When: 7.30pm on Tuesday 3 March 2026
Where: Hallé St Peter’s, 40 Blossom Street, Ancoats, Manchester, M4 6BF

PLEASE NOTE: This show has sold out!

We’re excited to be working with Lisa O’Neill for the first time!

Rough Trade Records is excited to release a new six-track EP by Cavan songwriter Lisa O’Neill on 19 November. The first single from the EP, The Wind Doesn’t Blow This Far Right, is a moving and powerful song for our times, which Lisa describes thus, “I began writing this song in November 2017 and I finished it in January 2025. My song is a reaction to the unsettled times that we live in.” The video, directed by Ellius Grace, features musicians Kae Tempest, Kevin Rowland, Spider Stacey of The Pogues and Iona Zajac plus renowned Nigerian/Irish poet Feli Speaks, actresses Olwen Fouéré and Hazel Doupe and actors John McArdle and Jack Walsh amongst many others.

The EP is comprised of a group of six tracks, they include the haunting rendition of Bob Dylan’s All The Tired Horses that Lisa recorded to soundtrack the closing scene of the final episode of Peaky Blinders, plus Homeless In The Thousands (Dublin in the Digital Age) featuring Peter Doherty, released as a stand-alone single in January of this year. It was not the first time O’Neill has written about social injustices on the cusp of a change. Songs like Rock the Machine about unemployment in the Dublin dock lands, When Cash Was King about the move to a cashless society and Violet Gibson about the Irish woman who attempted to assassinate Mussolini in 1926 – this new song was written in response to the growing issue of homelessness in Dublin and Ireland.

Added to these are a new song and recent live favourite Mother Jones about the Irish activist who emigrated to America and became a union organiser, Mary G. Harris Jones, who in 1902 was called ‘the most dangerous woman in America’ – following her organising of miners against mine owners leading directly to the introduction of America’s first child labour laws. The EP is completed with a stunning version of the seasonally topical The Bleak Midwinter and a moving reading of the James Stevens poem Autumn 1915.

In recent months Lisa has been touring extensively both in her own right and also with The Pogues, celebrating the band and Shane McGowan’s legacy across the UK and North America.

It’s been a remarkable few years for Irish songwriter O’Neill. Her acclaimed recent album All of This Is Chance reached number 1 in the Irish Indie Charts and ranked highly on many critics 2023’s Albums of The Year Lists. Amongst the wealth of praise, Gideon Coe at BBC 6 Music picked it as his Album Of The Year. It was No. 3 in Mojo Magazine’s Folk Albums Of The Year, and No.24 in their main Albums Of The Year List. Bob Boilen at NPR deemed it his No.3 Album of The Year and it was one of Songlines’ Top 10 Albums Of The Year and Uncut Magazine’s No.17 Album Of The Year and at No. 33 with The Quietus. May 2023 saw Lisa make a memorable appearance on Later with Jools Holland.

A raconteur in the truest sense of the word, O’Neill is a five-time BBC Folk Award nominee and her previous album Heard a Long Gone Song was named the Guardian’s 2019 Folk Album of the Year. She had two songs feature in Peaky Blinders – Blackbird, her own composition, and an adaptation of Bob Dylan’s All the Tired Horses soundtracked the final scene of the epic TV drama.

All Of This Is Chance took O’Neill’s inimitable voice to greater heights, or depths, depending on which way you look at it. Throughout all eight songs on this album, it feels like she is writing in a constant state of wonderment. Not only a portrait of the artist in love with nature, but one perplexed by the ever-expanding gulf between it and modern society. O’Neill sings across that divide while simultaneously digging deep into the land, eyes transfixed on a universe of colourful birds, and beyond them stargazing into the atomised constellations of outer space of which we ourselves are fragments.

Support comes from Kú. Kú is a Dublin singer and musician working in the Irish folk tradition. He is a core cast member of The Dubliners Encore, performing the songs associated with Ronnie Drew as part of the theatre production. Recently, he wrote Athratheoir, a stage adaptation of the Irish myth of Mad Sweeney, bringing the early medieval tale to a contemporary audience through music and spoken word. He has a debut album recorded and is currently working towards a summer release. Kú performs regularly in venues across Ireland and the UK, presenting traditional songs and original material in a direct, straightforward style.

