Blog Posts

INTARSIA at THE QUEENS HEAD,BELPER.JUNE 22nd. £6. Doors at 8.00pm.

11/6/2018

Intarsia are of course Jo May and Sarah Matthews so a clear case of folk roots,new routes.
Sarah is no stranger to Derbyshire audiences with a long career of fruitful collaborations including the excellent Cupola and surely it can't be that long ago when I saw them backing a young Lucy Ward.
Jo is also no stranger to local audiences and if you were lucky enough to catch her at The Top Bar last autumn as one half of Against The Grain,you will appreciate just how much her percussion playing adds to material. And yes,she is probably the finest lead spoons player to have played this venue.
Expect an evening of more or less traditional material but not the way you've ever heard it before.
Tickets available at the venue or contact mjones572@hotmail.co.uk.

CELEBRATE OUR NHS.ROBB JOHNSON,CHRIS BUTLER and GRAHAM 'COOKIE' COOKE at THE QUEENS HEAD,BELPER.JUNE 9th. £8.Doors at 8.00pm.

4/6/2018

Seventy years old but is it in safe hands? With Babington Hospital under threat and a national shortage of beds, the writing is clearly on the wall. Come along to celebrate our greatest national institution and help to raise cash to fight for its future.
Robb Johnson is no stranger to Belper audiences. Our foremost political songwriter returns along with local heroes Chris Butler and Graham 'Cookie' Cooke for an evening of song and merriment. A welcome antidote for those who associate campaigning with handing out soggy leaflets on rain swept streets.
Let's do some good and have fun at the same time.
Tickets available at the venue or contact mjones572@hotmail.co.uk.

BONFIRE RADICALS + THE WAY OUT at THE QUEENS HEAD,BELPER.APRIL 27th. £8.Doors at 8.00pm.

10/4/2018

Surely the most innovative band to emerge on the folk/world music scene returns to the Queens Head on April 27th. Featuring guitar/bouzouki maestro and one-time Gong collaborator Andy Bole, the band also includes some of the most striking new talent on the scene to create a glorious collision of folk,jazz and world music firmly committed to trampling down musical boundaries.
If you caught them in Belper last year or at June's Exile Festival, you will know what a joyous tornado of sound this band can whip up.
In support, The Way Out from Loughborough combine quality songwriting and musical diversity to mark them out as a duo to watch and if you turn up late for this one, you might be disappointed. Better perhaps to be able to say that you caught them here first.
Tickets are available at the venue or contact mjones572@hotmail.co.uk to reserve.

SoulDeep Fusion Trio + Dave Sturt at The Queens Head,Belper. May 4th. £8.Doors at 8.00pm.

9/3/2018

SoulDeep Fusion Trio create a heady brew of hot electric jazz and funk all cooked up by musicians based in Derbyshire. Drummer George Grignon grew up listening to his dad's jazz LPs before working in a wide range of bands and genres. Keyboard wizard Mark Ratcliffe from Wirksworth played across a similar range of genres before taking a BA in jazz at Birmingham Conservatoire and is now one of the area's busiest jazz pianists. Bass player Ricky Campbell hails from Derby and cut his teeth on gospel before moving on into a range of jazz,funk and latin fusion.
However,on this occasion,their sound is augmented by long term Gong bassist,Dave Sturt so there is something very special in store.
Expect an evening of rare invention and intensity of performance.
To reserve in advance contact mjones572@hotmail.co.uk as word of mouth following their December gig is sure to pull an audience.

Brooks Williams at The Queens Head,Belper.November 9th.£8.Support from Tony Stark. Doors at 8.00pm.

14/2/2018

Consistently voted among the world's top guitarists,Brooks is one of those rare performers to transcend the world of the blues and reach a far wider audience. Although now resident in Cambridge,England,Brooks hails from Statesboro,Georgia where they know a thing or two about the blues. Touring relentlessly on both sides of the great pond,Brooks is also rightly acclaimed for his collaborations with the likes of Guy Davis and Boo Hewardine. However,his return to Belper sees him focused on what he does best: the great blues standards and his own compositions with a few surprises thrown in.
Support comes in the form of Amber Valley's own undoubted master of the strings: Tony Stark whose technical ability and inventiveness never fails to delight audiences.

