “Heartbeat” for Buddy Holly, and was his first musical partner. Montgomery has written songs for Juice Newton,Martina McBride, Beth Neilsen Chapman, and Graham Gouldman of 10cc, and sung on Lee Ann Womack records. He is a hardcore troubodour and completed four 50 States in 50 Days tours.

Jude Johnstone is an American singer-songwriter. Her songs have been covered by Laura Branigan, Trisha Yearwood, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Bette Midler, Johnny Cash, Stevie Nicks, Mary Black, and others. Johnstone wrote the No. 1 song "The Woman Before Me" on Yearwood's debut CD, which also won an award from Broadcast Music Incorporated. In 1997, Johnny Cash won the Country Album of the Year Grammy for American II: Unchained for which Johnstone wrote the title track. She is to Trisha Yearwood what Jimmy Webb was to Glen Campbell.

STEVIE JONES & THE WILDFIRES New Album Soft Release + Guests

STEVIE JONES & THE WILDFIRES
Stevie Jones and The Wildfires are a well-established Northamptonshire based independent 4 piece touching genres as wide as Americana, Prog and Alternative Rock centred around powerful acoustic-based songwriting. At this special event they release their 4th album ‘Getting There’ which again was recorded at Deadline Studios with producer Adam Ellis. It takes them in a slightly new introspective songwriting direction covering romance, heartbreak, anxiety and recovery and includes two covers by The Waterboys and City and Colour. It will be an exclusive chance to hear the new material performed live and get hold of CD copies of the 9 track album which won’t be available for streaming until the autumn.
https://www.facebook.com/steviejonesmusic
www.steviejones.com

GIDDY AUNT
A brand new Northants indie rock outfit featuring ex members of 90s legends Wishplants and Solarise debuting exciting new material.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555745799899

BENN HARTMANN & HARRIET CARTER
Benn Hartmann has been a regular performer on the local music scene for some time. He has written songs for a host of artists as well as establishing a name as a solo artist and has a number of releases now available on Bandcamp, receiving high praise from BBC Radio Leicester. He will be joined at this event by his fiancée Harriet Carter on backing vocals for an original set.
https://bennhartmann1.bandcamp.com/music

CALDER
In his own words “43 year old father who thinks he’s going to be a rock star. It sounds like David Gray and Kelly Jones got drunk in Bon Ivers’ studio and made an album about boyhood dreams”. A formidable local singer songwriter with a host of cracking songs and real life stories. We look forward to him opening the gig.
https://caldersmusic.com

Multimorph, Maureen Anderson's (sax and flute) psychedelic space-rock and poetry outfit featuring Jim Tetlow on cajon, Kevin Hewick on guitar,Harley on Tennor Sax, Daron Bhacstair on bass, Helena McCleod on vocals, Alan Freeman on moog and Alan Flanders on drums.

Review 2019: "This was a solstice experience, a somewhat Druidical expression of the psychedelic seventies, Multimorph poured out colourful showers of sound with their orchestral levels of musicianship."

An afternoon in the wonderful company of Leicester folk roots legend Steve Cartwright.

Stories and songs aplenty, ably accompanied by friends and musicians.

Having supported the likes of Seth Lakeman, Baskery, True Strays. Martin Carthy, Geoff Lakeman, Mishra, Mad Dog McRea, Wille and the Bandits, Rusty Shackle, Kitty Macfarlane and Blair Dunlop and after working alongside Peggy Seeger, Dougie Maclean and Martin Simpson in the past, Barney Kenny is quickly carving out a name for himself as a solo artist across the folk circuits. Having toured the UK solo, with his duo Tamar and also with musical partner Chris Murphy (USA) armed with a 6 string and a Lapsteel slide guitar, Barney Kenny’s music doesn't fall into the normal trappings of 'folk'. Heavily influenced by world music, blues and rock, Barney blends storytelling and acoustic music with his foot-stomping somewhat delta style. He has racked up several thousand views on the Narrowboat Sessions platform and also over social media. His writing crosses many boundaries throughout a live set, from Anglo-Celtic tunes to southern-blues rock to retellings of traditional songs from the transatlantic scene.. His slide playing is ever-exciting to watch whilst his more driving style of guitar playing is the perfect accompaniment to his lyrical narratives. He is currently promoting his new album ‘The Seaton Tapes’ - a live ‘in session’ album

