John Bramwell (i Am Kloot)
John Bramwell has been on a never-ending rolling adventure since his workings away from the cherished, Mercury Prize nominated Mancunian band, I Am Kloot.
Traveling in his VW Campervan with his dog Henry, the experience has found John exploring parts of the country previously uncharted. With captivated audiences in some of the UK's most loved grassroots music venues, John has been able to develop his solo sound and ideas, at his own pace, in the way he likes, with the fans he holds close.
John's skilful, widely acclaimed song-writing and unique voice not only fills the basement venues and off-grid gatherings in the country's burgeoning acoustic underground scene but can also be heard echoing in stadiums and halls across the land by request of The Proclaimers, whom John will be opening for again this Summer.
2023 shows will see John performing songs from his number 1 Acoustic chart debut, "Leave Alone The Empty Spaces", a handful of songs from his much anticipated follow up album "The Light Fantastic" and I Am Kloot classics that he has rearranged with cellist Harriet Bradshaw.
Cambridge Portland Arms, Fri, 1 Dec 2023 at 7:00pm SOLD OUT
Daft Funk Live
Daft Funk Live are one of the world's most prestigious Daft Punk tribute bands: diligently constructing a 'live' rendition of Daft Punk's legendary performances and appearances. They incorporate their own synchronised light shows together with live instruments to give a truly immersive and unique experience. Their stage production is meticulously crafted, paying the utmost respect to the infamous and illusive Robots.
"...totally superb, an incredibly detailed performance giving you a Daft Punk explosion of sound and colour. Five stars." - Max Taylor
(Groove Armada, Mika, The Bays, Creepy Neighbour)
Cambridge Storey's Field Centre, Sat, 2 Dec 2023 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Tom A. Smith
+ Harvey Jay Dodgson + Tom Abisgold
Despite still being a teenager, Sunderland-based newcomer Tom A. Smith has already achieved more than most artists do in a lifetime. He played his first ever gig aged just eight, supporting local psychedelic rockers Detroit Social Club at legendary Newcastle venue The Cluny, performed at Glastonbury before he was even in secondary school, and Tim Burgess handpicked him to play his stage at Kendal Calling, making him the festival's youngest ever performer. He has played live with local hero Sam Fender, as well as supported other Northern acts on the rise like The Lathums and The Mysterines.
Tom A. Smith's self-uploaded performances have won him fans amongst rock and roll royalty. The week David Bowie passed, Bowie's widow Iman shared Smith's cover of Bowie's "Lazarus" online, commenting on the emotional impact of Smith's rendition. Blossoms recognised him from one of his videos as he was watching them from the crowd and invited him backstage, while Morrissey - not a man known to lavish praise or endorsements on others - played Smith's cover of "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" as his walk on music on a recent US tour. Nile Rogers, James frontman Tim Booth, indie legends The Coral, and many more besides have shared footage of his performances across the globe.
Cambridge Green Mind @ The Blue Moon, Mon, 4 Dec 2023 at 8:00pm buy tickets
The House Of Love
+ Ellie Walker
The House of Love have announced two special "Burn Down The World" shows at The Academy, Dublin on the 3rd December and the Electric Ballroom on the 15th December celebrating their Fontana years catalogue and they're playing a tiny show at Cambridge's Storey's Field Centre.
Last year saw the release of the "Burn Down The World Fontana Years" box set on Cherry Red Records. A deluxe 8 CD box set compiling three albums, singles, b-sides and rarities plus previously unreleased demos and live recordings, it comprises 139 tracks spanning the band's four year spell on Fontana. And, we expect to announce news soon on more reissues.
Cambridge Storey's Field Centre, Tue, 5 Dec 2023 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Cam Skate Fundraiser
w/ Local Hotels + Bear With
A fundraiser gig for CAM SKATE with Local Hotels and Bear With.
Formed in the dark days of lockdown as a file sharing project - but now an exhilarating live outfit - LOCAL HOTELS play an eclectic blend of new wave and electro rock with the odd dash of dub and avant funk thrown in. Devilishly enigmatic frontman Bryan is your guide through dark romantic nights, golden monkeys, magic humans and more.
BEAR WITH play an exciting mix of garage rock and angular post punk.
Cam Skate advocate for the Cambridge skater community, promoting better facilities and providing much needed help, support and information.
Cambridge The Blue Moon, Fri, 8 Dec 2023 at 8:00pm buy tickets
Jadu Heart
Jadu Heart are coming to a new venue for us (although we've drank in here a lot), as we bring them doing a semi acoustic set to The Alex.
Jadu Heart are Diva-Sachy Jeffrey and Alex Headford, from London and Huddersfield respectively.Following in the footsteps of cult boy/girl bands before them such as Pixies, My Bloody Valentine and Belle and Sebastian, they have grown outside of the music industry slowly building their own world & an army of die-hard fans largely under the radar. Despite recent success with coverage at Fader, The Times, Dazed, The Independent, Crack and multiple A-list records at BBC 6Music (plus a Maida Vale session for BBC Radio 1) it is still surprising to most that they have 300 million streams with 250,000 streams added a day.
