Thursday 02 February
Grandpa Banana
Very Special guests Reet Petite & Gone
t ickets: £9 Adv / £10 door

Banana (real name Lowell Levinson), was the founder member of the legendary San Francisco Bay area folk rock band The Youngbloods. With Banana on guitar and electric piano, the band also featured Jesse Colin Young on vocals and bass. The band’s classic recording “Get Together” cracked the U.S. top 5, sold over one million copies, achieving gold record status in 1969.

The Youngbloods first chart single was "Grizzly Bear" in 1967, and was  followed that year by the albums “The Youngbloods”, and “Earth Music”. The album “Elephant Mountain” followed in 1969, with “Rock Festival” and “Ride the Wind"  hot on their heels.

Banana was initially a bluegrass musician who  apart from guitar and piano also plays  banjo, mandolin, mandola and bass. His love of the genre is evident when in 1971 he produced the albums “Good & Dusty” and “High on a Ridgetop”.   These albums introduced Californian bluegrass to a nationwide audience.

The Youngbloods disbanded in 1972, and Banana went on to a solo career, although the band reformed briefly for a club tour in 1984.

Banana was accompanist to Mimi Farina (the sister of Joan Baez) for over twenty years, and also played keyboards and sang lead vocals with Zero for over 10 years, as well as playing with Norton Buffalo (Steve Miller band etc.) , Steve Kimock and Friends. Banana also plays blues on a regular basis with The Michael Barclay Blues Band and 60’s psychedelic rock with The Barry "The Fish" Melton Band (Country Joe & The Fish etc.)

Banana has played duo gigs with David Nelson, Keith Little, David Thom, Paul Knight, and many others. He also plays his beloved bluegrass music with friends and neighbours including The Papermill Creek Rounders, David, Tracy and Sam Grisman, The David Thom Band and the legendary Artie Rose.

Friday 03 February
The UK chili peppers
tickets: £6 Adv / £7 door

THE UK CHILI PEPPERS, a RED HOT tribute band!

They offer an authentic and energetic live show covering all eras of the band's career with over 2 hours of material in their repertoire.

Featuring….Out In LA, The Brother's Cup, Me And My Friends, Special Secret Song, Higher Ground, Stone Cold Bush, Give It Away, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Under The Bridge, Sir Psycho Sexy, Suck My Kiss, Aeroplane, Around The World, Californication, Scar Tissue, By The Way, Can't Stop, Hump De Bump, Tell Me Baby, Dani California, and many more…….

Saturday 04 February
Portsmouth Mod Fest
tickets: SOLD OUT

THE BIRDCAGE SET
Fab 4 'The Birdcage Set' are a top mod band based in Portsmouth. Belting out tunes by the likes of 'The Action', 'The Creation', The High Numbers, The Kinks, Fleur de Lys, The Eyes and more.

THE FLEET STREET
"Rediscover the hairs on the back of your neck!" and "if you like The Jam, you'll love these!" are just a couple of press quotes describing where The Fleet Street are coming from...

The Fleet Street have stayed true to their Mod/Punk roots! Snappy dressers... tight, cutting guitars and drums... thought provoking lyrics... and all performed with power and energy! These ingredients make up 'The Fleet Street', a powerful Mod rock trio from the south coast of England.

THE HYPE
The Mod/Alternative three-piece have been infecting ears for over 2 years now with their unbeatable true British sound, celebrating the English culture and way of life. A life which has recently lost its debonair, dress-to-impress style and top 40 chart of unbeatable, desired music which made us into a great nation.

Sunday 05 February
Steve hampton's jam session
Free entry
doors 2pm, show 3pm

Doors at 2pm and music from 3pm. We are welcoming all players and you, our lovely customers to come along and bring the family. There will be some snacks provided to keep you going and we’ll finish about 5.30pm in time for you to retreat indoors for a restful Sunday evening. 

Wednesday 08 February
Miles Hunt & Erica Nockalls of The Wonder Stuff
tickets: £10 Adv / £12 door

This will be Miles & Erica’s 5th Cellars show. Quite simply, Miles is a superb entertainer and Erica is an outstanding violinist, making this show one not to be missed, it’s a real highlight of our calendar every year.

Over the past 20 years The Wonder Stuff have notched up 5 top 20 albums and played to hundreds of thousands of people throughout the UK.  Best known for their number 1 single with Vic Reeves, ‘Dizzy’, and the classic ‘Size of a Cow’, the band have performed many TV shows with their 17 top 20 singles and notch-up 2,000,000 sales worldwide.

Having played 7 festivals and 2 UK tours in 2006 founder-member and lead vocalist, Miles Hunt, and fiddle player Erica Nockalls recorded the incredible new album ‘Not An Exit’, which has been heralded as Miles’ finest work. In April and May the duo took to the road for a 6 week tour performing acoustic versions of old and new Wonder Stuff songs, as well as selected titles from the album. Erica brought a new dimension to set, playing fiddle on classic Wonder Stuff songs as well as on songs that have never featured fiddles before.  The strings throughout the entire set showed the more roots/folk side of The Wonder Stuff’s songs. 

Since that first acoustic tour, Miles & Erica have become firm favourites on the circuit, returning to venues time and time again. Their second duo album ‘Catching More Than We Miss’ was released in 2009 along with their multi-artist collaboration album ‘Shared’.

By way of introducing each song in the set, Miles recounts stories of life on the road, tales from The Wonder Stuff and life in general.  It's a double dose of Miles; the singer-songwriter and monologue-ist! An evening not to be missed.

Thursday 09 February
Jurassic Mark presents
A showcase of the best emerging local bands from around the area
tickets: £No advance sales / £5 door

Jurassic Mark presents a showcase of the best emerging local bands from around the area.

Tuesday 14 February
Ahab
tickets: £7 Adv / £9 door

“ahab is the real deal – top-notch UK Americana featuring tight four-piece harmonies.” - Simon Mayo, BBC Radio 2

“I loved ahab’s terrific performance at Cropredy festival. They are blistering live – alt-country edge and sheer class.” - Bob Harris, BBC Radio 2

Following the release of their 2009 CD a.h.a.b., Callum Adamson and Dave Burn were invited to play a residency at the famous ‘Tootsies Orchid Lounge’ during Nashville’s Country Music Awards week festival in Nashville, Tennessee. They recruited Seebs Llewellyn and Luke Price and spent a week playing two shows a day to packed houses, and were even given an invite to record at Warner Studios in Nashville.

ahab returned to London and decided to make the new line-up permanent, they spent two months busking in east London, which is where their unique sound took shape – four part harmonies accompanying extremely accomplished song writing. While busking, the band created such a stir on the streets that they were warned by Police not to perform at markets anymore as the crowds that gathered were blocking the streets. It was time to look further afield

In August 2010 ahab were invited to play Fairport Convention’s Cropredy Festival on the strength of a YouTube video of them busking, ‘Whispering’ Bob Harris watched them storm the 15,000 strong crowd from the side of the stage and invited them there and then to record a session for his Saturday night BBC Radio 2 programme. At this point ahab still did not have a CD available for their rapidly growing fan base to take home.

So, in October 2010 ahab went into London’s Snap Studios to record a 5 track EP of self-penned songs. Impressed by the results, Bob Harris offered to host their EP launch at the BBC Club.

Then the word got out.

Legendary producer John Leckie attended one of their early shows and offered to return to Snap Studios to record ‘Lucy’, a download single.

In February 2011, to promote ‘Lucy’, ahab played their first national tour comprising of over 20 shows with most of the dates selling out in advance.

In April 2011 ahab recorded another 5 track EP at Real World Studios, once again with John Leckie at the helm. This EP was released on Navigator Records in autumn 2011.

Throughout the summer, ahab performed at over 20 festivals in the UK and Europe as well as several of their own shows.

Wednesday 15 February
Jurassic Mark presents
A showcase of the best emerging local bands from around the area
tickets: £No advance sales / £5 door

Jurassic Mark presents a showcase of the best emerging local bands from around the area.

Thursday 16 February
Jurassic Mark presents
A showcase of the best emerging local bands from around the area
tickets: £No advance sales / £5 door

Jurassic Mark presents a showcase of the best emerging local bands from around the area.

Friday 17 February
Aynsley Lister (solo show)
tickets: £10 Adv / £12 door

“Superb” – THE TIMES

Aynsley has never been an artist to reheat the music of yesteryear. Influenced from an early age by the 60’s RnB era, Lister takes these key elements and mixes them with a more current and melodic lyrical approach.

He is one of very few artists playing blues infused rock with a modern edge -tangible, heartfelt, soul searching and full of fine songwriting; played with passion and vitality. His hard hitting rhythms and guitar work are reminiscent of a young Clapton.

Lister began his career when he signed to Ruf Records in 1998. During his time on the label he worked with producers such as Jim Gaines (SRV, Santana) and Greg Haver (Manic Street Preachers) and recorded four studio albums, two live albums and two DVD’s. However, if these earlier albums were Lister making his mark as a well respected blues rock artist, it was when he signed to Manhaton Records in June 2008 that he showed he had more commercial appeal to a bigger audience.

Featuring John Mayer’s guitarist Robbie Macintosh, Equilibrium was released in March 2009 and received rave reviews everywhere. As well as doing live sessions for Radio 2’s Bob Harris and Paul Jones, Aynsley was the only British artist to be featured in Classic Rocks review: TOP 10 CONTEMPORARY BLUES ROCK ARTISTS….......alongside The White Stripes, The Black Keys, John Mayer, Jon Spencer, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Joe Bonamassa, Derek Trucks and the North Mississippi Allstars. They also listed Equilibrium in the Top 50 albums released in 2009

His live work has seen him work with a whole host of big names. Earlier in his career it was blues legends such as Buddy Guy, John Mayall and Robert Cray, while more recently he played a sell out tour with Lynyrd Skynyrd when their UK tour visited such venues as Brixton Academy, Manchester Apollo and Birmingham’s NIA.

Saturday 18 February
Ivyrise
tickets: £6 Adv / £7 door

“It has to be 2011.” That’s what Ivyrise singer, songwriter and founding member Ben Falinski decided at the start of 2010. He had already steered his band to notable independent success, scoring Top 10 hits on the indie charts and even playing to stadium audiences, but his has always been a passion that refuses to be confined. So he changed everything. He kept his best songs, threw the rest out, and wrote more; switched up his band, and stopped when he got to the perfect combination of Dan Tanner (guitar/vocals), Mark Nagle (bass) and Josh Key (drums). It had to be just right.

Together they blagged and grafted and self-promoted their way through 2010 and, as a result, much as Ben had hoped, 2011 really is Ivyrise’s year. Most impressively of all, at a point when half the music industry seems to be desperate to sign a record deal and the other half seems hell-bent on proving how fantastic it is to be independent, Ivyrise found their own sweet spot right in the middle. Signing an innovative new fan-funded deal with My Major Company, Ivyrise can further develop their own sound, style and massive fanbase, with the freedom to explore Falinski’s creative vision, while also hitting huge new audiences and building on the incredible emotional link they have with existing fans.

