Forthcoming Events
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World Unlimited 2003:
Earth Music-Universal Soul
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June 17th
Kevin Montgomery & The Road Trippers + support Carter Wood
Ceol Castle 8pm £10 adv £11 door
Eagerly-awaited return for US singer Kevin Montgomery with his all-star band The Road Trippers featuring The Mavericks former members Robert Reynolds and Paul Deakin and the revered steel guitar work of the legendary Al Perkins , bring with them a growing reputation as one of the most dynamic live acts to have crossed the Atlantic in recent times. New CD 2.30am_________________________
June 20th
Vinicius Cantuaria
CBSO Centre 8pm £10 (£7.50)
One of the major creative forces in Brazilian music... Cantuaria's early career included a stint as a member of Caetano Veloso's late-'70s ensemble, Outra Banda da Terra; he has since emigrated to New York City, where he is a fixture on the City's avant-pop scene.Presented by Birmingham Jazz_________________________
June 21st
Show Of Hands
Sounds In The Round 2003, Open air Arena, mac 7.30pm £11 (8)
Show Of Hands are the UK's top acoustic folk trio. Songwriter Steve Knightley and multi-instrumentalist Phil Beer have created their own unique musical style by blending the melodies and stories of English and Celtic traditional music with instruments and styles from other traditions. After a triumphant 10th anniversary gig at the Royal Albert Hall, the mac favourites return for a virtual world tour that includes music performed on the cuatro from South America, the cello-mandolin from Eastern Europe, the slide guitar from the USA, and the mandolin from Italy. 'Vibrant original songs delivered on acoustic instruments, but with a rock 'n' roll strut....only Show of Hands can do this' (Q Magazine) 'Great Songwriting and instrumental flair. Songs of substance and stylish arrangements...a formidable partnership' (Daily Telegraph)_________________________
June 24th
Colin Vearncombe + support Neicey Mann
Ceol Castle 8pm £8 adv £9 door
Colin Vearncombe is the singer songwriter formerly known as the artist Black and is best remembered for the 80's hits 'Wonderful Life' and 'Sweetest Smile'. His first album release under his own name, 'The Accused', was released in October 1999. Since then he has released 3 other albums, all available now via the official website. They are 'Abbey Road Live', 'Water On Snow' & 'Live At The Bassline Johannesburg'. His new album is 'Smoke Up Close'_________________________
June 26th
Darden Smith plus support David Ogilvy
Ceol Castle 8pm £8 adv £9 door
Two brilliant singer songwriters on one bill, Darden returns after his highly successful tour earlier this year his latest CD is 'Sunflower' David's latest CD is 'Like It Is' 'A beguiling set of folksy-pop with glistening guitar flourishes and the odd dip into classical, country, and Latino territory..' Uncut_________________________
June 28th
Ruby Turner
Sounds In The Round 2003, Open air Arena, mac 7.30pm £11 (9)
Ruby Turner is Birmingham's very own diva, and comes to mac hot-foot from her sensational performance in the Young Vic/Royal National Theatre production about 1950s Harlem, Simply Heavenly. Returning to light up the Arena for a third successive year, the former Culture Club singer will perform her smash hits If You're Ready (Come Go With Me), I'd Rather Go Blind and It's Gonna Be Alright, along with new material. R&B and soul standards come dazzling to life with the Ruby treatment, making her an in-demand guest on recent albums from Brian Ferry, UB40, Steve Winwood and Jools Holland. Come along to marvel at that voice and eat, drink and dance the night away!_________________________
July 4th
Oysterband
Sounds In The Round 2003, Open air Arena, mac 7.30pm £12 (9)
With a reputation as one of Britain's great live acts, Oysterband have built a substantial following all over the world with a catalogue of strong songs that have stood the test of time. Back on a roll with their first new album in 3 years, Alan Prosser, lan Telfer, Lee Partis, Chopper and charismatic frontman John 'JJ' Jones returned with their best work in a decade. As the band approaches their 25th anniversary, they may be an institution but it's one that still harbours an explosive desire to rock the world of folk roots and challenge our expectations. Committed, passionate, upbeat, richly coloured, this is seriously adult folk music. 'They remain the soul of folk-rock at the cutting edge of roots sensibility.' www.oysterband.co.uk_________________________
July 5th
Club Bongo Go
G2, Holloway Circus/ Smallbrook Queensway, Birmingham city centre More info: 0779 009 6457 10pm - 3am £5
The Midlands original African music night- a guaranteed inclusive vibe._________________________
July 11th
Cara Dillon + special guest Jackie Leven
Sounds In The Round 2003, Open air Arena, mac 7.30pm £11 (8)
