Gigs

Live music from across the region...

Scott Matthews

St. Mary’s Church, Shrewsbury, Fri 16 September

Singer-songwriter Scott Matthews’ groundbreaking debut album, Passing Stranger, earned serious critical acclaim, with his first single, Elusive, winning the Ivor Novello for ‘best song musically & lyrically’. He’s since gone on to produce a further six albums, including 2020’s New Skin. Fans attending his St Mary’s Church gig can expect to hear songs from that album, favourites from his extensive back-catalogue, and unheard tracks from his forthcoming offering, New Skin: The Acoustic Sessions, which is set for release early next year.

The Lottery Winners

Albert’s Shed Southwater, Telford, Fri 30 September

Indie pop quartet The Lottery Winners provide a melodramatic blend of momentous melodies coupled with wistful and insightful lyrics. Citing inspiration from ‘all the painfully miserable’ groups like The Smiths, The Cure and Joy Division, the band have released three albums to date.

Gigs

Newton Faulkner

The Robin, Bilston, Tues 27 September; Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, Wed 28 September

Stripping his songs back to their purest form, Newton Faulkner this month brings brand-new acoustic show Feels Like Home to the Midlands... Newton is one of the most successful UK singer-songwriters of the 21st century (he’s sold over 1.5 million records, with 180 million streams!), and will here be presenting acoustic versions of favourite songs such as Longshot, Against The Grain, I’m Not Giving Up Yet, Been Here Before and Waiting On You.

Nick Heyward

Lichfield Guildhall, Fri 16 September

Nick Heyward brings his acoustic show to Lichfield in celebration of his soon-to-bereleased new album and chart-topping back-catalogue. Creatively ambitious from the start, Nick began his career as the songwriter frontman of Haircut 100, who rode the post-New Romantic funk wave of the early ’80s. Artistic differences saw him go his own way in 1983, since which time his solo career has included tours with the likes of The Lemonheads and Tony Bennett.

Ferocious Dog

The Sugarmill, Stoke-on-Trent, Fri 16 September; The Robin, Bilston, Sat 1 October

A favourite on the festival scene, Ferocious Dog have been entertaining Celtic folk and punk fans since their inception in 1988, but didn’t release their debut album until 2013. “My politics are my politics,” explains lead Ken Bonsall. “We’ll sing those songs about what we believe, but whatever side of the political divide you’re from, we want you to feel welcome at an FD show. We always say you’re never alone at one of our gigs, and that is the most important thing to us.”

Chris Wood

Newhampton Arts Centre, Wolverhampton, Sat 24 September

Singer-songwriter Chris Wood’s music has been described as ‘as close as it gets to a perfect union of voice and guitar, lyrics and melody, compassion, irony, realism, wit, and humanity’. It’s been a while since the self-taught musician released an album, but just for the record, 2016’s So Much To Defend included reflections on subjects as diverse as minorleague football, empty-nest syndrome, learning to swim and cook-in sauce.