Cambridge The Alexandra Arms, Mon, 11 Dec 2023 at 7:00pm SOLD OUT
Flyte
+ M. Field
Flyte is the project of English songwriters Will Taylor and Nick Hill. The pair met at secondary school, eventually settling in Hackney, London. Taylor's parents were both English teachers and inevitably, various literary influences trickled into the duo's music; the band taking it's name from Sebastian Flyte of Evelyn Waugh's "Brideshead Revisited".
After the release of two critically acclaimed albums, they have established themselves as an influential mainstay. "The Loved Ones" (2017) recorded with Burke Reid (Julia Jacklin, Courtney Barnett) in the Australian outback, explored the ways in which people struggle to process love. The albums' crafted storytelling and ambitious, harmonic arrangements earned it the title 'Best British debut of the year' from the Sunday Times.
Second album "This Is Really Going To Hurt" (2021), took them out to Los Angeles to work with collaborator Andrew Sarlo (Big Thief, Bon Iver). Seeing the sound move into a more simplistic and confessional mode, focusing entirely on the aftermath of relationships ending.
Cambridge Portland Arms, Wed, 13 Dec 2023 at 7:00pm SOLD OUT
The Unthanks In Winter
At this point in their almost 20 years together, it's easy to imagine that The Unthanks must surely have done a seasonal winter album already, but no! Known for their genre-blurring creativity, The Unthanks premiere their dream-like winter fantasia - embracing both the dark and the light in the most ritualistic of seasons - moving in and out of focus - like a memory - a hymnal to our shared winter experience. Echoes of winter tunes known throughout the western world, mix with the traditional and the newly written, all passed with great care and love through The Unthanks filter.
The heart-warming pathos and glacial majesty present in their music to date makes a winter concert a mouth-watering prospect. The Unthanks are the perfect band to bring us an abstract new work capturing the magic and wonder of the turn of the year; the end and beginning of the circle of life.
Cambridge Corn Exchange, Tue, 19 Dec 2023 at 6:45pm buy tickets
Green Mind Xmas Party! Blue Cinema, Headcheck + More!
Ahead of what looks like being an incredibly busy 2024, we thought it was time to take stock and throw a bit of a party with some of our favourite new locals.
Blue Cinema blend 80s synth pop textures into classic shoegaze/dream pop like Cocteau Twins, Slowdive, The Cure and more.
Headcheck bring some very Shame style vibes to proceedings, with snarled vocals and off kilter guitars.
Cambridge Portland Arms, Sat, 23 Dec 2023 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Cancer Bats As Bat Sabbath
Canadian Whiskey Metal Punk B**tards, Cancer Bats show their raw admiration and love for the greatest metal band of all time Black Sabbath with their now infamous cover band BAT SABBATH. Armed with some of the greatest metal songs of all time, Bat Sabbath are ready again to fuel beer soaked orgies of destruction with their triumphant return to the United Kingdom January 2024.
When asked to comment on his excitement for the upcoming tour, front man Liam Joseph Cormier had this to say "HOLY F**KING S**T AM I EVER STOKED", a statement that holds true for us all. Be sure to catch BAT SABBATH to watch the carnage unfold.
Cambridge Portland Arms, Thu, 18 Jan 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Jesca Hoop
California-born but now based in Manchester, UK, Jesca Hoop is what you'd call a musician's musician. Discovered by Tom Waits, and brought on tour by Peter Gabriel to sing in his band, it was a phone call from Elbow's Guy Garvey that saw her move to the UK. Her album "Stonechild", produced by John Parish (PJ Harvey, Aldous Harding, This is the Kit), received huge acclaim from fans and critics alike, and it's easy to see why: her beautiful songs, rooted in the folk tradition are intricately detailed, acoustic-led pieces that teem with ideas, expertly crafted lyrics, and melodies that spring from a deeply curious imagination.
Cambridge Portland Arms, Tue, 23 Jan 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Margaret Glaspy
The third full-length from Margaret Glaspy - "Echo The Diamond" - emerged from a deliberate stripping-away of artifice to reveal life for all its harsh truths and ineffable beauty. Originally from the Northern California town of Red Bluff, Glaspy first started writing songs at age 15 and soon began honing the potent balance of sensitivity and incisiveness that now imbues her music. In bringing "Echo The Diamond" to life, she adhered to a song-writing process meant to preserve and amplify her unfettered expression ("If I sit down with a guitar for about 15 minutes, I usually have a song at the end," she notes). Along with drawing from an eclectic mix of inspirations - Sonic Youth, Vivienne Westwood's punk-influenced approach to fashion, Tom Waits's music and turn as a jailbird DJ in Jim Jarmusch's Down By Law, the 1985 Japanese Western film Tampopo - Glaspy sustained that sense of thoughtful urgency upon joining forces with King and Morrissey in the studio.
"This is the most fluid and immediate music I have ever made," she says. "I see now that I protected the creative space by surrounding myself with incredible people in making of this record, and I'm so happy I did."
Cambridge Portland Arms, Mon, 29 Jan 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Personal Trainer
+ Real Farmer + The Klittens
Most bands should be familiar with the honeymoon phase, those lofty formative stages where creativity blooms as the purest of fruits. The fingers itch, the eyes wander off to rapturous highs, the body trembles electric with creative energy waiting to be unleashed upon unsuspecting onlookers. Unfortunately, the honeymoon phase is usually just that: a phase.