Cara Dillon is steeped in the musical tradition of Ireland. An outstanding vocal performer, she won the hotly-contested All Ireland Traditional Singing Trophy at the astonishingly young age of 14, before joining the folk super-group Equation. Now part of an acclaimed musical partnership with the equally talented Sam Lakeman, their music is has a unique clarity and beauty that has won an enthusiastic response from audiences all over the UK. Cara has recently worked with Sinead O'Connor as well as completing her own eponymous album, which has been nominated for four BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. '….. without exaggeration, amongst the very finest to be heard today' froots Cara's special guest is Celtic Soul singer-guitarist and former Doll By Doll frontman Jackie Leven - formidable singer, guitarist, songwriter and storyteller, and still recording and performing after more than 30 years in the business. His new CD 'Shining Brother, Shining Sister' was released in February to great acclaim 'A songwriter of rare gifts, a guitarist of great lyricism and one of the best male rock voices these islands have ever produced' Q MAGAZINE_________________________
July 19th
AfrikaJam special with Les Freres Guisse & SUUF live + AfrikaJam DJs
Warwickshire Cricket Club Ballroom as part of Sounds In The Round 2003, 7.30pm -11.30pm £9 (7)
From Senegal, Les Frères Guissé draw inspiration from the fertile fabric of their society, rewoven into songs of both mystical and symbolic dimensions. With a strong acoustic sound, enhanced by the rhythms of world music, Les Frères Guissé's soaring harmonies are the perfect way to wind down on a summer's evening. 'Our music is not intended for any people or age group in particular. It is music for all men and women of all races: like a river, its destiny is not to turn in on its ethnic circle, but instead to dive into the ocean of world music, and take on an identity that is open to others' LES FRÈRES GUISSÉ A unique and seductive collaboration between musicians from the UK and Senegal, Suuf brings together African traditional music, dub and electronica. Drawn together former Peter Gabriel sideman Simon Sleath, the Suuf sound mixes twitchy studio-crafted rhythms, instrumentalists from Europe and West Africa and impassioned vocals and conscious sung in the African dialects of Peulh, Wolof as well as French. 'I defy anyone not to be seduced by Suuf - music that makes you glad to be alive' BBC Radio 3 Afrikajam appears courtesy of Jibbering Records_________________________
July 21st
Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks
Ceol Castle 8pm £11 adv £12 door
"There's no one else who sounds like Dan Hicks, who writes like him, who has that dry sense of humor, or has that manner onstage. He's really one of a kind." -- Alec Palao, San Francisco Weekly Singer-songwriter Dan Hicks is truly an American original. Since the early 1960s, Hicks has deftly blended elements of Swing, Jazz, Folk and Country music to create the unique and appealing sound he sometimes calls "Folk Jazz". His lyrics range from the deeply touching to the downright hilarious, all presented with his uniquely skewed and inscrutable touch. Dan's irresistible sense of rhythm, hip lyrical stylings, laid-back vocalizing, and infamous on-stage wit make most who listen fans for life. And he's a snappy dresser, too!_________________________
July 24th
Shooglenifty
Ceol Castle 8pm £8 adv £9 door
New CD due, "Setting the world on fire with their super trippy blend of celtic staples, and everything from acid jazz to Latin shuffles" Rick Overall, The Ottowa Sun_________________________
July 27th
Eric Bogle
Sounds In The Round 2003,Theatre, mac 7.30pm £10 (8)
A songwriter with the knack of cutting through to the heart of the matter with a few well-crafted lines, Eric Bogle's wryly humorous and engaging concert performances have won him fans all over the world. Deeply affecting (and sometimes extremely funny) with haunting, lively melodies, his thought-provoking songs address all the complexities of the world. 'A social commentator, a comic raconteur and an earthy sentimentalist all rolled into one' THE NEW YORK TIMES Once of the most prolific songwriters of the last few decades, his most recognisable and popular song The Band Played Waltzing Matilda has been recorded by over 100 artists from Joan Baez to The Pogues. Scottish-born Eric is a regular performer at festivals, regularly touring in the USA, Canada and Europe, as well as his adopted home-land, Australia. 'One of the most important songwriters of the decade' NME_________________________
July 30th
The Waifs
Ceol Castle 8pm £7 adv £8 door
'Sometimes a group comes out of the blue and makes an immediate positive impression. It has that hard-to-define spark, a way with words and notes, and a musical personality that hits you at first listening. So it is with The Waifs, a trio from West Australia, who has been makings its first rounds of North American clubs and festivals this year and winning a lot of new fans. This is a group bubbling over with talent, verve and vitality. If you like distinctive but immediately accessible contemporary songs with a DOWN UNDER twist, Sink or Swim is worth tracking down.' Tom Melligan, DIRTY LINEN_________________________
August 2nd
Chumbawamba-acoustic
Sounds In The Round 2003, Open air Arena, mac 7.30pm £13 (11)
