THE END OF AN ERA: It is with some sadness that we need to announce that Maggie Smith at Touchwood, more than ably assisted by Steph, will no longer be selling tickets for Howden Live events from Touchwood, the Shire Hall will be taking over that role. In the early days of Howdenshire Live Arts Maggie was one of a few ticket outlets in Howden, as time went by it made sense to focus ticket sales in one place and the ticket selling box office legend at Touchwood was born. For 17 years, possibly one or two more, the number of shows Howden live have presented per year has averaged around 20, thats a lot of tickets!
Anyone ringing up with enquiries about an event, or going in to Touchwood to buy tickets, were met with unfailing courtesy, patience and good humour. Maggie was our first port of call for many folks and perfectly represented the volunteer ethos of Howden Live. A long (ish) time ago Maggies husband Mike coined the phrase “Enjoying live entertainment in the company of others” A fundamental principle to which we still adhere to today and will continue to, Maggie has been an integral part of that, thank you, we’ll miss you.

 

 Doors for all shows are 7.30 for 8pm unless otherwise stated. Please not that as well as tickets being available online here they are also available from the Shire Hall Box Office on:

01430 432510

 

 

MARTIN CARTHY & JOHN KIRKPATRICK

& Jack Parker

OCTOBER 27th       £15.

National treasures Martin Carthy & John Kirkpatrick embark on a rare UK duo tour next autumn. These two leading interpreters of English folk traditions – folk guitarist/singer Carthy and squeezebox virtuoso/singer Kirkpatrick – are long-time collaborators in a variety of seminal musical projects: from John’s iconic 1976 Morris tunes album Plain Capers through Steeleye Span to Brass Monkey.

Their enduring enjoyment of playing with each other shines through in their performances – warm, natural and charismatic. Pure English folk pedigree! 

For more than 50 years, BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Martin Carthy has been one of folk music’s greatest innovators, one of its best loved, most enthusiastic and, at times, most quietly controversial of figures. His skill, stage presence and natural charm have won him many admirers, not only from within the folk scene, but also far beyond it.

Trailblazing musical partnerships with, amongst others, Steeleye Span, Dave Swarbrick and his award-winning wife (Norma Waterson) and daughter Eliza Carthy have resulted in more than 40 albums, but Martin has only recorded 10 solo albums, of which Waiting for Angels (Topic TSCD527) was the latest. A ballad singer, a ground-breaking acoustic and electric-guitarist and an authoritative interpreter of newly composed material, Martin always prefers to follow an insatiable musical curiosity rather than cash in on his unrivalled position. Perhaps, most significant of all, are his settings of traditional songs with guitar, which have influenced a generation of artists, including Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, on both sides of the Atlantic.

John is one of the most prolific figures on the English folk scene, performing solo, in duos, acoustic groups and electric bands, and has established an enviable reputation as an instrumental virtuoso (melodeon, Anglo concertina and button accordion), as well as a leading interpreter of English folk music. He has been a member of the Albion Country Band, Magic Lantern, The Richard Thompson Band, Umps and Dumps, Steeleye Span, Brass Monkey, Trans-Europe Diatonique, and Band of Hope, as well as numerous ceilidh bands.

As songwriter, composer, choreographer, and musical director, he has contributed to over sixty plays in the theatre and on radio. And as featured artiste, band member, or session player, his music can be heard on over 200 different commercial recordings.

Praise for Martin:  `Arguably the greatest English folk song performer, writer, collector and editor of them all’ Q Magazine

 ‘Carthy is a master of the ballad of substance, songs that tell stories, whether they are traditional, his own or from contemporary writers.’ The Telegraph

Praise for John: English Folk Dance and Song Society’s Gold Badge 2003

(Awarded for his outstanding contribution to English Folk Music)

“Kirkpatrick’s buoyant presence and lust for this music sounds more rampant than ever”Colin Irwin – fRoots 2009

BUY TICKETS HERE

STEPHEN DALE PETIT

NOVEMBER 10th     £12.50.

Stephen Dale Petit was so good on his first visit to Howden last year we just had to invite him back again. 

