There's a whole lot of shakin' going on at EXETER PHOENIX over the next few months, more info here....
With the Summer fast coming to a close and the darker nights drawing in, you can look forward to a jam packed calendar of live music events at the EXETER PHOENIX in the heart of the city.
We’ve handpicked a selection of events taking place between now and the start of November, tickets are available for all shows NOW.
BILL RYDER-JONES - 29th September
YAWNY YAWN PIANO TOUR
No stranger to pop music structures, Bill Ryder-Jones has made the best of the numerous opportunities given to him during the last two decades, first with The Coral, now as a solo singer-songwriter. The English multi-instrumentalist goes from folk, to pop, to rock with a one a kind agility, only natural to someone playing all instruments in a record and understanding how to progress music fluidly from genre to genre, with an occasional post-rock crescendo to create climatic moments where lyrics and melody alone couldn’t hack it.
WALTER TROUT - 3rd October
+ DAN PATLANSKY
Walter Trout‘s backstory is a page-turner you won’t want to put down. Five decades in the making; it is equal parts thriller, romance, suspense and horror. There are musical fireworks, critical acclaim and fists-aloft triumph, offset by wilderness years and brushes with the jaws of narcotic oblivion. There are feted early stints as gunslinger in bands from John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers to Canned Heat, and the solo career that’s still blazing a quarter-century later. The veteran bluesman has seen and done it all – plays earth shattering blues rock music.
DAN PATLANSKY
In only a little over a decade, Dan Patlansky has become one of the busiest and most respected blues artists to ever come out of South Africa. After his debut album which garnered Dan a reputation as a Blues-phenomenon, and his subsequent ‘Readers Choice’ vote as ‘Best Blues Guitarist in Southern Africa’, Dan’s second album was released by EMI on the famed Blue Note label. Dan is one of the only South Africans to ever achieve ‘Blue Note’ status and one of only six Fender endorsed guitarists in South Africa. Dan Patlansky, #1 Blues Rock Album 2016 by Blues Rock Review.
DARK KNIGHTS - 4th October
Dark Knights is upon and we’re excited to announce that our Autumn 2019 opening party is in the Auditorium of Exeter Phoenix. This is where Dark Knights hosted techno duo Slam earlier this year – full on party vibes.
Fri 4 Oct is the first event in the autumn / winter series of events. Dark Knights in the Auditorium with non-stop techno all night including a live modular set bunged in for good measure. The Bar area flooded with glorious sound by our DK friends and unites. Tech and cool yeah!
Auditorium
Newks
Sonorous Bosch Live Modular Set
Notzz
Gavin Quiet
Bar
Narco
Tumu Deejay
Henry
DJID
Kelly Jay
Function One Sound System – Expect quality sound in both rooms.
Decor by the best in the west – FountainAndy
MUSIC IS MURDER - 6th October
Music Is Murder is two monthly night dedicated to improvised, experimental, noise, weird, non-linear and the generally uncategorizable music.
FERRIS & SYLVESTER - 9th October
+ DISCO ROCOCO
Things are going very well for London based songwriting duo Ferris & Sylvester, yet one-and-a-half years ago they hadn’t even met. Back in the summer of 2017, Camden’s Spiritual Bar featured a young Issy Ferris playing the weekly folk nights whilst the big-voiced Archie Sylvester headlined Saturday nights with his blues band. The two shared the same stage for six months, but never played the same night. Our story may have been very different had fate (and Raf, the venue booker) not brought them together.
A hundred gigs later, Ferris & Sylvester are a force to be reckoned with. Many industry veterans are already backing them as stars of the future and ‘Ones To Watch’ in 2019 and beyond. And what makes for a star? Classic songs, standout voices, excellent stagecraft and drive, all of which Ferris & Sylvester have by the bucketload.
With clear references to the mid-60s sounds of Greenwich Village, the canny combination of blues, folk and indie-rock ’n’ roll that emerged from their solo selves is spellbinding, sitting somewhere between the riff-driven energy of Jack White and the expansive melodies of First Aid Kit (‘Alt-Simon & Garfunkel‘ – The Guardian).
