Sun 1^st July

The Everyday Wife

7.30pm (Doors 7pm)

Featuring Phillippa Yaa de Villiers and Fred Wisdom. South African multi-award-winning poet and performer Phillippa Yaa de Villiers teams up with musician Fred Wisdom to offer an evening of insightful, moving and humorous poetry with  music“…her new volume of poetry is a delicious word treat” (Moira de Swardt) , “Experiences wrenched from the heart and shaped into meaning through explosive words.” (Janet van Eeden).  Fred Wisdom is a classically trained guitarist . With a  career spanning numerous musical releases, performances on local and international stages, his work has been described as  “Simply outstanding” (BBC Radio),  “Mesmerizing”( jazz.com). www.de-Scribe.posterous.com            www.blackguymusic.com

Tickets: £6

Tickets available from the Cafe or www.wegottickets.com

Wed 4^th July

The Songs of Nick Drake – Keith James

8pm (Doors 7.30pm)

Nick Drake is the most revered and loved of all of this country’s Singer/Songwriters. He recorded three cherished Albums between 1969 and 1972 but was almost entirely unknown in his day. After his tragic death in 1974 aged only 26 his music almost disappeared into obscurity. Now, thanks to a massive resurgence of interest and a worldwide re-evaluation of his genius Nick Drake has become a National treasure. A number of years have now passed since Singer/Guitarist Keith James paralysed the whole Country with his stunningly beautiful series of concerts entitled The Songs of Nick Drake. At the beginning of the project in 2001 he was the first artist ever to bring this immaculate and intriguingly fragile music to Theatres across the UK in its pure concert form. The end result was five years of highly acclaimed tours amounting to over 500 dates in Venues across the British Isles, Europe and all of Nick’s Schools and Colleges – even Glastonbury Festival. “Musicians brave enough to make the music they really believe in. Keith James is one of these” (Bob Harris BBC Radio 2). “Some of the most atmospheric and emotive music you will ever hear” (The Independent).

Further information at:  www.songsofnickdrake.com or www.keith-james.com

Tickets: £10

Tickets available from the Cafe or www.wegottickets.com

Thu 5^th July

Traditional Song Session    

8pm – 10pm

Traditional music sessions take place in pubs all over the city but traditional singing is also alive and well.  Here’s a chance to sing and listen to traditional songs in a friendly and informal environment. Admission is free, donations are welcomed.

Tickets: Free Entry

For more info. visit www.tradartsteam.co.uk

Wed 11^th July

Laughing Cows

8pm (Doors 7pm)

The sell-out comedy night with a fabulous all-female line Up. July’s line-up features Liz Carr, Shelley Cooper and Barbara Nice performing alongside resident MC, Maureen Younger “more than compere, more than host” (www.gingerbeer.co.uk). The night has won rave reviews “This was the warmest comedy room I’ve ever walked into … a warm and relaxing environment in which to watch some very funny women.” (www.gingerbeer.co.uk). “A good event to go to with your girlfriends” (www.spoonfed.co.uk), “a huge hit” (Birmingham Mail).

Tickets: £8 (£6 Conc.)

Tickets available from the Cafe or www.wegottickets.com

Mon 16^th July

Otis Gibbs (plus support)

8pm (Doors 7.30pm)

Favourite son of Wanamaker, Indiana. A man trying to live decently in an indecent world. Writer of songs, teller of tales, populist agitator, social dissident, planter of over 7000 trees, photographer, mucisian, iconoclast. Otis Gibbs makes a debut performance at KGC to promote his 6th album, Harder Than Hammered Hell, inspired by his experiences as a tree-planter in Indiana. As recommended by Billy Bragg & oft compared to Woodie Guthrie, Bob Dylan & Bruce Springsteen, Otis’s work concentrates on the world ingored by pop culture. Sometimes forgotten, obsolete, or simply marginalised, it is a world documented by Otis from 15 years of travel, with a story to share about each stop along the way.

“If you like the real deal American folk with a rusty edge, this will be your album of the year.”  (No Depression on Harder Than Hammered Hell, 2012). “…this album puts Otis Gibbs into the same class as Dylan but with an openness in his songs that few if any can match”(Maverick on Joe Hill’s Ashes, 2010). “…this bearded idealist from Indiana is the real deal: gritty, angry and concerned.” (The Irish Times).

Tickets: £7 adv / £8 door

Tickets available from the Cafe or www.wegottickets.com

Tue 17^th July

Poetry Book Launch

7.30pm (Doors 7pm) 

Two new poetry books from Knives Forks and Spoons Press. Bobby Parker reads from ’Comberton’, his bravura prose-poem sequence “a collection of poems whose narrative outstrips most novels for depth, mystery and staying power (Luke Kennard). Plus Meredith Andrea, reading from ‘Organon’.

Tickets: Free Event – all welcome

Wed 18^th July

Storytelling Cafe    

7.30pm (Doors 6.30pm) 

Summer is in the air and we dream of lands far away. Take a journey into your imaginations with the Storytelling cafe Team Graham Langley, Ana-Maria Lines, Dawn Powell and Kit Bathgate. Enjoy a relaxed and compelling summer’s night of storytelling with a glass of wine and a relaxed sociable atmosphere. Food Served from 6.30, Stories start at 7.30.

Tickets: £7

Tickets available from the Cafe or www.wegottickets.com

Mon 23^rd July

The Pine Leaf Boys

8pm (Doors 7.30pm)

Louisiana’s finest, four-time Grammy-nominated, world-renowned Pine Leaf Boys have made a name for presenting their own inimitable brand of Cajun music with youthful exuberance. Hailing from the heart of Louisiana’s Cajun country, The Pine Leaf Boys, with their wild shows and thoughtful arrangements, have breathed new life into Cajun music, reviving ancient songs and bringing them to the bandstand.  Being described in the New York Times as, “… the link that connects the young and the old generations,” and, “the best new, energetic, and fun Cajun band in a very long time,” the Pine Leaf Boys play the old fashion dance hall standards while making a priority to bring many of the more obscure songs of past masters into their repertoire and play them with gusto.

Tickets:  £10

Tickets available from the Cafe or www.wegottickets.com

Tue 24^th July

Poetry Bites with Nick Pearson & Jane Seabourne

7.30pm (Doors 6.30pm)

“One of the top 10 venues for poetry in the UK” (Susan Richardson, Radio 4). Poetry Bites also includes floor spots – arrive early to book a spot. Tickets on door or by email from [email protected] (07971 018 825). Food Served from 6.30, Readings start at 7.30.

Tickets: £5 (£4 Conc.) on Door

Food served from 6:30pm, Readings start at 7:30pm