This is a 14+ show. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

Book tickets now.

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When: 7pm on Wednesday 4 March 2026
Where: Low Four Studio, Deansgate Mews, Great Northern, Manchester M3 4EN

We’re delighted to welcome Jana Horn back – this time, to Low Four Studio!

Jana Horn is an American songwriter whose work traces the quiet edges of experience with rare precision. On her self-titled third album (out in January 2026 via No Quarter), recorded at Sonic Ranch in the West Texas desert, she sharpens her minimalist language to its most elemental form – dry air, open space, spoken-sung lines that land like observations overheard in a dream.

Working as a trio with bassist Jade Guterman and drummer Adam Jones, Horn creates a friction between her stark delivery and the band’s melodic pull, while clarinetist/flutist Adelyn Strei and pianist Miles Hewitt add ghost-tones and grounding figures. The music evokes early Cat Power or the sparse poetics of Loren Connors – but ultimately feels entirely its own: distilled, searching, quietly intense.

Written during a disorienting first year in New York, the album captures a period of upheaval and re-formation. Songs emerge like field notes from a life in motion – city fragments, desert clarity, letters between friends, glimpses of renewal. What remains is a voice that cuts through the noise by refusing it, shaping a world from silence, detail, and the unguarded moment.

‘Jana Horn is a singing magic eye picture somewhere between the scratchy emotional static of early Cat Power and itchy Talk Talk Spirit of Eden jazz. Unfocus and see’ – MOJO

‘The Texan songwriter paints in every shade of a sigh on this richly despondent return, where the slightest touches of piano and woodwind colour her weary disappointment’ – the Guardian

Local support comes from Adjustments. Adjustments play noisy pop with diary-like lyrics, honey-soaked hooks, and gravelly guitars that makes your heart sing and ears ring in equal measure. The trio, based in Manchester but hailing from Cardiff and Bradford, met through the Corduroy Appreciation Society on 11/11, where they bonded over wales and Wales and strong cups of decaff. Soon after, they formed the band and found themselves a creative home in Islington Mill; a rehearsal space and recording studio shared with local institutions W. H. Lung and The Orielles. Adjustments’ eclectic songs reflect dynamic influences: Television, Sonic Youth, The B-52s, Pixies, Acetone, Mazzy Star, Horsegirl and many more unnamed.

This show takes place at Low Four – a recording studio situated on Deansgate Mews in the Great Northern warehouse. This intimate venue features a fully stocked Cloudwater bar.

This is a 14+ show. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

Book tickets now.

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When: 7.30pm on Thursday 5 March 2026
Where: YES Pink Room, 38 Charles Street, Manchester, M1 7DB

We’re excited to be welcoming The Wave Pictures back to Manchester!

Emerging from the quiet village of Wymeswold, nestled on the border between Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire, The Wave Pictures formed in the late 1990s as a group of school friends with second-hand instruments, a love of American indie rock, and an instinctive DIY ethic. Over three decades the Wave Pictures have grown into one of the UK’s most singular and enduring cult bands.

The group honed their sound through covers of Velvet Underground, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Pavement, inspired by long nights listening to John Peel and taping his shows to cassette. It was during these formative years that Tattersall began to write songs of his own — idiosyncratic, literate, and melodically rich — setting the band on a path toward an eclectic and prolific career.

The early days were marked by experimentation and home recording, leading to a series of out-of-print CDRs that captured the raw energy and charm of their lo-fi beginnings. Albums such as Just Watch Your Friends Don’t Get You and More St. Less T.V. chart the journey from curious students to committed artists. Together, they developed a sound that defied easy categorisation — part garage rock, part indie pop, part classic rock and roll — and a reputation for witty, unpredictable lyrics and masterful musicianship.

Upon relocating to London in the early 2000s, The Wave Pictures quickly established themselves as a band apart. Eschewing the fashion codes and posturing of the indie scene, they let the music do the talking — a move that, while sometimes misunderstood, cemented their status as outsiders with integrity. Early support from figures such as Nick Lowe, who described Tattersall as “a man who harbours no ambition to be seen hobnobbing with Dido at the Met Bar,” set the tone for a career that would be defined by independent spirit and artistic curiosity.