Determined to get their music out there and with next to no budget, the duo recorded and self-produced their Made In Streatham EP in the kitchen of their South London flat. Released through their own label Archtop Records, the EP has clocked up millions of streams on Spotify, risen to No.1 on the iTunes Singer-Songwriter chart, No.14 on the Spotify UK Viral Top 50 and received widespread acclaim (‘A masterpiece of Brit Folk‘ – MOJO).
‘A masterpiece of Brit Folk that should already have made them household names.’
MOJO
‘F&S head straight for the brain’s joy receptors, and damned if they don’t hit their target.’
NPR
‘A rich & fully realised sound that leaves one pining for a full-length.’
ROLLING STONE
‘Alt Simon & Garfunkel: dreamy pop with spiky sentiments.’
GUARDIAN
‘Their blend of country & rambunctious rockabilly is beautifully delivered.’
THE INDEPENDENT
MARTIN HARLEY - 10th October
+ SAM BROOKES
‘I’m ready to make a bigger noise… Muddy Waters invented electricity right?’
In 2019 British guitarist and songwriter Martin Harley is making a change. Having created a deep impression on the acoustic blues roots and Americana scene with his last two Nashville recorded albums, his highly anticipated new record finds a new and exciting sound. An Intimate and gritty analogue album, recorded in a remote chapel deep in the wilds of Pembrokeshire. Taking country blues riffs to the electric bottleneck slide guitar, served with sweet vocal harmonies and the driving rhythms of co-producer and drummer Harry Harding (Yola Carter/William the Conqueror).
Through his road worn song writing style this record explores hopes and fears for fast changing times, offering gospel like comfort and consolation. The song ‘Roll with the Punches’ implores the listener not to get dragged down when challenges seem unsurmountable. ‘Coming Home’ asks questions beyond the end of life and explores freedom from worldly desires.
If success can be measured by growing global demand to attend Martin’s dynamic live performances, then perhaps his touring schedule is proof of that. He recently played to a full house at the Union Chapel in Islington, London and has appeared at Edmonton, Vancouver, Canmore and Calgary Folk Festivals in Canada, Glastonbury Festival, Bestival and Beautiful Days in the UK, numerous European and US tours and events including the Americana Music Association UK’s AmericanaFest in London, The Bluebird in Nashville and Tønder in Denmark.
In 2018 Martin Harley was ranked #16 in the world’s greatest acoustic guitarist poll in Total Guitar Magazine and he was nominated as Instrumentalist of the Year at the Americana Music Association UK Awards.
‘Harley offers the listener a masterclass in taste, style and roots blues’
GUITARIST MAGAZINE
‘No doubt that he is a slide guitar master. He is the business’
ROOTS MAGAZINE
‘Spellbinding’
THE GUARDIAN
‘Quite simply a great live act’
TIME OUT LONDON
SAM BROOKES
Sam Brookes is reminiscent of Tim Buckley as he glides between the lower and upper registers of his four-octave range. His pure voice, evocative lyrics and soaring melodies have made him a rising figure in the alt-folk scene.
‘he excels at propulsive, narratively rich folk, delivered in a soaring, clear-as-a-bell singing voice’
THE SUNDAY TIMES
‘a stunning work on so many levels’
FOLK RADIO
KATHRYN WILLIAMS - 13th October
+ NEIL MACCOLL
+ Support: GEORGE BOOMSMA
In this new musical world when we talk about an artist’s body of work we tend to think of a handful of records stretched out across of a handful of years, if we’re lucky. A changing industry and a focus on immediacy has done little to alter such notions, which makes Kathryn Williams something of an anomaly – releasing eleven full-length albums under her own name (and more with various side-projects) since her debut LP, Dog Leap Stairs, was released in 1999 via her own CAW Records label.
As impressive a stat as that might be, it does little to capture the true magic of Williams work; the enchanting craft that has grown and expanded as she’s moved from one project to the next, from the breakthrough success of her Mercury Prize nominated Little Black Numbers LP all the way to her Sylvia Plath tribute project.