Thank heavens, nobody told indie rock crusaders Personal Trainer this was all supposed to be temporary. The Amsterdam-based collective seek out sharp-witted ways to prolong the innate joy of being a band just plugging in and playing. Willem Smit, the group's conductor and cheerleader, started the band as an ultimate love letter to the vibrant scene he himself inhabits. The ten tracks of their rapturously received debut album "Big Love Blanket", released late in 2022, arrived fully-formed, displaying a playful, almost hyperactive diversity of sounds and influences, landing on one all of their own.
Cambridge The Junction, Wed, 31 Jan 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Tvam
Listening to musical auteur Joe Oxley talk about his TVAM project is a wonderfully thrilling and illuminating experience. Ideas, concepts, themes, explanations... all are rapidly fired off; each view sparking another opinion, each assumption provoking a fresh thought.
Given the events of the last two years, coupled with the fact that TVAM's second album, "High Art Lite" is ready to explode - literally if you gaze upon its provocative Pop Art-inspired cover - Oxley, unsurprisingly, is brimming with hypotheses.
Whereas his first album, the wildly inventive "Psychic Data" - where the spirit of post-punk, electro rock n roll did battle with the hypnotic rhythms of Krautrock - focused on the unknown influences over our surrounds and the information that permeates our unconscious, High Art Lite has a wider, more colourful, although no less disconcerting, remit.
Cambridge Portland Arms, Thu, 1 Feb 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Kaia Kater
Montreal-born Grenadian-Canadian Kaia Kater's jazz-fueled voice and deft songcraft have garnered acclaim from NPR's Tiny Desk, The Guardian, Rolling Stone and No Depression. Through her artful banjo playing and lush song-writing, Kaia draws on influences rooted in Quebec, the Caribbean, and Appalachia, all of which reflect the diversity of her background; her family's deep ties to the Canadian folk music scene; her college years spent soaking up Appalachian music in West Virginia and her father's experience growing up in Grenada, arriving in Canada in 1986, after the U.S. invasion.
Cambridge Portland Arms, Fri, 2 Feb 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Steven Adams And The French Drops
+ Ellie Walker and the Folly
Steven Adams, formerly of The Broken Family Band, has a new album out. "Drops" - released on Fika Recordings - is a banger, and according to Mojo magazine "urban Britain has generated its very own equivalent of Stephen Malkmus."
Since calling time on TBFB at the height of their success, he's worked under various guises as a solo artist - Singing Adams, The Singing Adams, Steven James Adams, Steven Adams & The French Drops - and released a number of albums ranging from DIY indie rock, intimate folk, experiments in Krautrock and politically-charged widescreen pop.
Originally from South Wales, Adams lives in East London.
Cambridge Portland Arms, Sat, 3 Feb 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
The Clockworks
Described by NME as 'sh**-hot' and praised by CLASH for their 'ferocious sense of purpose, with the careering post-punk guitar lines', the band have rapidly gained ground ever since with a string of impeccable singles including 'Feels So Real', 'Enough Is Never Enough', 'Can I Speak To A Manager'' and more. Also hotly tipped by titles including The Guardian, The Independent, and Hot Press, the band have received frequent support from national radio stalwarts including BBC Radio 1's Annie Mac on her 'New Names' showcase, BBC 6 Music's Steve Lamacq on his 'Recommends' show, received day-time radio play on RT' 2FM, and impressed the legendary Rodney Bingenheimer on Sirius XM.
Cambridge Portland Arms, Mon, 5 Feb 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Courting
Having already laid-waste to any preconceptions you had about them on last year's debut album "Guitar Music" - which saw the band earn 5-star reviews, a 7.2 from Pitchfork, and extensive plaudits from the likes of The Needle Drop, DIY, Dork, NME, Alt Press, CLASH, BBC Radio 6 Music, BBC Radio 1, and Radio X - the new record once again subverts the idea of genre and paints a much bigger picture.
When recording "New Last Name" Courting also collaborated in the studio with indie heroes Gary and Ryan Jarman of The Cribs, who worked closely with the band on production duties. The results are as thrilling as they are rewarding. Brimming with nuance and pop culture references, the only constant is that the Liverpool group maintain their irrepressible sense of abandon.
Cambridge Portland Arms, Tue, 6 Feb 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
The Chisel
Having formed in early 2020 and featuring a crew of members with long-term associations to the London punk scene, The Chisel quickly secured a reputation as one of the most exciting bands from a pool of contemporaries that includes Chubby & The Gang, Stingray and Big Cheese. Their sound is rooted firmly in Punk but with influences that run across the board to create a distinctive blend of Oi!, anarcho, UK-82 and hardcore. Retaliation is an unmistakably British record that draws a line from 1982 up to the present day, pushing its way into your collection and torching your stereo.
Cambridge Portland Arms, Fri, 9 Feb 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Green Mind 23rd Birthday: Sivu (full Band Show)
+ Tape Runs Out
Sivu recently released his incredible album Wild Horse Running, alongside trailer single Apollo, where his more acoustic leanings mixed with influences like Wild Beasts, Hot Chip, SBTRKT and Beck to devastating effect. While recording the album he assembled a crack team of musicians to bring the album to life and he's bringing this home for the first time for the Green Mind 23rd birthday!
