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Already a Prog Magazine ‘Limelight’ band in 2024, 2025 has already started strong for Candacraig, being voted among the top five Best New Artists by readers of Prog Magazine in a nationwide readers’ poll.
Following the success of the Brave tour and livestream, I am deilghted that I’ll be linking up with Candacraig again later this year to play the Kingfisher Stage at Nene Valley Rock Festival at Grimsthorpe Castle in south Lincolnshire.
Candacraig will appear on Sunday 7th September, presenting ‘their unique blend of neo prog, art rock and dark folk’ with their full five-piece line-up, including me on keyboards. Early bird tickets are available now from the NVRF website.
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…among the most impressive concerts I’ve witnessed since 1972: a whirlwind of musical, theatrical, and cinematic madness…
The European leg of the Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats Nell’ Ora Blu tour is coming to a close, after we played our final show on the continent at the Vooruit Theaterzaal in Ghent, Belgium last night. Just one show in the UK to go now – at the iconic Alexandra Palace theatre in London – before we fly out to the United States and begin a run of thirteen American/Canadian dates across the first three weeks of February.
There are concerts that impress, and then there are performances that create an entirely new world. […] Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats didn’t just perform Nell’ Ora Blu—they brought an entire audiovisual concept to life, one that stands unparalleled in the realm of live rock performances.
Despite one or two hiccoughs – like getting stuck in Berlin for an extra day when our tour bus broke down, resulting in moving the Netherlands show at the Muziekgebouw in Eindhoven back by twenty-four hours – we have had an amazing time on the road so far. That’s been an absolute joy to bring the incredible and unique sound of Nell’ Ora Blu to some truly beautiful places around Europe, and to meet all the fans who have come out to see the show so far.
I have never had a chance to gig in America before, so I am very excited for the next chapter of this tour; I can’t wait to visit some cool new places, and to play this brilliant original music to new crowds all over the United States and Canada, alongside the rest of our fantastic band and crew.
As always, full gigs dates are on the Calendar page, or check out the official Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats website for more details.
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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.
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Another new single from blues musician Alex Carter, again featuring my drums recorded at my studio, and mixed by studio engineer Chris Barwise. ‘Soft Man Blues’ also features harmonica from Bennie Hayfield.
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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).
- 16th January 2025 – Alhambra, Paris, France
- 18th January 2025 – Palco 19, Asti, Italy
- 21st January 2025 – Sala Petrassi, Rome, Italy
- 24th January 2025 – Heimathafen, Berlin, Germany
- 25th January 2025 – Heimathafen, Berlin, Germany
- 26th January 2025 – Muziekgebouw, Eindhoven, Netherlands
- 29th January 2025 – Vooruit, Theater Zaal, Ghent, Belgium
- 31st January 2025 – Alexandra Palace Theatre, London, UK
- 5th February 2025 – The Fillmore, Silver Springs, Maryland, USA
- 6th February 2025 – The Town Hall, New York City, New York, USA
- 7th February 2025 – Somerville Theater, Somerville, Massachusetts, USA
- 8th February 2025 – Mtelus, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- 9th February 2025 – Danforth Music Hall, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- 11th February 2025 – Masonic Cathedral, Detroit, Michigan, USA
- 12th February 2025 – Thalia Hall, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- 13th February 2025 – Fitzgerald Theater, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
- 15th February 2025 – Boulder Theater, Boulder, Colorado, USA
- 18th February 2025 – Nepture Theatre, Seattle, Washington, USA
- 19th February 2025 – Revolution Hall, Portland, Oregon, USA
- 21st February 2025 – Regency Ballroom, San Francisco, California, USA
- 22nd February 2025 – The Palace Theater, Los Angeles, California, USA
Nell’ Ora Blu album cover -
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!
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Following the release of singles ‘Blue Boy‘ and ‘Last Warning‘, Alex Carter’s full album ‘Call It Rock And Roll’ is finally out on all platforms.
Featuring my drums recorded at my studio on five of the eight tracks, and piano on one, the album is available on Spotify, Amazon and Apple Music. Mixed and mastered by Chris Barwise.
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Band Theft Audio I’m delighted to be joining the UK’s hottest event band Band Theft Audio as a keyboard player this year!
Filling the gap between band and DJ, BTA provide the ultimate musical entertainment experience for your event. Musically focused on keeping heads nodding and feet moving, the BTA repertoire moves from dance, RnB, and hip-hop seamlessly to rock, funk, and pop to cater for all audiences.
It’s the perfect opportunity to flex my synth and programming muscles whilst getting stuck into an immersive live performance guaranteed to leave audiences wanting more.
I’ll be playing with BTA on a number of festivals and other events throughout the year, so keep an eye on the Calendar page and don’t miss the chance to come and check us out.
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The second Alex Carter single I have recorded on drums at my studio. Mixed and mastered by Chris Barwise.
Look out for more new music from Alex Carter coming soon!
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This is something I get asked about from time-to-time… I know you don’t commonly see keyboard players using boards of effects pedals, like guitarists often do, but I have put a lot of thought into the setup I’m using on my gigs and I feel like this rig fits my workflow and my approach to my playing well.
I enjoy using tactile pedals to add or remove layers of sound ‘in the moment’, shaping the tone of my playing to fit the contours of the song; I have tried to build something which allows me to achieve a wide range of sounds on the fly, whilst keeping load-in and setup easy and convenient.
Check out the video for a full ‘rig rundown’ of the setup I’m using on my gigs at the moment.
Click here for a full break-down on my custom rotary speaker speed-switcher pedal, as mentioned in the video.