Chumbawamba have always been risk takers and mavericks; in the era of Popstars, Pop Idol and "we met at stage school" bands singing cover versions of anodyne retro ballads, they stick out like eight sore thumbs. Formed in the '80s, Chumbawamba were always wilfully anarchic, believing punk rock is an attitude rather than a style of music. Their albums have spanned everything from sweet, barbed pop, to acappella harmonies, to break beats and big choruses, punctuated by Memphis horn sections. From the epic worldwide hit Tubthumping to the sound track to Alex Cox's recent film Revenger's Tragedy, Chumbawumba promise to be unforgettable._________________________
August 9th
Los Pacaminos
Sounds In The Round 2003, Open air Arena, mac 7.30pm £ ()
Brilliant live Tex Mex band with all star line up including one Britain's finest vocalists, Paul Young. For the uninitiated Tex-Mex music is somewhere between the Mariachi and Norteño styles of Mexico and the country/blues sounds of south-western America. Playing much of their own material and arrangements of Tex-Mex classics and Spanish songs, the band draw on influences from Ry Cooder to The Texas Tornadoes and Los Lobos. The kind of foot-stomping, bourbon-drenched music that works best with a few shots of tequila inside you, come along and party_________________________
August 15th-18th
Shambala
Secret location - 'the South West's best kept secret' The Guardian
A very special festival, check out their website on www.shambalafestival.org - Expect a magical weekend in beautiful surroundings with a diverse and warm natured crowd. Shambala has amazing live acts, diverse performances, and a community spirit . Come along, bring the kids, get involved with workshops, and see some inspiring acts. Have a break from the rest of the world!_________________________
August 20th
Chris Smither
mac 8pm £8.30 (5.80)
Just in -Re-arranged date after Chris had to postpone his April date due to illness 'Bathed in the flickering glow of passing headlights and neon bar signs, Smither's roots are as blue as they come. There is plenty of misty Louisiana and Lightnin' Hopkins in Smither's weathered singing and unhurried picking. So fine'. Rolling Stone Wonderful new CD 'Train Home' out on August 4th_________________________
September 9th
Ceol Castle 8pm £9 adv £10 door
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September 16th
Ceol Castle 8pm £7adv £8 door
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September 18th
mac 8pm £
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September 19th
8.30pm to 12.30pm £
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September 21st
Music Room @ mac 7.30pm £8.75 (6.15)
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September 23rd
Ceol Castle 8pm
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September 29th
mac 8pm
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October 2nd
mac 8pm
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October 5th
Music Room @ mac 7.30pm £4.25 (£3)
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October 6th
mac 8pm
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October 7th
Ceol Castle 8pm
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October 12th
mac 8pm
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October 13th
Academy2 pm
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October 14th
Ceol Castle 8pm
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October 16th
pm
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October 19th
Music Room @ mac 7.30pm
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October 21st
mac 8pm
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October 24th
8.30pm to 12.30pm £
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November 2nd
Music Room @ mac 7.30pm £4.25 (£3)
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November 4th
Ceol Castle 8pm
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November 11th
Ceol Castle 8pm
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November 16th
Music Room @ mac 7.30pm
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November 17th
8pm
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November 21st
mac 8pm
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November 22nd
mac 8pm 12.50 (10.50)
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November 25th
Ceol Castle 8pm
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November 27th
mac 8pm
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November 30th
mac 8pm
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December 7th
Music Room @ mac 7.30pm £4.25 (£3)
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December 14th
mac 8pm
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Tickets for some Ceol Castle shows are available from the Ticketshop 0121 605 7000 We keep this information as updated as possible but please check with venues first especially if you're making a long journey. Drop us an email & we'll keep you updated, if you have any ideas for artists you would like featured we're always happy to explore the possibilities
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