What’s On

After the breakup of his former band Red Red Meat, frontman Tim Rutili formed Califone as a solo project. Rutili’s solo effort soon became a full-fledged musical project with a regular and rotating list of contributors, including many former members of Red Red Meat and some members of other Chicago bands.

According to Rutili, Califone started as a home project: “The statement of intent would have been ‘easy listening’ compared to what we were doing with Red Red Meat. This was supposed to be making little pop songs out of found pieces. It was supposed to be just a little home project, and it slowly grew from there. Now it seems like just about anything goes.”

Califone’s sound is a combination of Red Red Meat’s blues-rock and experimental music, with inspiration drawn from early American folk music, pop, as well as electronic and groups like Psychic TV. Listeners familiar with Red Red Meat can quickly tell that Califone is not an attempt to revive the old band; elements from a number of musical styles contribute to their distinctive sound.

Foxymop are the UK’s most authentic tribute to Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Pearl Jam.

Over 30 years on from Pearl Jam putting Seattle on the map, Foxymop bring the nostalgia of old favourites alive, as well as playing live rarities from across the years for an arena setlist in an intimate setting. Led by vocals so on point, you could close your eyes and think it’s Eddie Vedder himself.

With overdriven guitars, facemelting solos and huge drums to match…you can’t find a better band.

“Get some Foxymop!!!! Yes, yes!!” – Dave Abbruzzese, Pearl Jam 1991-1994

https://www.facebook.com/Foxymops
https://www.instagram.com/foxymops
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWKrQeUZPjI

Tickets available on the door – £17.50

Join us for a night of nostalgia and musical excellence as the renowned tribute to Marillion, StillMarillion takes the stage at The Portland Arms in Cambridge on Saturday, November 23rd.
Formed in 2008 in Scotland, StillMarillion pays homage to the classic Fish era of Marillion, faithfully recreating the magic of one of progressive rock’s most iconic bands. With a passion for preserving the essence of Marillion’s early years, StillMarillion captures the spirit and energy of Fish’s era with precision and dedication.
For this special show in Aberdeen, StillMarillion will delve deep into the archives of Marillion’s discography, treating fans to a classic Fish era setlist that will transport audiences back to the golden age of progressive rock. From the atmospheric landscapes of “Script for a Jester’s Tear” to the emotive storytelling of “Misplaced Childhood,” prepare to be swept away by a sonic journey through Marillion’s most beloved albums.
But the nostalgia doesn’t end there. StillMarillion will also pay tribute to Fish’s debut solo album, “Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors,” by performing select cuts from this seminal release. Experience the raw emotion and poetic lyricism that defined Fish’s solo career, as StillMarillion brings these songs to life with their own unique flair and passion.
Don’t miss this opportunity to witness StillMarillion live at The Portland Arms, as they celebrate the music of Marillion and Fish in all its glory. Get ready for an unforgettable night of progressive rock bliss and immerse yourself in the timeless sounds of a bygone era.

Cheap Dirty Horse are a big rowdy queer trash folk-punk band from Nottingham. Blending acoustic and electric guitar with banjo, accordion, bass, drums, and sometimes mandolin, they write energetic, joyful protest music. They sing about trans rights, dead billionaires, and the importance of doing the things you love. They sing about grief, washing machines, and stealing shit. Angry, but always empowering.

KL MB – Anarcha-folk punk-rap duo with aggressively political lyrics that focus on cathartic reclamation of power. Their music explores themes of forms of power, apathy, paganism, freedom, climate collapse, and the anxieties of living in late stage capitalism.

iburnpolice – Some little guy who does some sad songs, some very sexual songs, and sometimes electronic music, but is always gay

We’ve kept some guest list spots available for those who cannot afford a ticket, please DM us on instagram or email us at cheapdirtyhorse(at)gmail.com if you’d like to come but don’t have the money to.

https://instagram.com/cheap_dirty_horse
https://www.facebook.com/cheapdirtyhorse
https://tiktok.com/@cheapdirtyhorse

In a frankly unbelievable turn of events Hayley & Steve have been running good-ship Portland for 20 years this weekend!

To apologise/celebrate this fact (depending on your point of view) we will be having some of our favourite bands and people performing throughout the day for us starting with acoustic performances in the main bar before rocking it out in the venue during the evening.

It’s all free to attend, plus there will be giveaways, special deals and surprises throughout the day.
So come join us and party like it 2004 again!

