One last chance to watch the full retelling of Marillion’s seminal prog concept album ‘Brave’ performed by Candacraig with a five-piece band… from the comfort of your own home!
Click here to buy tickets for the livestream performance which you can watch online live on 30th December, or view the recording at a later date. I can’t wait to play this iconic material one more time with the Candacraig guys and their brilliant band.
I am very excited to announce I’ll be touring with Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats at the start of the new year, as they perform their critically-acclaimed album Nell’ Ora Blu in full.
Described as ‘breathtakingly impressive’ by Distorted Sound magazine, and ‘the most original and thematic album of the year (9.5/10)’ by Metal Injection, Nell’ Ora Blu is a gritty, doom metal concept album inspired by classic Italian cinema, with a storyline which encompasses corrupt politicians, vigilante justice, and inevitably, murder.
I will be joining the band on keys to perform the album in full at venues across Europe, the UK, the US and Canada. Catch me with Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats at the following gig dates throughout January and February (full details and links to ticket sales are on the Calendar page, or on the Uncle Acid and The Deabeats website).
I will be joining up with Lincolnshire-based prog outfit Candacraig next month to play keys on three very special shows, retelling influential prog giants Marillion’s seminal concept album ‘Brave’, thirty years after its original release.
To celebrate this incredible piece of work, Candacraig will be devoting the entire second half of these shows to a retelling of the story from the perspective of the girl on the bridge, 30 years later.
Using projection and a full five piece band, Sharon and Martin will play a selection of their own songs in the first half, and then devote all of the second half of the show to Brave.
The ‘Brave’ shows will be at 45 Live in Kidderminster on 10th October, at Southside in Lincoln on 17th October, and then at Manchester Academy 3 on 24th October. I shall look forward to seeing lots of prog fans there to celebrate ‘Brave’ with us!
Covering a catalogue of Sir Rod’s chart-topping hits spanning a jaw-dropping 5 decades, including titles such as Handbags & Gladrags; Maggie May; You Wear It Well; I Don’t Want to Talk About It; This Old Heart of Mine; Sailing…
This is a show like no other, dedicated to not only the music of Sir Rod but celebrating the life and story behind the man. A fantastic tribute to a living legend, Maggie May, The Rod Stewart Years is guaranteed to have you singing along and dancing in the aisles.
I’m very proud that I will be playing keys on this exciting new production dedicated to the songs of Sir Rod Stewart, opening at Bath Forum on 6th September.
Check the Calendar page for the full tour dates.
Due to the ongoing coronavirus situation, I am very sorry to have to announce that my Avid Sibelius workshop at Benslow Music entitled Your Sibelius Toolkit scheduled for June has been postponed, as the Benslow Music centre will remain closed until at least the end of June this year in line with current government and expert advice.
The staff at Benslow have been fantastic in supporting their tutors during this difficult and uncertain period. Of course we are all extremely disappointed to have to make this announcement, but the safety and wellbeing of everyone involved has the be the number one concern right now.
I am currently in discussions with Benslow Music to try and find alternative ways to deliver this course, so please watch this space if that is something you are interested in, and I’ll try to have more updates available on that soon.
As the situation changes very rapidly, all my postponements, rearrangements and cancellations are being updated regularly on the Calendar page.
The following is the official Covid-19 related update from the live 90s dance music show of which I am the musical director, 90s Jam.
All postponements, cancellations or other changes to gig dates as a result of Covid-19 are being updated on the Calendar page daily.
Loud In London presents Jade MayJean at O2 Academy Islington on Thursday 13th June. Jade will be playing a forty-minute set of all original material from last year’s {20SIXTY} album with her full band; to get your tickets before they all sell out, contact Jade through her Facebook page…
Very excited that I’ll be back on drums with Jade MayJean and the 20SIXTY band in May this year, headlining the Framlingham Gala Fest on Monday 27th May with Jade’s original songs from the hugely popular 20SIXTY album which came out last year.
The festival is at the Framlingham Castle Meadow over three days from 25th – 27th May, and admission is free for all.
I am delighted to announce that I’ll be playing percussion in a live orchestral performance for The Pisces Rising – a popular YouTube channel which re-orchestrates well-known theme tunes into large, epic-sounding masterpieces – at this year’s Summer In The City YouTube festival at the ExCel in London.
The performance will be on the main stage at half-past-five this Saturday, 11th August.
I have played drums for Ultra ’90s almost since the show’s inception in 2008 – and more recently, I have played percussion with the new Ultra ’90s Fresh lineup as well. However, with the popularity of Ultra ’90s expanding quicker than ever, I am very excited to have been offered the chance to take on a new role, leading yet another lineup as an MD, keys player and vocalist.
So despite playing hundreds of Ultra ’90s gigs on drums, I am spending four days this week at Thatspace in Rochdale with Chris and Kelly from PX Productions, relearning the set on keys and programming my synth rig with the correct sounds and samples – plus developing new skills, including working in Chamsys to patch and programme lights, and rapping!
The rehearsals are long days – there is a lot to get through in a ninety-minute show packed with high-energy ’90s dance classics – but I am relishing the chance to push myself to be better and become and more versatile, more well-rounded musician with a plethora of skills to offer.
I will still being gigging with Ultra ’90s and Ultra ’90s Fresh as a drummer and percussionist this coming year as well, but I am enjoying seeing the show from a new angle, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to gig a set I know well in a totally different way.
