What’s On at the John Peel Centre

Our very own Whole Shebang Open Mic Night returns with another evening of Whimsical, Homegrown, Organic Live Entertainment. It is our 5th birthday, so come help us celebrate!

No fire, no nudity, no animals!

Other than that we like to keep the “open” in “open mic” so no matter what it is you do, music, poetry, juggling, dance, magic, exotic bird mating call impersonations, whatever, we’d love to have you along!

Anyone interested in taking part should email with details of what they would like to do and email title SHEBANG, or come along on the night and we should be able to fit you in. Max. 10mins/3 songs per act (subject to number of acts).

Alternatively, if you are more of an observer, just come along to watch an exciting evening of random entertainment!

Doors: 7.30pm
FREE ENTRY

Licensed Bar.

Please note that seating is available at this event.

As Strawbs move gracefully into their fifth decade of music making, it is still difficult to categorise the unique sound that has made them Britain’s most successful international progressive folk-rock band.

Although forming in the mid 60’s, coming out of the exciting British Folk Movement alongside Fairport Convention, Pentangle, Al Stewart and Roy Harper, this tour will mark the 50th Anniversary of their first major recording, being the first UK band to be signed by the famous Hollywood label A & M, under the guidance of Herb Albert and Gerry Moss.

Major chart success followed with classic albums Dragonfly, Bursting at the Seams, Ghosts, Grave New World and Hero & Heroine earning the band 2 Gold Discs and over 30 weeks in in Billboard Charts with 7 consecutive albums charting.

Massive coast to coast tours of America swiftly followed, sharing the stage with The Eagles, Santana and Frank Zappa.

From the days of Sandy Denny in the band (pre Fairport) and Sonja Kristina (pre Curved Air), the band have always enjoyed the finest soloists in their ranks. Rick Wakeman and then his son Oliver moving on to join YES as well as Rick’s other son going on to Ozzie Osbourne and Black Sabbath. Blue Weaver to join the Bee Gees and Don Airey to Deep Purple. The keyboard stool now being filled by virtuoso Dave Bainbridge of Iona, whose blend of Folk, Rock and Celtic music has endeared them to audiences for over 25 years.

A big influence on bands such as Pink Floyd, Genesis and Yes, the band are constantly producing some of the best and most respected albums since the 70’s.

The new album “The Ferryman’s Curse” received rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic and saw them back in the album charts for over 30 years. A recent sold out tour of Canada, producing spectacular reviews of the live show has resulted in two major tours of North America for 2019.

Acoustic Strawbs comprise David Cousins, along with lead guitarist Dave Lambert, and the astonishingly versatile Chas Cronk, who together formed the front-line of the classic 1970s line-up of Strawbs which had a remarkable seven consecutive albums in the Billboard Top 200 in the USA.

“Easy to see why they are selling out venues” – Q Magazine

“Never content to rest on their laurels, this exceptional band continue to produce classic tracks and spectacular live shows” – Mojo

Tickets are £18 in advance, available from the Box Office on 01449 774678 (10am-2pm weekdays) or online through our ticket partner, WeGotTickets (10% booking fee applies). Door price (if available) will be £20.

Please note that this is a seated event. Seating is unallocated, though all have a good view.

Licensed bar.

UK and British Blues Award winners Catfish have carved a reputation for themselves as an excellent live band with a phenomenal frontman in 23 year old guitarist/vocalist Matt Long who plays with a real passion for the blues.

In 2016 they won a British Blues Award and in 2018 won the UK Blues Award for Blues Act of the Year (England).

The band crashed onto the blues scene in January 2015, with their debut album ‘So Many Roads’ going straight in at no 1 in the IBBA blues airplay charts. Their EP, a tribute to BB King called ‘When BB Sings The Blues’, charted at no 5 in February 2016.

In January 2017 they released their much-anticipated second album ‘Broken Man’ which is almost entirely original material. ‘Broken Man’ also reached no 1 in the IBBA blues airplay charts in March 2017. It was voted album of the year for 2017 by the Independent Blues Broadcasters Association.

This is blues with a very broad brush – from epic prog anthems to stripped back piano ballads.

‘Catfish are one of the finest live bands in Britain today.  The quality of musicianship is outstanding and in Matt Long, they have one of the greatest young guitarists on the scene today…’ – Blues Matters Magazine August 2017

Their busy tour schedule includes confirmed European tours and an extensive list of UK festivals and blues club gigs all over the country. They are well under way with their new album of original material which they hope to release in early 2019.