Jonny Mansfield - vibraphone
Will Barry - piano
Will Sach - bass
Luke McCarthy - drums

AWARD WINNING VIBRAPHONIST PRESENTS NEW QUARTET FOLLOWING THE RELEASE OF ‘THE AIR IN FRONT OF YOU’

Kenny Wheeler Jazz Prize winner Jonny Mansfield is critically regarded as one of the UK’s outstanding young jazz talents. Having been nominated for an Ivor Novello Award, a Parliamentary Jazz Award and having been awarded Tebbut Exhibition Award, Richard Turner Award and the Royal Academy of Music’s Principals Prize, Jonny signed to Edition Records to release his debut album ‘Elftet’. His second album ‘The Air in Front of You’, released on Resonant Postcards presents compositions written whilst studying for a masters in Psychology. The album has been met with resounding acclaim from numerous esteemed news outlets. Jazzwise lauds the album's impressive compositional sophistication, stating, "Mansfield’s compositional sophistication is impressive: the chamber writing blends seamlessly into improvised solo passages." The Scotsman highlights Mansfield's exceptional talent in creating a distinctive sonic realm. Additionally, Polish news outlet Laboratorium praises Mansfield's unique approach to composition and improvisation, hailing him as "one of the great British jazz talents.”

There is an underlying shared commitment to create a kaleidoscope of colours that allows for familiar folk-like melodies to guide the listener through extemporaneous soundscapes. Improvisation is at the core of the performances, which is emphasised by the contrasting musical backgrounds between the members in the ensemble.

Sally Barker with Keith Richard Buck

Sally is re-united for this first show of the year by multi- nstrumentalist Keith Richard Buck.
Sally Barker's appearance as Sir Tom Jones' finalist in the Voice UK 2014 belies a long career in music - one that wasn't spent singing pop covers for a light entertainment audience but fashioned in the folk clubs of the British Isles. In a career spanning the best
part of 40 years, English singer/songwriter Sally has released a string of solo albums and been a part of dozens more, notably with fem-folksters The Poozies.
In her time Sally has supported (amongst many others) Bob Dylan, Robert Plant, Jools Holland and Sir Tom himself, worked with inspirational musicians such as averick double bass genius Danny Thompson, country folk-rock guitarist Jerry Donahue, the mercurial
accordionist Karen Tweed and legendary drummer Dave Mattocks. Sally is fresh from a Journey across the States with long-time collaborator Vicki Genfan, writing and recording 'in the wild' at some of America's most remote and windswept places.

Sally is still working on the follow up to her 2017 solo album 'Ghost Girl' and some of these songs are already in her live solo set !

“You have the most beautiful voice that has ever been on this show.” Sir Tom Jones on
The Voice UK

Keith, who cites Paul Kossoff and James Taylor as guitar-playing inspirations, was playing
hookie from school at 14 to tour with rock bands. In his 20s he mastered the pedal steel guitar, mandolin, piano and banjo to continue his musical education with country rock outfits.
Keith joined Sally's band in the 90s, playing on several highly acclaimed albums. Session work in early 2000s led to work with Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash with whom he
remained until 2008 when he accepted an offer to join Talon. Playing the songs of the Eagles, Keith is currently enjoying his 15 th year with the award winning tribute band.

“The emotion and passion in her voice, the vulnerability and fragility of her vocal is an art

that not too many singers can master” Maverick Magazine

website: https://sallybarker.co.uk

Looking for a night of classic rock and heavy metal nostalgia? Look no further than the UK's longest running Ozzy Osbourne tribute band!
For over 20 years, this group of talented musicians has been bringing the music of the Prince of Darkness to audiences across the country. With a setlist that spans Ozzy's entire career - from his early days with Black Sabbath to his solo hits - this tribute band is guaranteed to take you on a trip down memory lane.

So if you're a fan of classic rock and heavy metal, don't miss your chance to see this legendary tribute band live. With their incredible musicianship, high-energy performances and authentic Ozzy vocals, you'll feel like you're front row at a real Ozzy Osbourne concert.

Perfect for those who grew up with Ozzy's music, this tribute band is a must-see for anyone who wants to relive the glory days of classic rock. So gather your friends, dust off your leather jackets, and get ready to rock out to the music of one of the greatest icons in rock history.

Fundraiser for Palestine.

A feast of bands and speakers from local unions and campaigns to raise desperately needed monies for Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and Medical Aid for Palestine.

