Attractions at the Bromsgrove venue include…
Hailing from the shores of Cornwall and Donegal, Winter Mountain blend melodic folk songs and lyrics in a sound reminiscent of a time when the emphasis fell on the importance of live performance. The duo share song-writing duties, their individual styles, like their voices juxtaposing yet beautifully complementing the other.
As well as performances at some of the UK and Ireland’s most prestigious venues and festivals, they were chosen by Rosanne Cash to open for her and husband John Leventhal when they toured the UK in 2012. While opening for some of Cara Dillons’ bigger shows they outsold her on the merchandise stand and won over audiences so much that they were often given an encore, before the main act. It’s best to catch them now before they hit the big time. They’re at Artrix Studio on 22nd March.
Tickets cost £10.
Fans of eighties superstar Lloyd Cole are in for a treat when he performs at Artrix later this month. Through both his lauded work fronting the Commotions and his highly respected solo material, Cole has established himself as one of the most articulate post-punk songwriters. Cole formed the Commotions in 1982 and their stand out-album Rattlesnakes stormed the UK charts in 1984 with unforgettable tracks such as Perfect Ski, Are You Ready to be Heartbroken? and Lost Weekend.
Since those halcyon days, Cole has moved to the States achieved chart-topping success in Sweden and his 2013 album, Standards, garnered some outstanding reviews from the critics. Now he’s back doing a solo tour of the UK and his performance at Artrix on Tuesday 25th March, the only Midlands date on his schedule, is not to be missed.
Tickets cost £22.50.
Sony gold award-winning comedian and science enthusiast Robin Ince returns to Artrix on March 26th with another in his line of unhinged stand-up lectures.
On TV, he has appeared on BBC Two’s Mock the Week. He has also featured on Radio 4’s Now Show, Just a Minute and Mitch Benn’s Crimes Against Music.
In his new show (In and Out) Of His Mind, Robin delves into his mind and possibly yours too to look at the last 100 years of psychiatry, psychology and brain dabblings. Freud might be turning in his grave but there are likely to be lots of laughs along the way with this thoughtful and provocative comedian.
Tickets cost £14 (£12).
Having celebrated a decade as one of Scottish folk music’s most distinctively sublime voices, Emily Smith is now branching out with a fifth album and tour.
Time has passed ridiculously fast since Emily was named BBC Radio Scotland’s Young Traditional Musician of the Year back in 2002. Since then she’s toured the world, thrilling audiences from Cambridge Folk Festival all the way down to the National Folk Festival in Australia, via Europe, Russia, Canada and New Zealand.
With her new album Echoes, Emily returns to her first love of traditional song. Recorded over the space of a year (interrupted by the arrival of a small person) Echoes expands the core group of musicians with whom she’s previously played. Together they’ve created an album with one foot planted firmly in Emily’s home of Dumfries and Galloway and the other in the unspoiled heartland of Nashville. Joining Emily at Artrix on 30th March are Jamie McLennan (guitar, fiddle vocals) and Matheu Watson (guitar and whistle).
Tickets are £15 (£13).
Tickets for all shows are available from the box office on 01527 577330 or online at www.artrix.co.uk