The first step is anthemic single ‘Line Up The Stars’, a bold, buzzy statement of intent bursting with chugging riffs and skyscraping melodies. Written and co-produced by the band, the single’s a powerful opening volley for a band hungry and passionate about every aspect of what lies ahead. Obviously, hunger and passion count for the square root of sod all if the tunes are no good, but this is of little concern to Ivyrise. At the time of writing the band are about to hit the studio with Jason Perry (Kids In Glass Houses, The Blackout, McFly) to polish up the sackful of demos that form Ivyrise’s debut album. If you don’t like thinking big turn away now, because this is a band for whom everything is a little epic: they specialise in widescreen stadium rock with radio-friendly hooks so well-honed you’d think they’d been stockpiling them for years. In some instances, that’s not far off the case: Ben has devoted most of his adult life to songwriting, having stumbled across this passion in his teens when his mother fell ill. “I decided I wanted to write songs for my mum,” he recalls. “And I’d get frustrated that I couldn’t. And then one day it clicked.” For a year he’d spend every lunchtime at school locked in the music room writing songs, and he still writes endlessly today. “I won’t write one song a session,” he admits. “I’ll write fifteen then bin thirteen and concentrate on what’s left. It’s an obsession.”

It’s an obsession that, in the last few years, has proved contagious. Ivyrise’s self-released singles ‘Tips’ and ‘Disguise’ both sold well enough to hit the charts and the band even supported Bon Jovi on their Lost Highway tour. But self-releasing isn’t always quite as rosy as it’s cracked up to be - when it comes to putting out your own music Ivyrise have been there, done that and phoned around for a quote on printing up the t-shirt - and Falinski knew that Ivyrise had to get to the next level. “I wrote down a plan,” he recalls.

“The big question was, ‘how do we keep functioning as a band and stay afloat financially? We looked at our plan and we knew that getting a record deal instantly wasn’t going to happen. We knew there’d have to be sacrifices, we knew it’d be hard work, but we came up with an idea.”

And that was? “We started selling tickets for our tours in queues for other bands’ gigs,” Ben says, adding with no little sense of understatement: “It was, I suppose, a bit cheeky.” No band was safe. But it worked. One You Me At Six queue, for example, bought 80 tickets on a single night. Ivyrise sold thousands of tickets that way. “I’d get more nervous walking up to a bunch of people queueing for a gig than I would do going onstage,” Ben laughs. “You’d walk up to someone with an MP3 player, a handful of flyers and twenty seconds to sell your band to them.” As audacious and borderline illegal as it might have been, it was a plan that led not just to well attended gigs but a massive network of fans up and down the country. They might now be the victim of their own success (“last time we played London there were six bands doing our queue,” Josh laughs) but extreme times call for extreme measures. “We knew it was make or break,” Ben reasons. “We had to get to the point where we could get a deal, and we weren’t going to miss that opportunity.”

As it happens, the deal had a little more to do with the new fanbase than the band had initially expected. While the band were talking to labels about a deal they came across My Major Company, a company which specialised in combining the increasingly popular idea of fan-funded album projects with the invaluable expertise of a more formal record label structure. The company had already had a lot of success in France, and was looking for its first UK signing. “We thought about it for a month and decided it was worth a shot,” Ben recalls. They set a target of raising £100,000, mentally preparing themselves for what might happen if they never hit the target. They got the lot in four days.

It was fortunate timing for the band, who’d tentatively secured the services of superproducer Jason Perry, identified by Ben as “the perfect man for the job”. “He was a no brainer in terms of who we wanted to work with us on the album,” Ben remembers, “so I approached him and when he came back to us and said he wanted to do it it was like, ‘awesome, let’s make it happen’.” It wasn’t quite that simple, of course. “The thing is, when I asked him to do the record I had no idea if we were going to be able to make it. That was the scary thing. I said, ‘Jason, we want you to produce our record’. He said, ‘great, what’s the budget’. And I said, ‘er...’. And he said, ‘well, what label’s it going out on?’. And I said, ‘er...’.” A month later they had the money, they had the deal, and they had the producer.

They also, most importantly, had the songs themselves, and ‘Line Up The Stars’ is just the tip of a hefty iceberg. Listen through the tracks and there’s a definite feeling of these tunes coming together as a body of work, but with enough diversity to keep every twist and turn interesting. Naturally, if you ask Ben to pick his favourites he looks like his head is about to explode - he’s poured his heart and soul into these tunes. Push him further and he’ll mention a few that are particularly important. So there’s ‘Looks Like Heaven’, for example, which he describes as “the most sensitive song I’ve ever written”. It’s hard not to be touched by the simple, innocent promise of the line “I’ll be there to hold you when you’re scared, to wrap my arms around you anytime anywhere”, but it’s also an all-out rock song about loving someone to death. “It took me ages and ages to write,” he admits. “I kept going back to it and changing things.” Other choice picks include ‘Too Much’ (“about those times when everything feels like it’s getting too much for you - it’s like a cry for help with hope on the horizon”) and ‘Hurts’, with its pop twist on classic stadium rock.

At the heart of all this is an extraordinarily tightly-knit band. It’s a lineup which, despite having only been finally completed at the start of last year, has already developed a sixth sense that’ll lead to Ben, Josh, Dan and Mark finishing each other’s sentences as intuitively as they’re starting to complete each other’s songwriting ideas. Nonetheless, their different backgrounds and different sensibilities combine to create a fascinating mix.

Ben, for example, is the band’s oldest member, growing up in Portsmouth and spending his teens at local gigs - he saw Coldplay perform to 25 people - then obsessing about Dylan and Elvis, instantly identifying the latter for his showmanship, songs “and the fact that he basically invented pop music”. After studying at Warwick he moved to London and started touring any venue that’d

have him. And yes, there was busking: everything from Buddy Holly to Oasis. Even then he was thinking big - he used to busk from a setlist - but it paid off and he’d make upwards of £70 a day. At 20 Norwich-raised Josh is, by contrast, Ivyrise’s youngest (and newest) member - his drumming career started when he was three with the arrival of a Thomas The Tank Engine drum kit and by the time he was twelve he was looking up to his favourite drummers John Bonham, Keith Moon and (“for attitude if not drumming”) Ringo Starr. There was little fuss from his parents - his dad would even invent dentist appointments and take him out of school to go and see bands like AC/DC playing live. By the age of 14 he was drumming in function bands - “my apprenticeship”. While Josh was entertaining wedding parties with pleasant party hits his future bandmate Mark Nagle was a self-declared “little shit” who, by his mid teens, was flinging himself into punk, with NOFX and Bad Religion among his iPod’s most played artists. After AS Levels he went straight to music college, which is where he first met Josh and Dan, then after that straight into studio work and session gigs for major labels and other bands. And that just leaves Dan, the Bury-raised guitarist who picked up on his dad’s obsession for Joe Satriani and quickly started picking his own guitar heroes: Jimmy Page, Angus Young. Studying music changed his outlook on life in bands. “Over two years on that course I changed,” he recalls, “from some kid in baggy jeans wanting to play as fast as possible to a songwriter and producer passionate about the details of how songs work.”

Add this whole lot together and you’ve got a group of lads who are the perfect match for Ben’s songwriting, bringing their own spark to existing songs as well as contributing to the music as it moves forward. It can’t move forward fast enough for Ivyrise, but however much they’ve prepared for it over the last few years, and they’ve prepared a lot, it feels like they have some huge surprises in store.

“I’ve just been massively overambitious,” Ben says. “I’ve always wanted to be in a stadium rock band. I have always had a vision of starting something then turning it into something massive, and rock is the only thing I can do. I tried golf but it wasn’t the same.”

Sunday 19 February
an afternoon with steve hampton f.i.i.k.
Free entry
doors 2pm, show 3pm

Wednesday 22 February
Jurassic Mark presents
A showcase of the best emerging local bands from around the area
tickets: £No advance sales / £5 door

Jurassic Mark presents a showcase of the best emerging local bands from around the area.

Thursday 23 February
The Day of Rabblement
tickets: £6 Adv / £7 door

Tom McGibben - 5 String Banjo and Vocals

Friday 24 February
Geno Washington & YoYo Blues
tickets: SOLD OUT

A brand new touring show from a true legend. Geno on those unmistakeable vocals plus bass, guitar and drums - all the blues, soul and R'n'B favourites in one hi-energy set.

Geno Washington and The Ram Jam Band had two of the biggest selling UK albums of the sixties. Amazingly both of these were live albums. Hand Clappin, Foot Stompin, Funky Butt Live was in the album charts for 48 weeks of the year 1966 and was only out-sold by The Sound of Music and Bridge over Troubled Water.

US soul acts rarely visited the UK and, having come over as a part of the USAir force and stayed, Geno was our soul man. His level of touring and the high energy of his gigs was, and still is (as immortalized by Dexy's Midnight Runners in the 80's hit Geno) the stuff of legends. During his sets, the beat was continuous and the hits were incessant. It was really Geno who pioneered this Go, Go style of performing and the audiences simply could not get enough. With the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Cream, and Pink Floyd in support Geno could never relax.

Eventually, having made Pye records and numerous managers millions of pounds, Geno decided a break might be a good idea. Rock and Roll had taken its toll and being on the road with every sixties act you care to think of, had finally drained the mighty Washington batteries.

Geno did do some recordings in the States in the seventies, some never released stuff with the Beach Boys for example, but he largely retreated from the world of show biz and studied hypnosis and meditation.

These spiritual meanderings were abruptly halted when, in 1980 Blighty beckoned once more. A call came from old friends in the UK that a tribute called Geno (mentioned above) had gone to number one in the charts. In interviews, the singer, Kevin Roland, was speaking of this legendary soul man, whose name they used to chant up and down the land and public interest in Geno was growing for a new generation. Soon, Anglophile Geno, was back in the UK and back on the road.

The arrival of the nineties saw Geno go back to his roots (he was a Blues singer originally in his home, town of Evansville, Indiana) doing a show he called Cut Loose and Singing the Blues.  This was a great success and spawned the band The Purple Aces. He then took this band to Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival, had a great reaction and a three week sell-out run. This in turn resulted in a collaboration with Ray Fenwick (The Spencer Davies Band) and an album  called Change Your Thoughts You Change Your Life.

Saturday 25 February
Dirty Sky Jones and Friends
plus special guests martin newnham and bemis
tickets: £6 Adv / £7 door

Dirty Sky Jones (or Sam Jones to his mum) is an indie-folk / punk-pop acoustic musician based in Portsmouth. Recently releasing his debut EP, touring with Chesney Hawkes (for the second time in a year), appearing in the finals for two of Portsmouth’s most highly commended music competitions and receiving the prestigious Guide Award for ‘Best Solo Artist’; It’s fair to say, 2010 was a busy year for Dirty Sky Jones.

October 2010 saw the release of Dirty Sky Jones’ debut EP; ‘Tone-deaf and Talentless’. For the release he shared the stage of the Cellars at Eastney with Martin Newnham, who is featured on the EP. He has since sold copies to people not only throughout the UK but also the United States of America and Australia. Later in the month, DSJ joined Chesney Hawkes on a mini tour covering venues in Banbury, Sheffield, Winchester and London.

Playing several headline hometown shows; he has also supported some of the brightest names in the up and coming part of the music scene. Including; Dave McPherson, Jose Vanders, Sam Little, Roses Kings Castles, Luke Leighfield, Not Advised and even got asked personally by Sam of Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. to support them on the Portsmouth date of their tour.