Cambridge Portland Arms, Thu, 15 Feb 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Ferris And Sylvester
Ferris and Sylvester are a husband and wife duo from England. Their second studio album, "Otherness" is due for release 1st March 2024 and is available to pre-order. The duo explains, "this album is for anyone who feels like an outsider. 'Otherness' is defined as being or feeling different in appearance or character from what is familiar, expected, or generally accepted. Ironically, this feeling of otherness is one we all share and experience, orbiting on our own planets".
Praised for their "immaculate harmonies" (Rolling Stone) and "rage-ridden brilliance" (BBC Introducing), the duo have cemented their reputation as one of the most exciting must-see live acts. They have shared stages with Robert Plant, George Ezra and Jade Bird, played Glastonbury, SXSW and BST in Hyde Park and sold out headline tours across the UK.
Cambridge Portland Arms, Sat, 17 Feb 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Dead Men Walking
Kirk Brandon (Spear of Destiny), Miles Hunt (Wonderstuff), Dave Ruffy (Ruts), Segs Jennings (Ruts)
Dead Men Walking are a British based rock supergroup with a multi national line-up, who have toured the UK, Ireland and the United States
On this occasion, the quartet will be made up of Brandon Kirk (Theatre of Hate, Spear of Destiny), Dave Ruffy and Segs Jennings (Ruts, Ruts DC) and Miles Hunt (The Wonderstuff). Expect an evening of songs and stories from their illustrious careers.
This event is seated, and seats are unreserved.
Cambridge Storey's Field Centre, Sat, 17 Feb 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Pip Blom
+ Pregoblin
25-year-old Amsterdam-based Pip Blom started writing, recording and releasing her own indie-pop tunes with a twist in 2016. Early songs, which were simply uploaded to the internet, quickly amassed thousands and thousands of plays - prompting Pip to recruit a band and start playing them live.
Since, the band have played hundreds of gigs, rising from small pubs to the European festival circuit with for example performances at Glastonbury and Lolapalooza. The band's energetic live show quickly pricked the ears of international press and radio: BBC Radio 1, NME, DIY, Dork, Brooklyn Vegan, Double J, Rolling Stone: ("a Cobain-ish gift for saying a lot with a little") and NPR ("a burst of frenetic joy to lift you up"). BBC 6 Music even A-listed 6 of Pip's singles.
Cambridge The Junction, Mon, 19 Feb 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
The Bug Club
"We Can't All Play Saxophones" comes hot on the heels of the BBC 6 Music play-listed "Marriage", and offers a gentler side to the band. Albeit a gentler side that's all too eager to remind us all of our musical inadequacies. Fortunately, the band don't seem to have any such inadequacies of their own, and this single sets the tone for an album packed with memorable Bug Club nuggets.
Vocalist Sam Willmett strikes a plaintive tone as he gets busy telling us what we all can't play, do and be. But it's a tone that only half-masks the usual dose of self-effacing humour.
The prolific 3-piece make their way towards a guitar solo on the calmer end of the Bug Club spectrum, showcasing the breadth that justifies the whopping track list that makes up "Rare Birds..." At least we can all enjoy The Bug Club.
Cambridge Portland Arms, Tue, 20 Feb 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
The Bug Club
"We Can't All Play Saxophones" comes hot on the heels of the BBC 6 Music play-listed "Marriage", and offers a gentler side to the band. Albeit a gentler side that's all too eager to remind us all of our musical inadequacies. Fortunately, the band don't seem to have any such inadequacies of their own, and this single sets the tone for an album packed with memorable Bug Club nuggets.
Vocalist Sam Willmett strikes a plaintive tone as he gets busy telling us what we all can't play, do and be. But it's a tone that only half-masks the usual dose of self-effacing humour.
The prolific 3-piece make their way towards a guitar solo on the calmer end of the Bug Club spectrum, showcasing the breadth that justifies the whopping track list that makes up "Rare Birds..." At least we can all enjoy The Bug Club.
Cambridge Portland Arms, Wed, 21 Feb 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
The 900: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Cover Band
The 900 are the UK's first and only "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater" cover band. Formed by their mutual understanding that no other soundtrack could ever top THPS, The 900 gives you a reason for your back to hurt in the morning. With the approval of the Birdman himself, as well as Goldfinger's John Feldmann, they're ready to kickflip into every big banger from THPS1 to American Wasteland.
Expect to hear tunes spanning all the games including AFI, Alien Ant Farm, Bad Religion, Black Flag, CKY, Dead Kennedys, Goldfinger, Green Day, Lagwagon, Less Than Jake, Millencolin, Motorhead, NOFX, Papa Roach, Powerman 5000, Rage Against The Machine, The Ramones, Refused, Suicidal Tendencies, System of a Down and many more!
Cambridge Portland Arms, Fri, 23 Feb 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Gilla Band
Whilst Dublin 4 piece Gilla Band's cataclysmic sound avoids consignment to any singular genre, it's thrusting noise-rock guitars, heavy techno drum beats and wailing vocals paired with frontman Dara Kiely's witty, mundane and often surrealist lyrics create "as perfect an expression of rock-n-roll's essential auto-destructive impulse as this writers ever heard." (The Guardian).
Trailblazers for modern Irish alternative music and known for their ferocious live shows which have been described as chaotic, electrifying and "genuinely dangerous, like one last rave before the apocalypse", Gilla Band are not just a band, but a force.
