With a career now spanning six decades, Robyn Hitchcock remains a truly one-of-a-kind artist: surrealist rock ’n’ roller, acoustic troubadour, poet, painter, and writer . From The Soft Boys’ art-rock and The Egyptians’ Dadaist pop to solo masterpieces like 1984’s milestone I Often Dream of Trains and 1990’s Eye, Hitchcock has crafted a striking oeuvre rife with recurring marine life, obsolete electric transport, ghosts, cheese and what one writer has described as ‘morbid eroticism’.
The soundtrack to late night New York City. From the Cuban heels of Chic, Prince, Steve Wonder and Cameo, through to the glittering stiletto’s pf Evelyn ‘Champagne’ King, Diana Ross, Chaka Khan and Donna Summer. It’s disco, it’s soul and it’s funk, from the seventies, eighties and nineties.
Less tribute and more homage, Nearly Dan is saviour to the growing legions of Dan fans, desperate to hear the meticulously crafted grooves and allusive lyrical style of Donald Fagen & Walter Becker. Nearly Dan’s approach is faithful, though not reverential, and relaxed but as tight as their namesakes. They bring their own unique spirit and spontaneous humour to every concert.
Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra don’t care what genre you choose to put them in – Western Swing, Blues, Country, Rock & Roll or whatever else– as long as you understand that they’re 100% sincere and 100% immersed in this stuff. This is no lazy pastiche, no dressing up box. They live and breathe this music and want you to get immersed with them.
After an epic session welcoming in the new year, we’re back from a brief hiatus for the return of one of Lancashire’s finest sound system crews: Bushrocker Hifi!
Fusing the talents of three fine Orcadian fiddlers and vocalists – Jeana Leslie, Catriona Price and Kristan Harvey – alongside stand-out Highland pianist and newest member Rory Matheson, FARA have firmly secured their foothold at the forefront of the Scottish folk scene since taking 2014’s Orkney Folk Festival by storm. Their unique mix of spell-binding vocals, intricately woven fiddle harmonies and energetic closers, combined with an obvious kinship born in childhood, is sure to delight and entertain audiences wherever they go.
A Lost Map Records double bill of note with riffy Glasgow five-piece Savage Mansion who’s new LP ‘The Shakes’ lands this month and top sixties-pop influenced singer-songrwriter Martha Ffion. Sweet York Shoegaze-y newbies Aiming open.
LikeMinds returns on Thursday 25th Jan with head honcho Deo going b2b with se.arle all night long. Known for their mutual love of jazz, house, and all things funky, it’s always a treat with these two!
Finally, this April, Ariel and Mathias will be bringing Never Work to life, collaborating with visual artist and indie rock legend Shotgun Jimmie in a multidisciplinary show. This tour will be accompanied by a re-pressing of the long sold out Never Work, and the release of a collaborative EP with Shotgun Jimmie, Hardly Working.