In July/August 2010, DSJ was in the final for two of Portsmouth’s biggest talent competitions; ‘All about the Song’ is a competition based upon song writing skills as opposed to simply performance. The finals were judged by people involved directly with the music industry, including Kairen Kemp of BBC Introducing. ‘Music Room Acoustic Showcase’ is judged upon delivery, ability, stage presence and overall performance.
In November 2010 following a performance at Southsea Fest, DSJ won ‘Best Solo Artist’ at the Portsmouth Guide awards.

2011 was another busy year for DSJ. He went  on  a ‘living room’ tour in various cities across the UK, which gave him the chance to play intimate gigs to small audiences.. Following completion of The Three Peaks Challenge, where Dirty Sky Jones performed his songs on top of Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Mount Snowdon, all within 24 hours, to raise money for charity, he returned to The Cellars for a homecoming show. He has since been writing and working towards as second EP in early 2012, with an album to follow later in the year.

Press Quotes

“…the crowd kept laughing at the graphic tongue in cheek lyrics. …If his music doesn’t take off, then there’s always the comedy circuit!”
“It has to be said, this song was so descriptive I actually felt as though I was there.”
Gail Buckthorpe – The Sheffield Scenester

“DSJ is a talent; his distinctive vocal style and fantastic song writing abilities are sure to see him headed for big things soon.”
Nick Collins – The News

“…a cheeky smile and easy manner had the audience eating out of this young guy’s hand.”
Mickey Day – The News

"Dirty Sky Jones feels like that summer you spent with the love of your life, leaving you with a warm feeling inside. A joy to watch live, with great, down to earth lyrics, and infectiously hooky tunes. Magical stuff"
Express FM

“All in all what we have here is a talented lad who, if he stays focused, could well have a bright future ahead of him!"
Call Upon The Author

"a catchy-as-hell closing number that you find yourself humming subconsciously after the band have packed up and left!"
Art and Soul Magazine

"...the sound of Dirty Sky Jones is one that we’re going to be wanting to hear a lot more of!"
Radio Sonar - Southampton

"catchy and incredibly well executed"

Wednesday 29 February
Dan Donnelly
tickets: £8 Adv / £10 door

Dan has regularly performed on stage with The Levellers and The Oyster Band and has supported Seth Lakeman on 2 national tours.

2009 UK Festival Awards Critics Choice Nominee

Originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, Dan Donnelly has been singing, playing and writing music since an early age. He started his career as singer and songwriter in critically acclaimed Belfast band Watercress and penned many of their most popular songs including “Candlemaker”, which reached number 1 in the Irish indie charts and “Stars Shine On”, which also topped the same chart. He has played in many guises all across the globe, supporting bands such as, Air, The Levellers, The Darkness, Duran Duran, Ian Dury and Turin Brakes, to name a few.

In 2000 Dan moved to New York where he became a regular fixture on the live music scene and paid his dues in the clubs and cafes that have cut the teeth of many songwriters. It was here he formed the New York based band Sonovagun who packed venues throughout the Tri State area consistently. He has gained considerable recognition as a solo singer and songwriter in recent years, both in Europe and America.

Dan has supported Seth Lakeman twice on sell out tours of Britain. In the past 4 years he has played at most of the major music festivals in the UK, including, Beautiful Days Festival, Glastonbury Festival and The Big Session Festival. These popular performances gained him a nomination for the 2009 “UK Festival Awards Critics Choice” category alongside artists such as, Thom Yorke, Lily Allen and Mercury Rev.

Dan’s latest solo tours have brought him around England, Ireland, America, Canada, Germany, Austria, Denmark and New Zealand. His country cover of ‘Paradise City’ by Guns and Roses has been popularized by the Anchor Butter advertising campaign, ‘Made By Cows’. He is one of the only artists to have performed onstage regularly with both The Levellers and The Oysterband, two of the most popular folk rock acts in Europe.

Thursday 01 March
Gabrielle Aplin
tickets: SOLD OUT

Internet sensation Gabrielle recently supported Charlie Simpson & Matt Cardle on their respective UK tours

18-year-old Internet sensation Gabrielle Aplin will embark on a headline UK-wide tour next March, taking her mesmerising voice across the length and breadth of the country for 10 hotly anticipated shows.

It kicks off at Cardiff's Clwb Ifor Bach on February 29th before moving through Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Glasgow and a host of other cities.

Gabrielle is no stranger to gigging. Having already played to sold-out audiences on three headline UK tours, she appeared at several festivals across the summer, including Glastonbury and Secret Garden Party, and recently supported Charlie Simpson and Matt Cardle on their respective UK tours.

This tour will see her playing several tracks from her 'Acoustic' and 'Never Fade' EPs - the latter having peaked at No.14 in the iTunes UK Albums Chart - as well as debuting songs from her forthcoming 'Home' EP.

A self-taught, multi-instrumentalist, Gabrielle confidently moves from piano and guitar to percussion with the skill of an experienced musician and has already garnered quite the online following.

Keep your eyes and ears peeled because, for Gabrielle Aplin, things are only just beginning...

Friday 02 March
Jurassic Mark presents
A showcase of the best emerging local bands from around the area
tickets: £No advance sales / £5 door

Jurassic Mark presents a showcase of the best emerging local bands from around the area.

Saturday 03 March
The New Rock Godz – Lip Service
plus special guests The Summers and White Knuckle Bride
tickets: £5 Adv / £6 door

The New Rock Godz currently comprise of 3 new, exciting and energetic British rock bands. All 3 play original music and, although not sounding alike, share a common set of influences and goals and have come together to form their own “co-operative”.

The three bands – Summers, Lip Service and White Knuckle Bride – have got together to support each other, both on and off the stage. The Summers music sounds like Def Leppard at their “Hysteria” peak, replete with glorious vocal harmonies and polished sound and are ready to begin their first US tour in April.

Lip Service, according to Classic Rock, play “fully-engorged sleaze-metal” and are constantly compared to Guns n Roses and Skid Row in the media. We think they sound more like a cross between Zodiac Mindwarp and The Almighty but you get the idea, Hell, yeah! Finally, there is White Knuckle Bride. This band, making their second appearance at The Cellars, exhibits the sort of brattish nature that the Towers of London had and sound not musically dissimilar but are a much nicer bunch of guys to know!

Sunday 04 March
Steve hampton's jam session
Free entry
doors 2pm, show 3pm

Doors at 2pm and music from 3pm. We are welcoming all players and you, our lovely customers to come along and bring the family. There will be some snacks provided to keep you going and we’ll finish about 5.30pm in time for you to retreat indoors for a restful Sunday evening. 

Wednesday 07 March
Acoustic Theatre featuring Andrew Foster
tickets: £8 Adv / £10 door

Experience the incredible intimacy of The Cellars when it’s laid out ‘theatre style’ with seating in rows. The venue has been hosting fringe theatre productions for 3 years now and Acoustic Fusion has decided to use the format to showcase some of the area’s acoustic talent in this amazing environment.

Thursday 08 March
Munich
tickets: £6 Adv / £7 door

‘All Sussed Out’ was the June 20th debut single by exciting new talent Munich. It’s bold and anthemic and certainly marks the band’s arrival in grand style. The single brims with confidence and proficiency and highlights Munich’s musicianship to great effect. Munich have three UK tours under their belt already, gaining many new fans along the way. They had a great 2010 in which they released their debut EP ‘Where Are You Now?’ last November. Produced by Paul Corkett (The Cure, Placebo, Nick Cave, Bjork and Biffy Clyro) at Moles Studios, Bath, it received some great support from press and radio including being play-listed on XFM and Brighton’s Juice FM, support from BBC Introducing and reviews in Q Magazine, The Fly, Source and XYZ. The band also played at The Great Escape in May.  In late Summer 2011, the band appeared on the main stage of the Ben & Jerry’s Festival in London and Manchester.

Friday 09 March
The Men They Couldn’t Hang present Stefan Cush & The Feral Family (playing Stefan’s new album Brough Superior and TMTCH favourites) 
tickets: £12 Adv / £14 door

Stefan Cush - Singer, song-writer, guitarist with over twenty-five years time served with super-charged rebel folk-rock combo, The Men They Couldn`t Hang (T.M.T.C.H.) Other musical ventures include playing guitar for The Pogues (standing in for a poorly Philip Chevron). In addition to live music, Mr. Cush has played venerable host as D.J. in London club land, holding court with Trish O`Flynn at the renowned Mean Fiddler venue for several years.

The Feral Family are:

Sputnik Weazel - Drums, Keyboards, and Feral production. Originally from Manchester, then reared down south... Sputnik's career spans more decades and countries than he can remember, he has busked with Eddie Izzard, jammed with Jools Holland, and also drums with T.M.T.C.H. and the Surfin' Lungs (Wild Punk Records: Spain).

Tom Spencer - Lead guitar. The talented Mr. Spencer has enjoyed an illustrious career in the post-punk rock 'n' roll circus. He spent the 90's touring the European circuit incessantly with Big Boy Tomato, Sugarsnatch and punk legends The Lurkers. In '98 he formed The Yo-yos, signed to Sub-Pop and spent time in the good old U S of A. In recent years he's been a member of Ginger Wildheart and Friends, The Loyalties, The Dogs D'Amour and The Vincent Razorbacks to name merely a few. Tom is also on banjo duties with the ubiquitous T.M.T.C.H.

Saturday 10 March
Acoustic Fusion Showcase ft Eden In Vain
tickets: £6 Adv / £7 door

Metal laced heavy hardcore from this local band

Tuesday 13 March
Acoustic Fusion Showcase ft The billy gregory band
tickets: £6 Adv / £7 door

Wednesday 14 March
Jurassic Mark presents
A showcase of the best emerging local bands from around the area
tickets: £No advance sales / £5 door

Jurassic Mark presents a showcase of the best emerging local bands from around the area.

Thursday 15 March
Altered Sky
Plus special guests Midday Committee, Hour of the Outlaw and Under the Laurels
tickets: £5 Adv / £6 door

“Astounding. Altered Sky have raised the bar by quickly positioning themselves as one of the best bands in the country” - Heather Fraser – Trisickle Magazine

Friday 16 March
Jurassic Mark presents
A showcase of the best emerging local bands from around the area
tickets: £No advance sales / £5 door

Jurassic Mark presents a showcase of the best emerging local bands from around the area.

Saturday 17 March
Jurassic Mark presents
A showcase of the best emerging local bands from around the area
tickets: £No advance sales / £5 door

Jurassic Mark presents a showcase of the best emerging local bands from around the area.

Sunday 18 March
an afternoon with steve hampton f.i.i.k.
Free entry
doors 2pm, show 3pm

Sunday 18 March
slim chance play ronnie lane
tickets: £13 advance sales / £15 door

Slim Chance, the band Ronnie Lane formed when he left the Faces, is treading the boards again. Original members Steve Simpson, Charlie Hart, Steve Bingham, Alun Davies and Colin Davey, joined by Geraint Watkins, are playing Ronnie’s songs in the spirit of the band’s previous incarnations.

This incarnation came together after Charlie Hart and Steve Simpson realized that they were not alone in their lasting affection for Ronnie and their sky-high regard for his songs. Films have been made, celebration concerts staged, articles written, covers recorded.... now for the rebirth of the band!

