Upcoming events

Sweet Crisis + Woodley Taylor

Sweet Crisis is a modern rock band in which the roots and the music run deep.
Singer Leo Robarts, guitarist Piers Mortimer and drummer Dave Cullen first met when they were school kids in the early 2000s, and as Leo says of Sweet Crisis in 2018: “This band is all about soulful, emotional songs.”
There influences are wide-ranging, from The Verve and Paolo Nutini to Massive Attack, Arcade Fire and the classic soul and rock music of the ’70s in artists such as Free, Pink Floyd, Marvin Gaye and Donny Hathaway. “Our sound is kind of hard to pin down,” Piers says. “But the connection in everything we do is that it’s really earthy music. It’s about creating a cool vibe, with songs that speak to people and stir emotions in them.”
Sweet Crisis formed in Cambridge in 2015, and after a number of line-up changes an album was recorded in 2017 but then discarded. “It was very frustrating,” Leo recalls. “We spent a year making that album, and then realized we didn’t like any of it. So we ditched it.”
As Piers explains: “We knew we could do better. It was fun playing loud rock’n’roll, and Leo has got a really powerful rock voice, but it was like we were hiding behind these big guitar riffs. We realized we had to write really good songs first and foremost. And we wanted to bring out more of the soul in Leo’s voice.”

Treading In Deep Water, the bands first single off there debut album, is out 9th November. Sweet Crisis is a band reaching its potential. “We went into this as if it was the last record we would ever make,” Piers says. “We put everything we had into it. And I think you can feel it.”

An evening of pop and electronica

Dynamic and electrifying performances by students from Anglia Ruskin University’s Popular Music degree programme.

Pop-Tronix brings together some of the finest and fresh musical talent, performing eclectic pop and electronic music. This evening’s show is your opportunity to come along and listen to our rising stars before they graduate and make their mark on the world of music.

TRIO DHOORE

Three Flemish brothers playing electro-accoustic hurdy-gurdy, diatonic accordion, and accoustic guitar and mandolin have a marvellous repertoire of traditional Flemish tunes and the occasional song. They also write their own material and are technically outstanding. The effect is mesmerising.

“Music that captures the imagination” – Folk World Magazine

https://www.facebook.com/sinkyateeth/

Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult

“f you have even a passing interest in the last 40 years of dance culture, Norwich duo Sink Ya Teeth’s debut is sure to sound familiar—and that’s the point. Maria Uzor and Gemma Cullingford’s self-titled album is a veritable archive of au courant reference points: the rubbery basslines of Liquid Liquid, ESG’s call-and-response dance-punk, the alluring menace of dark disco, New Order’s synthetic ecstasy, the cold atmospherics of electro. These sounds have been revived before, notably during the 2000s, as the retro-futurist electroclash movement and the side-long revelries of early DFA gave way to bloghouse, a microgenre that played fast and loose with dance music’s past. Now, nostalgia for ’80s club music also calls back to that period.

But Sink Ya Teeth surpasses mere genre mimicry, as Uzor and Cullingford channel the feeling as well as the sounds of classic dance music. Style is easy to copy, but attitude is hard to fake, and Sink Ya Teeth have plenty of the latter. “I feel a little depressed/A little melancholy at best,” they intone in deadpan unison on breakout single “If You See Me,” their disaffection a perfect match for the dry beat and rubbery bass. In an interview with M magazine, Uzor described the squiggly track “Pushin’” as channeling a “frenzied and almost sexualized addiction to religion and salvation.” When she sings, “And when the sermon begins/She feels the tears of a thousand years of sin/But he keeps pushin’,” it evokes dance music’s long relationship with carnality and guilt, from Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” to the opening of LCD Soundsystem’s 45:33.” Pitchfork

Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult

https://www.facebook.com/RLTSELFESTEEM/

Self Esteem is the brand new project from Rebecca Taylor.

10 wonderful years in a successful indie band, and Rebecca finds herself musically re-incarnated. Self Esteem is the next chapter of her enthralling story. Drawing influence from everything and anything – pop culture, the dark and light within her own life, her experiences on the road in a band that she loved but was no longer the place for her creatively, and the freedom that came from stepping away – her new sound is dramatic, direct and deafeningly exciting.