Their debut album Instant Coffee Baby (2008), released via Moshi Moshi Records, introduced a wider audience to Tattersall’s vivid songwriting and the band’s spirited playing. Subsequent albums such as If You Leave It Alone, Long Black Cars, and the emotionally raw twin releases Brushes With Happiness and Look Inside Your Heart demonstrated their range, from tender balladry to joyful rock.

Collaborations followed, most notably with Medway icon Billy Childish on Great Big Flamingo Burning Moon, recorded with engineer Jim Riley. This fruitful partnership continued with Bamboo Diner in the Rain and culminated (for a time) in 2022’s sprawling double album When The Purple Emperor Spreads His Wings — a critical and creative high point that showcased the full breadth of the band’s songwriting and sonic ambition.

Throughout their career, The Wave Pictures have maintained a fierce independence and relentless work ethic, releasing dozens of albums, side projects, and one-off recordings, both in the UK and internationally. While their early years were marked by misunderstanding and misfit status, time has vindicated their vision. Their blend of classic American influences, British lyrical sensibilities, and unpretentious authenticity has earned them a loyal following across Europe and beyond.

Now, with over two decades behind them, The Wave Pictures continue to evolve while staying true to the spirit that first inspired them: music made for the love of it, songs that are full of poetry and joy. The Wave Pictures are a band that — against all odds — has never stopped being themselves.

Special guest is Turner Cody. Turner Cody is a songwriter in the American tradition and a poet laureate of the millennial generation. He came up in NYC’s anti-folk scene. He currently lives in St. Louis MO.

Book tickets now.

Attend on: Facebook

When: 7.30pm on Thursday 5 March 2026
Where: The Lending Room, 229 Woodhouse Lane, Woodhouse, Leeds LS2 3AP

We’re excited to partner up with the Brudenell and Please Please You to welcome The Cords to Leeds!

The Cords are the brightest new indiepop band from Scotland. Comprising sisters Eva and Grace Tedeschi, they started playing drums when they were little kids. They found that they liked 80s and 90s indie music more than their peers did, and so formed a band, just the two of them, with Grace on drums and Eva on guitar – and the songs started to flow.

Starting out with a cassette and a flexi single released (both of which sold out in a matter of hours), Eva and Grace honed their skills by playing a whole series of gigs with some of the biggest names in Scottish pop. Their first show was with The Vaselines, and since then they have played with Camera Obscura, Belle and Sebastian, BMX Bandits and others, while also sharing stages with the new generation of indiepop stars: the Umbrellas, Chime School, Lightheaded. They are embraced by established stars and adored by their contemporaries.

The Cords were invited to record a session for Riley and Coe on 6 Music on the back of their early releases, and have now released their eagerly awaited eponymous debut album – a co-release by Skep Wax (in the UK and Europe) and Slumberland Records (in America). Like all great pop bands, The Cords have taken familiar ingredients and created something utterly fresh. Older indie fans will hear echoes of The Shop Assistants, The Primitives, Tiger Trap and Talulah Gosh, but they will hear something else too: a yearning, dreamy melodic power that takes the songs into darker, stranger places.

Younger pop fans won’t care about these old reference points: what they will hear is the sound of two young women doing something utterly exciting: playing loud guitar and loud drums, taking analogue instruments and hitting them hard in the service of immediate and infectious pop tunes, and not giving a second thought about the digital world that wants to own everything we do. The Cords sound free: they remind us that pop music, played right, is expressive, liberating, joyful and deeply personal.

First single Fabulist is a sweet and catchy pop song that races along, so headlong and hooky that, on first listen, you could miss the fact that it’s a wholehearted take-down of people who lie for a living. And the album is a rollercoaster from that point onwards. Just Don’t Know (How To Be You) turns the jangle-meter up, quickly giving way to October, which pushes it higher still. A lot of the songs are short and sweet, but the album is full of surprises. Yes It’s True comes in with real swagger, then softens you up with Lush-like vocal harmonies. Closing track When You Said Goodbye is a dreamy tearjerker.