Wednesday 21 March
Billy lockett
special guests luke ferre plus dirty sky jones
tickets: £6 advance sales / £7 door

‘Just lovely’ – Fearne Cotton BBC Radio 1

Having progressed through BBC Introducing, Billy’s single ‘Balance’ received airplay on Radio 1 and since then he has been prfiled by Amazing Radio and most recently, Q Radio. We think he’s one to watch for 2012, come along and see if you agree with us.

Thursday 22 March
Jurassic Mark presents
A showcase of the best emerging local bands from around the area
tickets: £No advance sales / £5 door

Jurassic Mark presents a showcase of the best emerging local bands from around the area.

Friday 23 March
Boothby Graffoe and nick Pynn 
tickets: £12 Adv / £14 door

Boothby’s 2007 show at The Cellars was one of our all-time highlights. A comedy genius not to be missed!!

Boothby and Nick have another jolly trip up and down the country, this time to perform an evening of comedy and music that includes songs from their new studio album Is This Your Vehicle Sir?

Boothby Graffoe has had five series on BBC Radio 4: Two of The Big Booth featuring amongst others Steve Frost, Richard Thompson, Ned Sherrin, Glen Tilbrook and Kevin Eldon and thee of No Particular Order featuring amongst others Art Malik, Steve Frost and Paul Zerdin.

Boothby has written 3 plays for the stage: The Condition Of The Virgin, God and Adam and Hitler Sells Tickets. All three were subsequently adapted by the author for broadcast on BBC Radio 4. One of them in little 10 minute bits, but it still counts.

The Condition of the Virgin starred Tony Rhor, Jason Issacs and Paulin McLynn, with music from Robyn Hitchcock.  God and Adam starred Art Malik as God, and Boothby himself as Adam.  Hitler Sells Tickets was renamed Being Mussolini and starred Omid Djalil.

Boothby has written extensively for Omid Djalili, contributing to his live stand up and also providing stand up and sketches for 2 series of the highly successful Omid Djalili Show on BBC1, which has become one of the most exported TV shows around the world. Boothby was the writer of the revered Speed-relationship sketch amongst others.  Boothby has also supported Omid Djalili in 30 odd dates around the British Isles and Ireland.

Although having taken a 3 year holiday from stand-up comedy Boothby still took time in to support Canadian super-group Barenaked Ladies on 2 UK tours and 2 cruises, to the Caribbean and the Mexican gulf. Boothby has been asked to join the Ladies again in 2012 on a 3rd cruise out of Miami in early Feb.

Boothby has performed in England Ireland Scotland and Wales, china, Hong Kong, America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, being the first comedian ever to play the Wellington Arts Festival, ending up with three members of the NZ philharmonic orchestra as his backing band. He has also performed in Belize, Germany, Holland, France, Spain, The Balearics, The Falkland Isles, Bermuda, The Bahamas, St Lucia, Jamaica, St Kitts, Barbados, Ascension Isles, and The Isle of Dogs, and Zimbabwe and Belgium.

Boothby was once a regular at the Glastonbury Festival until the major clearing banks moved in and he moved out (because he owes them all money)

Boothby has made 2 albums: Wot Italian? and Boothby Graffoe and The Following People

Boothby has appeared in both The Bill, and Casualty. And late night with Conan O Brian.

And supported Dean Friedman (no, really.)

Tuesday 27 March
Rosie Vanier 
tickets: £6 Adv / £7 door

Cornish girl Rosie Vanier’s early love of glitter and theatrical make up was borne from an unusual source - The Cure were her babysitters.

Teenage band line ups ebbed and flowed until Rosie’s first modest taste of fame and fortune arrived whilst fronting Rosie and The Goldbug.

Press, radio and TV followed, culminating with international tour shows with one of Rosie’s childhood heroes, Cyndi Lauper.

‘The Neon Nightmare Tour’ in spring 2012 sees Rosie embark on a new, exciting solo adventure armed only with a keyboard, a guitar amp and a microphone.

Here are some nice words written about Rosie by other people:

“Rosie Vanier has a voice that leaps from sugary pop to operatic whoops, her ivories chiming through a repertoire raging from the turbulent to the serene.” - Independent on Sunday

“Kate Bush on crack with Goldfrapp on synths” – The Guardian

“Soaring melodies, beautifully sung. Rosie is better than ever!” – BBC Introducing Cornwall

"Kicks into a chorus with one heck of a terrific melody. Can't get enough of this" – Pete Donaldson, Absolute Radio

"As far as EP’s go, this might be one of the best this year... if this is the quality of Vanier’s solo material then there’s definitely room for her eccentric musical prowess and originality in today’s industry. Each year there’s usually a female vocalist newbie that storms the UK charts, and 2012’s slot needs to go to Rosie Vanier" – Will Lavin, Gigwise

Thursday 29 March
Giles Robson and The Dirty Aces 
tickets: £10 Adv / £12 door

"This is so good." Chris Evans BBC R2 Breakfast Show.

"Giles Robson (photo right by Jed Van Kleef) leads The Dirty Aces on harp, and he's one of the best I ever heard" - Blues In Britain

"...meant to whet your appetite and it's whetted mine." Paul Jones BBC R2 RnB Show.

"There are many living harmonica players of note, from Stevie Wonder to Giles Robson and back again". - Paul Jones, BBC Radio 2

"They are a terrific band! Instantly as soon as you hear them it's got that quality that's so rare in European blues groups. So many groups can copy the twelve bar blues measures, they can put on the American accent and it just sounds flat and lame but they've got the spirt of blues and RnB in there but with out just aping the mannerisms." - Tom Robinson, BBC 6 Music Introducing show

Giles Robson and The Dirty Aces are fast rising stars on the UK and international music scenes. Robson first came to the attention of the UK national press in 2010 when backing blues legend Muddy Waters’ eldest son Mud Morganfield. At a packed show in central London, The Daily Express praised his “Exquisite harmonica” and The Dirty Aces were described as “Virtuosi”. The Express’s Paul Stewart stated that Robson could “Possibly be the best harmonica player on the blues scene today” and praised Filip Kozlowski's "Cutting guitar" and lauded the band as a "Great blues combo". "A track called "The Mighty Incinerator" from the band's 3 track promo CD was played on BBC Radio 2's Paul Jones show and was immediately spotted by Chris Evans and played on his Breakfast show the next morning with Evans stating "This is so good". This is the first time in the Paul Jones show history that a track has been heard by a mainstream radio 2 DJ and chosen spontaneously to be played on their show.

The band was formed by Giles Robson and guitarist Filip Kozlowski in 2007 playing together in different bands on the island's fertile music scene. They were immediately spotted online by Grammy award winning harmonica ace Sugar Blue. "Great harp and guitar, you cats play like you mean it!". Rave reviews followed. Alan Candy of Luton Today wrote "If you like blues, rock and plenty of originality, look no further than these aces...... Raw and dirty sounds, ace delivery.... Robson happens to sing like a blues hero of mine -- the late, great Rory Gallagher. " Classic Rock magazine predicted the "These boys have aces up their sleeves". They were chosen by Tom Robinson to have one of their tracks played on the first BBC6 music "Introducing" show.

Some of the world’s greatest harmonica players and prominent magazines have lined up to sing Giles Robson’s praises. BBC Radio 2’s Paul Jones, harmonica player and lead singer of legendary group Manfred Mann twice praised Robson’s “Superb harmonica” on his radio show. The Chicago blues tour called him a “Harp Phenom” when he competed in a harp showdown in the Windy City. Time Out London has frequently mentions his “Scalding harmonica work”.

Filip Kozlowski's virtuoso guitar has been likened to "The Hoax at their brilliant best" by Blues Matters, the magazine loving his "Choppy, insistent guitar riffs" Fatea magazine has raved about his "Scorching guitar".

In Giles Robson and Filip Kozlowski's original material many influences weave through their original and powerful material. Echoes of Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Sonny Boy Williamson, Django Reinhardt, Elvis Presley and Howlin Wolf can be heard. These memorable songs are infused with a tough humour, earthy sentiments and wicked grins. Kozlowski brings to the table and advanced and creative music knowledge that melds with Robson's melodic ideas and fresh, original lyrics.

"Fil and I have a great musical partnership in terms of creativity and performance on stage. We've written and played together for about five years and after all that time we know how to both write together and powerfully project those ideas on the bandstand. Due to Fil's technical range we can write earthy, powerful songs like The Mighty Incinerator that keeps driving in a bluesy way on just one chord and then switch to moving instrumentals like "Solidor" which have more advanced chord structures and melodic ideas."

The rhythm section of the band is made up of the crème de la crème of British blues talent... two highly regarded veterans:

Ian Jennings on double bass who’s CV includes live work and record sessions with Carl Perkins, Jeff Beck, Robert Plant, Champion Jack Dupree, Jools Holland, Andy Fairweather Low, Tom Jones, Van Morrison, Mick Fleetwood, Paul Rogers, Chrissie Hynde, Jimmy Page, Lulu, Ronnie Wood, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler.

Friday 30 March
Denise Black's Loose Screw 
tickets: £12 Adv / £14 door (ticket price includes light buffet)

Sister Act’s new Mother Superior Denise Black, instantly known to millions as Coronation Street’s temptress and gay mum Hazel in Queer as Folk joins forces with folk rock guitar genius Graeme Taylor (Home Service) for a UK tour of their hit Loose Screw shows.

A fabulous one-off show featuring iconic covers and heart pumping, harmonic folk rock, with its roots firmly in the tradition of entertainment.

What has been said:
“Vibrant, Kooky and Fun” – Classical Source
“Brian may, Graeme does” – The Scotsman
“Husband Stealing Bitch” – Deidre Barlow

Picked by The Daily Telegraph for the Top Ten Edinburgh Music Shows!

Denise Black and Graeme Taylor emerged from very different corners of the entertainment business, Denise with a background in TV, Theatre and Cabaret, and Graeme from the Progressive and Folk-Rock arena.
Their original songs are now the key to their performance. From hard-hitting songs about war and the true nature of relationships, to witty numbers such as ‘Stopping Traffic’ based on Ella Fitzgerald’s love of a good frcck, they will beguile you through a journey of laughter and tears with plenty of anecdotal material culled from their rich experience of life in the business.

The idea of a “Loose Screw” reflects a varying line-up of supporting musicians in a soirée featuring impromptu solos with a fresh, predominantly acoustic sparkle and a two-way interaction between artist and audience.

Denise Black is probably best known as siren hairdresser Denise Osbourne in Coronation Street.  Other television credits include Denny’s mad, bad mum in Bad Girls, Hazel in Queer as Folk, as well as Robin Hood, Doc Martin, Small Island, Sensitive Skin, Dalziel and Pascoe, New Tricks, No Angels, Midsomer Murders, A Touch of Frost, The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Vice.  On stage she has worked at every major producing theatre in the UK in such diverse work as Chekhov, Wesker and Albee to Ayckbourn, Shaw and Lorca.  She recently toured the country in Grumpy Old Women Live! and won the Manchester Evening News Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Roots at the Royal Exchange.

Denise is also the lead singer of the folk-rock band The Loose Screw, who gig extensively around the UK and recently sold out a week-long engagement at Pizza on the Park.