Catfish are:

Matt Long – guitar and vocals
Paul Long – keyboards and vocals
Kevin Yates – drums
Adam Pyke – bass

Support TBA.

Tickets are £10 in advance, available from the Box Office on 01449 774678 (10am-2pm weekdays) or online through our ticket partner, WeGotTickets (10% booking fee applies). Also available on the door for £12.

Licensed bar.

We’re really excited that once again we are part of Independent Venue Week, which runs from Monday 28th January to Sunday 3rd February 2019. We will have seven (yes, 7!) consecutive days of events for you to indulge in.

Monday 28th January: re:emerge
Four of the bands who performed at our emerge nights during 2018 return to perform live again. Kursk, The Interesting Times Gang, The Fifths, and Sophie Mahon will all be performing.

Tuesday 29th January: Granny’s Attic + support
Granny’s Attic are a fantastic folk trio who play the tradition with verve, energy, and their own inimitable style.

Wednesday 30th January: Talvin Singh
Mercury Music Prize winning percussionist, producer, and composer, Talvin Singh brings electronic music and Asian Underground to Stowmarket as part of IVW19.

Thursday 31st January: Metal Night

Friday 1st February: Pip Blom + Eton Crop
Pip Blom and her band perform ‘indie-pop tunes with a twist’.

Saturday 2nd February: Beans on Toast + support
Cult Folk Legend, Beans on Toast is coming to Stowmarket to promote his new album “A Bird in The Hand’ and he’s bringing a full band with him.

Sunday 3rd February: Something Left Behind – The Wedding Present Documentary Film
Something Left Behind, a new music feature documentary about the “greatest break-up album of all time”, will be screened here at the John Peel Centre as part of Independent Venue Week 2019.

See the individual events for more details, including ticket prices and links.

Join us we kick off IVW with a look back at some of the memorable local artists who joined us at emerge during 2018. re:emerge will showcase live performances from Kursk, The Interesting Times Gang, The Fifths, and Sophie Mahon (not necessarily in that order!). Come and support these talented artists and potentially see the international stars of the future! (especially if you missed them last time around!)

“Worth supporting if you live locally, these emerge nights” – Steve Lamacq, BBC Radio 6 Music

Kursk are a 4 piece band from Suffolk with a passion for heavy metal. Inspired by the likes of Judas Priest, Witchfinder General, Black Sabbath and Pagan Altar. Kursk performed at our emerge night in September 2018.

The Interesting Times Gang
Adventure Pop! Featuring Hannah Cutler on guitar and vox, Astrid Coxon on keyboards, more vox, and the egg of artistic impotence, James Brittain on bass and further Vox, and Georgi Chapman on even more vox and supportive interpretative dance. Also features Ian-1 and Ian-2, the drum machines.  They sing about space travel, but they also sing about things that aren’t space travel (like betrayal, cannibals, toxic friendships, and travelling in space). TITG performed at our emerge night in March 2018.

The Fifths are an indie alternative band based in Cambridgeshire. The band consists of Simon (Guitar/Vocals), Jack (Guitar/Vocals), Jamie (Bass) and Matt (Drums). Formed only in December 2017 they have already played in a many venues in the local area, including emerge here at the John Peel Centre in July 2018.

“Sharp-suited surefire future pop sensation” Sophie Mahon brings a form of escapism and romanticism that is somewhat lacking in today’s cynical 21st Century maelstrom of plastic pop. Sophie takes inspiration from her Eighties New Wave influences Roxy Music, Duran Duran and David Bowie “but far from being a mere pastiche of bigger-haired times, [Sophie’s] music is fresh, urgent and oddly moving” [Seymour Quigley]. Sophie performed at our emerge night in May 2018.

Remember, emerge nights are for bands to perform and be supported by an appreciative crowd that will get to hear some great music, so all bands/artists and their fans are very much encouraged to support the other performers. Therefore if you are coming to see one band, please try to come for the whole evening – the bands will definitely appreciate it, and you will have a great time!

£3 entry on the door

Licensed bar. Range of soft drinks also available.

Granny’s Attic are a folk trio who play the tradition with verve, energy and their own inimitable style. We are excited that these guys are coming to Stowmarket on Tuesday of Independent Venue Week 2019!

These three young men are all exceptional musicians and fine singers and play English traditional and original music. Formed in 2009, they have since played at clubs and festivals up and down the country, and have been heralded for their lively performances and maturity beyond their years in their delivery and selection of traditional songs.