THE MATT PALMER BAND - 13th October
The Matt Palmer Band is an alternative rock group based in South West England. While they draw on a range of influences, they perhaps most strongly evoke the spirit of grunge rock, inviting comparisons to Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Smashing Pumpkins. Their debut record A Rising Tide is billed as ‘a collection of songs inspired by the human condition, the mechanics of the natural world, and the intersection of the two’ and tackles subjects including sea level rise, falling in love and political propaganda.
Guitarist-turned-frontman Palmer grew up in South East England and cut his teeth performing in bands on the Brighton live music scene during his teens. Developing into a consummate guitar player, he made major songwriting contributions to three full-length studio albums on the US independent label City Canyons Records as part of rock band Anemo. Since relocating to the South West he has performed in a wide variety of bands, often lending his guitar work to other local artists such as Pete Falloon and Rosie Eade.
The band formed in 2018 when Matt enlisted the talents of drummer and multi-instrumentalist Niall Robinson and bassist/producer Alex Jennings. Both accomplished musicians, the pair brought a broader palette of musical flavours to the mix, including the funk breakbeats of Jabo Starks and other influences from a wide variety of jazz and motown greats. A Rising Tide is scheduled for release in October 2019.
THE MUSIC OF CREAM - 15th October
50TH ANNIVERSARY WORLD TOUR
Cream was a chemical explosion like no other, the blueprint for every supergroup to follow and the heavy blues precursor to Hendrix, Zeppelin and so much more. Fifty years since their earth-shaking debut album, the bloodlines of that hallowed trilogy come together to pay tribute to Cream’s legendary four-album reign over the psychedelic frontier of the late 1960s. Kofi BAKER (son of Ginger) and Malcolm BRUCE (son of Jack) unite with Will JOHNS (Eric’s nephew by Marriage and son of Zeppelin/ Stones/ Hendrix engineer Andy) to unleash the lightning that electrified a generation. Feel the fire and the freedom of “Spoonful”, “Strange Brew”, “Sunshine of Your Love”, “White Room”, “Crossroads” and “Badge” — performed by master musicians whose lives have been steeped in the Cream spirit and legacy.
EXPERIENCE a Once-In-a-lifetime concert salute to the most innovative and explosive supergroup of all time, in the hands of those that knew them best.
WATCH as they interplay live with their fathers on the big screen; classic moments in rock history brought back to life.
LISTEN as they share personal insights and stories, complete with rare, yet to be seen family footage and photographs.
IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE - 16th October
+ LIONSTAR
Long lauded for their jubilant, explosive live shows, Ibibio Sound Machine fully capture that energy and communication on Doko Mien, the follow-up to their Merge debut Uyai.
In a glowing piece in the New York Times, those songs were praised for following “in the tradition of much African music, [making] themselves the conscience of a community.”
By pulsing the mystic shapes of Williams’ lines through further inventive, glittering collages of genre, Ibibio Sound Machine crack apart the horizon separating cultures, between nature and technology, between joy and pain, between tradition and future.
KRIS BARRAS BAND - 17th October
SUPPORT: WILLE & THE BANDITS
A classic blues rock three piece featuring bizarre instrumentation and eclectic influences who will wow audiences of all ages with their energetic and soulful performances.
UK guitarist Kris Barras is known for his high-energy hybrid of no-nonsense rock, blues and country. Winners of ‘best new band’ in the 2018 planet rock awards, The Kris Barras Band have become one of the UK’s fastest rising acts.
Recently voted one of the ‘top blues guitarists in the world’ (Music Radar) and winning the ‘best album’ accolade in the European blues awards, perhaps best demonstrates the band’s fluidity and appeal to fans of different genres. The band’s unique mix of foot-stomping riffs and catchy tunes have made them the ‘must-see’ Blues/Rock band of 2019.
AL STEWART - 18th October
The highly awaited return of the legendary singer/songwriter performing all the classic material and rarities backed by ace Chicago outfit The Empty Pockets.
Al was born in 1945 in Glasgow. He started his musical career playing guitar in various bands but after hearing Bob Dylan, decided his path should be that of a lyricist. His first of a long list of hugely successful albums; ‘Bedsitter Images’, was released in 1967. The famous ‘Year of the Cat’ was released in 1976 and became his first platinum album in the USA. While he has not released a new album since 2008’s ‘Sparks Of Ancient Light’, he continues to tour and please his loyal fan base.