Graeme Taylor began his musical career at the age of 17 in 1971, as a founder member of ground-breaking eclectic band Gryphon, which Melody Maker dubbed 'The 13th-Century Slade', the only band to be featured on all four BBC national radio stations in the same week, the first (and last) rock band ever to play at London's Old Vic and the Victoria and Albert Museum, where they famously created havoc amongst an attendant mobbing girl-school outing. The band went on to make five best selling albums, to do major tours of Europe and the US, presenting their own compositions at the Madison Square Garden, and supporting Yes and the Mahavishnu Orchestra at the Houston Astrodome.

Graeme played with an assortment of rock and R'n'B bands from the mid 70s through the 80s, notably singer songwriter John B.Spencer, with whom he maintained close associations until John's untimely death in 2002.

In 1977, Graeme joined forces with Ashley Hutchings, Shirley Collins, Philip Pickett, John Tams and percussionist Michael (Greg) Gregory, resulting in the formation of a new Albion Band, and with the addition of Dave Mattacks and Simon Nicol from Fairport Convention, the making of the classic album Rise up Like the Sun.

With John, Ashley and Greg, together with Bill Bryden's team at the National Theatre, he was instrumental in the making of The Mysteries and Lark Rise to Candleford, for which a distinctive English brass section was added.
Other great shows followed, such as Dispatches based on Michael Herr's harrowing account of the Vietnam war, with a great Hendrix, Gram Parsons, Dylan and Doors soundtrack; then Don Quixote, starring Paul Scofield, with Tony Haygarth as Sancho Panza.

Graeme continued working with John and Greg, forming the critically acclaimed Home Service, with Bill Caddick (vocals & songs), Jon Davie (bass), Howard Evans (trumpet) and Roger Williams (trombone), and Andy Findon (flute/reeds) which took these concepts much further down the road.

Over the last few years, Graeme's work has continued to diversify. He has made major contributions to albums, including a BBC Best Roots Album of the Year award winner, Unity, by John Tams and been a key member of John's band, playing major festivals in this country and Europe, including Cambridge and Dranouter. He has recently been collaborating further with Tam on a third JT album.

He has been Rolf Harris' unashamedly loyal guitarist now for twelve years, whose band, The Roo Brothers, has appeared three times with Mr. Harris at Glastonbury festival, since Rolf's hit in 1993 with Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven. Headlining spots at Towersey, Eastleigh and Edinburgh festivals are scheduled for autumn this year amongst a full season of appearances, all listed on Rolf's Website.

His recent theatre work includes adopting the role of Musical Director, Arranger and Writer of Additional Music for the National Theatre's revival of The Mysteries (1999-2000), a vibrant adaptation by the poet Tony Harrison of the medieval York, Chester and Wakefield miracle plays, the original production of which Graeme had helped to create in 1977 as part of Bill Bryden's memorable Cottesloe company.

Graeme was also the guitarist in the great 17-piece band put together by Gareth Valentine for the hit West End production of Anything Goes (2003-4), and took part in another Cole Porter show, High Society, in the previous year at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, in which year additionally, he managed to fit in the summer season at the Globe, playing A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Other recent shows include Lady Be Good and The Boyfriend at Regent's Park and a succesful though short run of Aristo, at Chichester's Minerva, featuring Robert Lindsay and GT onstage tremolandering upon the bouzouki.

Saturday 31 March
Denise Black's Loose Screw 
tickets: £12 Adv / £14 door (ticket price includes light buffet)

Sister Act’s new Mother Superior Denise Black, instantly known to millions as Coronation Street’s temptress and gay mum Hazel in Queer as Folk joins forces with folk rock guitar genius Graeme Taylor (Home Service) for a UK tour of their hit Loose Screw shows.

A fabulous one-off show featuring iconic covers and heart pumping, harmonic folk rock, with its roots firmly in the tradition of entertainment.

What has been said:
“Vibrant, Kooky and Fun” – Classical Source
“Brian may, Graeme does” – The Scotsman
“Husband Stealing Bitch” – Deidre Barlow

Picked by The Daily Telegraph for the Top Ten Edinburgh Music Shows!

Denise Black and Graeme Taylor emerged from very different corners of the entertainment business, Denise with a background in TV, Theatre and Cabaret, and Graeme from the Progressive and Folk-Rock arena.
Their original songs are now the key to their performance. From hard-hitting songs about war and the true nature of relationships, to witty numbers such as ‘Stopping Traffic’ based on Ella Fitzgerald’s love of a good frcck, they will beguile you through a journey of laughter and tears with plenty of anecdotal material culled from their rich experience of life in the business.

The idea of a “Loose Screw” reflects a varying line-up of supporting musicians in a soirée featuring impromptu solos with a fresh, predominantly acoustic sparkle and a two-way interaction between artist and audience.

Denise Black is probably best known as siren hairdresser Denise Osbourne in Coronation Street.  Other television credits include Denny’s mad, bad mum in Bad Girls, Hazel in Queer as Folk, as well as Robin Hood, Doc Martin, Small Island, Sensitive Skin, Dalziel and Pascoe, New Tricks, No Angels, Midsomer Murders, A Touch of Frost, The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Vice.  On stage she has worked at every major producing theatre in the UK in such diverse work as Chekhov, Wesker and Albee to Ayckbourn, Shaw and Lorca.  She recently toured the country in Grumpy Old Women Live! and won the Manchester Evening News Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Roots at the Royal Exchange.

Denise is also the lead singer of the folk-rock band The Loose Screw, who gig extensively around the UK and recently sold out a week-long engagement at Pizza on the Park.

Graeme Taylor began his musical career at the age of 17 in 1971, as a founder member of ground-breaking eclectic band Gryphon, which Melody Maker dubbed 'The 13th-Century Slade', the only band to be featured on all four BBC national radio stations in the same week, the first (and last) rock band ever to play at London's Old Vic and the Victoria and Albert Museum, where they famously created havoc amongst an attendant mobbing girl-school outing. The band went on to make five best selling albums, to do major tours of Europe and the US, presenting their own compositions at the Madison Square Garden, and supporting Yes and the Mahavishnu Orchestra at the Houston Astrodome.

Graeme played with an assortment of rock and R'n'B bands from the mid 70s through the 80s, notably singer songwriter John B.Spencer, with whom he maintained close associations until John's untimely death in 2002.

In 1977, Graeme joined forces with Ashley Hutchings, Shirley Collins, Philip Pickett, John Tams and percussionist Michael (Greg) Gregory, resulting in the formation of a new Albion Band, and with the addition of Dave Mattacks and Simon Nicol from Fairport Convention, the making of the classic album Rise up Like the Sun.

With John, Ashley and Greg, together with Bill Bryden's team at the National Theatre, he was instrumental in the making of The Mysteries and Lark Rise to Candleford, for which a distinctive English brass section was added.
Other great shows followed, such as Dispatches based on Michael Herr's harrowing account of the Vietnam war, with a great Hendrix, Gram Parsons, Dylan and Doors soundtrack; then Don Quixote, starring Paul Scofield, with Tony Haygarth as Sancho Panza.

Graeme continued working with John and Greg, forming the critically acclaimed Home Service, with Bill Caddick (vocals & songs), Jon Davie (bass), Howard Evans (trumpet) and Roger Williams (trombone), and Andy Findon (flute/reeds) which took these concepts much further down the road.

Over the last few years, Graeme's work has continued to diversify. He has made major contributions to albums, including a BBC Best Roots Album of the Year award winner, Unity, by John Tams and been a key member of John's band, playing major festivals in this country and Europe, including Cambridge and Dranouter. He has recently been collaborating further with Tam on a third JT album.

He has been Rolf Harris' unashamedly loyal guitarist now for twelve years, whose band, The Roo Brothers, has appeared three times with Mr. Harris at Glastonbury festival, since Rolf's hit in 1993 with Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven. Headlining spots at Towersey, Eastleigh and Edinburgh festivals are scheduled for autumn this year amongst a full season of appearances, all listed on Rolf's Website.

His recent theatre work includes adopting the role of Musical Director, Arranger and Writer of Additional Music for the National Theatre's revival of The Mysteries (1999-2000), a vibrant adaptation by the poet Tony Harrison of the medieval York, Chester and Wakefield miracle plays, the original production of which Graeme had helped to create in 1977 as part of Bill Bryden's memorable Cottesloe company.

Graeme was also the guitarist in the great 17-piece band put together by Gareth Valentine for the hit West End production of Anything Goes (2003-4), and took part in another Cole Porter show, High Society, in the previous year at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, in which year additionally, he managed to fit in the summer season at the Globe, playing A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Other recent shows include Lady Be Good and The Boyfriend at Regent's Park and a succesful though short run of Aristo, at Chichester's Minerva, featuring Robert Lindsay and GT onstage tremolandering upon the bouzouki.

Sunday 01 April
Steve hampton's jam session
Free entry
doors 2pm, show 3pm

Doors at 2pm and music from 3pm. We are welcoming all players and you, our lovely customers to come along and bring the family. There will be some snacks provided to keep you going and we’ll finish about 5.30pm in time for you to retreat indoors for a restful Sunday evening. 

Friday 06 April
John J Presley
tickets: £6 Adv / £7 door

‘For pleasures past I do not grieve, nor perils gathering near; My greatest grief is that I leave nothing that claims a tear.’ Lord Byron

Saturday 07 April
the steve young band play Neil Young
tickets: £6 Adv / £6 door

The Steve Young Band perform the best of Neil Young plus a hatful of other American classics. All the songs you’d expect to hear are in the set and this band already have a strong following for their interpretations of the great man’s material.

Sunday 15 april
an afternoon with steve hampton f.i.i.k.
Free entry
doors 2pm, show 3pm

Tuesday 17 April
The Billy Walton Band – Billy has sat in with Springsteen, Gary US Bonds and Stevie Ray's backing band, Double Trouble!
tickets: £9 Adv / £10 door

Those who attended Billy’s 2010 show at The Cellars begged me to get him back, declaring it was one of the best gigs we’ve ever had, definitely Blues and Rock and Roll at its best....so here he is!!

In the history of rock n roll there is a long tradition of guitarists trading in their jobs as sidemen to become virtuoso frontmen in their own right. Early on Jimi Hendrix played in Little Richards' band and Eric Clapton worked with numerous groups like John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, The Yardbirds, Cream and Derek and the Dominos before starting his legendary career as a solo artist. Even Stevie Ray Vaughn had a stint as a member of David Bowie's touring band before going solo. There seems to be something about apprenticing with another artist that brings out the best in some guitar players. After spending years honing their craft it becomes impossible for their unique style and personality to be held back. Such is the case with Billy Walton.

Since the age of 15, Walton has plied his craft in the Asbury Park/New Jersey shore music scene – most notably as the guitarist/vocalist for Boccigalupe & the Bad Boys which features Tony Amato a veteran of the Asbury scene since the 70s (the nickname ... Boccigalupe was actually given to him by Bruce Springsteen & Little Steven Van Zandt). During his time with Boccigalupe, Walton has played countless gigs in both the United States and Europe and sat in with numerous of rock luminaries including Springsteen, Gary US Bonds and Stevie Ray's backing band, Double Trouble.

The 30-year old Walton's talents are no secret among everyone in the Jersey shore music scene and with the founding of the Billy Walton Band there's little doubt his reputation will grow far beyond the Garden State. The Billy Walton Band's sound is a combination of hard blues reminiscent of Hendrix, Clapton and Vaughn mixed with a healthy dose of Warren Hayes and Derrick Trucks.

