GIG NEWS: Stornoway at Royal Albert Hall (30th March 2026)

Would it be CMAT if I wasn't just sporadically jumping in to share news I'm excited about? 

Just over eight years ago, I was working on a Stornoway show at Oxford's New Theatre - the last date on their farewell tour. It was triumphant, emotional... they were bowing out on top, for sure - I wrote about it here. Thankfully, the split was short lived, and they're back and better than ever and I've had a brilliant couple of years following them around to some beautiful shows.

On noticing the anniversary of the gig, I messaged Oli, who told me that the band had some news coming, which they'd never have imagined would happen to them all those years ago. I'd just seen Bear's Den at Royal Albert Hall, had a little gush about that and got to thinking what on earth the Storno news could be...

Cut to a few days later and.... oh. 

Stornoway are only going and headlining the Royal Albert Hall next March. 

Wait - what?!!!!!!!!

As you can probably imagine, I am ridiculously excited for this show, which the band have described as once-in-a-lifetime, and 'a journey from sea to summit'. 

"What an honour and a privilege it will be to perform at the country’s most esteemed venue. We will be celebrating our 20th Anniversary with the most special and unique show we’ve ever done, including some very special guests and songs from our career so far. We are going to bring the outside inside, filling the hall with nature, taking you on a wild, musical journey from the open sea through marshes, woodlands and up into the mountains."

See you there?! 

Tickets go on pre-sale tomorrow (Wednesday 26 March) and general sale this Friday (28th). Details on the Royal Albert Hall website here.

WATCH: BE GOOD - 'Donuts'

Good news alert! Oxford (via Berlin, nowadays) sweethearts BE GOOD are back with an absolute banger. In the kinda, indie bedroom-pop sense of the word, of course. I've loved these guys an obscene amount since I lived in Oxford and Donuts is their first new track since last April. No pressure then... Luckily, it's a beaut. Obviously. It's late, and I'm struggling to formulate words to just tell you how much I love this band: I'll let the music speak for itself.

The good news keeps coming: if you like what you're hearing here (and why wouldn't you?!) you're in luck, as BE GOOD headline The Lexington in a few weeks, on 16th November. See you at the front? Tickets available here.

Follow BE GOOD - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

GIG NEWS: Stornoway at EartH London (14th April)

It's been a minute (read: a few years) since I did a post of this sort... but the long sought-after return of one of my favourite bands to the world of gigging warrants the return of... gig news!! Having warmed themselves up with a couple of festival slots last summer, Oxford's folk legends Stornoway head to EartH Hackney on the 14th April for their first gig since 2017. Pretty much exactly what we all need, I think. 

I've written about them here before... how I was somehow unaware of the band until meeting bassist Oli through the local Sofar Sounds shows in Oxford and finding out that he was in a band. A pretty cool band too - and one that the people of Oxford (and beyond) rightfully adored. I went to a few shows, in venues varying from the local record shop Truck Store to the enormous New Theatre for the last show of their farewell tour in 2017 (I wrote about working on that show here.) I spent a few years working with Oli and Tom too in my first music job - Stornoway have had quite the impact on my life. I love them. 

I was already a big fan, but I've fallen somehow deeper for their music in the past couple of years. They're a band with strong connections and passions in the world of birds and conservation (their frontman Brian Briggs is a reserve manager for the WWT) and as I've developed a love for visiting wild places and birdwatching in the past couple of years, their music has provided the soundtrack (in tandem with Johnny Flynn, of course.) Here's a suitably bird-themed video... 

The idea of getting to see them live again is bringing me so much joy - though I've got to get tickets first... they're on sale Friday morning to members of their mailing list. You can sign up here. 

Here's hoping that more shows and (dare I hope?) more music are to follow. Crossing my fingers!