Raffle and musical wquipment amnesty auction.

If there is one musician who embodies the dynamism and vitality of the current English folk revival, it’s Eliza Carthy MBE.

As the daughter of folk legends Martin Carthy & Norma Waterson, Eliza grew up immersed in the world of traditional music and from an early age was championed by John Peel, Andy Kershaw and Billy Bragg.

Beloved of staunch traditionalists and iconoclasts alike, Eliza’s music effortlessly crosses boundaries of genre and style. Whether solo or fronting a big band, performing a centuries-old ballad or a self-written song, her powerful, nuanced voice, fiercely beautiful fiddle-playing, and mesmerizing performances have influenced a whole generation of young musicians.

Twice nominated for the Mercury Prize, and winner of innumerable other accolades over her thirty-year career, Eliza has performed and recorded around the world with a diverse array of artists including, Paul Weller, Rufus & Martha Wainwright, Patrick Wolf, and Jarvis Cocker.

Describing herself simply as a modern English musician, she is one of the most impressive, engaging, and important performers of her generation.

‘Unarguably the queen of English Folk’
The Observer

‘Not the Messiah, but a very naughty girl’
Stewart Lee

"The boys are back, Nick, Al and Jimmy return with their unique brand of stompin' North Mississippi Blues, Country and Hillbilly. Tonight they will be playing two sets.

Stompin' Mississippi music from the Soar Delta!

Helpings of Blues, Country, Hillbilly and a large dollop of North Mississippi hill country blues have all combined to fuel this unique toe tappin' sound.


Plus Special Guests

A Night Of Punk And Oi!.

The Glory will be playing an exclusive Clockwork Soldiers set- Never to be repeated!
A Special one off for Stu, who was a Soldier from the start to the end. Never ran. Never cried . This is for him on his 60th Birthday!

Joining us will be special guests:-
The Sentence + The Rankers + Tear Up!

10th Anniversary Celebration
(and charity fundraiser for Dementia UK & Local Homeless Charities)

Dust & Debris, Leicestershire based Americana / Roots band, play an infectious mix of original songs and covers, taking in country, bluegrass and Cajun influences, with a little bit of jump jive. Look out for fiery electric fiddle, banjo, mandolin, electric / acoustic guitars and wailing harmonica, with three lead and harmony vocals.

We aim to entertain, says band leader Les. Our favourite quote from a festival spot - “What a great band to stumble across; heard them from the toilets and came straight in. Glad I caught them from the start - a must see and already planning to see again. Well done guys see you soon”

SBT - Sarabeth Tucek officially broke onto the music scene in 2003, performing a series of spell-binding duets with Bill Callahan on the acclaimed Smog album ‘Supper’. This was swiftly followed by a memorable appearance in the prize-winning Brian Jonestown Massacre documentary ‘DiG!’, and a contribution to the band’s 2005 EP ‘We Are The Radio’.

Sarabeth’s debut single “Something For You” was then released in 2006, becoming Steve Lamacq’s Single Of The Week on BBC 6 Music. Her self-titled debut album hit stores the following year, and the Luther Russell and Ethan Johns-produced LP gained rave reviews in the press, resulting in a support slot with Bob Dylan.

In 2011, Sarabeth followed up the extraordinary debut with a raw, uncompromising album entitled ‘Get Well Soon’. Praised as an unflinching meditation on the subject of grief, the release made many end of year lists and the title track was featured on the first season of HBO’s ‘Girls’.

Alongside the tour this year, Sarabeth Tucek is set to release a new double-album ‘Joan Of All’ under the new moniker SBT — a longtime nickname given to her by the many musicians she has worked with throughout her career. The album was released on 19 May via Ocean Omen and has since scored some of the year's top fifties.

“He’s a F*cking great songwriter” – Sam Fender

“"From first hearing, it has been clear to me that Hector Gannet are a band of exceptional talent." – Tom Robinson BBC 6music

“Hector Gannet is an amazing poetic and musical artist. Watching Hector Gannet it seems he deserves a place at the top table.” Yan - Sea Power

“Top 25 bands that might change your life…” - Louder Than War

MOJO awarded four stars: “Pointedly political, natural-world-advocating folk rock.”

Uncut proclaimed “North Shields’ answer to Crazy Horse

Humble He will be on stage at 7:20pm.

Hector Gannet, from North Shields in Northumbria, are masters of a kind of new, modernist folk music, taking their name from an ill-fated trawler which sank in the North Sea under heroic circumstances in 1967.

