This coming Friday Im hosting a fantastic mini-festival gig in Ipswich - at The Smokehouse - and I wanted to drop by and share some of my enthusiasm for the talented people who are coming to perform.
The Pancakes are one of those bands that you really have to see/hear live. I've been a fan for over a decade, and they always make me smile and dance. They are endearingly unusual, with very little of their work available online. I like to call them 'Suffolk's best kept secret'. They played our wedding 9 years ago, they played nearly all of my festival stages. At least once a year, I MUST see The Pancakes play. They are both extremely talented, hugely uplifting and absolutely hilarious. Usually they play backrooms of pubs (which of course I am a fan of) but this sometimes means their fantastic lyrics aren't able to be heard clearly. This is why I have splashed out on a 'proper' venue with an in-house soundsystem and trained sound technicians. Its a rare treat, and with my love of poetry, language & words, Im already very excited to be able to hear every word of this brilliant band's set. A year (or so) ago they changed from a two-piece, to a three-piece, adding the fantastically talented brass player you see here today. And WOW!!!! She is extraordinary. As are they all. Do check out their fab video for 'Crazy Fingers' on youtube >>> HERE <<< to get a flavour of their style.
Sophie the Great is a local singer/songwriter championed by BBC Suffolk, who I came across whilst playing at Queer Noise, and then at Yonda at The Spread Eagle. Her voice is amazing, and her lyrics are powerful. She is super unique and unashamedly herself, with oodles of talent, and I utterly love that! As soon as I saw her perform I knew she would be the kind of outstanding and opinionated artist I like to play at my gigs. Check out her work on her instagram page >>> HERE <<< and join us on the night to see one of the rising stars of the local music community. Im super excited to welcome her to the SoapBox for the first time, and hopefully not the last!
As a fan myself of all different kinds of live art, Im super chuffed to have persuade three brilliant local poets & performers to share their rhymes, stories, words & ideas with us all. SoapBox started with a love of words, so creating a platform for talented poets to share their work is at the core of everything we do. I've known Jackie Montague for the longest, and her fearless, furious and evocative pieces of spoken word have always left me inspired. Cheyenne I met many years ago when I was running my monthly spoken word open mic at Spill, in a space that could wlecome under18's, and Im chuffed to have reconnected with her recently post-uni. She is utterly fab, with a gentle and endearing approach when she shares her visceral and vivid writings. Tulin Silverwind is the newest poet on the bill, and I've only seen her two or three times max, but each time she was utterly engaging, sharing poetry & stories that have long echoed in my ears.
I'll be hosting the evening, and bringing a mix of old poems, and some covers to share. There'll also be a specially curated playlist containing tons of my favourite songs to keep us bopping away in the breaks.
Tickets are available to buy online >>> HERE <<< for £8, or £6 concessions (student, low-income, oap, anyone who needs it. We work on trust). Plus 10% booking fee which goes to the ticket platform. Advance purchase is deeply appreciated (especially as an independent unfunded promoter who only puts on original artists).
Each ticket holder will also get a free colourful garland, handmade by Amy Wragg, plus there will be a prize for best dressed (in case ya need an excuse to get your finery out).