Cambridge Jazz Festival 2018 presents Resolution 88 + Run Logan Run

“Wow. Soulful music, played with passion and incredible skill. This harkens to the best funk-jazz of the sixties and seventies and takes it to a new level. Think Headhunters for the new millennium.” Bob Power (The Roots, Erykah Badu, D’Angelo), NY

“Resolution 88 … this is an exciting young band from Cambridge who take their influence from the immensely important, barrier-breaking mid 70’s funk jazzer Herbie Hancock & the Headhunters – they’ve come out of nowhere at the last minute! There’s absolutely no-one around at all like these guys at the moment!” Craig Charles (The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show)

“Resolution 88 have gone with the … influence of mid-70’s Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters and do it in the most heavyweight, sincere and unique way.” Snowboy (Blues & Soul Magazine)

Resolution 88 was started in 2012 as an original funk jazz project. Tom O’Grady, the keyboard player and MD, was inspired by Herbie Hancock & the Headhunters and more recent ground-breaking artists such as Kaidi Tatham. Resolution 88’s music is based around the sound of the Fender Rhodes piano, complex changes and heavily syncopated funk / broken beats.

With critical acclaim, flourishing sales and a fast growing fan base Resolution 88 have toured in the UK supporting the Blackbyrds (Donald Byrd’s famous protégés), Medeski, Martin & Wood, Nels Cline and Snarky Puppy.

Line Up:
Tom O’Grady (Suitcase Rhodes, Clavinet, Nord Stage 2, Solina, Moogs), Tiago Coimbra (Bass), Ric Elsworth (Drums), Alex Hitchcock (Tenor Sax), Oli Savill (Percussion)

—————————————————————
“Haunting, visceral and free” Jazzwise
“Parameter-defying” EZH Magazine
“Wildly inventive” Tom Robinson (BBC Radio 6 Music, UK)
“A raw, aggressive, and unrelentingly creative sound”
Robin Murray (Clash Music)

Run Logan Run are a head on collision of pounding tribal drums and screaming guttural saxophone. Architects of intense contrast the duo’s diverse and precise instrumentation regularly flirts with fragility and raw power.
Formed through a shared passion for improvisation, spiritual jazz and heavier experimental music, they are Andrew Neil Hayes (Saxophones / FX) and Dan Johnson (Drum Kit / Percussion), and have been authoring their own narrative in the new wave of crossover jazz, whilst touring the UK extensively, sharing stages with the likes of Colin Stetson, Melt Yourself Down, Shabaka Hutchings, Sarathy Korwar and Hieroglyphic Being.
Their debut album was recorded live at Stoke Newington’s Total Refreshment Centre, which has been, and continues to be, a prominent platform for promoting, recording and releasing some of the best new talent from the British underground. It was produced by Danalogue & Betamax (The Comet Is Coming) instilling further idiosyncratic dynamics into Run Logan Run’s already distinctive sound.

The Total Stone Roses play a 90min set of all of the best roses material including ‘She Bangs The Drums’, ‘Fools Gold’, ‘Waterfall, ‘I Wanna Be Adored’ and ‘Love Spreads’ and come to the Portland Arms on Saturday 24th November .

Throughout the last year or so, The Total Stone Roses have been playing gigs and stunning audiences throughout the country building up a solid fan base that makes them a force to be reckoned with in the tribute scene. The band are all in their early to mid twenties, bringing the same passion, vigour, arrogance and charisma that only the young have, the old want and that cannot be faked. This same drive is what gave The Stone Roses their ‘X Factor’ and took them to the heady heights of success and fame that they achieved in the late 1980′s and early 1990′s and beyond.

The Total Stone Roses are all pro musicians that do this for a living; all players involved are top draw Leeds College of Music graduates. They strive to re-create the roses sound live and are meticulous in the recreation of their material. You will not find a better sound like band this side of 1989!
With the Roses on another hiatus and no gigs in their diary this is as close as you will get and probably closer to the front of the stage than their recent Wembley show.

The bands previous visit to The Portland Arms sold out in advance so we would recommend snapping up your tickets quickly.

Join the Cambridge Homeless Outreach Programme for our first charity open mic night, in support of the Cambridge Churches Homeless Project!

We’ll have a variety of performances from singers, bands, comedians and poets – all loosely based around themes of home and belonging.