Hector Gannet’s musical incarnation began to draw attention when they wrote and performed music to accompany vintage footage of the North East heritage of shipbuilding and fishing as part of a project for the BFI, and a tour supporting Sam Fender soon followed.

Hector Gannet has toured widely since, including support slots with Sea Power, Lanterns on The Lake, Peter Doherty and Kathryn Williams, plus two North American adventures and, more recently selling out Sage Hall Two in Gateshead.

Hector Gannet’s second album, The Land Belongs To Us, was released to acclaim in 2023.

Known as "The Heavy Artillery of Irish Music", six-piece London-Irish band NECK play Psycho-Ceilídh: an exciting, intoxicating blend of authentic, uplifting Traditional Irish music swirl and Clash-inspired electric Punk energy.

Their frontman's ex-Shane MacGowan & The Popes, collaborating also with The Alabama 3, Hayseed Dixie, The Men They Couldn't Hang and The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing.

Releasing three albums, their, seminal, second's very highly rated; consolidating them as both the cutting-edge, and one of the leaders, of Celtic / Folk Punk.

Their Anti-racism single set an historic precedent, charting in the UK via a House of Commons plug!

They appear, performing, in Film 4’s Belfast-set ‘Rom-Dram’ movie ‘With or Without You'. The Irish Cultural Centre honoured their authenticity, musicianship and heart-on-their-sleeves passion with them playing a Traditional Irish music session for the Irish team at the London Paralympics.

Old friends of their US contemporaries The Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly, their famous fans include Johnny Depp!

They've toured extensively, playing a wide range of events, from folk to metal, rocking the bejaysus out of countless parties, gigs and festivals from Moscow to Texas! - taking-in 38 European trips, 9 US ones, 10 Irish, 1 Asian and ranging widely in the UK, from Cornwall to the Shetlands! - including Glastonbury 6 times, Rebellion 10!, Beautiful Days 4, Boomtown 3, Bearded Theory 2, Tantsy (Moscow), SXSW (Texas), Flogging Molly's Salty
Dog cruise (the Caribbean)...and many more...

"For a fantastic night out where the hits just keep coming, enjoy the very best of 'The Beatles'. The top Beatles tribute band in the industry performing live for just one night only. Having been together for the last twelve years playing all over the UK and overseas these boys will take you back to the great days of 'The Sixties". Just listen and watch the show ..... Could it really be them? From The early 'Cavern' days, through 'Beatlemania' then right up to 'Abbey Rd' and back calling at 'Penny Lane' on route this is one 'Magical Mystery Tour' you won't want to miss!

Serena is a British American with over 30 years experience playing the fiddle. Starting out with classical music in elementary school (in the USA) when she was 9, she decided to switch to Irish Folk music after university. She continued studying classical music as well and in the last few years passed the ABRSM grade 8 exam with distinction. Having a background in multiple styles has enabled her to develop a unique way of playing.

She is currently based in Lincolnshire, UK and spends the majority of her time gigging across the UK, Europe, and occasionally in the USA. Serena has also spent many years busking to earn a living and to develop her talent, including in the London Underground. She has used this experience to understand how to develop new music that interests many different people.

Her friends include musicians with decades of experience in multiple genres. Serena Smith & Friends are a lively Celtic Fusion band with fresh musical arrangements which combines traditional fiddle tunes with rock, jazz, dance, and other styles. Recently headlining a folk
festival in the Czech Republic, the band had wonderful feedback and are looking forward to doing more international touring.

'his solo flight swoops and soars with the confidence'
The Irish Times

'Folk Album of the Year'
Mojo Magazine ****

'Human experience burns ferociously on this extraordinary debut from the uncompromising Irish artist John Francis Flynn. An extraordinary debut.'
The Guardian ****

'Double Tin Whistle and Tape-Loops. Revelatory new takes on English and Irish folk songs in the manner of Sam Amidon. A singular and striking clarity of vision…. An extraordinary debut by any standard.'
Uncut Magazine ****

'A distinct and innovative debut.'
Songlines **** Top Ten Album Of The Year

'Immediately evident that he is deserving of the acclaim.'
RnR ****

Award winning singer and multi-instrumentalist John Francis Flynn's new single ‘Mole In The Ground’ has just landed alongside news of his new album Look Over The Wall, See The Sky, to be released via River Lea Recordings on November 10th 2023.