In the age of the TV talent show and the corporate pop cabal, Stephen Dale Petit is leading the resistance. He’s a man on a mission, sworn to establish the blues as the dominant force in popular culture. He’s a riot-starter and rabble-rouser, blowing out speakers with the “thrusting hooligan anthems” (Mojo) of his acclaimed studio work and igniting a new venue each night with his “raw, fresh energy” (The Times). He’s a genre spokesman and bluesman savant, whose BLUnivErSity lectures reboot the old masters for the modern age, while rallying new recruits to the cause. No wonder that Guitar & Bass cited Petit as “proof positive that the blues can move forward in the 21st century”.  

All the best bluesmen come with a backstory, and at 46, Petit has walked a winding path to the head of the modern scene. If his 1969 birth in California’s Joshua Tree desert was prescient – he was delivered by a passing doctor with a passion for the blues – then the acquisition of a Gibson SG at the age of twelve confirmed his calling. “The reason I’m on the planet is to play blues guitar,” Petit told BBC News. “I’m on a mission to spread the word about the blues and about the guitar – especially to young music lovers.”

Petit’s own epiphany hit hard. Rewind to his adolescence in the early-’80s and his formative influences were growing daily, taking in the vintage US heavyweights (Robert Johnson, Elmore James, Son House) and the British upstarts (Cream, Zeppelin, Yardbirds). Soon, he began his own precocious march on the Californian club circuit, playing five nights a week, cutting heads with senior players, jamming with titans including B.B. and Albert King, and immersing himself in the genre’s ethos. “The blues is a beautiful thing out of the cesspool of human nastiness,” Petit told Classic Rock. “This music was forged in horrific conditions. It was really the wail of a soul of a subculture of society in America. As a teenager, I was scared by it – but I couldn’t escape the pull.”

By the early-’90s, the bluesman’s love of the British boomers had lured him to the epicentre – London – for a period whose dazzling highs were offset by desperate lows. Collaboration and friendship with musicians including Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Mick Jones and David Gilmour should have been his springboard, yet as the drugs flowed, Petit floundered, losing his momentum to addiction and dangling his talent by a thread. “It got to basically living on the street,” he recalled. “It was the blues that saved me. There was a moment when the choice was pretty clear: ‘Am I just going to be a drug addict and is my passion going to be washed down the toilet…?’”

Following that moment of clarity, Petit clawed himself back from the brink, regaining his confidence as a performer by busking in the bearpit of the London Underground, and attracting both a grass-roots fanbase and a media profile. “People started asking if they could buy the music they were hearing, and I didn’t have anything,” he says. “So I set about recording Guitararama.”

Guitararama proved to be the line in the sand. Originally self-financed and released in a limited pressing of 5,000 units, the buzz prompted a reissue in 2008 (with distribution from Universal) and pricked up the ears of media tastemakers. Suddenly, this former best-kept-secret was a regular guest on BBC Radio 2 (try 2011’s The BBC Sessions for a collection of his appearances) and a fixture in the music press, who declared Petit’s incendiary Firebird fretwork to “occupy a stunning middle-ground between the fire of Freddie King, the instinct of Jimmy Page and the soul of Clapton” (Classic Rock).

By 2010, The Crave upped the ante (included by Classic Rock in the Top 50 Albums Of The Year), while in 2013, the man in the hat raised the bar with Cracking The Code. Patently Petit’s most ambitious release to date, the album was home to his most ferocious originals, from Get You Off to Riot City, bolstered by A-list guests including Dr John, Mick Taylor and Hubert Sumlin. Tracking his solos mere days before his death, Howlin’ Wolf’s iconic guitarist gave Petit a glowing endorsement, “If a lot of people could play like you, shit, I’d sit back and smile”, and the wider reaction was just as receptive, with Cracking The Code deemed “rampant perfection” by The Blues.

Somehow, throughout this dizzying rise, Petit stuck resolutely to his guns. In 2007, the bandleader began spreading the word though his famous BLUnivErSity lecture tours, speaking at the UK’s universities and reeling uninitiated students into the genre with his charisma and insight. In 2010, he pulled together a crack squad of high-profile musicians, including Chris Barber, Ronnie Wood and Mick Taylor, in a successful bid to protect the iconic 100 Club (a venue that Petit dubs his “spiritual home”, having played there on more than twenty occasions).

