Richard Hawley

Friday night - John Bramwell in Biddulph. The Plum Porter that we supplied him with seemed to help! Full house, great sound and atmosphere.

Following the first Port Vale win that I've seen this season. I drove over to Eccleshall in Mid-Staffordshire to see Nashville singer-songwriter Angel Snow (Alison Krauss has covered her songs) supported by April Jai from Scotland.
April Jai:

Angel Snow:

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Blue Rose Code and Ciaran Algar in Biddulph - I've known Ciaran since he was nine and it's been great to see him go on to great things in the folk world. This was his first solo show and he brought his fiddle along but didn't play it once. He plays guitar brilliantly so he needn't have worried about not playing his signature instrument - a real musical polymath...
Blue Rose Code were great lads - very polite, enthusiastic and put on a warm-hearted set of Celtic soul.



Next it's Sam Carter and Kitty MacFarlane, again in Biddulph.

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Sam Carter & Kitty MacFarlane - Biddulph Town Hall 27th March. Sam is a Sheffield lad and reminds me greatly of Nic Jones in his playing style, but has a richer, more sonorous voice. Kitty drove up from Bristol or thereabouts and I prefered her ethereal, dreamy songs with clever use of seaside sampled soundscapes...

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Last Zal Cleminson / Sin Dogs at Eleven Stoke on Trent



Next Molly Tuttle at St Lawrence Church Biddulph

Where was I? OK - since the last post we had the Good Lovelies from Canada on in Biddulph - harmony-led roots music. Very entertaining:


Then it was off to the Ramblin' Roots Festival in High Wycombe - a cracking little festival hosted at Bucks University. The quality of the line-up continues to improve. I was only able to attend Friday and Sunday as I had to drive up to Nottingham and back to play a gig myself, despite a hairline fracture of the left arm that made playing the rubboard and cajun accordion ...different.
Best of Friday at Rambling Roots:
Austin Lucas

Yola

Best of Sunday at Ramblin' Roots:
Amber Cross

Malin Pettersen

Lucy Kitt

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Last : Mott The Hoople 74 Leamington Assembly Rooms 17th April

Next : Mott The Hoople 74 O2 Academy Manchester 19th April

Local band Nixon Tate & the Honey Club at the Artisan Tap Newcastle under Lyme to celebrate the release of their new EP. They're damn good...


One of my next UK gigs should have been Robbie Fulks - I was driving him from Kilkenny for half of his tour and had spent two full days ringing the UK border agency and Tier 5 accredited agents to sort out a Certificate of Sponsorship, but due to a potentially serious family health issue he's cancelled the tour...cue loads of website changes, notifications to all involved etc.

So, Mr H, if you're not doing anything on May 8th, if you, Shez and Clive (if he's back off his hols) fancy a gig at Biddulph Town Hall for £500 plus 90% of take above that we've got a free night...

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