Live, Walton has always been an explosive performer with jaw dropping talent but with the addition of bassist William Paris and drummer Marcus Croan the Billy Walton band churns out a singular brand of funky blues that has deep roots in both the jam band musical tradition as well as the Jersey shore Walton has cut his teeth on.

Walton's connection to his heroes is not just through his record collection. Over the years he has developed a close friendship with Roger Mayer, the well–known British guitar effects guru whose devices have played such a pivotal part in rock'n'roll for nearly every major player since Hendrix.

Wednesday 18 April
Keith James - The Great Canadian songbook
tickets: £9 Adv / £10 door

‘An intimate solo concert. Music of such integrity that it flows from the innermost wellspring of human spirit.’

“It was around 40 years ago that I became drawn to these 3 wonderful songwriters, unaware at the time that each of them are Canadian.
I am still in awe of their profound contribution and of all the dots that they have joined up in the lives of millions of us across the world.
Their music forms the backdrop to all of the joy, hope and anxiety that we have lived through in recent times. Now somehow locked in time, these are songs that expose such personal and global fragility that they continue to embrace us as if they were our mother’s arms”.

“The concert also includes some rare and never transcribed poetry by both Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen that I have, with great pain and respect, set to music”

‘Musicians brave enough to make the music they really believe in. Keith James is one of these’ Bob Harris BBC Radio 2

Wednesday 25 April
New Apollo Theatre present: Looby – No Strings Attached
tickets: £12 Adv / £12 door

‘What happened  to Looby Loo’ or indeed Andy Pandy and Teddy for that matter? Take a satirical walk down memory lane and meet up with the Watch With Mother Characters the wrong side of middle age. They’ve got issues!

Thursday 26 April
New Apollo Theatre present: Looby – No Strings Attached
tickets: £12 Adv / £12 door

‘What happened  to Looby Loo’ or indeed Andy Pandy and Teddy for that matter? Take a satirical walk down memory lane and meet up with the Watch With Mother Characters the wrong side of middle age. They’ve got issues!

Friday 27 April
Juan Zelada
plus special guests
tickets: £6 Adv / £7 door

Decca Records latest signing with three BBC Radio 2 Records of the Week to his name already

AFTER years spent striving to get his voice heard, now Juan Zelada has finally struck that elusive record deal the last thing on his mind is popping champagne corks or putting his feet up and savouring the achievement - for now.

As anyone who knows Juan would expect, after years spent relentlessly traipsing his keyboard around the acoustic circuit - playing piano in restaurants, bars, weddings, cruise ships... anywhere and everywhere - the hard-working singer/songwriter is focussed on taking his music and his band to the next level in 2012 with the imminent release of his debut album High Ceilings & Collar Bones on Decca Records.

Juan giggly explains the album's title: "It's about as random as it comes! It evokes images of concepts I am very fond of, images everyone likes: the aspirations you can have looking up to owning somewhere with high ceilings and getting excited about the sensuality and appealing nature of a woman’s neckline!"

Juan's sense of humour has kept him and his dedicated band going through the highs and lows of touring the daunting London circuit this last three years - Juan: "There is never a pointless gig!" - where he was initially spotted by a restaurant manager Adam Low. He recognised there was something different about this particular artist he booked to entertain his customers: "I had this old piano in one of the restaurants and would book performers through an agency who would play very boring 'play it again Sam type stuff' but when Juan came in I immediately noticed he was a great performer, clearly different from the others, with great charisma getting half the restaurant singing along. Getting 100 diners singing along is no easy thing!"

The first of several to offer Juan their dedication, commitment and conviction, Adam quit his lucrative job with the ambition of breaking Juan and - despite no previous experience - built a team around Juan and self-released material in a DIY operation which has elicited incredible results. Juan's debut single, Breakfast In Spitalfields, released in June, was A-Listed on Radio Two and a Record Of The Week where it remained on the playlist for five weeks. Moreover, at its peak it was the second most played song on the station - reaching number 29 on the airplay chart - behind Adele; a formidable achievement for any artist, let alone an unsigned one.

Yet this was no flash in the pan. The station's faith in Juan didn't diminish when it again playlisted Juan's second single The Blues Remain in October. Asked why Radio Two took so well to his music, Zelada says, "Maybe the guys at Radio Two just thought it was radio-friendly? I understand people need to pigeonhole us and it's hard but what I've always said is Paul Simon, James Taylor and Ray Charles have always been in my head. These are the artists I try to emulate."

It is perhaps no surprise then that when Paul Simon's record label Decca came calling Juan jumped at the opportunity to work with them. "The goal has never been a label signing as a finishing line, it's been about getting the exposure. There's no space or time to celebrate and the deal certainly takes it to the next level, but being signed to Decca, that's what's truly inspiring... exceptional even. The most credible label we liked, the history they love and represent, the artists they have - Imelda May, Jamie Cullum, Paul Simon... legends! - it's a real privilege to be on that label with that talent and for them to let us keep doing our thing. I'll just keep doing what I do."

Which for Juan means keeping on the road gigging, because that's what he does best, having already performed sold-out shows built through word-of-mouth buzz at Hoxton Bar & Grill and Dingwalls in London, and to rave reviews leading to BBC London News tipping him as 'One To Watch' for 2012. Juan has played as a former keyboardist with artist Bryn Christopher's touring band who supported Amy Winehouse on her infamous Back To Black tour. Then when Juan stepped out on his own in 2009 that line-up subsequently became his band which as a six piece features trumpet and sax courtesy of a brass section who used to tour with Lily Allen and The Maccabees.

Juan's ability to get everyone from the back of the room to the front singing recently caught the attention of the Communion stable - co-founded by Mumford & Sons' Ben Lovett - who took Juan on a tour out of London to the regions of the UK to terrific effect. More celebrated for championing folk artists like Laura Marling and Noah & The Whale, it's not a pairing you would naturally expect, but as Juan explains: "If you are doing your job well, people come to you, you don't have to be knocking on doors canvassing. Many people might think I am more mainstream but their audience love songs and I can do 'folky' pulling out the big numbers with the brass section. Fifty people turning up now means as much as 5,000 people in the future, they need impressing - and I was impressed and overwhelmed by their love."

Indeed, for many who have joined Juan on his journey so far, it has been a labour of love with many people getting involved having to juggle other commitments with no expectation of return. As the demand to see Juan live has spiralled he has had to balance writing his album, which was penned entirely by himself and has been recorded at Metropolis, Abbey Road and Rockfield Studios in Wales co-produced by Matt Lawrence, the ex-chief engineer of Metropolis Studios (Ellie Goulding, James Morrison) and mixed by Danton Supple, best known for his work with Coldplay. Aside from his own album, Juan's song writing ability has been much in demand leading to co writes with Noisettes/Mumford & Sons collaborator Josh Weller, new Duran Duran guitarist Dom Brown and pop writers Andy Murray and Lee Mac.

Its sound is still hard to pigeonhole - the closest anyone has come is "Ben Folds Five meets Dave Matthews Band" - but it's perhaps what you would expect from someone who grew up listening to his parents' record collection - Juan: "a lot of Americana music from the Sixties and Seventies" - of Jerry Lee Lewis, The Beatles, Ray Charles and Billy Joel; originally from Madrid, Juan travelled with them to live in Hong Kong before attending Paul McCartney's Liverpool Institute Of Performing Arts (where the former Beatle personally handed him an award for his songwriting) and settling in London.

When High Ceilings & Collar Bones is released in January people will be able to decide on Juan's sound for themselves, and he hopes, venture out to see him live. "People seeing us and enjoying us is great, they have done that for years, but people coming out specifically to see you is another thing, that's what I am looking forward to in 2012. And the banter on the road... And the hangovers... But mostly I am looking forward to the unexpected. Anything can happen..."

And with Juan Zelada - who won't stop until he can view those high ceilings - it probably will.

Saturday 28 April
Ezio
tickets: £10 Adv / £12 door

Two mad men playing Rock 'n Roll on acoustic guitars... tempered with beautiful ballads

Acoustic guitars? No samples or loops? Sounds a bit like an anachronism for the year 2012, doesn't it?

But what is provided by Ezio Lunedei (singer/guitarist) and Mark "Booga" Fowell (guitarist), is nothing less than an anachronism, but one of the most innovative and exciting phenomenon's of the music market.

Looking at these two guys you see two totally different types of men, but when they start to play, they play with a rhythmical power and unity that's hard to produce with a full rhythm section.

Booga's spontaneous fluid touch is the perfect complement to Ezio's emotive songs, imaginatively adding to the moods they invoke but never swamping them or being flash for the sake of it.

One of the main reasons for all of their success (they once sold out The Shepherds Bush Empire by word of mouth!) is their incredible live show, which often leaves the audience with shiny eyes and in an unbelievably enthusiastic mood.

But far from this being a dreamy introverted songwriter show, you need to imagine two mad men playing Rock 'n Roll on acoustic guitars!

This powerful and exciting show is tempered with beautiful ballads, tales of longing, aching love, which have the disconcerting habit of catching you unaware with a line you could have written yourself, had you been able to put these deeply buried feelings into words.

Sunday 29 April
Marcus Bonfanti
tickets: £8 Adv / £9 door

‘London’s hottest young blues player headlines Jazz Café’

“Bonfanti deserves to become the next British Blues Guitar Hero” - The Guardian

From the first note of Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog” sixteen-year-old Marcus Bonfanti knew he wanted to be a guitar player. Bonfanti 29, has become the sum of all the great music he was exposed to growing up North London. His 2008 debut album, ‘Hard Times’, set the scene a subtly effective messages about a new British voice demanding to be heard. ‘What Good Am I To You’ is listed in Classic Rock Magazine’s top 50 albums for 2010 and the single "Give Me Your Cash" is listed in the top 40 songs. The critical acclaim that both albums received earned him 2 nominations in both last year and this year’s “British Blues Awards” for Best Male Vocals & Best Guitar.

Saturday 05 May
The Caezars
special guest The phantom
tickets: £7.50 Adv / £9 door

‘Not just one of the finest Rockabilly Bands in the country but one of the best bands full stop.’ – Blues Kitchen Camden

The Caezars - four young musicians with more energy than should be allowed - play a mix of indie and rockabilly with 1960's guitar influences.

Already their impressive CV includes opening for Imelda May, touring with The Vaccines, being booked for Glastonbury, getting played on Radio 2 and 6 Music, recording for Mark Lamarr at the BBC and being the first ever UK band to record an album for Wild Records in LA.

They have been quoted in Merrell's new book about the rockabilly scene - Rockin' - as the future of live music.

Sunday 06 May
The bog rolling stones
tickets: £10 Adv / £10 door (ticket includes barbeque item)
Doors 2pm, show 3pm

This is our fourth Bank Holiday Sunday with the Bogs and it’s always so much fun!

A superb afternoon’s entertainment from the Bog-Rolling Stones.

To make the day complete, come rain or shine Steve will be in the garden cooking up a storm on the barbeque and one item is included free in the ticket price.