Cambridge The Junction, Mon, 26 Feb 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Emily Breeze
Following the release of 2023's album "Rapture", Emily and her band been remixed by Daddy G (Massive Attack), received support slots for James and Sleaford Mods, performed at Latitude festival, appeared on Radio 4's Loose Ends, and been described as "brilliant, crammed full of heart, gags and big ideas" by Clash Magazine.
"The UK's 21st century answer to Patti Smith performing deeply personal lyrics over grooving post punk rock n roll" - Tom Robinson, BBC 6 Music
"Torch song tragedy, swather in black humour" - Mojo Magazine
"A Trent Reznor/Lou Reed hybrid" - NME
"A triumph of glittering melancholy" - Louder Than War
Cambridge Green Mind @ The Blue Moon, Sat, 9 Mar 2024 at 7:30pm buy tickets
Mutual Benefit
For singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jordan Lee, who has recorded as Mutual Benefit since 2009, the title of his expansive fourth studio album, "Growing at the Edges", is many-layered. "I became interested in the unruly first signs of growth after a disaster, and the beautiful ways lives start to blur into each other through relationships," Lee says. "Edges are where spaces are negotiated."
The title took on another dimension as Lee actualized his desire to grow his range as a songwriter, pianist, and collaborator. Written over the span of five years, the seeds of "Growing at the Edges" took root with two artist residencies completed in 2019: one at a former watchtower in Northern Ireland, where he was commissioned to compose a soundtrack, and another in Gainesville, Florida. Both allowed Lee time and space to experiment, to spontaneously explore, and to live inside his emergent songs.
Cambridge Portland Arms, Mon, 11 Mar 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Red Rum Club
Red Rum Club are a brass infused indie sextet from Liverpool, UK.
Through extensive touring and regular releases, they have built a huge following - a measure of this is that they have sold out numerous venues nationwide, including two nights at The Olympia, Liverpool in November 2022.
Since the return of live shows, they have supported Circa Waves on a UK tour, headlined two UK tours with many sold out shows, made their North America debut - including several shows at SXSW 2022 - and supported Miles Kane.
In 2022, following a summer of festivals, they returned to North America with 14 dates of headline shows. On return, they then embarked upon a sold out UK and Ireland run.
Cambridge The Junction, Mon, 18 Mar 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
William Doyle
Serving up art-pop for the anthropocene, "Springs Eternal" is the Mercury-nominated, critically acclaimed artist William Doyle's most ambitious and most playful creation to date. Taking a panoramic view of the ecstasies and agonies of life in the 2020s, the record asks how we exist as fragile flesh and blood - our hearts beating and our minds racing - in an unprecedented, almost unimaginable time of runaway climate destruction and technological expansion.
"Springs Eternal" presents a strange and thrilling cast of characters - from cowboys to castaways - who just might be Doyle, once or twice removed. "Most of the songs are in the first-person, but rather than being autobiographical, I was trying to imagine hyperreality versions of myself," Doyle says. "What if decisions I made in my life had resulted in the self of each particular song? How many degrees of separation am I from those realities? It's a frightening thought, and frightening thoughts often make for good songs."
Cambridge Portland Arms, Wed, 20 Mar 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Lady Nade Sings Nina Simone
Renowned for her distinctive and award-winning vocal prowess, Lady Nade possesses one of the most singular voices in the UK music scene.
Critics and fans alike have often drawn comparisons between Lady Nade's voice and the legendary Nina Simone. An artist known for paying homage to those who have profoundly influenced her journey, Lady Nade holds Nina Simone in high regard.
Nina Simone, an icon and consummate musical storyteller of the twentieth century, left behind a legacy of liberation, empowerment, passion, and love through her extraordinary body of work. By the end of her life, she had garnered an unprecedented level of recognition. Her music reached millions through recordings, film, television, and the digital sphere. In the last decade of her life alone, she sold over a million CDs, solidifying her status as a global best-seller.
As a black woman, Lady Nade acknowledges Nina Simone's trailblazing role in paving the way for artists of her generation. Simone's tenacity encouraged them not to abandon their dreams and aspirations. Lady Nade is honored to celebrate Nina Simone's life and enduring legacy alongside some of the UK's most accomplished musicians.
This high-energy performance is a heartfelt dedication to recreating the transformative sound that blended popular tunes of the era into a distinctive fusion of jazz, blues, gospel, and folk music.
This event is seated, and seats are unreserved.
Cambridge Storey's Field Centre, Fri, 22 Mar 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Baskery
The queens of banjopunk, three Swedish sisters by the name of Baskery, who've played music since they were old enough to hold an instrument. Baskery play a combination of classic 'roots music and Americana' with a twist of rule breaking punk turn this much loved style of music on it's head. Their sound oozes style and playfulness and has helped them accrue a number of plaudits and accolades.
The first album, "Fall Among Thieves" (2008) was recorded in Stockholm, co-produced by Lasse Mårtén (Pink; Peter, Bjorn and John; Kelly Clarkson; Lykke Li; Primal Scream). It quickly established them as an act that people took seriously. In the years that followed they've released several albums and EPs working with the likes of Blackpete (Depeche Mode; Joe Jackson; Peter Fox), Matt Wignall (Cold War Kids; J. Roddy Walston; Wargirl) and were also signed by Dan McCarroll (President and A&R) to Warner Music. "Coyote & Sirens" was released in October 2018, produced and engineered by Andrew Dawson (Kanye West; Rolling Stones; f.u.n; The Revivalists).
