THURSDAY
DILETTANTE + Yovsaf
Dilettante is the art-pop brain-child of multi-instrumentalist Francesca Pidgeon. Live shows are a genre-phobic loop-fest, featuring everything from fuzzy guitar licks to 5-part saxophone harmonies. When not making music (or hyphenating words) Francesca moonlights in Bella Union’s BC Camplight and enjoys slamming into people on skates (roller derby). Her debut album ‘Tantrum’ was released in October 2022.
A mixed race child of Diaspora living in the UK. Yovsaf (pronounced Yousuf) flows over various music cultures from across the globe on his loopstation giving him a lot of range whilst also remaining honest and vulnerable with his lyricism.
Mayshe Mayshe
Immaculately minimal DIY gems’ – Narc Magazine
‘A one-woman pop machine’ – Under The Radar
“Yorkshire’s dreamy electro-pop alchemist” – Every Day Is A Rhythm
‘Like a solo Cocteau Twins floating in the ether’ – Louder Than War
Mayshe-Mayshe is the solo project of Yorkshire artist & bedroom-pop producer Alice Rowan. Her music blends dreamy art-pop with rich storytelling, skittering percussion and infectious melodies.
FRIDAY
SISTER WIVES +
Expect to see great things from one of the most exciting new bands around who mix post punk, psychedelic and prog over lyrically dark songs sung in Welsh & English.. it’s a bit of a scoop this one!
Last year […] we saw excellent releases from Sister Wives, an industrial-laced quartet that explore spirituality and witchcraft in their music” – NME
“heavy hauntological psychedelia… most assuredly excellent” – Shindig! (Happening Right Now feature)
Sister Wives weave mythology and dreams into lyrics with such hypnotic ease it’s captivating. Setting wailing harmonies over heavy baselines, the four-piece truly are worthy of the term soundscapes as their recent EP seems to capture the mutual epic landscape of Sheffield’s peaks and Wales’ mountains. – Gigwise
DUTCH UNCLES + Israr Ahmed
Dutch Uncles, Manchester’s much-revered electro art rock quartet, return with their long-awaited sixth album, True Entertainment (released 10th March 2023 on Memphis Industries).Taking inspiration from Yellow Magic Orchestra, Prince, Steely Dan, Ennio Morricone, TheBlue Nile, Kate Bush and Roxy Music.True Entertainment behaves like it knows it & beenaway for some time, and doesn’t apologise for that.
True Entertainment is the long-awaited follow up to Big Balloon (2017), an album which spawned three playlisted singles on BBC Radio 6 Music and enjoyed widespread acclaim from the likes of Uncut, The Guardian, The Quietus, DIY, Exclaim!, Q, Under the Radar and many, many more.
Dutch Uncles are Andrew Proudfoot (the drums), Duncan Wallis (vocals and piano), Robin Richards (bass) and Peter Broadhead (guitar, synth and electronics). They are joined live by Henry Broadhead (synth and percussion) and Neil Wright (guitar).
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
THE HANGING STARS
Channelling the sounds of The Byrds, Big Star and The Flying Burrito Brothers, as well as hints of Mojave 3 and The Allah Las, The Hanging Stars mainline the dying embers of the early 70s psychedelic folk and cosmic country scenes. The band is comprised of songwriter, singer and guitarist Richard Olson, Sam Ferman on bass, Paulie Cobra on drums, Patrick Ralla on banjo, guitar, keyboards and assorted instruments, with pedal steel courtesy of Joe Harvey-Whyte.
The Hanging Stars place themselves firmly as part of a long folk tradition encompassing European and North American influences – as a continuation rather than a pastiche of these styles.
GORDON McKINNEY
Gordon is returning to the UK from his Oklahoma home after a tour last autumn that took him around the UK. If you saw him playing the Albany Arcade you’ll know what a delight he is as he sings songs that make you think, smile and cry. His debut album ‘Bitter Homes & Gordon’ is well worth a listen.
A ROOKERY
Following a decade long siesta in the Calder delta the progressive contemporary folk band that are A Rookery are back. Gareth Scott (vocals/guitar), Jenny Bromley (vocals/guitar), Simon Chantler (fiddle, mandolin, guitar & synth) and Anthony ‘Smudge’ Smith (bass) create a sound that can be peppery light and cold as frost or rich and treacly with vinegar and molasses. Songs of desire, redemption. Sometimes seducers, sometimes aggressors
THE SILVER RESERVE
Matthew Sturgess, who performs as ‘The Silver Reserve’, plays delicate,
sparse music on a classical guitar, crafting intricate melodies around
thoughtful and evocative lyrics. At times creating dense, layered
atmospherics, this is music that doesn’t rush and takes its sweet, sad
time to unfurl and sneak under the skin.
Live quotes:
“I have fallen in love with The Silver Reserve. Songs of warmth and
beauty that scratch at the inside of your heart. In a world that sits
heavy on your chest, this is music that reminds you how to breathe.’
Thea Gilmore (Cooking Vinyl)