That same year, Petit hit the High Voltage Festival in London for a decibel-limit-defying set that was bottled by the legendary Ronnie Lane Mobile Recording Unit. The resulting album – Live At High Voltage – was initially issued in 2012 in a vinyl-only, limited-edition run, before its near-mythical status sparked the 2014 digital reissue. “This is hands down the greatest live record you’ll ever hear,” raved The Blues in a 10/10 review. “Even The Who didn’t quite reach the intensity of Petit and friends.”

True to his word, this is a man on a mission. And in 2016, with Petit returning from double-headlining with blues-rock titan Walter Trout, there’s no mistaking a man who means every line, every lick, every fleck of spittle and drop of sweat. “I want to see the blues become mainstream,” he says. “I want to see it become common currency in the discourse of modern popular culture. I want to see it become blues city.”                                            

BUY TICKETS HERE

 

ANIMALS & FRIENDS

NOVEMBER 24th  £20

Featuring from the original Animals John Steel and Micky Gallagher(The Blockheads, The Clash, Paul McCartney) plus Danny Handley and Roberto Ruiz . Following their critically-acclaimed and hugely successful tours together in 2008, 2011 and 2012 this legendary combination of musicians will once again be performing on the same stage together. With over 20 global top ten hits, The Animals remain a seminal rhythm and blues band who still command great respect. Expect a fantastic concert of pure classics including House Of The Rising Sun, We Gotta Get Out Of This Place, Baby Let Me Take You Home and more. After over 50 years the legend still grows.

As The Independent noted recently – 

“Though the band has changed, the songs remain eternal… alongside covers of Ray Charles and John Lee Hooker classics, they ensure that the nostalgic element comes with an enjoyably abrasive edge”.

Featuring from the original Animals – John Steel & Mick Gallagher (The Blockheads) Danny Handley and Roberto Ruiz.
In 1964 a wave of new energetic rock and roll swept over the youth of the world. On the crest of this wave was The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and of course The Animals. From the banks of
the River Tyne came the North East’s offering; a brand of rhythm n blues that the whole world seemed to grasp greedily.
The Animals were the second British band to top the American charts after The Beatles with the now multi-million selling and legendary anthem, ‘House of the Rising Sun’. The band subsequently
achieved over twenty global Top Ten hit records, many of which gained the Number One slot in various parts of the world. In Britain alone, the band had no less than twelve chart entries.
The Animals were the first British band to tour Poland and Japan.                                                                         

 Have a look’n listen, click here….

BUY TICKETS HERE

 

THE REVOLUTIONAIRES!

& The Juke Joint Kings.

Saturday December 1st      £12.50

So good we booked them thrice! Without doubt one of the very best bands ever to have appeared on the Shire Hall stage and they are in some illustrious company believe me…

Established within the ‘hotbed’ of the North East music scene in the UK, they power out jumpin’ hot rhythm & blues in their own indomitable hard hitting style.

Primarily, they are influenced by 1940’s and 1950’s R&B. In particular, Louis Jordan, Big Joe Turner, Little Richard, Chuck Berry and Roy Brown but have adopted a harder and more aggressive approach, synonymous with modern blues artists such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Duke Robillard, Jools Holland and Mike Henderson which helps create their own high energy sound.

Over the last decade, The Revolutionaires have established themselves on the UK and European Rockin’ circuit, as well as the Blues scene.

They have toured extensively both in the UK and abroad, performing at festivals in Ireland, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Holland, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Malta and Dubai.

Highlights include performing at festivals with artistes such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Sting, Tom Jones, Hugh Laurie, Jimmie Vaughan, Robert Cray, Walter Trout, Eric Bibb, Albert Lee, Snake Davis and Dave Edmunds.

Now also touring with their Big Band project which consists of extra horns and pianist, The Revs are hitting the Festival circuit with this power house line up and big sound.

They have recorded five CDs to date containing a collection of Hot Rockin’ R&B tracks. Each CD captures the ‘rawness’ and sheer energy of the band, who like to give their performances a ‘hard-edged’ vibe!

BUY TICKETS HERE.

DR FEELGOOD

& Martyn Barkers Tea Band

DECEMBER 22nd   £20.

Formed on Canvey Island in Essex in the early 1970s Dr. Feelgood remains one of the most popular and exciting live rhythm and blues acts in the world. The raw and uncompromising style of their performance resulted in the album Stupidity that immediately went to the number one position in the U.K. charts.

Dr. Feelgood have also enjoyed global success with a string of hit singles including Roxette, Back in the Night, Milk and Alcohol, Down at the Doctors, She Does it Right, Going Back Home and See You Later Alligator – which gave the group their first gold record.