Tickets are available at the venue or contact mjones572@hotmail.co.uk to reserve.

LIVE AND LOCAL PRESENT 'THE OTHER HALF' at BELPER RUGBY CLUB. FEBRUARY 22nd. £9 (concessions £7.50).8.00pm.Featuring Mark Billingham and My Darling Clementine.

7/2/2018

Stand-up comic turned bestselling crime novelist Mark Billingham collaborates with duo My Darling Clementine to present a dark and murky tale of lost lives. In a rundown Memphis bar,Marcia - a washed -up Vegas showgirl - works double shifts and reflects on her single doomed shot at happiness ,while her customers tell their own stories of troubled lives,lust, loss..and murder.
'A convincing world of barflies,peeling paint and characters on bar stools with very dark secrets'.BBC Radio 4 Front Row.
Tickets are available from Oxfam Books,King St or contact mjones572@hotmail.co.uk.

BOB CHEEVERS at THE QUEENS HEAD,BELPER.FEBRUARY 16th. £7.Doors at 8.00pm.

5/2/2018

Austin,Texas has long been the hub of a creative and diverse music scene. The list of home grown greats rolls on and on. However,Bob Cheevers chose to relocate from the write-to-order Nashville scene to launch a new career. One album release saw him winning the coveted Songwriter of the Year award from the Texas Academy of Music and Bob was firmly entrenched in the Austin Scene.
Touting the slogan 'On Earth as it is in Austin, he and his songs of drifters,loners,cowboys and dreamers have gone on to delight worldwide audiences so it is a privilege to welcome him back to Belper.
And oh yes,it is the Bob Cheevers who opened for Johnny Cash on the great man's last tour.
Tickets available from the venue or contact mjones572@hotmail.co.uk.

HEADSTICKS + CHRIS BUTLER and GRAHAM 'COOKIE' COOK at The Queens Head.Jan 27th. SOLD OUT.

5/1/2018

After something of an all-conquering year, Headsticks return to Belper with support from Chris Butler and Graham 'Cookie' Cook. As well as creating a stir on the festival scene,the band have released a live album and a vinyl waxing featuring guest vocals from no less than Steve Ignorant who has also established himself as a firm favourite on The Top Bar stage. The live album is just that. Quaintly described by one reviewer as 'rough as a badger's bum' (need to check this out) the album is rare in capturing the true energy of a Headsticks gig. But,if you've already seen the band,you will know what to expect with subtle folk melodies welded to punk energy and attitude. Exactly what makes a Headsticks gig unique.
Support on this occasion comes from Chris Butler and Graham 'Cookie' Cook. Tickets can be obtained from the band,at the venue or contact mjones572@hotmail.co.uk. But hurry because capacity is 60 and tickets are moving briskly.

SoulDeep Jazz Fusion at The Queens Head,Belper.Friday 16th March.£8.Doors at 8.00pm.

18/12/2017

The East Midlands premier jazz fusion trio bring their improvisational genius back to The Queens Head ,Belper. Already an established act across the area,the trio take their inspiration from the likes of Chick Corea and The Crusaders. If you were lucky enough to catch their pre-Christmas gig, you will remember the invention and intensity of their performance.
This is clearly something new and fresh for Belper and could even become a hub for the very best in jazz and funk. Word of mouth travels fast so expect considerable interest in this one.
For reservations contact mjones572@hotmail.co.uk. or buy advance tickets from behind the bar.

THE SUNFLOWER THIEVES,JOSEPH KNIGHT and LAURIE ILLINGWORTH at THE QUEENS HEAD,BELPER.DECEMBER 9th. £6.Doors at 8.00pm

1/12/2017

Belper's young talent present a pre-Christmas bonanza of songwriting and musicianship.
The Sunflower Thieves,sprung from the duo of Amy and Lily,celebrated the year with the release of their first EP whilst developing an audience with touring far beyond The Amber Valley territory.
Joseph Knight has enjoyed similar success via touring and recording with his distinctive and thoughtful brand of songwriting whilst Laurie Illingworth's intensity in performance has already captivated audiences beyond the confines of Belper.
Come and enjoy ! Big attractions next year include Headsticks,Bob Cheevers (USA),Brooks Williams and the return of Bonfire Radicals. Plus, a John Martyn celebration almost exactly ten years after his premature demise.

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