The album was produced by Jonny Scott and Simon Liddel, and it respects the band’s stripped down DIY approach. There is some bass guitar (played by Eva and Grace) and occasionally a keyboard pokes its head above the surface. But these elements are simply doing their job: the real stars of this record are Eva’s sinuous guitar and silky vocals, and Grace’s clattering, expressive sing-song drums. It’s the sound of two sisters having an intense musical conversation with each other, pushing each other on to greater heights, exhilarated by the set of perfect pop songs they have magicked up.

Main support comes from The Cords’ Skep Wax label mates Tulpa

Opening the show is Nicholas Grant.

This show is a co-promotion with the Brudenell and Please Please You.

Book tickets now.

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When: 7.30pm on Friday 6 March 2025
Where: New Mills Art Theatre, Jodrell St, New Mills, High Peak SK22 3HJ

PLEASE NOTE THIS MESSAGE FROM THE CARTHY FAMILY AND THEIR AGENTS:

ABM and the Carthy family had hoped that the planned 2026 tour and festival dates with Martin Carthy, alongside his daughter Eliza, would offer a graceful and dignified exit from touring for him: one in which he could celebrate his amazing legacy and leave audiences with fond memories. Sadly, Martin’s health has rapidly declined in the last few weeks. As such, we have made the incredibly painful decision that Martin will be unable to fulfil these duo bookings.

A message from Eliza Carthy:

‘Dear everyone,

‘A month ago, Martin, at 84, was diagnosed with late-onset Alzheimers Disease. While his doctor initially suggested that Dad would and should be able to tour in the Spring, and we were hoping to use the tour to say goodbye to Dad’s many fans, it now appears that this won’t be possible or advisable for his health.

‘Dad sends his love and regrets to everyone hoping to see him one more time. Eliza will fulfil these shows, and will try to honour his legacy as much as possible. Our family thanks you for your patience and love.’

We’re delighted to welcome Eliza Carthy and special guests to the Art Theatre in New Mills, as they perform the songs of Martin Carthy.

In the wake of Martin Carthy’s unexpected recent retirement, Eliza has drawn together a community of varied and talented musicians, all of whom have played a role in Martin’s outstanding career. These artists will share the stage with Eliza, honouring and celebrating Martin’s immense legacy and musical back catalogue.

This evening will present a rolling cast of admirers, colleagues and surprise guests, performing an entirely new set featuring some of Martin’s best loved work from all eras of his career, spanning from his debut to final albums, via Waterson:Carthy and beyond. This rolling cast will include Nick Hart and Finn Curran Carthy.

Eliza Carthy is undoubtedly one of the most impressive and engaging performers of her generation. Twice nominated for the Mercury Prize and winner of innumerable other accolades over her career to date, Eliza has performed and recorded with a diverse array of artists including Paul Weller, Rufus and Martha Wainwright, Patrick Wolf and Bob Neuwirth.

More than most, Eliza has revitalised folk music and captured the most hardened of dissenters with intelligent, charismatic and boundary-bending performances.

Eliza grew up immersed in the world of traditional music. She still divides her time between touring and recording as well as engaging in numerous pioneering solo and band projects, most recently, The Restitution.

‘Eliza Carthy is one of the figureheads of the English folk revival … compelling’ – Evening Standard

Nick Hart is an award-winning singer and multi-instrumentalist whose work with English folk song has earned him a reputation as one of the most acclaimed performers of his generation. His considered approach to accompaniment is informed by a deep respect for the nuances of traditional song and his captivating live performances are a testament to the importance he places on story-telling.

Finn Curran Carthy is the grandson of Martin Carthy, son of Eliza, and the latest in the lineage to take to the stage. He will be make his first ever stage appearances here, playing his grandfather’s guitar.

Book tickets now.

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When: 7pm on Thursday 12 March 2026
Where: The Yard, 11 Bent St, Cheetham Hill, Manchester M8 8NF

We’re delighted to welcome Seamus Fogarty to The Yard!

London-based alt-folk alchemist Seamus Fogarty is delighted to announce the release of his new album Ships on Scottish label Lost Map Records, in partnership with Swedish label Sing A Song Fighter.