The last album to feature Lee Brilleaux  – Down at the Doctors, was recorded live at the Dr. Feelgood Music Bar on Canvey Island, (now the site of the Oysterfleet Hotel) just two months before he died.

The current line up features the rhythm section Kevin Morris on drums and Phil Mitchell on bass (both 35 years), Steve Walwyn on guitar (28 years), and Robert Kane (formerly of the Animals) the most recent addition – joining in 1999.

Julien Temple’s film Oil City Confidential released on 2^nd February 2010 tells the story of the bands formative years featuring the Wilko Johnson era.

May 2011 saw the digitally re – mastered re release of Chessmasters originally released in 2000 on EMI Records … the band’s tribute to the Chess label, home to many of the finest blues artists of the 20^th century and the first Dr Feelgood album to feature Robert on vocals.

The band continues to tour extensively throughout the World.

BUY TICKETS HERE

THE BAR STEWARD SONS OF VAL DOONICAN

Saturday January 19th  £12.50

Put on yer finest knitted gladrags, style your barnet, put on your dancing shoes and bring your finest singing voices, as we cordially invite you to witness the Greatest Show On Earth (in tank-tops).

Hailing from Barnsley Rock City, The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican are on a mission! Determined to follow in their spiritual father’s immortal footsteps and keep his legacy alive, they have a talent for Bar-Stewardizing other famous people’s songs with new comedy lyrics, on acoustic geetar, ukulele, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, accordion and keyboard. To complete their squeaky-clean image, brothers-from-other-mothers Scott, Björn and Alan have become instantly recognisable for their immaculate hair and their stylish choice of knitwear.

A band that is both perpetually on the move and joyously independent, since forming in 2006, they have played over 900 side-splitting shows to date, and have brought smiles and belly-laughs to audiences across the UK; from Barnsley to Barnstaple, from Glasgow to Glastonbury. They continue to wow audiences with a fine selection of their greatest hits, including the likes of “Jump Ararnd”, “The Lady In Greggs”, “How Deep Is Your Glove?”, “Nandos”, “Paint ’em Back”, “Walking In Manpiss” and “If I Could Punch A Face… It’d Be Justin Bieber’s”.

As well as appearances at venues and festivals across the UK (including, Fairport Convention’s Cropredy Convention, The Levellers’ Beautiful Days Festival, Bearded Theory, Rebellion Punk Festival, Kate Rusby’s Underneath The Stars, Watchet Live, Off The Tracks and many, many more), they have also had the pleasure to collaborate with, support or share the same bill as many of the UK’s finest live acts from a wide range of genres, including:

The Levellers, Fairport Convention, Eliza Carthy & The Wayward Band, The Darkness, Chas & Dave, The Wurzels, The Gipsy Kings, The Blockheads and John Otway, to name but a few.

The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican can’t wait to bring their shindig back to the Shire Hall and they promise that they WILL rock you… but gently!

The greatest thing to come out of Barnsley, since the A61 to Sheffield” Jarvis Cocker, musician

“Loved The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican. Great fun” Jason Manford, comedian

“The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican are very, very funny… one of the hardest working bands on the planet” Mike Harding, comedian, folk-musician, author & broadcaster

A ridiculous family of genius, hilarious, irresistible music makers, currently crowd-surfing to the bar all over the great county of Yorkshire and beyond, into the venues and music festivals of the UK. Long may they rock… but gently” Eliza Carthy MBE, Multi-Award Winning Folk-Musician

“They deserve the reputation they have earned as one of the festival scenes hottest bookings.” UK Festival Guides

“Rapidly becoming the must-have, must-see festival band, The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican played to an over-capacity Woodland Stage arena as hundreds more queued outside for a chance a catching their much-anticipated antics” FestivalFlyer.com (review of Bearded Theory Festival 2018)

 

BUY TICKETS HERE

 

GARY STEWART’S GRACELAND

FEBRUARY 2nd AT HOWDEN MINSTER £15

 

The Jam’d are now the UK’s leading tribute to the live performance and sound of The Jam, and are totally committed to giving an unforgettable, authentic performance with all the energy, passion and style of the Woking 3.