Follow Stornoway - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

TOUR NEWS: Willie J Healey and BE GOOD (Nov 2019)

This post is being shared while I'm on my way to Oxford for the first time in just over two years (for those who haven't read me rambling about this in the past, I studied there from 2014-2017 and miss it terribly) and what a perfect topic to discuss... Oxford indie hero Willie J Healey has shared news of his Hello Good Morning tour this November. Exciting enough news but made a billion times better with the fact that fellow Oxford chaps BE GOOD are joining him on tour. I've loved them for a long time but still haven't managed to catch them live so I am thrilled by this news!! Especially the fact that the London show is in the gorgeous setting of Omeara. Listen to WJ's new track Songs For Joanna below...

Grab tour tickets here, dates below!

6th Nov: King Tut's, Glasgow
7th: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
8th: Leadmill, Sheffield
9th: Yes, Manchester
13th: Bodega, Nottingham
14th: Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
15th: Patterns, Brighton
16th: Castle & Falcon, Birmingham
20th: Joiners, Southampton
21st: Omeara, London

Follow Willie J Healey - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram. 

Follow BE GOOD - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

TOUR NEWS: Low Island (Autumn 2019)

Some excellent news for your Wednesday... Low Island are heading out on their biggest tour yet this Autumn. The Shut Out The Sun tour sees the band starting off in Leeds on 31st October (spooky!) and finishing up with a hometown headline show at The Bullingdon on 6th December. With seven more shows lined up, they're headlining Electrowerkz in London as a Low Island And Friends show on 6th November - tickets for that one are already on sale and not to be missed! Here's recent (ish) single In Person to whet your appetites...

Pre-sale tickets for the Shut Out The Sun tour went on sale to the band's mailing list this morning and will be on general sale on Friday here - check out the full dates below!

31st Oct: Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds
1st Nov: District, Liverpool
2nd: Yes, Manchester
6th: Electrowerkz, London
12th: Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
13th: Rough Trade, Bristol
14th: Think Tank, Newcastle
21st: The Haunt, Brighton
6th Dec: The Bullingdon, Oxford

Follow Low Island - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

GIG NEWS: Bear's Den at Eventim Apollo (20th Feb)

Did I mention that I really love Bear's Den yet? Once or twice, probably. After playing a cracking headline slot on the Communion stage at Citadel Festival recently the guys have announced their next London headline show for next February. Having played a gorgeous show there in 2017, they're heading back to London's Eventim Apollo on February 20th and tickets are on sale now!

Tickets for the February gig, as well as their UK tours in August and November are on sale here.

Follow Bear's Den - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

GIG NEWS: Public Service Broadcasting at the Royal Albert Hall (1st Nov)

I haven't shared a gig announcement on the blog in a while, but this show is most certainly worthy of a mention! The mighty Public Service Broadcasting head to London's Royal Albert Hall for a show on 1st November - tickets go on sale this Friday (8th June), with a pre-sale through the band's mailing list on Wednesday. I remember pretty clearly a friend introducing me to the band through their first studio record Inform, Educate, Entertain almost four years ago - two records and two chances to see them live later, and I'm very much a huge fan of their work.

A couple of weekends ago they played at the Biggest Weekend for BBC 6 Music in Belfast, opening the set with four brand new tracks commissioned by the BBC, about the Titanic, performed on the ship's slipways. As always, they're an incredibly moving set of tracks and exquisite in their quality. If you can get along to the RAH show, be sure to grab a ticket this week - their live shows are really something to behold (especially if last year's Hammersmith Apollo gig was anything to go by - read my review of that here.)

Follow Public Service Broadcasting online - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

GIG NEWS: Flyte at The Cellar, Oxford (1st Oct)

Some super exciting Oxford gig news emerged yesterday - my pals and total legends Catgod will be supporting Flyte on their show at The Cellar alongside another brill local band 31hours. Being back at home after graduating from university in Oxford the thing I miss most is the music scene, and gigs like this make me desperate to return - it really isn't one to miss, even on a school night! If you're new to Flyte, taking a listen of their beautiful recent debut album should be enough to convince you how great a gig it'll be. Need more convincing?! Listen to this stunning Alvvays cover from the Flyte chaps. 

As well as the headliners being superb, Catgod are going from strength to strength following the release of their latest EP Someone Love with festival performances aplenty and their own headline show at the same venue back in July. Check out the total tune I'm Innocent below!