“Mick Slacker & Co's tongue in cheek tribute act just gets better and better. The Bog Rolling Stones have earned a reputation as one of the most authentic sounding tribute acts around. Their tongue in cheek humour, wigs, stripy trousers and boundless energy make them an act not to be missed.”

Buy early, this always sells out real fast!

Wednesday 9 May
Larry Garner & The Norman Beaker Band
tickets: £14 Adv / £15 door

WC Handy Award Winner

Larry Garner is without doubt one of the top modern day Blues artists touring the world today, his songs are stories of his past and everybody’s present.

Larry was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where he picked up on the Swamp Blues music popular in that area, inspired by artists such as Silas Hogan and Clarence Edwards.

His songs are delivered with a sense of irony, his lyrics are both meaningful and amusing in equal measure. Added to this Larry has a wonderfully expressive voice, is a fine guitarist and a great performer.
Larry has won many top awards including the WC Handy Award and is one of the most adored performers on the Concert / Festival scene all over the World.

When Larry first came to England he toured with the Norman Beaker Band and they are happy to be reunited.

The Norman Beaker Band have been at the forefront of the UK blues scene for over 3 decades working with a Who’s Who of Blues stars including, BB King, Buddy Guy, Alexis Korner, Jack Bruce, Van Morrison, Chuck Berry and many more.

thursday 17 May
Cellars Comedy Club ft Hal Cruttenden
tickets: £9 Adv / £10 door

Hal Cruttenden is one of the top comedians working in the UK today, as well as being a highly accomplished writer and actor. Recent television appearances include ‘Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow’ (BBC1), ‘The Royal Variety Performance 2009 (ITV),‘Comedy Rocks’ (ITV) and ‘The Rob Brydon Show’ (BBC2) for which he also worked as a writer. He has also just completed his first national solo tour 'Hal Cruttenden Lively’. In the last year he has travelled to Bermuda for Just For Laughs Comedy, performed to British troops in Cyprus and travelled to India with The Comedy Store.

TV Writing and Performing
Other television appearances as a comic include ‘The Omid Djalili Show’ (BBC1), for which he wrote numerous sketches; ‘The 11 O’Clock Show’ (Channel 4); ‘Tonight’ (ITV); ‘BBC Breakfast’ (BBC1); ‘Just For Laughs Gala’ (CBC Canada); ‘Brain Candy’ (BBC3); ‘Live at Jongleurs’ (UK Gold/Paramount); ‘The Comedy Store’ (Paramount); ‘The World Stands Up’ (Paramount Comedy Channel UK, The Comedy Channel Australia, and Comedy Central and BBC America in the U.S); ‘The Warehouse’ (Carlton TV); ‘Carlton Comedy Warehouse’ (Carlton/STV); 'Most Annoying Couples' (BBC); ‘The Deputy Prime Minister’ (BBC2); ‘Hoot’ (Bravo); ‘Net.Comedy’ (Action Time); ‘Daily Telegraph Open Mic Awards’ (Channel 5) and ‘House of Fun’ (Meridien).
As a television warm up, he has worked for ‘The Jonathan Ross Show’, ‘Alan Carr’s Chattyman’ and ‘The Rob Brydon Show’ in addition to hosting recordings of ‘The World Stands Up’ at The Clapham Grand.'

Radio
Radio work includes Radio 5 Live with Richard Bacon, Nicky Campbell, Victoria Derbyshire and Stephen Nolan; Radio 4’s ‘Act Your Age’, ‘Four at the Store’ and ‘Loose Ends’; BBC London with Nick Hancock; Talksport Radio and Radio Ulster’s’ The Blame Game’.

TV and Film Acting
Having originally trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama, Hal’s acting career includes roles on TV and film in ‘Shackleton’; ‘Eastenders’; ‘Kavanagh QC’; ‘Out of the Blue’; ‘Touching Evil’ and ‘Bramwell’. On film he has been in ‘Mrs Dalloway‘ and ‘The Madness of King George’. Recent theatre work includes ‘Orwell a Celebration’ at Trafalgar Studios London and the Edinburgh Festival. In this play he was described by the Daily Mirror as ‘a performer at the very peak of his powers.’ The Guardian said 'Cruttenden doesn't so much play glumly respectable middle-aged, middle-income insurance salesman George Bowling as inhabit him.'

Live Stand Up
Hal’s big breakthrough in stand up came with his nomination for the Perrier Newcomer Award at the 2002 Edinburgh Festival for his solo show ‘Hal’, followed by a highly successful run the following year of his second show, ‘To Hal and Back’, which was also performed at the Soho Theatre in London. At the 2008 festival his show, ‘Climb Every Molehill’, was critically acclaimed with The Scotsman's review saying, 'He has the actor's ability to let a story build and, when he peaks, his animation is a joy.' He is a regular at all the top UK comedy clubs and has supported Rob Brydon, Sean Lock, Ardal O’Hanlon and Omid Djalili on their  nationwide tours, before embarking on his own tour in the Autumn of 2010.

Sunday 19 may
an afternoon with steve hampton f.i.i.k.
Free entry
doors 2pm, show 3pm

Friday 25 May
The Small Fakers
tickets: £8 Adv / £10 door

The Small Fakers will rip through all the classics, album tracks and b-sides from ’Whatcha Gonna Do About It’ to ’Wham Bam Thank You Mam!’ Featuring Matt Bond on vocals and guitar, described by ’Room For Ravers’ website as ’truly a reborn Marriott’.

"Four geezers who transcend the genre of tribute band by delivering both the sound and the sartorial panache of the capital’s very own Fab Four. Ever found yourself wanting to go and see The Small Faces? Like it was The Marquee in 65? This band is probably the closest that you're going to get. The pedigree of the praise they have received is second to none."

‘Really great, absolutely spot on’ – Kenney Jones

'For those of you that never saw the Small Faces live, this is as close as you're gonna get' - Stan Lane, Ronnie's brother

Saturday 26 May
Martin simpson
tickets: £14 Adv / £16 door

There is no doubt that after 35 years as a professional musician Martin is, right now, better than ever. Widely acknowledged as one of the finest acoustic and slide guitar players in the world, his interpretations of traditional songs are masterpieces of storytelling. His solo shows are intense, eclectic, spellbinding and deeply moving.

There is no-one who has more successfully combined the diverse elements of British, Afro-American and old-timey music than Simpson. His 15 years living in the US were well spent. In addition his own songwriting has produced some real gems, from the truck-stop epic, “Love Never Dies” to the profoundly moving “Never Any Good” and "One Day".

His career includes collaborations on stage and record with Richard Thompson, June Tabor, Kelly Joe Phelps, Jackson Browne, Danny Thompson, Danú, Martin Carthy, Cara Dillon, David Lindley, Roy Bailey, Martin Taylor, David Hidalgo, Steve Miller, Dick Gaughan and many more.

Martin has been nominated an astounding 26 times in the twelve years of the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards - more than any other performer - with 9 consecutive years as nominee for Musician of The Year, which he has won twice. 2008 saw an incredible 5 nominations for "Prodigal Son' and 2 wins, whilst in 2010 he had an unprecedented 6 nominations for his CD, "True Stories" and a win for Best Traditional Track, "Sir Patrick Spens". 2012's nominations for Martin include, Best Album for 'Purpose & Grace", Best Traditional Track for "The Lakes Of Ponchartrain" and Best Musician.

Friday 01 June
Bill Kirchen and Too Much Fun - grammy award nominee!
tickets: £10 Adv / £12 door

Grammy nominated guitarist, singer and songwriter Bill Kirchen is one of the fortunate few who can step onto any stage, play those trademark licks that drove his seminal Commander Cody classic Hot Rod Lincoln into the Top Ten, and elicit instant recognition for a career that has spanned over 40 years and includes guitar work with Nick Lowe, Emmylou Harris, Doug Sahm, Elvis Costello and many more. Named “A Titan of the Telecaster” by Guitar Player Magazine, he celebrates an American musical tradition where rock 'n' roll and country music draws upon its origins in blues and bluegrass, Western swing from Texas and California honky-tonk. His current CD Word To The Wise on Proper American features duets with many of these artists he's worked with, including Elvis, Nick, Maria Muldaur and Dan Hicks.

Sunday 03 June
Steve hampton's jam session
Free entry
doors 2pm, show 3pm

Doors at 2pm and music from 3pm. We are welcoming all players and you, our lovely customers to come along and bring the family. There will be some snacks provided to keep you going and we’ll finish about 5.30pm in time for you to retreat indoors for a restful Sunday evening. 

Sunday 03 June
Cellars comedy Club ft Andy Zaltzman with his sell-out Edninburgh Show ‘Armchair Revolutionary’
tickets: £10 Adv / £10 door
doors 8pm, show 9pm

The disenfranchised masses of the world have risen against oppression, teamed up with technology, and fought for freedom. In a joke-packed show encompassing revolutions, economic idiocy, political and social upheaval at home and around the globe, a well-crafted Edith Piaf gag and some puns about dogs, Zaltzman taps his British coffee table in approval, and wonders if he’d have the cast-iron cojones to do likewise.

Co-star alongside John Oliver of the worldwide smash hit podcast The Bugle, regular on BBC 5Live’s 7 Day Sunday, sporadic appearer on Radio 4, and Cricinfo.com’s leading cricket satirist, Zaltzman returns following a storming Edinburgh Fringe run and a totally sold-out one-night tour of Bangladesh’s only comedy club.

"The best political comedian in the business, Zaltzman lets loose a veritable torrent of jokes, facts, observations, very short stories, silly remarks and inspired asides... Zaltzman is breathtakingly good."- Time Out

Probably one of the finest satirical comedians this country’s ever produced." - Tim Arthur

Recently writing and performing for Tonight With Rory Bremnar, and writing and performing on the second series of BBC Radio 4’s The Now Show; Andy has firmly established himself in the vanguard of British comedy with his unique brand of political comedy.

In 2007, Andy performed an award-winning Melbourne Festival debut, winning the Piece Of Wood Award as the comedian’s comedian. Alongside John Oliver, Andy has co-written and hosted the BBC Radio 4 show Political Animal, based on their satirical live stand-up show, and has co-written and starred in three series of BBC Radio 4’s satirical show, The Department.

Additionally for radio, Andy has recently written and hosted two new series, Andy Zaltzman's History Of The Third Millennium, Series 1 Of 100 for Radio 4 , Yes! It’s The Ashes for BBC Radio 5Live, and was a regular panellist on Radio 5Live’s 7 Day Sunday with Chris Addison and Sarah Millican.

In 2011, Andy was a regular writer for BBC Two’s Mock The Week and previously made a number of guest panellist appearances on TV and radio including 8 Out Of 10 Cats (Channel 4) and has written for several series of Bremner, Bird & Fortune (Channel 4).

Since 2006, he has been regularly working with Rory Bremner on a number of his television and radio projects including writing and performing together on Transatlantic, their US election special for BBC Radio 4.

Andy is a regular at the Edinburgh Festival and last year took his show Armchair Revolutionary alongside live shows of Political Animal with John Oliver and guests.

Alongside John Oliver, Andy has co written and hosted well over 100 episodes of The Bugle; an ongoing series of satirical news podcasts, produced in association with The Times and has written for, and performed on, John Oliver’s one hour Comedy Central stand up special Terrifying Times, later released on DVD.