On the live scene Baskery are experienced in putting on a show have played over 400 of their own in 2015 the sisters were invited to join legendary artist Robbie Williams as opener and special guests on his arena-tour throughout Europe. Later the same year they also toured the US with Gary Clark Jr and Brandi Carlile and the festival requests roll in Colours of Ostrava, Bonnaroo, Utopiafest, Newport Folk Festival, Arroyo Seco and Bottlerock.
Cambridge Storey's Field Centre, Sat, 23 Mar 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
The Longest Johns
Having met and bonded over sea shanties across a kitchen table in their native Bristol a decade ago, The Longest Johns ? Jonathan ?JD? Darley, Andy Yates and Robbie Sattin ? have sailed the seven seas in the name of the "rock ?n? roll of 1752" to grace the stages of international folk festivals, tour the UK, Europe and North America, and appear on TV.
To celebrate ten years of pitching and rolling in brotherly harmony, in October the band are set to release a tin anniversary edition of their self-released debut EP Bones in the Ocean. That follows their latest tour of Canada in September as they build towards the release early next year of a new studio album ? their ninth but the first as a three piece
following the departure of co-founder Dave Robinson in May.
By any standard The Longest Johns have enjoyed a whirlwind of a journey these last ten years. As well as eight full length albums, they've released four EPs and nine singles, including the 2021 version of 'Wellerman' that began a sea shanty craze on social media as a 150-year-old folk song from New Zealand became a worldwide viral sensation, sweeping the group to the #2 berth on the US Spotify Viral Chart and #5 Global.
They've racked up more than 500 million streams across all platforms, signed up more than half a million YouTube subscribers and logged some 200,000 hours watched on Twitch. Their gaming partnerships include Sea of Thieves and Wanderworld and they?ve recorded the soundtrack to No Man?s Wife, a new film made by the co-producers of the Fisherman?s
Friends films.
Cambridge The Junction, Mon, 25 Mar 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Jolie Holland (be Good Tanyas)
Over the span of her career, Jolie Holland has knotted together a century of American song - jazz, blues, soul, rock and roll - into some stew that is impossible to categorize with any conventional critical terminology. This is her burden and her gift, to know all of these American songs of the last ten decades in her head and her heart, and to have to wrestle with their legacy. She dives straight to the pathos of a song the way the very greatest singers, singers like Mavis Staples, or Al Green, or Skip James, or Tom Waits do.
Upon first encounter her songs seem challenging, perhaps unsettling at times, but as so many poets and rockers have shown us (from Dante Alighieri to William Blake to Sylvia Plath to Patti Smith to Nick Cave to Mark E. Smith) that's where the beauty lies. As evident on her first recordings, Holland apparently has no fear of the truth, and there is no emotional core that she cannot reach in song. In fact she thrives on the red hot centre of a musical composition, in all its strange and brutal detail.
Cambridge Portland Arms, Mon, 1 Apr 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Toby Sebastian
Toby is an English musician and actor who was born in Oxford and grew up in Spain with his three sisters. Touted as "One To Watch in '23" by Rolling Stone Magazine, Toby released his first track of 2023 "Too Good" and the first track from his upcoming album. Too Good draws on the sounds of the late 60s and early 70s, and artists such as Marc Bolan and David Bowie. The track delivers a modern and comical look at the insecurities Toby experienced when he was younger, with driving guitars, relentless backbeat and catchy melodies.
Cambridge Portland Arms, Fri, 5 Apr 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Will Page (noble Jacks)
Well known as the fiddle playing front man of Americana band, Noble Jacks, Will Page is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Sussex. Will has toured relentlessly, including with his band, with sold out shows across the UK and beyond including notable festival performances at Glastonbury, Isle of Wight Festival, Cambridge Folk Festival, Dranouter Festival (Belgium) and AmericanaFest Nashville (USA) to name more than a few.
Will launched his solo career with his debut single, "Strength To Carry On", which attracted support from regional radio stations including BBC Radio Ulster, Scotland and Wales as well as global online radio such as The Folk Club Radio Show with Stuart Green who said "Will's new single "Strength to Carry On" has an uplifting tune and emotive vocals, combined with a personal narrative about using the strength within to overcome adversity. A great debut!"
"Strength To Carry On" demonstrates his exciting simultaneous fiddle-shuffle-singing style of playing and showcases his skills as an earnest songwriter. Will was nominated instrumentalist of the year at the UK Americana Music Association Awards (AMAUK) in Jan 2020 plus live act of the year in the 2023 awards with the band.
Watch out for new music as Will gears up for his debut album with notable collaborations including writing and recording with folk legend Steve Knightly of Show Of Hands! Expect heartfelt vocals accompanied by guitar, harmonica, energetic fiddle and foot-stomping rhythms!
Cambridge Green Mind @ The Blue Moon, Thu, 11 Apr 2024 at 7:30pm buy tickets
John Bramwell And The Full Harmonic Trio
Following news of his stunning new album "The Light Fantastic" and five intimate dates for February 2024 earlier this month, John Bramwell has announced an additional twenty four UK and Ireland headline dates for spring/summer 2024.