31hours released their Rockpools EP last year and they're hard at work fundraising to release their debut album physically - check out the campaign here and listen to Royal Box below!



Get along to the show and turn up early to support local, homegrown talent! Register your interest and grab tickets through the show's Facebook Event here.

GIG NEWS: Music for Grenfell at St Stephen's Church (27th July)

Since the fire at Grenfell Tower in North Kensington just over three weeks ago the resilience and unity shown by local residents and those further afield has been astounding. The music world too has done its bit to help with various benefit concerts and a huge charity single, and there's some more exciting news to come from this awful tragedy as Sam Swallow (ex keys player, backing vocalist and all round legend for The Hoosiers) and friends have organised what they promise to be "an evening of fantastic music to lift everyone's spirits in this difficult time and bring our community together". The concert will take place in the stunning surroundings of St Stephen's Church in Shepherd's Bush, where Sam, The Hoosiers, Alessi's Ark and more will be performing, all for the total bargain price of £10, with donations and money raise through the bar being donated to the tower fund. Join the Facebook event for the show here and grab your tickets here for what is sure to be a special night of wonderful live music! To whet your appetites, here are The Hoosiers performing the beautiful Don't Say What Nobody Wants to Hear in the church a few years ago!

GIG NEWS: Banfi at The Cellar, Oxford (8th Sep)

As I've finished uni I've left Oxford but as I've been blogging about gigs I've seen in the city for the last couple of years most people reading this are probably from the area - if so, you're in luck because one of my favourite bands have just announced an Oxford gig. Banfi have added a date to their first headline tour in September, they'll be playing at The Cellar on the 8th. They smashed their support slot at Oxford's O2 with Bear's Den back in March and I caught them at last weekend's Bushstock Festival where they played the best set I've seen them do yet. With an album in the works and some superb singles under their belts I seriously recommend getting along to this tour while they're playing in intimate venues - they've also just announced Bryde as support for the tour so it gets better and better! 

You can grab tickets for the Oxford show here or check out the full list of tour dates (including London's Lexington) here!

GIG NEWS: London Contemporary Voices at Union Chapel (10/06/17)

The wonderful London Contemporary Voices have announced their third annual summer concert at the stunning Union Chapel - having visited last week I'm pretty confident that a choir would sound beautiful in the venue. Unfortunately it clashes with Bushstock again - but if you're not around in Shepherd's Bush for that and fancy some live music and a contemporary choir sounds like your kind of fun then head down to the show, where they will be performing tracks by the likes of Bon Iver, James Blake, Marika Hackman and RY X. 

For the evening the choir will be joined by Amber Run (check this beautiful session video they recorded together a few years ago), beatboxer Reeps One and producer Guy Sigsworth, as well as the experimental singer Martin Grech. The title for the concert is Confluence, which is a play on the idea of two or more rivers coming together and the coming together of people, such as a choir. The choir will perform a tribute to Jeff Buckley to mark the 20th anniversary of his death as well as a unique choral version of Radiohead track Paranoid Android ahead of the re-release of their record OK Computer. To get a taste of the work of the choir, here they are performing Jack Garratt's Worry in the same venue!

London Contemporary Voices' Confluence is at Union Chapel on Saturday 10th June, doors 7pm - tickets are available here.

GIG NEWS: London Contemporary Voices present 'YES YES YES Guilty Pleasures Choireeoke' at Oval Space (6/4/17)

This gig announcement is pretty far from what I usually post about but sounds like it would be up most people's street... an evening of 'Choireeoke' with London Contemporary Voices. The show is at Oval Space on 6th April and will feature brand new a cappella arrangements, audience singalongs and a club night, and 'songs that everyone hates to love' (though really, we all just love them - right?!) Think Abba, Dolly Parton, Cyndie Lauper, Madonna, Celine Dion, a-ha and lots more... this video is an oldie but a goodie - the choir performing the track Judas, I Sympathise with the ever wonderful The Sea & I.

Tickets for the show are available now here - be sure to register your interest through the Facebook event!

