What’s On

Jamnesty – a live music event run by Cambridge University Amnesty International society for students.

While WH Lung’s name might suggest a nod to the likes of WH Auden and similarly austere literary figures, it actually comes from a Chinese supermarket in their native Manchester. This deliberate blurring of high and low culture is part of the appeal of the enigmatic three-piece (Joseph E on vocals/synths, Tom S on guitar and Tom P on bass), their songs juxtaposing simplicity with free-ranging experimentation. But even more key is their ability to seamlessly meld genres – krautrock, post-punk and synthpop, most prominently – to create songs that are fresh and exciting yet familiar-sounding and accessible.

South London’s Honeyglaze occupy the same sort of space as indie rock explorers such as Black Country, New Road and English Teacher, but stretch and shape their own particular furrow.

Join us on Wednesday 26th February for a night of trivia based around all things nostalgia! Hosted by Portland Quizmaster Bruno. Expect questions on vintage brands, media, music, sport and everything else on the Trivial Pursuit board.

Quiz starts at 7:30pm in our main bar, £2 per entry, with half the money going to our nominated charity BREAK.

Cash & Prizes to be won!

For twelve long days, Chuck Prophet waited. A stage four lymphoma diagnosis had knocked the wind out of him, dragged him off the road and into surgery, and now here he was, a perpetual motion machine forced to sit still, confronting his mortality for the first time as he wondered if he’d live long enough to see the end of the year, let alone get back on tour.

“I was going through a tunnel,” he recalls. “It was dark. But I had music: music to play, music to listen to, music to get me out of my head. Music was my saviour.”

That much is plain to hear on “Wake The Dead”, Prophet’s extraordinary – and unlikely – new album. Recorded with Qiensave, a band of brothers from the Central Coast farming community of Salinas, California, the collection dives headfirst into the world of Cumbia music, which consumed and comforted Prophet during his illness and subsequent recovery. The songs are intoxicatingly rhythmic, with arrangements that blur the lines between tradition and innovation, between past and present, between cultures and countries. There are flashes of rock and roll, punk, surf, and soul, all filtered through the streets of San Francisco and wrapped up in the rich legacy of a genre that traces its roots back hundreds of years and thousands of miles.

Private event in venue. Pub open as usual.

The Strawberry Fair Cambridge Band Competition is a showcase for the best in local new music.

Heat 1 starts with the Under 18’s bands from midday.

Followed by the Adult competition from 7pm.

Under 18s from 12pm
In no particular running order:
The Fifth Flaw
Riot Minded
The Frenzy
LightzØut

Adult heat bands:
Vince ‘Too Tall’ Taylor
Moonshine Coyote
Wrenway
Intermission
Black Carrot

Quickly becoming one of the funkiest bands in Cambridge, Half Orange wants you dancing.

Stank is the staple of our diet at Half Orange. Hip movement and head bopping is the only appropriate response. We can promise covers of your favourite house, soul and disco tunes with a little bit of orangey zest added in there to keep you moving. You might have seen them at May Balls, Clare Cellars, or even at your college bop and thought ‘Wow, those orange trousers are sexy, that bassline so fruity, who on earth are these guys?’. Well, here we are. 7 musicians providing non-stop bangers and good energy, don’t miss your chance to see some of Cambridge’s finest funk musicians play the night away.

Supported by The Jazz Disciples, this double bill is one of a kind, and half of your 5 a day.

Polly Paulusma plays a stunning show of songs accompanied by Jon Thorne (Lamb, Yorkston Thorne Khan) on upright bass to celebrate the release of her latest album ‘Wildfires’.

Together Paulusma and Thorne will bring you songs from across Paulusma’s repertoire of six studio albums to date released since 2004 on Bjork’s label One Little Independent. Her latest, ‘Wildfires’, is an extraordinary extended piece of work containing two hours of breathtakingly emotional songs interlaced with spoken word poetry. A truly immersive experience, the album has been produced by acclaimed record producer Ethan Johns (Laura Marling, Ray Lamontagne, Ryan Adams).

The musical connection between Paulusma and Thorne is something to behold; together they swoop and glide through songs from all of Paulusma’s albums, but especially ‘Wildfires’ which Thorne also recorded with Paulusma — combining their trademark bawdy humour and anecdotes with deep songs that touch on love, loss, grief and philsophical enquiry.

Sunday Driver returns with “Silk and Filth”, the next chapter in their captivating Spaghetti Eastern series. Following 2021’s critically acclaimed “Sun God”, this album continues their exploration of rich storytelling, cultural fusion, and genre-defying sounds. Known for their unique blend of Eastern and Western influences, sharp wit, and a touch of cynicism, Sunday Driver has spent over two decades crafting music that stands in a league of its own.

“Their welcome return brings a temptation to tease out tendrils of thought. Four stars.” – The Financial Times
“…a feverishly inventive record which rewards repeated listens.” – Record Collector Magazine

The Strawberry Fair Cambridge Band Competition is a showcase for the best in local new music.

Heat 2 starts with the Under 18’s bands from midday.

Followed by the Adult competition from 7pm.

Private event in venue, pub open as usual.

The Ocelots are twin brothers Ashley and Brandon Watson from Wexford, Ireland. Building on the folk-rock essence of their debut, the duo are excited to announce the release of their second album, “Everything, When Said Slowly”, on February 7th 2025. This album unveils a richer, more expansive sound, produced by long-time collaborators Cillian and Lorcan Byrne (Ailbhe Reddy, Susan O’Neill). The narrative woven throughout the album explores themes of Irish migration, the perception of time, love, and the simple joys of cycling.

To support the album, the band are delighted to take the the road in the UK for a string of dates around its release.

The Brass Funkeys are the unstoppable force at the forefront of the UK brass band
scene. Since bursting onto the scene in 2011, this electrifying 9-piece ensemble
has redefined the brass band genre with a sound that fuses their bold personalities
and diverse musical influences while staying true to their New Orleans roots. Ove
more than a decade, they’ve captivated audiences across the UK and Europe,
setting festival stages and dancefloors alight with their explosive, high-energy
performances.
From Glastonbury and Boomtown to Love Supreme and the North Sea Jazz
Festival, The Brass Funkeys have become a must-see act, delivering unforgettable
sets brimming with infectious energy and genre-bending creativity. They’ve graced
iconic venues like Ronnie Scott’s, KOKO, and the Cambridge Corn Exchange,
building a reputation as one of the most dynamic live acts around.
Their latest EP collection – Crunch (2020), Ruin (2021), Live at Cambridge
Junction (2021), and More is More (2022) – showcases their fearless approach to
music, seamlessly blending New Orleans brass with 90s house, thrash metal, and
liquid drum ’n’ bass. Whether delivering brass-powered renditions of girl band
anthems or heavy metal classics, their irreverent style and unmatched stage
presence always leave crowds wanting more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP3CmrLuUV0&t=3s

With Support from Zero Gravity Trio

Zero Gravity Trio is the perfect blend of original funk, jazz and world music grooves, lyrical melodies and virtuosic musicianship to massage your ears and get your feet tapping.
Collectively they’ve performed with the likes of Maceo Parker, Hiromi, Resolution 88 and Myles Sanko amongst many others.