Packed with poignant and funny slice-of-life vignettes touching on everything from Geoffrey Chaucer to DIY coffins, and existing in a wonderful new sonic realm where songs and stories coexist peacefully with fragmentary electronics, drones and field recordings, Ships is his most expansive and uplifting collection of music to date. The first single from the album I Passed Your House has already made waves since its release, getting picked up by BBC 6 Music presenters Huw Stephens and Gideon Coe, and Radio 2’s Marc Radcliffe. It also spent 2 weeks on RTE Radio 1’s Recommends list in Ireland.

Born and raised on the west coast of Ireland but living in London since 2010, Seamus released his debut full-length God Damn You Mountain on cult Scottish label Fence Records (King Creosote, Jon Hopkins) in 2012. This was followed by a pair of exceptional albums released via Domino Records – 2017’s The Curious Hand (‘magical amplified folk journeys through modern life’, 5* – the Guardian) and 2020’s A Bag Of Eyes (‘a gloriously trippy journey’ – The Sunday Times). His most recent release, the Hee Haw EP, was released on Lost Map Records in 2023 with the lead single They Recognised Him receiving high praise from a range of DJs and personalities across the BBC and beyond including Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy who singled it out for recommendation on his Limited Edition show on 6 Music (‘just brilliant’).

He has maintained a busy live schedule through 2025 opening two sold-out shows for Portishead’s Beth Gibbons in London’s Roundhouse and Luxembourg’s Neumünster Abbey and sharing the stage with Mike Heron in Queen Elizabeth Hall on the Southbank, and at End of the Road festival, as part of an all-star band assembled to celebrate the music of The Incredible String Band. He also completed a sold-out Irish tour to celebrate the vinyl reissue of his debut album in the spring.

He has toured extensively around the UK, Ireland and Europe, both solo and with a range of artists including Lisa O’Neill and This Is The Kit, and has appeared at many notable festivals including the main stage of Green Man, Eurosonic, Latitude, Electric Picnic, Mosely Folk and Haldern Pop. He has also appeared on Other Voices in Ireland and recorded live sessions for Mark Radcliffe on BBC Radio 2 and Cerys Matthews on BBC 6 Music.

Recorded at studios in London, St Leonards-on-Sea and Margate and fine-tuned in his own home studio in Walthamstow, Ships boasts an incredible list of collaborators and musicians including string-arranger and multi-instrumentalist Emma Smith (Pulp, Beth Gibbons), drummers Chris Vatalaro (Anohni, Radiohead) and Aram Zarikian (Grasscut), and horn player Joe Auckland (Madness, Oasis). Additional production and engineering comes from by Leo Abrahams (Brian Eno, Jon Hopkins) and Mike Lindsay (Tunng, Lump).

‘Magical journeys through fable and modern life & back again, often in the same song’ – the Guardian

Local support comes from Quincey May Brown – a Manchester-based solo artist. She creates harp-led music combining elements of folk, jazz, drones and playful lyrics. Her debut album, Basic Surgeon, was featured as a Record of Note on BBC Radio Scotland’s The Roddy Hart Show and was also ranked #27 in cult chamber-pop radio show The Curve Ball’s top 30 albums of 2023.

The Yard is an accessible and unique creative hub based in a regenerated old school building in North Manchester just a 10-minute speed walk from Shudehill tram stop. They programme an eclectic mix of intimate seated gigs like NQ Jazz, silent film and improvisation nights, dance nights, and more.

This show is a co-promotion with Big Badger Music.

Book tickets now.

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When: 7.30pm on Thursday 12 March 2026
Where: The Stoller Hall, Hunts Bank, Manchester M3 1DA

PLEASE NOTE: This show has now sold out!

We’re delighted to welcome Eric Bibb back to the Stoller Hall – with special guest Janileigh Cohen!

Three-time Grammy nominee and blues legend Eric Bibb returns to the stage in 2026 with his brand-new album, One Mississippi – his most musically adventurous and ambitious work to date.

