Event type: Music

Grupo Luma returns to the Music Room with their much-awaited album launch, creating a journey of vibrant music that borrows from the abundant Latin American musical heritage of Francisco and Oscar Carrasco. Together with Erik Bichard, Phil Hargreaves, Max Alder and Fran Bass, the brothers bring to the stage a body of original material that spans many years in the making – a beautifully diverse fusion of music from around the world. As always, they promise to inspire, feed your mind and energise the audience with powerful rhythms, haunting melodies and deeply moving lyrics.

Catrin Finch performs Notes to Self, a series of reflective and deeply personal new tracks she has composed for Katy, her 13-year-old self, and her first album of solo compositions in a decade.

With accompanying letters underscoring the profound stories of her personal journey, Notes to Self weaves together Catrin’s experiences, emotions and introspections. Through her music, she explores themes of vulnerability, expectation, transformation and the unpredictability of a life played out under the public eye. Each composition draws from her past; a 40-year career as one of her generation’s most adventurous and pioneering artists. Her enduring honesty and bravery resonate, inviting listeners to connect deeply with her story, as she translates her struggles and triumphs into sound. Notes to Self not only showcases Catrin’s evolution as a musician, but charts a remarkable career shaped by her experiences as a gay woman, a cancer survivor, a sister, daughter and mother.

Notes to Self is a step into a new creative dimension for this extraordinary harpist, whose career takes new turns with each new project.

Liverpool’s own Paul Dunbar returns with a powerful night of soul-infused rock and blues, celebrating the release of his brand-new solo album, The End.

Fresh off the back of two critically acclaimed singles – ‘Mountain’ and ‘Cities’ – which have earned global radio play, Dunbar is a force to be reckoned with. His commanding voice, often likened to Springsteen, Joe Cocker and Otis Redding, delivers raw emotion and grit, backed by songwriting that’s both heartfelt and razor-sharp.

A seasoned performer on the UK and European circuit, Dunbar has graced festival stages, headlined shows, and supported legends like Frank Turner, King King, Big Country, and Martha Reeves & The Vandellas. With two full-length albums and a string of singles released with his alt-rock outfit The Black Winter Band, The End marks a bold new chapter – an album that showcases his evolution as a songwriter and producer.

Expect a full band of top-tier musicians and a night of music that hits hard, lifts spirits, and stays with you long after the final note.

Some transmissions don’t come through a radio. They arrive in a dream, unannounced, and crystal clear.

Born in Nairobi and reborn in America, J.S. (Jet Stone) Ondara’s path has always been one of restless searching – from discovering Bob Dylan in a teenage dispute to teaching himself guitar after moving to Minneapolis alone, eventually earning a Grammy nomination for his debut album Tales of America and sharing stages with Neil Young, The Lumineers, and Lindsey Buckingham.

After years of quiet searching and restless wandering, Ondara returns to the stage transformed. Following his Rebirth Tour, he stepped away from the spotlight, journeying across continents in pursuit of new personal and creative horizons. From that search, he emerges as Jet Stone – his true name – stepping into a new chapter with his new band project, The Jet Stone Conspiracy.

This Winter, Ondara will embark on the first full-band project tour of his career. This special run is more than just a series of concerts; it’s an invitation into a world rebuilt from the ground up. A chance to witness a rare moment of transformation in real time. Each night, Ondara, now performing as Jet Stone, will breathe new life into beloved songs from his catalog while offering a first look at new material from his upcoming debut as The Jet Stone Conspiracy.

For longtime fans, it’s an opportunity to reconnect with the music that started it all — now charged with a fresh, urgent energy. For new listeners, it’s an entry point into an evolving story of transformation, reinvention, and artistic freedom.

With self-effacing humour and stories told of growing up on a remote Irish Island Niall McCabe possess an effortless charm which both captivates and liberates his audience. Like the wild Atlantic landscape of his home McCabe’s songs feel timeless and natural yet bely the dense shaping of a dynamic creative force.

Deft, intricate guitar work brings a lightness to the weight of Island isolation yet the sound, soul and stories of McCabe’s life and experiences breathe a deep cultured sense of discernment through his vocals. His natural distinct voice is earning him a growing loyal fanbase, discovering his music as he travels extensively, with his recent album tour schedule bringing him to venture off the Island, across Ireland, UK, Europe and North America.

As well as becoming an accomplished finger-style guitar player, Niall has been lending his unique voice to Irish trad-fusion band ‘Beoga’, touring Ireland, Europe and the USA while also playing support for Ed Sheeran, Foy Vance and Johnny Swim and more recently opening for Chris Issak on his UK Tour, to two sold out audiences at Eventim Apollo London and Wolverhampton Civic Halls. McCabe’s eagerly anticipated ‘Rituals’ album was released in February 2023 to critical acclaim and featured as RTE Album of the Week, while the song Rituals topped the RTE Radio airplay charts for five consecutive weeks.

An evening of exceptional music from Tarren and the National Youth Folk Ensemble, presented by the English Folk Dance and Song Society.

Bristol-based Tarren are an ambassador for New-Folk; making music that is fresh and dynamic, rooted in the English tradition. Sid Goldsmith, Alex Garden and Danny Pedler incorporate minimalist musical forms into traditional-inspired material, producing music that draws the listener in, weaving intricate themes throughout tunes and creating songs that have traditional dance at their heart. 

The National Youth Folk Ensemble brings together talented young folk musicians from across England. They create their own contemporary takes on traditional tunes from Britain and beyond, with a sound that is distinctive, joyful and diverse. The Ensemble aims to nurture their talents, aspirations and creativity, enabling them to develop into folk performers, educators and leaders of the future. These exceptional 14-19-year-olds meet four times a year for intensive weeks of music-making, led by Artistic Director Jo Freya with top musicians and educators.

Andy Fairweather Low came to prominence as the lead singer in Amen Corner. The 60s saw them clock up hit after pop hit and songs such as ‘Bend Me Shape Me’, ‘Hello Suzy’ and ‘(If Paradise Is) Half As Nice’ are internationally remembered to this day. But if you were paying close attention, you might have picked up a clue in their first single, the magnificent ‘Gin House’, as to Andy’s future musical collaborations.

Since the early days, Andy has gone on to work with Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, David Crosby, The Band, Elton John, Roger Waters, David Gilmour, The Who, BB King, Joe Cocker, Steve Winwood, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Joe Satriani, Jeff Beck, The Impressions, Lonnie Donegan, Mary J. Blige, Georgie Fame, Bonnie Raitt, Otis Rush, Van Morrison, Chris Barber, Jackson Browne, Bill Wyman, Sheryl Crow, Pete Townshend, Kate Bush – and literally hundreds more.  

Now following a solo path, his first solo album in 24 years, Sweet Soulful Music, was released late in 2007, followed by The Very Best Of Andy Fairweather Low.