A founding member of the band, Skipper’s Alley, with whom he has toured extensively throughout Europe and America. While supporting Lankum on their 2019 UK tour he caught the eye of Geoff Travis and Jeannette Lee who quickly signed John to Rough Trade imprint label, River Lea. His debut album I Would Not Live Always subsequently won over critics across the board, including being MOJO magazine’s ‘Folk Album Of The Year’ and it led to him being crowned "Best Singer" and "Best Emerging Artist" at the 2021 RTE Folk Awards.

John Francis Flynn’s music evolves around traditional and folk material from Ireland, but that is only the starting point. On the first single from the album ‘Mole In The Ground’, a cover of an American anti-establishment folk song recorded by Bascom Lamar Lunsford in 1928, John evokes the rebellious energy he felt in his home of Dublin during a time when it was being “torn to shreds by property developers and vulture funds.”

As John explains, “I was drawn to this song for its almost hallucinatory, anti-authoritian spirit at a time when Dublin was being torn to shreds by property developers and vulture funds. Nothing much has changed there if I'm honest, but there's always hope when people are willing to fight for their communities. I wanted to get to grips with the rebellious energy I felt in the city through the jagged arrangement and to highlight the visceral language used in the song by speaking the lyrics as opposed to singing them.”

Often, to imagine Ireland is to fantasise about rolling hills, giants, saints and snakes. As John Francis Flynn says, it involves “a fair bit of paddywhackery and I hate paddywhackery.” The psyche-celtic album artwork for John’s second album Look Over The Wall, See The Sky, hints at this too though: a crystal goblet of luminous green Crème de Menthe resting upon a mossy ledge, perfectly encapsulating this imagined idea of Ireland in a way that is both funny and poignant. But, if you have to imagine Ireland in the first place, then you’re probably not too familiar with its reality: the towering glass giants of Google and Facebook, the unaffordable luxury hotels lining the Liffey amidst a homelessness epidemic and the highest rents in Europe.

To listen to Look Over The Wall, See The Sky is to witness history through a modern lens in a trance-like state. As expected, Flynn’s contemporary influences are sufficiently esoteric, from ‘The Heart Pumps Kool Aid’ by —__–___ to ‘The invention of the Human’ by Dylan Henner (a concept album about an AI learning to sing). However, he was also inspired by his contemporaries in the traditional music scene in Ireland, many of whom contributed to the album, as well as those outside of it, such as noise-rockers Gilla Band and Rising Damp.

Traditional music of course is not one-size-fits-all. Each song has its own story, history and characters which the singer must serve. “You can't sing all the songs. Well some people do. But you can tell if someone doesn’t connect with that song…” On the record’s closer, ‘Dirty Old Town’ by Ewan McColl, John takes a song that’s been “done to death”, strips it back, slows it down and unexpectedly adds brass, harking back to the working-class colliers bands of the early 20th Century. In his reimagining of the song, rather than intensifying it he does the opposite, offering a calm and grounding resolution to an otherwise otherworldly album.

On his last record, I Would Not Live Always, John was much more conscious of bringing acoustic instruments and weird synthesized sounds together as a concept. But now with his unique musical language fully formed, “I feel freer within that language to experiment and take it further without it being too conscious or premeditated”.

Instead, the songs seem to live somewhere in John’s subconscious, as he is often able to visualize exactly how they will sound before putting them down. With ‘Kitty’, (famously recorded by Shane MacGowan on The Pogues’ debut, ‘Red Roses For Me,’) John had already heard a version of this song structured loosely in his head involving a drone, a warped clarinet, and a simple Robert Wyatt-esque beat. The result is a two minute lament after which sudden distortion punctures through a wall of sadness before pulling back completely to just a singular drone.

The sonic landscape created through the unconventional use of instruments jagged arrangements often teeters on the edge of disharmony, but it gives the work a magnetism by drawing you into its curious orbit of experimental folk. John masterfully unpicks traditional songs and rearranges them with an emotional force that sometimes leaves them unanchored. They float in a surreal space between the past and the present, the analog and the digital, between love and tragedy. Look Over The Wall, See The Sky is an album concerned with imagination, but not only with what John calls, “an imagined Ireland,” but also the re-imagining of traditional Irish music and the hopeful fantasy of an Ireland that could exist ‘over the wall’: powerful, hopeful and free.