With an award-winning career spanning five decades, Bibb has become one of the most respected voices in roots and blues music. His warm baritone, masterful acoustic guitar, and gift for storytelling have captivated audiences across the globe. On One Mississippi, Bibb continues his late-career renaissance, blending blues, folk, soul, and Americana into songs that speak to our shared past and present.

The album features thirteen original compositions, alongside the title track One Mississippi, written by Bibb’s high school friend Janis Ian with Fred Koller. Produced by long-time collaborator and musical director Glen Scott, and recorded in Sweden with an all-star line up – including guitarist Robbie McIntosh (Paul McCartney, John Mayer) — the record brims with honesty, hope, and a call for unity in divided times.

For this highly anticipated tour, Eric will be joined by his exceptional band:

Glen Scott (Bass, Keys, Backing Vocals),
Robbie McIntosh (Guitars), and
Paul Robinson (Drums)

Prepare for an unforgettable evening of music—featuring both new songs and timeless favourites—delivered with the soul, warmth, and integrity that have made Eric Bibb an international treasure.

‘This new collection of stories… is a call for peace, justice & unity in a divided world’ – Eric Bibb

Tour support comes from Janileigh Cohen. Janileigh Cohen’s music began quietly — songs written in a shed at the bottom of her grandmother’s garden in rural Lancashire, inspired by Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell. Those early, solitary beginnings have since rippled outward in unexpected ways.

A piano cover of Nick Cave’s The Ship Song led to a sync in the acclaimed Australian film Blueback, while her rendition of Jackson C. Frank’s timeless Blues Run the Game featured in an episode of the Emmy Award–winning US drama This Is Us. These moments of global reach emerged organically from a practice rooted in intimacy, honesty and storytelling.

Her debut album, As a Child, due for release in 2026, was recorded with an array of stellar musicians from Manchester to Nashville, made possible in part through the generous support of her listeners. It is a quietly assured debut, shaped by patience, collaboration and an enduring belief in the healing power of humanity and song.

This show is a co-promotion with Band on the Wall.

This is a 14+ show. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

Buy tickets now.

Attend on: Facebook

When: 7pm on Friday 13 March 2026
Where: Howard Assembly Room, 32 New Briggate, Leeds LS1 6NU

We’re delighted to welcome Jens Lekman back to Leeds!

Jens Lekman is an accidental wedding singer. But he’s also a wedding singer for a reason. Ever since his 2004 song If You Ever Need a Stranger (To Sing at Your Wedding) he has had a side gig fielding requests from strangers to sing at their weddings. For over twenty years, he’s had a particular vantage point from which to see the role love songs can play in our lives.

In 2020, he and novelist David Levithan co-conceived a novel-with-music, Songs from Other People’s Weddings. Originally this album was meant to contain the songs from the weddings in the book, but as the novel came together, Lekman began to imagine what happened between the book’s chapters.

The book and the album eventually became intertwined but also found their own paths. The book remained the structure of the story, but the album sometimes snuck behind the scenes. Stories from the songs made their way into the book and vice versa. The result is an exploration of what we sing about when we sing about love — euphoria, doubt, dislocation, tenderness, conflict, playfulness, gratitude, ingratitude, longing, belonging, questioning, answering.

It’s very much about a relationship and how it’s reflected through the relationships and weddings of others, but most of all it’s a lovesong to lovesongs.

Special guest is Family Stereo. Family Stereo is the indie-folk project of London based singer-songwriter Blake Watt. With several self-released EPs to his name, his sound combines rich lyrics and an intricate, finger-picked style with distorted folk-rock, alt-country and dreamlike soundscapes. Family Stereo’s debut album is set for release in Summer 2026.

This show – the only one on the north of England – is a co-promotion with the Brudenell.

This is a 14+ show.

Book tickets now.

Attend on: Facebook

When: 7pm on Saturday 14 March 2026
Where: Band on the Wall, 26 Swan Street, Manchester M4 5JZ

We’re excited to be welcoming Beans on Toast back – this time, with the Beans on Toast band, plus Ruth Lyon!

Beans on Toast hits the road with his full band and new album Kill Them with Kindness. Expect songs, stories, chaos and community in equal measure.