Acts performing so far are…

MAIN BAR from 3pm
3.15pm: Rishi Karmadillo
https://www.youtube.com/@karmadildo/videos
4pm: Steve Adams
https://linktr.ee/stevenjadams
4.45pm: Jazz & Friends
5.30pm: Benjamin B Sydes
https://linktr.ee/bsydes
6.15pm: Old Man Boom
https://linktr.ee/oldmanboom
7pm: Darren Michelangelo Smith

IN THE VENUE from 8pm
Ellie Walker & The Folly
https://www.instagram.com/elliewalker.music/
Pony Collaboration
https://theponycollaboration.bandcamp.com/

The Deep Blue are quietly outspoken with an air of rebelliousness and punk attitudes fused with hypnotically beautiful harmonies and intertwined instrumentations. Their lyrics range from small, detailed vignettes and musings to anthemic calls to arms, with strong elements of storytelling and always deeply personal and reflective. Coming together in lockdown, The Deep Blue burst onto the scene in May 2021 with the release of the first track from their debut EP “Taking on Water”. This led to key indie press such as Dork, The Line of Best Fit and Atwood Magazine clambering to get the inside scoop on Manchester’s hottest new band.

Fresh off the back of their sophomore EP, “Sugarcoat”, The Deep Blue embarked on a sparkling debut UK tour, selling out Camden Assembly, London and their home-coming show at Deaf Institute. “Sugarcoat” caught the ears of tastemakers such as Dork, Rodeo, Groupie and New Wave with the title track anointed ‘track of the month’ on Amazing Radio and receiving some meaty airtime on BBC Radio 6. This year the band have added Y Not, Tramlines, Victorious, Greenbelt and Underneath the Stars to their touring itinerary for summer including Truck Festival, having won the Band App vote to play. Winning votes came from respected indie industry tastemakers including So Young Magazine and John Kennedy of Radio X.

A full on celebration of Eminem’s music featuring hits such as Lose Yourself, Without Me, The Real Slim Shady, Stan, The Monster & Rap God.

OAYSIS perform tunes such as Supersonic, Don’t Look Back In Anger, Wonderwall and more with absolute accuracy.

This is the closet thing to seeing OASIS live, check their videos. They’ll bring the spirit of Knebworth to you!

ADVANCED TICKETS HAVE BEEN TAKEN OFF SALE, THERE WILL BE LIMITED TICKETS AVAILABLE ON THE DOOR

The Best of Grohl is the ultimate rock show dedicated to the legendary rock icon Dave Grohl.

This four-piece powerhouse delivers an electrifying rock show that will transport you through the iconic hits of Grohl’s illustrious career through bands such as Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Queens Of The Stone Age, Tenacious D, Probot & Them Crooked Vultures.

DOORS: 7:30PM

DJ: 7:30 PM- 8:30PM

THE 900: 8:30PM – 10:00PM

The 900 are the UK’s first and only “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater” cover band. Formed by their mutual understanding that no other soundtrack could ever top THPS, The 900 gives you a reason for your back to hurt in the morning. With the approval of the Birdman himself, as well as Goldfinger’s John Feldmann, they’re ready to kickflip into every big banger from THPS1 to American Wasteland.

Expect to hear tunes spanning all the games including AFI, Alien Ant Farm, Bad Religion, Black Flag, CKY, Dead Kennedys, Goldfinger, Green Day, Lagwagon, Less Than Jake, Millencolin, Motorhead, NOFX, Papa Roach, Powerman 5000, Rage Against The Machine, The Ramones, Refused, Suicidal Tendencies, System of a Down and many more!

£1 from each ticket will be donated to CamSkate.

DOORS: 7:30PM

KING AWESOME: 8:30PM – 10:30PM (ISH)

£13 On the door (Cash only please)

King Awesome are the ultimate tribute to those explosive late 80s nights on L.A.’s Sunset Strip where big riffs and even bigger hair ruled the airwaves; where you rocked all night and partied all day; when your rallying cry was ‘nothin’ but a good time!

Following hard in the footsteps of their 80s heroes, King Awesome fuse blistering riffs, anthemic choruses and an incendiary live show full of high kicks, fists pumps and tongue-in-cheek references to all your favourite 80s cliches! With an ‘all killer: no filler’ greatest hits set of Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe, Guns N’ Roses, Poison, Whitesnake and all their hard-rockin’ amigos, King Awesome hold their crowds in the palm of their leather-gloved hands and partying like it’s 1989!

Polly Paulusma
Set one 8 – 8.35pm
Set two 8.50 – 10pm

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.

Doors 7
Rainstops 8
Ocelots 9

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.