Anyone who has heard John's work with seminal Manchester band I Am Kloot, will be cheered by the news of this impending release. Nominated for a Mercury Prize in 2010 for their acclaimed "Sky At Night" album, I Am Kloot never quite received the widespread success their music deserved.
This new album is a masterclass in emotionally charged and melodically driven tunes for the adventurous. All 12 tracks were written by John except for "Nobody Left But You" which he co-wrote with album producer Dave Fidler. "After both my Mum and Dad died, I started writing these songs to cheer myself up," John admits with typical candour. "The themes are taken from my dreams at the time. Wake up and take whatever impression I had from what I could remember of my dream and write that."
Norwich Green Mind @ Norwich Waterfront, Fri, 12 Apr 2024 at 6:30pm buy tickets
John Smith
Born in Essex, raised by the Devon seaside, and making his bones in the bars and clubs of Liverpool, John has released six studio albums and amassed over 100 million Spotify streams. He is currently hard at work on album #7, with a set of brand new songs to play live.
He has performed all over the world at festivals and in sold-out concert halls, barely pausing for breath during his eighteen years as a full-time independent touring musician.
Steeped in the lineage of British folk and American guitar music, taking his cue from Richard Thompson, John Martyn and Ry Cooder, Smith has evolved and pioneered a transatlantic blend of guitar techniques. His deeply romantic and vivid songwriting, combined with his innovative guitar work, have won him a loyal following.
His career began opening for folk greats including John Martyn, Davy Graham and John Renbourn, who called him "the future of folk music". He has since opened for Iron and Wine, Patty Griffin and Ben Howard, and guested with artists such as Jackson Browne, Martin Carthy, Roseanne Cash, Richard Hawley, Jarvis Cocker, Jerry Douglas, Glen Hansard and Rodney Crowell. In his occasional role as sideman, he has played guitar for artists as diverse as David Gray, Lisa Hannigan, Lianne La Havas, Joe Henry and Joan Baez.
"It's rare these days to find an audience so wrapped up in a performance as this one. 5/5" The Independent
Cambridge Storey's Field Centre, Fri, 19 Apr 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
The Baby Seals
The Baby Seals are a punk garage band based in Cambridgeshire, made up of Kerry Devine, Amy Devine and Kate Shore.
Their debut album - "Chaos" - is slated to be released by Trapped Animal in 2024.
"The Baby Seals are a smart, talented group of girls who know how to shout back against oppressive patriarchal values; and have a shit load of fun at the same time" - Gigslutz
"A great lairy sound, I love people who promote the idea of being happy with your body during a time when people see whitened teeth and implant-filled arse cheeks as perfection" - Fresh Off the Net
Cambridge Portland Arms, Fri, 19 Apr 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Pet Needs
"Intermittent Fast Living", the third studio release by PET NEEDS in as many years, is inspired by the relentless, breathless, stop-start lifestyle PET NEEDS have found themselves living in recent times.
Founded originally by brothers Johnny and George Mariott and later joined by Jack (drums) and Ryan (bass) only a matter of years ago, PET NEEDS' career has been sky-rocketing ever since the release of their acclaimed debut "Fractured Party Music" back in 2021. From getting signed to sold out shows, rave reviews to rabid fans, and embarking on extensive global tours with the likes of Frank Turner, The Lottery Winners, Skinny Lister; demand for these four lads from Essex has been on a trajectory with the stratosphere.
Cambridge Portland Arms, Tue, 23 Apr 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Lynks
A force of the unnatural. A pop-star fed through a Nutribullet. A human bag of speed. The fourth horseman of the queer apocalypse. Lynks is here.
There is nothing quite like Lynks. An unpasteurized shot of electro-punk chaos compressed into the shape of a human man, wrapped up in a gimp mask, creating tiny queer utopias wherever they goes. And what utopias they are; sub-blowing, criminally danceable beats, anthemically witty lyrics about the darkest corners of modern life, and pure, unapologetic, camp excess colliding in a fog of sweat and confetti.
Cambridge The Junction, Wed, 24 Apr 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Eevah
Leeds based band EEVAH began 2019 in the form of a classic 80's electro pop duo, weaving etherial guitars and catchy pop hooks around epic synths and pre-programmed beats.
Cambridge Portland Arms, Mon, 29 Apr 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Jane Weaver
Reclaiming her universe, Jane Weaver returns with brand new single "Love In Constant Spectacle", evoking spectacular images perhaps impossible to capture with the human eye, nor aperture.
Taking measured steps that lead you to something very special, our protagonist pours all her creative resources before the needle drops. Secretly, this might be more conceptual in its execution, than initially meets the eye.
Cambridge The Junction, Mon, 29 Apr 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Roddy Woomble & Almost Nothing
Almost Nothing is a new band from Scottish musician and writer Roddy Woomble.
The debut album was written and recorded throughout 2021/22 in collaboration with four different producers: Scott Paterson (Protection), Andrew Wasylck, Le Junk, and Luciano Rossi.
Almost Nothing is an exercise in artistic freedom, the album shifts from electronica to moments of shimmering art pop - a genre fluid record - melodic, poetic, catchy and just confusing enough to escape full comprehension.