GIG NEWS: Sofar Sounds Oxford does Oxjam (7th October)

I'm looking forward to a really busy weekend (and month) of shows, all kicking off this Friday with a special Sofar Sounds Oxford at a secret venue (of course). The show is unique because its an Oxjam show, fundraising for Oxfam, and the show we did last year for the charity featured Adam Barnes, Chris Ayer, Hattie Briggs, Okina and Lail Arad, a line-up packed with talent, playing to a wonderful crowd in a primary school hall (amazing.) 

I've no idea what the line up will be this time around, but the element of surprise is what makes Sofar amazing, which is the same with the venue - but as our last show was in a cinema, you get the idea! Here's a couple of videos from our Oxjam show last year...

Tickets for the show (with all the money going to Oxfam!) are available here, please come and join us!

GIG NEWS: Little Brother Eli in Oxford (14/10/16)

The first time I saw Little Brother Eli play was at the first Tigmus show I attended back in October 2015, the Neverlnd (then Balloon Ascents) EP launch upstairs at the O2 Academy. It was a line-up that sounded pretty crazy on paper, those two, and two more local acts Esther Joy Lane and Loud Mountains, but it worked amazingly and local music writers Ocelot celebrated it as their gig of the year, and I was really impressed by the guys' set as I hadn't listened to them properly before the show. It's pretty exciting then that now, working for Tigmus, I can say that LBE are headlining the same venue on the 14th October! 

When I decided to post about this show (which you'll gather I'm pretty excited for) I searched for a video, and was going to attach an acoustic performance... Little Brother Eli are pretty superb in a stripped back setting but this recent music video really captures their boundless energy which you'll most definitely see at this gig. 

The show is part of the Tigmus season upstairs at the O2 Academy Oxford, which started up with a show I'm devastated to have missed on Friday night, with the lovely homeplanetearth kicking off their debut UK tour with a hometown headline, with a cracking support line-up from Little Red, Roberto y Amigos (local fave!) and Swindon's Polar Front. In November Little Red headline the venue, finishing up with Peerless Pirates in December but now it's Little Brother Eli's turn and I'm really excited about that!

The four band line-up is completed by a bunch of local talent: My Crooked Teeth, WOLFS and Lucy Leave (who also headline The Cellar this Friday 23rd Sep as part of their debut UK tour - come see me as I'll be on the door!!) and while it's probably best to expect the unexpected, I can promise some brilliant music and a very dapper band (although I can't shift the idea of thinking that LBE look like a band of Geography teachers...) 

Tickets for the show are available through Tigmus with no booking fees here, and check out the rest of the site for loads more artists of various genres playing shows in Oxford over the next couple of months!

GIG NEWS: The Fusion Project at The Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford (Oct 2016)

I'm super excited that Tigmus, a promoter I've been working with since Feb, have today announced their biggest Oxford show to date, and a pretty special one it is. Oxford based Indian fusion band The Fusion Project, who put their own South Asian twist on popular songs (such as Ed Sheeran's I See Fire, below, and Adele's Hello), are headlining the stunning Sheldonian Theatre, a rare show for the beautiful venue and tourist hotspot. I am incredibly excited to be able to help with the show in the run up to the evening and on the night itself, with it taking place next month on 21st October.

The mission statement of the band is to take the beauty and depth of Indian classical music to a wider Western audience, and to bring the music back to a new generation of South Asians for whom Western music usually takes the forefront. As students at the University, the band are keen for the show to be a student-led evening, almost crafting a link between Oxford University and Brookes, where I'm studying. A coming together of people listening to music in a beautiful space, you can't argue with that! 

To stay up to date with announcements about the show, mark yourself as interested on the Facebook event here, and tickets are available (including student prices) through Eventbrite here! 

GIG NEWS: Public Service Broadcasting (Nov 2016)

When I was at an airshow a couple of weeks ago, the Spitfire had just flown over and suddenly I could hear the stunning track of the same name playing on the speakers along the pier. Spitfire is certainly one of my favourite Public Service Broadcasting tracks but it's hard to decide, as both of their records, the 2013 Inform, Educate, Entertain and last year's The Race For Space are incredible.