Andy’s first book, a satirical take on the ‘credit crunch’ entitled Does Anything Eat Bankers?, was published in November 2008 by Old Street Publishing.

Since being nominated for the Perrier Best Newcomer Award in 2001, Andy has gone on to take seven acclaimed solo shows to the Edinburgh Festival.

Thursday 07 June
The sherman robertson band
tickets: £14 Adv / £15 door

"Sherman Robertson and BluesMove is a mighty powerful combination." - Blues Matters!

"Sherman Robertson deserves to have his name added to the short list of the finest musicians who play electric blues." - Living Blues

"Some of the best Texas soul-blues anyone could hope for. Potent singing and sizzling guitar 'Sherman Robertson is one of the most important artist in blues." - Blues Revue

Sherman Robertson is already considered a master of zydeco, hard-swinging Texas electric blues, R&B and swampy Louisiana blues. Robertson often surprises audiences with his ability to play R&B, zydeco and blues with a rock edge. "I use that driving, road-cooking type zydeco groove, and put blues on top of it," says Robertson. It's basically rhythm and feel." In June 2000, Robertson played at the Pioneer Valley Blues Festival in Massachusetts. Alligator president, Bruce Iglauer, was in the crowd. "He was always good,” he says, "but when I saw him in June he was on fire. He ruled the stage, had the audience in the palm of his hand, and his just plain physical showmanship reminded me of Albert Collins. As Soon as he walked of the stage I started talking about signing him. He's got that Texas energy, great guitar chops, and is a wonderful, soulful singer."

Sherman was born in Beaux Bridge, Louisiana and raised in Houston, Texas. Robertson quickly earned a local reputation as a very good guitarist. While still in high school Robertson was recruited by his music teacher, Conrad Johnson, to play in his popular group, Connie's Combo (and otherwise adult band). As a teenager in the late 1960's, he spent six weeks on the road as lead guitarist with blues superstar Bobby "Blue" Bland and also backed Junior Parker. That gave Sherman the incentive to form his own band, Sherman Robertson and the Crosstown Blues Band with whom he recorded two albums on the Lunar II label. During the 1970's, Robertson was content playing weekends while raising a family and holding down a "regular" job until Clifton Chenier, " the King Of Zydeco," asked him to do some dates with his band. Those few dates turned into 5 years, as Robertson toured Europe and U.S. with Chenier. He then joined Terrance Simien's hot, then young zydeco band, briefly playing with Rockin' Dopsie, Johnny Clyde Copeland and several other well-known artists.

The word on Robertson's talent began to spread. Paul Simon needed a guitar player to add some sounds to his Graceland album and he chose Robertson. Soon after, legendary British producer Mike Vernon (John Mayall's Bluebreakers with Eric Clapton, Freddie King, Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie) signed Robertson to Atlantic Records. Robertson's first solo recording, 1993's I'm The Man (Atlantic1994), was nominated for a W.C. Handy Award.

His second Atlantic release, Here And Now, was released in 1996 to more critical acclaim. But convinced he would have more promotional support and artistic freedom from an independent label, Robertson weighed his options. In early 1998, producer Joe Harley, with the help of Robertson's manager, Catherine Bauer, assembled a first class back up band for a project for the AudioQuest label, including two charter members of Little Feat, keyboardist Bill Payne and drummer Richie Hayward. They all gathered at Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood for the sessions that resorted in the album, Going Back Home. Blues Revue loved the release. " Potent singing and sizzling guitar…Robertson is unstoppable."

COVER MAGAZINE FEATURES

Blues in Britain May 2008
Juke Blues - Twin articles over two issues May & December 2007
Guitar & Bass Magazine January 2006
Guitarist Magazine November  2004
Blueprint Magazine approx 2002
Living Blues (July 2000) by Roger Wood
Blues Review (October 1999)

BOOKS

The Story of the Fender Stratocaster by Back Beat Books
State of the Blues portrait photography 1998 by Jeff Dunas
Down In Houston, Bayou City Blues text by Roger Wood photography by James Fraher. "This book brings the Houston blues, zydeco and jazz scene to light and enables it to take its rightful place as one of the great crucibles of American popular music in the last half of the twentieth century."- David Evans, author of Big Road Blues

SOLO RECORDINGS

Guitar Man - Live (2005)
Going Back Home (1998)
Here and Now (1995)
I'm the Man (1993)

OTHER ALBUMS INCLUDE

Paul Simon-GRACELAND

Saturday 09 June
Ready, steady, go!
tickets: £6 Adv / £6 door

An authentic sounding 60's tribute band that brings you everything that was fab and groovy (including the oil wheel!) from that free love and peace era. If you like your 60's music raw and vital (as it used to be!) Then Ready Steady Go may just be your Kiddies! They LOVE what they do, and all the songs in the set, have been hunted out to give the audience that..." Ah, Groovy man... I haven’t heard this song for ages and I love this song!!"....Feeling!

So, no Flame grilled Whoppas, Supersize Cola and a side..... More like a decent Fry up in a greasy spoon and Wurlitzer juke box!!! Remember??????

Set List

Gimme Some Loving
Fire Brigade
Flowers in the Rain
Searchers medley
All or Nothing
David Watts
Sunshine Superman
Tobacco Road
Last Train to Clarksville
We Gotta Get Out of This Place
No Particular Place To Go
Rock n Roll Music
All Day and All of the Night
Sunny Afternoon
Itchycoo Park
Judy in Disguise
Lazy Sunday Afternoon
Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying
Dedicated Follower of Fashion
I Fought the Law
All Over Now
The Last Time
Hippy Hippy Shake
Born to be Wild
No Matter What
Come Back
Price of Love
She’s a Woman
A Little Bit Me, A little Bit You
Radancer
Somebody Help Me
I Can Hear the Grass Grow
Pictures of Matchstick Men
Sleepwalk
Pleasant Valley Sunday
Albatross
Eight Miles High
Turn Turn Turn
Blackberry Way
Man of the World
All I really Want To Do
Ice in the Sun

Sunday 17 june
an afternoon with steve hampton f.i.i.k.
Free entry
doors 2pm, show 3pm

Friday 22 June
Terry Reid - Isle of wight festival warm up showtickets: £16 Adv / £17 door

‘....The most soulful British vocalist ever...’ The Independent

‘A triumph...Terry Reid’s voice has the power to provoke an intense reaction...’ – 4 Stars -The Times

‘...Astonishing by any standards: spine tingles, hair prickles on back of the neck...’ The Independent

‘...When Reid bares those emotions it’s heartbreakingly beautiful...’ The Guardian

Terry Reid, Superlungs as he’s affectionately known, is without doubt one of the greatest rock/soul voices this country has ever produced or is indeed likely to. A Terry Reid concert should be a cherished memory for any self-respecting fan of the greats of British music.

The legend is of turning down the front man’s job with Led Zeppelin, recommending his mate Robert Plant instead, a similar offer and rebuff to Deep Purple; of Aretha Franklin’s statement that The Beatles, Rolling Stones and Terry Reid were the best England had to offer in 1968, of two World Tours with The Rolling Stones, US tours with Cream, UK tours with Jethro Tull and Fleetwood Mac, The Isle of White Festival in 1969 and Glastonbury in 1970, playing at Mick Jagger’s wedding, then soured record deals and leaving Britain for America nearly 40 years ago. (see www.terryreid.net for full history)

All true of course, but nowhere near the full story. His songs have been covered by artists including Marianne Faithfull, The Hollies, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Cheap Trick. His 1972 album The River, was re-released in 2002 to massive acclaim prompting Time Out to comment that this ‘lost’ masterpiece is ‘a pastoral landmark in English soul music, the nearest we got to a Tim Buckley’. Graham Nash produced the 1976 classic Seed of Memory and co-wrote several tracks on the album with his friend. The track Horses Through A Rainstorm, co-written by Reid and Nash was included in the CSN box set Carry On in 1991 . Other successful collaborations have seen Terry featured on albums by Don Henley, Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt.

Film music has also provided a vehicle for Terry’s songs. His cover of ‘Gimme Some Lovin’’ featured in the Tom Cruise film Days of Thunder and his own material was part of the soundtracks to The Devil’s Rejects and Wonderland. Another Reid/Nash co-write Be Yourself, features in George Clooney’s new film Up In The Air.

Terry is still playing a key role in contemporary music, as recent, as yet unreleased, sessions with The Alabama 3 will testify. He also recorded a version of  Seed of Memory with rapper De Mesa - who works with such luminaries as Dr Dre and Mariah Carey and helped to break Eminem. Another recent collaboration has seen Terry featuring on tracks by young French band Shine ( www.myspace.com/shinespace ). The Raconteurs, Jack White and Brendan Benson’s hugely successful side-project, recorded Terry’s Rich Kid Blues. The astonishing song The Raging Storm about the ravages of Hurricane Katrina always resonates strongly with his audience.

Terry returned to Glastonbury in 2009 and also played a three night residency at Ronnie Scott’s in London, one of only a handful of non-Jazz artists invited to help mark the legendary venue’s 50th Anniversary. He played to packed houses and critical acclaim and returned in 2010 and again in 2011, each time for three further sell-out shows. Recent features in Uncut magazine and a BBC 4 documentary entitled Festivals Britannia have helped to ensure that Terry remains a cherished part of the rock ‘n roll family.

Thurday 12 july
Cellars comedy Club ft Patrick Monahan – Edinburgh Warm-up Show!
tickets: £9 Adv / £10 door

Following a national tour this Winter / Spring, we’re delighted to welcome Patrick for The Cellars for an Edinburgh 2012 warm-up show!

‘the funniest show in Edinburgh’ - The Guardian

‘Perfect game show host. Tiggerish energy that could power the National Grid’ - London Evening Standard

Funny and adorable Irish/Iranian/Teessider comedian Patrick Monahan knows how to work a room and engage an audience with a strongly skilled blend of ad lib banter and stand up.

‘He has the dark looks and stubble of the Middle East, married to the charm of the Irish and the sense of fun of the Teessider. Omid Djalili meets Dave Allen you might say.’ - Daily Mail

Patrick has worked his way up the comedy circuit ladder and is now a regular MC and headlining act at the top London and UK comedy clubs. He has performed at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival for a
number of years at the Gilded Balloon. Patrick has spent the last 2 years developing his theatre touring shows and in the past year he has toured the UK as well as performed a run at the Adelaide Comedy Festival (2011) with his family show and also an evening stand up show.

Patrick’s TV appearances over the years have included The Comedy Store (Paramount Comedy Channel), That’s So Last Week (Zig/Zag/Five), Mervyn Bragg’s Travels In Written Britain (ITV), Comedy Decades, (BBC), Comedy map Of Britain (BBC), Playing Away (Tyne Tees/ITV Presenter of Travel Series), Most Annoying...(various), (BBC), Sorcerer’s Apprentice (CBBC), Mega Melai (BBC2).

Patrick has a wealth of TV studio warm up experience which covers both live and pre-recorded productions. As resident studio warm up Artiste for a number of seasons on ‘The Paul O’Grady Show’ (C4)
Patrick also appeared on numerous occasions in front of the camera hosting mock quizes, modelling false bums and finally as a guest on the sofa!
Patrick appears at last year’s Edinburgh Comedy festival, Gilded Balloon in his Hug Me I Feel Good stand up show for the whole of the Festival.