Cambridge Portland Arms, Thu, 2 May 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
The Wedding Present
+ Melys
Indie legends The Wedding Present formed in 1985 in Leeds, England, by members of The Lost Pandas. The band has been led by vocalist and guitarist David Gedge, the band's only constant member.
Closely linked to the C86 scene, the band has charted a total of eighteen singles in the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart, including a historic run of twelve singles - one for each month - in 1992, which tied Elvis Presley's record for most top 40 hits in a single year.
Cambridge The Junction, Fri, 3 May 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Bare Jams
Bare Jams started out in 2011 with the aim of breaking their serial festival fence-jumping habit. Schoolmates Ollie and Sam hunkered down in Sam's garden shed, later known as the Bare Jams cave, to jam and write original music, performing as an energetic acoustic duo.
After recruiting D-Slice on bass the band began to evolve into to a flamboyant, high energy ever-changing collective; finally settling on their current 6-piece line up in 2018: a sonically tight tour-de-force of experienced musical alchemists effortlessly cooking up a credible fusion of musical styles with a sound that is uniquely their own. They are a frequent must-see on festival aficionados' lists with the band's reputation for tight and exuberant, yet wholesomely candid performances frequently filling tents to their sweaty capacities.
Never ones to keep still, the band continues to delight fans old and new bringing a relentless energy that envelopes a core moral message to both their live performances and recorded music.
Cambridge Portland Arms, Fri, 3 May 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
John Otway & Wild Willy Barrett
This magnetic bond still holds after more than 40 years of attempted escapes and still loved for their total in-yer-face originality, the contrast between the dead pan humour of Barrett and mad onstage antics of Otway are hilarious to watch
Ever keen to add a new dimension to the show, Willy has a new addition to his array of instruments: beware the Moose Homp!
Willy's interest in making instruments began when he commandeered two guitars made by his dad in 1965. One from an old guitar neck and a scaffold plank which became affectionally known as the Les Dawson, and the other branded the Mk1 Schitstik electric slide of similar pedigree. These instruments were used on many of the early tracks, including Really Free and Racing Cars.
Willy's remark "this will be the last time that many of you will see us together again" was often hastily misinterpreted as the final throw of the dice, but the reason given "it's not us packing up, it's you lot dying off, you know who you are" is often overlooked by eager scribes. And so the rumours abound.
Recently John celebrated his 5,000th gig to a packed house at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire.
For any Otway/Barrett virgins out there who don't know what to expect, be prepared for everything from bare-chested theremin playing to wah wah wheelie bin as the duo jump from one hit and 40 near misses to another: an amazing and irreverent performance by two master entertainers.
Cambridge Storey's Field Centre, Sat, 4 May 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Van Houten
Van Houten's core is based on life long friendship, an inability to exist without each other, and an obsession with creating a sonic mixing pot of intimate lo-fi rock and cavernous Shoegaze. Their sound envelops the listener, combining upbeat pop melodies and hooks with downbeat lyrics one minute, before full introspection and aural catharsis the next.
The Leeds based band's new music sees them find their own, unmistakable sound, something which has been 7 years in the making. It's been worth the wait, allowing them to explore sounds, textures, and raw emotions. Supporting each other through difficult moments has been key to the band finding their feet and growing into what they are today.
Cambridge Portland Arms, Sun, 5 May 2024 at 5:00pm buy tickets
Eliza Carthy
Eliza Carthy is undoubtedly one of the most impressive and engaging performers of her generation. Twice nominated for the Mercury Prize and winner of innumerable other accolades over a 20 year career, Eliza has performed and recorded with a diverse array of artists including, Paul Weller, Rufus and Martha Wainwright, Patrick Wolf and Bob Neuwirth. More than most, Eliza Carthy has revitalised folk music and captured the most hardened of dissenters with intelligent, charismatic and boundary-crossing performance.
Eliza grew up immersed in the world of traditional music. She still divides her time between touring and recording with her legendary father Martin Carthy, as well as engaging in numerous pioneering solo and band projects, including work with Pere Ubu and Melanie Challenger, an artist in residence in Antarctica. In what has become something of a parallel career, Eliza has co-presented the BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards, been a regular guest-presenter on the BBC Radio 2 Mark Radcliffe Show and has made many appearances on BBC TV's "Later with Jools". In her own right, Eliza has been the subject of an hour long ITV documentary ("Heaven and Earth") and "My Music" on Channel 5.
Comedian and writer Stewart Lee describes Eliza as "Not the Messiah, but a very naughty girl".
This event is seated, and seats are unreserved.
Cambridge Storey's Field Centre, Fri, 10 May 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets
Willy Mason
Willy Mason and his band will be returning to the UK in May of 2024 in anticipation of a new album later in the year.
Mason was born in White Plains, New York, the son of Jemima James and Michael Mason, both songwriters. Mason is a direct descendant of the 19th-century philosopher William James, the brother of novelist Henry James.
When Mason was five, he and his family moved from Tarrytown, New York to West Tisbury, Massachusetts, on the island of Martha's Vineyard.
He attended Chilmark Elementary School through 5th grade, West Tisbury Elementary School and Martha's Vineyard Regional High School, where he participated in several local bands such as Keep Thinking, Cultivation, and Slow Leslie. He also was in the MVRHS Minnesingers and performed in musical theatre productions.
Cambridge Portland Arms, Thu, 16 May 2024 at 7:00pm buy tickets