We still have slots left for performers – sign up here by Sunday 11th November if you’re interested: SIGN UP FORM

Find out more about the Cambridge Churches Homeless Project and how you can volunteer for them here: www.cchp.org.uk

.

Planet Rocks Presents SKAM + THEIA + Silk Road + 3Sixty

“Skam are a classic power-trio ballsy, big, loud but that doesn’t mean they have to be mindless. Third album, The Amazing Memoirs of Geoffrey Goddard, is a bit more ambitious than the usual new British rock. A concept album about atest pilot from 1935 who is a
victim of strange forces that jolt him through time the album artwork, videos and booklets
will help tell his tale as he battles to return home and at times, for his very sanity.”
͟-Classic Rock Magazine

Hailing from the heart of England on the edge of the National Forest, Burton-on-Trent three-piece, THEIA, bring the world their blend of hard rock n roll. It’s a classic rock feel for the modern era, played with a smile on its face.

Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult

https://www.facebook.com/laikatone/
https://www.facebook.com/terrorvisionofficial/

Tony Wright is best known as the singer for Bradford rock band Terrorvision. However, when he’s not touring with Terrorvision, he writes, records and tours under his own name with a setlist made up of songs he has written on his acoustic guitar – some upbeat, some melancholic, but all thought-provoking.

To say Tony is a busy man would be an understatement. In addition to his three albums with his post-Terrorvision band ‘LaikaDog’, he has now released two solo albums to date with a third one in the works. ‘Thoughts ‘n’ All’ is just Tony and his acoustic guitar. The follow up, ‘Walnut Dash’, released last year brought the evolution of Tony with his acoustic guitar and a full band.Tony will be out and about picking up inspiration anywhere he can find it in preparation for the new release. Be sure to catch him on the road because you never know – you might just end up being the subject of one of his songs.

A follow-up to our successful launch event, showcasing incredible Jazz, Blues, & Funk music each month; this time around, we’ll be paying homage to Cambridge Jazz Festival after their closing event.

Coda Sessions is an independent organisation that aims to rejuvenate musical culture & community within Cambridge, showcasing Jazz, Hip-hop, Funk & Blues.

Headline: KYANOS

with support from Sam Hopkins and the Coda House Band.

http://www.soundofthesirens.net

Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult

Exeter-based duo Abbe Martin and Hannah Wood dovetail beautifully on their debut album For All Our Sins which was released in 2017 to wide praise including from R2 Magazine who called it a stunning debut collection. ‘For All Our Sins’ is out now on DMF Records on CD, Vinyl and Digital.

Their live shows combine a natural facility for connecting with their audiences and unforgettable performances with warmth, humour and, above all, real conviction. They have played a number of shows & festivals over the last few years garnering fans in the UK and Europe as well as supporting Rick Astley and Kiefer Sutherland on their UK tours.

Our last night of comedy for 2019!

Novembers headline: Christian Talbot
Christian can charm any room and not just because he’s Irish. He’s a comedian and an actor and has been performing stand-up since 2009, bringing him all over UK and Ireland, to the Edinburgh Festival and the Melbourne Comedy Festival. Described by The Scotsman as a ‘genial performer, relaxed and natural’ as well as ‘friendly, funny and clever’.

With Harun Musho’d, Daniel Kielty and compere: Lenny Sherman

Tickets just £6 advance from the ticket button above or £7 on the door.

Our next comedy night will be on Friday 25th January.

Cambridge RockSoc proudly presents its Countdown to Xmas Death Metal/Grindocre Extravaganza featuring:

CREPITATION (Brutal Slam Death Grind)
Death/Slam legends and masters of the wobble box, the UK’s own Crepitation play Cambridge for the first time! With over 10 years of history, and featuring alumni from Cancerous Womb and Amputated amongst others, Crepitation come highly recommended, especially if you love horses and think they are the best of all the animals…

THY FLESH CONSUMED (Death/Grind/Slam)
Coming from the rather nice city of Norwich, Thy Flesh Consumed are a brutal slam band of the heaviest kind. They like Rod Stewart apparently. Can’t go wrong there!

BLUDGEON (Brutal/Tech Death Metal)
Hailing from the darkest corners of Essex, Bludgeon are a three-piece Death Metal machine of brutal heaviness. New album ‘Devoted To Lunacy’ out soon