As full time touring professional musicians, and massive Jam fans, The Jam’d put on a performance from the heart and soul, drawing on all their memories, experiences and love of what was the country’s biggest band in their day.

Gigging up and down the UK at outdoor festivals, scooter rallies and some of the UK’s top music venues & events! The show also includes the only replica of Rick Bucklers ‘Great White’ drum kit & features their own brass section!……You won’t be disappointed!

Every effort is placed into reproducing the sound, arrangements and energy of a Jam gig. Those who saw The Jam live will remember the electricity, aggression, passion, and even fashion on stage, something not always prevalent in today’s world, but to The Jam’d, it is a passion, a mission, and an honour to play for fans of “the best band in the world!”

BUY TICKETS HERE                                 This is they, do have a listen?

 

 

KAZ HAWKINS

Friday March 29th  £12.50

The Journey of Kaz Hawkins

The story of Kaz has many wondering how she ever survived the trauma in her life but she puts it best herself saying ‘Music is the very thing that saved me, when I sing I am in the safest place on earth. It replaces all the cruelty, shame and pain in my life so all I want to do now is sing for those still fighting’ Multi award winning Kaz Hawkins is Northern Ireland’s very own Soul Superstar named after her self penned song about the childhood that was stolen from her. She sings to her young self to let her know that she was strong and now the song pays tribute to her following her dream on stage.

The Belfast born singer-songwriter has wowed fans with her emotional honest performances across the globe. Her music brings an honest, fun, inspiring & hopeful message to those who need it. Using her story in song to break the barriers around mental health, Kaz Hawkins proves that music can heal, soothe and sometimes save souls that are lost. After nearly losing her life when her throat was cut, it is a spectacular story of survival never mind a voice that has reduced grown men to tears at her shows. It took Kaz 20 years to follow her childhood dream and now she is living every minute by creating a legacy of persistence, empowerment and true Belfast grit. Her music is an achievement but Kaz gives credit to her fans for allowing her into their musical hearts. Kaz is the ultimate story of the Phoenix rising from the ashes.

Kaz wears many HATS!

BUY TICKETS HERE

 

THE JAM’D

April 27th £12.50

At Howden Working Mens Club

Please note: Partial unreserved seating only.

The Jam’d are now the UK’s leading tribute to the live performance and sound of The Jam, and are totally committed to giving an unforgettable, authentic performance with all the energy, passion and style of the Woking 3.

As full time touring professional musicians, and massive Jam fans, The Jam’d put on a performance from the heart and soul, drawing on all their memories, experiences and love of what was the country’s biggest band in their day.

Gigging up and down the UK at outdoor festivals, scooter rallies and some of the UK’s top music venues & events! The show also includes the only replica of Rick Bucklers ‘Great White’ drum kit & features their own brass section!……You won’t be disappointed! 

Every effort is placed into reproducing the sound, arrangements and energy of a Jam gig. Those who saw The Jam live will remember the electricity, aggression, passion, and even fashion on stage, something not always prevalent in today’s world, but to The Jam’d, it is a passion, a mission, and an honour to play for fans of “the best band in the world!”

BUY TICKETS HERE

 The Northern Showtime Orchestra is an eight-piece ensemble with it a difference.  Uniquely, it also tells the stories behind the music, combining commentary, slides and presentations alongside faithful re-creations of arrangements which changed the face of music.  So, how does Richard feel about walking in the footsteps of his hero?  “Sinatra is arguably the greatest voice of the 20^th Century so this is a huge challenge for any singer.  His sense of swing, timing and phrasing are extraordinary.  He used to practice these skills whilst holding his breath underwater in the swimming pool; stretching his lung capacity and seeing how long he could hold a phrase – an incredible perfectionist.  Richard’s performance with Northern Showtime is not about trying to be Frank or being a tribute act.  This band is made up of top musicians who have all played in leading orchestras or bands nationally and internationally.  This is about lovingly re-telling an amazing story and lovingly learning from the master,” says Adams.

Trombonist Tony Turner created the orchestra in 2012. Three members of the Northern Showtime Orchestra also perform locally with the Scarborough Spa Orchestra, Kathy Seabrook (flute and saxophone), Andy Crofts (drums), and Graham Quilter (clarinet and saxophone). Nigel Blenkiron (trumpet), Bob Walker (bass) and Dave Clegg (piano) complete the lineup.

BUY TICKETS HERE