Because of the unfamiliar nature of their music, sampling from public information films, archive footage and propaganda alongside instrumental music, I'm really keen to see them play live. Well, that and I'm a big fan of the music! Luckily if I can fit the show around my lectures, I might get the chance soon, as tickets have just gone on sale this morning (here) for a really special show the guys are playing for Bowel Cancer UK. With special guests including comedian Ed Byrne, the show at Islington Assembly Hall is set to be a great night for an even greater cause.

The band have set up a JustGiving page for donations to the charity, if people are unable to attend the show and would still like to contribute. On the page, J. Willgoose, Esq., guitarist and songwriter of PSB, explains that last year when the band's tour dates were rescheduled, it was due to the diagnosis of his wife. Totally unexpected at just 33, she's completed the treatment and they're feeling positive, and want to do something to promote the work of the charity, particularly their Never Too Young campaign. 

GIG NEWS: The Hoosiers (3rd September)

The Hoosiers have announced a London show at the O2 Islington on 3rd September (tickets are available now through Ticketweb here.) The show comes before the ten year anniversary of their debut album The Trick To Life next year and follows a summer of festival and university ball appearances.

While I've seen lead singer Irwin's other band, The Sea & I, in London several times, I've never been able to catch TH in London, so this should be pretty exciting. First up I'll hopefully be seeing them in Nottingham next month at the Sweet Notes Festival (info for that here), in the venue where I saw them live for the first time over five years ago. 

GIG NEWS: Lucy Leave EP launch (11th June)

Oxford band Lucy Leave launch their new Fighter Pilot EP at Modern Art Oxford this coming weekend. The title track of the EP is below and I'm listening to a private stream of the whole thing as we speak, and it's pretty great. If you're looking for something to do on Saturday evening, I'd hugely recommend this show - with tickets £7 in advance (ticket link at the bottom of this post) and three support acts, it's less than £2 a band AND you get a FREE copy of the new EP!

Support at the show comes from Slate Hearts, 31hours, and WOLFS. I'm not familiar with their music but you can't really go wrong at less than £2 per band... Here's a taster of all three!

Tickets for the show are available through Tigmus here.

GIG NEWS: Reach Out Charity Gig (10th July)

Very very very exciting news today... the announcement of a charity gig at The Lexington (near Kings Cross) on 10th July. It's a tenner and tickets go on sale next week, with all the funds from tickets and cake sales on the night going to MSF (Doctors Without Borders), a charity based in Syria and the surrounding areas. The night aims to bring people together for a night of wonderful music, directing our thoughts towards other parts of the world, and raising money for a really important cause at the same time.

If that doesn't all sound like a huge reason to want to go, the line-up features one of my favourite people in the world... King Charles (watch the video for his latest track here.) Playing alongside Charles there's the incredibly talented troubadour Tom Figgins (listen here) as well as Tempesst and Geowulf. I hadn't listened to Tempesst before but I'm loving what I'm listening to on their Soundcloud. I can't find any of Geowulf's music online, but judging by the rest of the line-up, they're probably pretty good too... 

MSF are currently working across Europe to help refugees For more information about MSF and the work that they do, you can check out their site here.

GIG NEWS: London Contemporary Voices 'Epoch' at Union Chapel (18/6/17)

Following their event at Bush Hall earlier this month, London Contemporary Voices are hosting a night at the stunning Union Chapel in June. The night, entitled 'Epoch' features Alex Vargas, Aquilo and Manu Delago as well as the choir itself covering various contemporary tracks with over 100 voices, alongside Kin Choir and London Cello Quartet. The show comes a year after LCV's sell-out 'Oscilloscope' show, and will explore the theme of time and the human journey through life. Popular contemporary songs reimagined on the night will include tracks by The Staves, Jack Garratt, and Matt Corby. The show is the LCV's last of the 2015-2016 season before they embark on the festival seasons including Secret Garden Party, Bestival, and Wilderness.

For more information about the show and to buy tickets, which are £18 in advance, check out LCV's site here.