The new record is up there with his finest work to date, bouncing between songs about the shitshow of planet earth and the fall of the establishment, to family life, planting trees, and the absurdities of modern living. The record was captured with his new full band, who’ll bring it to life on stage alongside plenty of Beans on Toast classics.
Every show is unique but always full of optimism, honesty and singalongs. His belief in positive change through kindness and his authentic folk style have made him a cult hero, and his passion is infectious. Step right up for a night of music, mischief and magic with Beans on Toast.
Support comes from Ruth Lyon, known for fronting Newcastle’s finest ramble rousers, Holy Moly & The Crackers. Her solo project is incredible, and she is a force to be reckoned with. As an honorary member of The Beans on Toast Band, each night after her set, Ruth will jump up with Beans on Toast and the band to play fiddle and sing a few songs. It’s going to be epic.

Beans on Toast hits the road with his full band and new album Kill Them with Kindness. Expect songs, stories, chaos and community in equal measure.

The new record is up there with his finest work to date, bouncing between songs about the shitshow of planet earth and the fall of the establishment, to family life, planting trees, and the absurdities of modern living. The record was captured with his new full band, who’ll bring it to life on stage alongside plenty of Beans on Toast classics.

Every show is unique but always full of optimism, honesty and singalongs. His belief in positive change through kindness and his authentic folk style have made him a cult hero, and his passion is infectious. Step right up for a night of music, mischief and magic with Beans on Toast.

“A master of his art” – Full Pelt

“Genuinely life-affirming” – Louder Than War

“A proper folk singer” – Frank Turner

Support comes from Ruth Lyon, known for fronting Newcastle’s finest ramble rousers, Holy Moly & The Crackers. Her solo project is incredible, and she is a force to be reckoned with. As an honorary member of The Beans on Toast Band, each night after her set, Ruth will jump up with Beans on Toast and the band to play fiddle and sing a few songs. It’s going to be epic.

Ruth Lyon is a potent songwriter from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, who weaves deeply evocative narratives and powerful meditations, with an artistry that balances delicacy and strength. Forged by her experiences as a disabled woman and a life-long sense of otherness she explores the beautiful mess of human existence. The songs are rich with poetic nuance and the unconventional insight of a young life lived to capacity – a mesmerising blend of analogue and angular anti-folk that gives as much attention to silence as sound, with understated yet muscular grooves. Shimmering between the abstract, the archetypal and the naked truth – meaning lingers just beneath the surface, daring listeners to both reach out and dig deep; to give their emotions a solid, tangible shape.

Coming off the back of performances across the world – most notably supporting Zaho De Sagazan on an arena tour across Europe; performing at New York City Hall where she received the prestigious Danny Award, a global recognition of disabled creatives; Brighton’s Great Escape international showcase; Glastonbury Festival; SXSW Texas; as well as being included on the Disability Power 100 List which named her as among the most influential disabled people in the UK – Lyon released her debut album Poems & Non-Fiction in June 2025, working with acclaimed producer John Parish (PJ Harvey, Aldous Harding). The album reached top 20 in the UK’s official album breakers charts, and top 50 in the official record store charts, cementing Lyon’s reputation as a singular voice in the contemporary music landscape; one that dares to challenge, comfort, and captivate in equal measure.

This show is for ages 10+. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

Book tickets now.

Attend on: Facebook

When: 7pm on Saturday 14 March 2026
Where: YES Pink Room, 38 Charles Street, Manchester, M1 7DB

We’re excited to be welcoming Svaneborg Kardyb back to Manchester!

When Nikolaj Svaneborg and Jonas Kardyb first met in Aalborg in Northern Denmark in 2013, they discussed forming a duo together, but they only brought the idea to fruition as Svaneborg Kardyb six years later, further south in the university city of Aarhus. In that first week where they reconnected and started playing together, they seemed to have a telepathic understanding they’d not enjoyed in other groups they’d been in.

“We didn’t have to say anything,” marvels Jonas, “we could just play, and even though we then sometimes stumbled through, it was still music. That’s where the energy in the project came from: it was such a short hop from just playing, to writing and composing. We like to call it that we compose in the moment. It’s not about playing freely, it’s more about being very attentive to what melody is in there, trying to play very simply, and catch that one idea.”

