We are continuing our series of curated fundraisers with Richard Dawson putting together this amazing line up! These fundraisers are incredibly important to our survival as a venue, for every packed out gig that we host we have many fantastic, but sparsely attended ones, often for emerging or experimental/boundary pushing artists. This is an issue that many grassroots venues face, whilst there are positive signs on the horizon and we continue working to make the venue sustainable for the long term, in the interim we need your help! In the past the funds from these events have literally kept us open, thanks to the generosity of the audiences and artists involved. Anyway thats enough about how important they are, its also just a great night and this edition has a blinder of a line up!

Richard Dawson

A local legend! No introduction necessary here!

w/

Will Guthrie

Australian drummer par excellence. He has collaborated with who's who of international experimental musicians, plays in a gamelan project Ensemble Nist-Nah and is prolific in his own right across so many labels. Guthrie first made a name for himself within the Australian jazz scene, establishing himself at a young age as a major presence by winning the Wangaratta National Jazz Awards for drums in 1997 and going on to perform with many of Australia’s most celebrated jazz musicians such as Mark Simmonds, Julien Wilson and Ren Walters. In the new millennium, his work took a long detour away from the drum kit through junk electronics, extreme amplification and electro-acoustic techniques, documented on a series of solo and collaborative recordings from these years.

Alongside continuing his electro-acoustic work, in the last decade, Guthrie has returned to the drums with a vengeance, developing a series of solo works marked by a radical single-mindedness, from relentless rhythmic workouts to earth-quaking explorations of the bass frequencies of gongs and other metal percussion instruments. In the crowded world of free jazz/improv percussion, Guthrie’s work is distinguished from the delicately pointillist approach of much European improvisation by its rhythmic sophistication, unashamed virtuosity and undeniable physicality, touching on aspects of world musics from Javanese gamelan to South Indian Carnatic music.

and...

Astral Social Club

Astral Social Club is the pseudonym of one Neil Campbell, a man whose involvement in the UK's experimental music scene has been well documented. Through his work with the Vibracathedral Orchestra and the Sunroof! guise he has consistently amazed and enthralled listeners, not only bringing together a huge legion of fans but also managing to influence countless young acts.

and...

Heather Ferrier

With captivating musicianship and a sound that is unapologetically her own, Heather Ferrier is a force to be reckoned with. An “engaging talker and magnetic performer” (NARC magazine), the Stockport born accordionist, clog dancer and composer is changing the perceptions of alt-folk on her own terms. Her latest EP Engine for the Sound creates music that sets the accordion free from its stereotypes, and with an extended line-up of musicians, expresses everything Heather stands for using powerful melodies and jazz-influenced harmony. Bold, passionate and enthralling; the EP has been played on BBC Radio 6 music, and well as being favourably reviewed in local and national publications.

Description supplied by the event organiser.