SHE DREW THE GUN - 22nd October
+ THE MENSTRUAL CRAMPS
Louisa Roach isn’t a protest singer. The ambitious, melodic psych pop this Merseyside artist makes under the moniker She Drew The Gun is too abstract for that label, more dreamy than didactic. But it’s fair to say this rising star – winner of Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent contest in 2016 – works adjacent to that tradition, taking inspiration from the likes of underground folk legend Malvina Reynolds, and contemporary poets such as Kate Tempest and Manchester’s Toria Garbutt.
Roach – born, raised and currently residing on the Wirral – brings a queer feminist energy to this rather male-dominated lineage. She was an ‘80s kid, raised by a hard-working single-parent mother and loving nan in nearby Birkenhead. As a kid, Roach was tomboyish, a footie fan with a competitive streak. She started playing guitar at 13 and was soon performing Oasis covers at friends’ parties. Music was a hobby at that point, a bedroom passion that fell by the wayside as teenage life and, a little later, motherhood took over [Roach has a 12 year-old son].
OXJAM EXETER FESTIVAL 2019 - 26th October
Join us for a celebration of music and gratitude, as the UK’s largest grassroots music festival ‘OXJAM’ returns to Exeter for it’s 8th birthday!
We’ll be kitting out Exeter Phoenix and St.Davids Church with live music, guest speakers, games, a HUGE raffle, cake sale, plus nifty independent traders to tick all the boxes…All you need to bring is yourself and your festival energy!
By supporting Oxjam you are supporting your community, your local independent music venues, you’re providing a platform for up and coming musical talent and you’re raising money to fight poverty worldwide with Oxfam.
WISHBONE ASH - 27th October
It’s a remarkable milestone few bands have achieved…
50 years of continual touring and recording…always at the highest level. As Wishbone Ash take their place amongst an exceptionally rare elite, they’ll be celebrating the occasion with a specially extended show with video clips of the band through the years, taking the audience through their illustrious history.
Such is the band’s huge popularity, they continue to tour the world performing classics such as ‘Blowing Free‘, ‘The King will Come‘ and ‘Throw Down the Sword‘ as well as great new material with their hard hitting twin lead guitar driven rock, winning a whole new army of fans along the way.
With main man Andy Powell still at the helm, they are undoubtedly one of the most celebrated bands in the history of rock.
Their classic album ‘Argus‘ was Melody Maker Album of the Year and their accolades and critical acclaim has continued to grow.
Andy Powell has been a constant ‘Best Guitarist’ contender throughout his career as well as being a highly sought after session musician. He featured as part of Miles Copeland’s ‘Night of the Guitars‘ tour alongside fellow greats Steve Howe, Leslie West, Robby Kreiger, Alvin Lee, Randy California and Jan Akkerman.
Wishbone Ash continue to record and have over 30 albums to their credit but they are best known for their dynamic stage performances.
Join in the celebrations and become part of rock history as they mark this incredible journey back on home soil in the UK, where it all began. DO NOT MISS !!!!
THE GROUNDHOGS
The Groundhogs are now a hard hitting four piece playing the early ‘hogs’ years. Now led by original drummer Ken Pustelnick, very much the driving force of the new line up since Tony McPhee’s retirement. Their show features all the classics from the band’s long and very successful career. Ken’s unorthodox drumming style was always a feature of the live show, which includes all the traditional elements, high energy arrangements and free flowing psychedelic tinged improvisations, anchored by the underlying blues roots that were ever present since the band’s earliest days.
Expect all the classic tracks from the legendary albums Split , Thank Christ for the Bomb amongst a host of others and there is sure to be a 21st Century version of Cherry Red.
BASKERY - 27th October
The three sisters can’t recall when or why they started playing, the music’s always just been there. In their late teens, the sisters joined forces with their dad, who for decades was a one man band playing old blues and country tunes for a living.
This foundation of classic ‘roots music and Americana‘ settled in their hearts, but also awoke the urge of breaking the rules of traditional music. Baskery is a band built on what three people can do together and it’s all about turning the music on its head, blending the straightforwardness of punk with the subtlety of singer/ songwriting.