“Because we are only two in the band,” Nikolaj further reasons, “that means there’s only one other person to listen to, and to change direction according to, so we just pay attention to one another, and music seems to come out of nowhere.”

Nikolaj Svaneborg says that his gentle, silky style on the keys derives from the Young Chang model he learnt on as a child at home. “Those pianos are so loud and hissy, we used to put a cloth between the hammers and the strings – it was the only way it was possible to play it and still have people in the room. The core of my technique is playing really quietly, so I wouldn’t disturb people with that terribly bright piano.”

Nikolaj’s first non-domestic experiences were as an accompanist within the Danish community singing tradition known as Højskole. “It’s not technically a choir, it’s just a tradition where people come together to sing these simple, memorable songs that everybody knows – hymns, political songs, love songs, thematical songs. That’s what I find most interesting in music composition: you have these three chords that everybody’s been playing since the 1600’s, but you can still find a new melody that sparks something original.”

Nikolaj was inspired by Jan Johansson’s ‘Jazz På Svenska’ album from 1964, where Swedish folk songs were sparsely reworked for piano and double bass, and he remains plugged into the New Nordic Jazz scene.

Jonas Kardyb has a quite different background in music. “I like that stuff Nikolaj’s into,” he says, “but also blues and Americana – Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, The Band. I’ve played in a lot of guitar bands, and I’ve always loved good songs. I grew up in Tønder, close to the Southern border, where since the mid-’70s we’ve had Denmark’s biggest folk festival, which brings over Irish and American artists. Often, there are no drums, and at home I found playing along to folk and blues records without drums felt really cool.”

Playing with Nikolaj, he says, opened the way to play innovatively, free of genre. “You shouldn’t play like a jazz drummer just because you maybe decided you’re a jazz duo,” he says. “We just met up and played, and found you can do what you like, and that made the music flow.”

During those long, almost forgotten gruellingly indoors-y pandemic months, the two chanced upon a video of Poland’s Hania Rani performing her song ‘F Major’ on the Icelandic tundra. At the end, they noticed logo branding for Manchester’s Gondwana Records, and there began a classic YouTube rabbit-hole of discovery as they sought out other artists on the label.

“Every artist, I liked,” enthuses Nikolaj, “and how everything was kind of jazzy, but not jazz at all, and everyone was doing it differently. It’s everything I like about the exploration in jazz.”

So, they emailed Gondwana bossman Matthew Halsall, and after a six-month interlude (Halsall had already dug what he’d heard, but his reply went to spam, so he chased them down on Instagram), the two parties were connected. By that point, they’d all but completed their third record, ‘Over Tage’ (= “over the roofs”), with fresh touches of trumpet and guitar; with Gondwana’s help in “shaping it for release”, the album came out in November ’22. From there, with the label’s reach and support, they’ve enjoyed taking their music to the world, touring far and wide.

“With instrumental music,” Nikolaj reflects, “there are no words, so there’s nothing separating everybody – everybody is on the same page, so we can really connect with people. We have a song called ‘Freudesang’, which means ‘The Whistling Tune’. We play it at every show, and we conduct people into whistling along, and everybody can do it. It’s that Højskole vibe, but we found you can do it in Romania, and it’ll be fun. It also worked in Canada, Prague and the UK.” And with Superkilen released in October 24 you get the feeling that many more people around the world will soon discover the charm and quiet intensity at the heart of their music.

‘Their sound floats and twinkles like it’s from another place… there’s myth and magic there’ – Elizabeth Alker, BBC Radio 3

Special guest is Rory A. Green. Ghanaian-English guitarist, composer, producer Rory A. Green uses inspiration from his mixed heritage background and the sensitivity of acoustic instruments and combines them with the sonic complexities of synthesis, heavily layered instruments and infectious rhythms to create beautiful, atmospheric environments for his music to exist in.

With his dynamic, conversational approach to the guitar and improvisation Rory has been using music to share stories and captivate audiences across the UK. Sharing stages with artists such as Laura Misch, Kessoncoda, Marysia Osu and Kessoncoda.

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