The trio are: Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne (Melodeon, Concertina, Vocals), George Sansome (Guitar, Vocals) and Lewis Wood (Fiddle, Mandolin, Vocals)

Support TBC

Tickets are £10 in advance, available from the Box Office on 01449 774678 (10am-2pm weekdays) or online through our ticket partner, WeGotTickets (10% booking fee applies). Also available on the door for £12.

Please note that this is a seated event. Seating is unallocated, though all have a good view.

Licensed bar.

Percussionist, producer, and composer, Talvin Singh is renowned for creating the bridge between Indian and electronic music. Drawing inspiration from the classical Indian arts, he has managed to sculpt a unique sonic landscape.

Singh’s synthesis of electronic music and eastern aesthetic, is often referred to as Asian Underground, one of the most exciting movements in the history of British music.

He has taken the Tabla to the cutting edge with the most unimaginable sonic creations, which has ultimately helped him to demystify Indian classical music, and therefore inspire a whole new generation of musicians and producers of contemporary music in India and the south Asian diaspora worldwide. Singh’s influence has also spanned to the visual arts, dance and film.

Having worked and collaborated with a diverse range of artists, such as, Sun Ra, the late Ustad Sultan Khan, Terry Riley, John Martyn, and Yoko Ono, he still continues to be as explorative and imaginative in his solo career as well as curating new ventures in contemporary music.

Singh’s debut album, titled OK, achieved huge acclaim and won Singh the Mercury Music Prize in 1999. He has also been honoured with the South Bank Prize for popular music and was awarded an OBE in 2015 for Services to Music. Talvin continues to perform internationally, write and produce music and to work as a music director for various creative projects.

We are excited to be welcoming Talvin to the John Peel Centre as part of Independent Venue Week 2019.

https://www.facebook.com/talvinsinghmusic/
https://soundcloud.com/talvin-singh

Tickets are £13 in advance, available from the Box Office on 01449 774678 (10am-2pm weekdays) or online through our ticket partner, WeGotTickets (10% booking fee applies). Also available on the door for £15.

Licensed bar.

We are thrilled to have Pip Blom performing here as part of Independent Venue Week 2019!

22-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. In stepped brother Tender Blom on backing vocals and guitar, Darek Mercks on bass and Gini Cameron on drums, with Pip herself fronting on guitar on vocals. Since, the band have played more than a hundred gigs, rising from small pubs to the european festival circuit with performances at Eurosonic Noorderslag and The Great Escape – as well as being asked by the likes of Surfer Blood, Franz Ferdinand and The Breeders to join them on their various European tours.

The band’s energetic live show quickly pricked the ears of press and radio – with Vice’s music channel hailing Pip as ‘ready to join the ranks of 2018’s rising guitar acts’, and BBC 6 Music A-listing recent singles ‘I Think I’m In Love’ and ‘Pussycat’. The station’s DJs Marc Riley hailed the former as ‘perfect pop’ with Gideon Coe branding it ‘excellent’ and, elsewhere, on the UK’s most popular music station BBC Radio One, Pip Blom performed a live session at Maida Vale for Huw Stephens. Not bad going for someone whose early ambitions were to write a few songs and upload them to the internet in case people wanted to hear them.

Support from Eton Crop

Eton Crop were an indie band formed in 1979 in Nieuwkoop, Netherlands, and released a total of 12 singles and four albums over the next 15 years. Frequent visitors to the UK, they toured with many of the “pre-C86” groups like The Membranes and The Three Johns, the latter with whom they shared a not too dissimilar musical approach. While many groups from that era downed tools towards the end of the decade, Eton Crop battled on into the mid-nineties, their last full length album, Get Real!, appearing (on cd) in 1992, eventually bowing out in 1994 with the 4 track ep Everybody. The band later changed their name to the E.C. Groove Society and started producing techno music until 2003. Recently the band reformed under Eton Crop and performed in Stockton, County Durham, UK at the Peel Regenerated Festival in 2014.

The band recorded five sessions for John Peel in the space of five years and on his Radio Bremen show from 1991 on Peel 002 (Radio Bremen), he stated that this was his favourite Dutch band:

“And this is just about my favourite Dutch band and they have been for quite some time. I mean to be honest with you, couple of them are mates of mine anyway, which probably colour my judgement.”

Tickets are £8 in advance, available from the Box Office on 01449 774678 (10am-2pm weekdays) or online through our ticket partner, WeGotTickets (10% booking fee applies). Also available on the door for £10.

Licensed bar.