Since the very beginning of Baskery the sisters have guarded their independence but when approached by Dan McCarroll (President and A&R) at Warner Music, they felt intrigued to break their indie tradition and make their next record on a major label. In August 2014 they signed a world wide recording deal with Warner Bros Music (Los Angeles). Baskery is one of few Swedish acts to get signed directly to a US major record company. The recordings the made under the term came out as a full length album ‘Coyote & Sirens‘ in October 2018, produced and engineered by Andrew Dawson (Kanye West, Rolling Stones, f.u.n, The Revivalists).
In 2015 the sisters were invited to join legendary artist Robbie Williams as opener and special guests on his arena-tour throughout Europe. 2017 and 2018 were both equally busy with multiple international tours, including appearances at Bonnaroo, Newport Folk Festival, Arroyo Seco, UtopiaFest and Bottlerock.
GRACE PETRIE - 28th October
Protest singer Grace Petrie’s unique takes on life, love and politics, delivered with the warmth and wit which have won over an army of loyal fans across the alternative, folk, political and comedy scenes.
‘She writes the sort of songs you want to pin the lyrics of on your bedroom wall, or on the office door, to remind you and everyone else who might read them what is important and true’
BUZZ MAGAZINE
INGLORIOUS - 30th October
Inglorious are five young men with a mutual love and respect of the classics of Hard Rock music, big guitar riffs, and soulful vocals. Their influences stem from iconic rock and roll shrine of Rock albums from the 1970s – many years before the band members were born (Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Whitesnake, Bad Company, Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, to name a few).
Formed in February 2014, the band is fronted by Nathan James, who made a name for himself having sung for the multi-platinum selling Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and Scorpions guitar legend Uli Jon Roth. Nathan was looking for like-minded musicians that desired to make incredible rock music in a very honest fashion.
Nathan thought to himself, “Why are those classic albums so awesome?” He realised it was because “The musicians were recording in an organic way; they could track it live and capture amazing energy.”
“Our albums are about vibe, feeling, excitement, energy and performance of songs we all wrote together. That’s how it came out that day and it will never be exactly the same again. We captured a series of moments that make up our debut album.”
Inglorious is composed of the inimitable frontman Nathan James, guitarist Danny Dela Cruz who partners Dan Stevens in an Inglorious dual axe attack, renowned Brazilian bassist Vinnie Colla, and drummer Phil Beaver (who was once signed to Mick Fleetwood’s label while still at school). A line-up that heralds a brand new era for the rising British stars.
THE BRAND NEW HEAVIES - 2nd November
THE FUNK IS BACK TOUR
The Brand New Heavies release their brand new album TNBH (Acid Jazz) this autumn, which features guest appearances from Beverley Knight, N’Dea Davernport, Angie Stone, Siedah Garret, Laville, Angel Ricci and more. The lead single from the album is a cover of the Kendrick Lamar song These Walls lovingly produced by Mark Ronson.
Pioneers of the London Acid Jazz scene, The Brand New Heavies, have been responsible for some of the UK’s biggest R&B / Soul tracks, scoring sixteen top 40 singles including Dream On Dreamer, Never Stop, Dream Come True, Midnight at the Oasis, Brother Sister, You are the Universe, Sometimes, Stay this Way and You’ve Got A Friend, as well as over two million album sales.
THE LEYLINES - 2nd November
The Leylines are a West-country collective established in 2013, with a genre-defying, eclectic sound that ranges from traditional folk to full blown festival rock. The Leylines are: Dan Thompson (electric guitar); Dave Burbidge (drums); Hannah Johns (violin); Matthew Wilkins (acoustic guitar); Sean Booth (bass); and Steve Mitchell (vocals/guitar).
The Leylines was founded by a group of musicians in Weston-super-Mare (via Bristol), wishing to combine their individual musical styles into something that isn’t quite folk, sort of punk, 100% heart-pounding revelry. This unique sound, combined with frontman Steve Mitchell’s lyrics centred around life on the road and the state of society, has launched the band into the heart of the live music community and made them firm favourites of the festival circuit.
With a fiercely loyal and ever-growing fan base, The Leylines guarantee to have their audiences up on their feet – and they will be having as much fun as their audience while they’re doing it!