Sutton Coldfield Festival of Arts

Ace Sutton pianists Stuart Jones and Martin “Sniper” Rowberry dropped in to Fairfax School this week to lead an impromptu workshop for pupils, and to preview some of the material from Stu’s witty musical Shirt & Tie, which will be presented at Sutton Town Hall on Sunday July 13 at 7.30pm.
So funky was the mood [...]

[ July 12, 2008; 1:30 pm to 2:00 pm. ] Emerging Sutton Coldfield star Ben Drummond performs on the Main Stage at 13:30, July 12th.  He has just launched his much-anticipated debut EP in March with a performance at Jools Holland’s nightclub The Jamhouse in  Birmingham.

The self-taught artist, originally from Wednesfield but based in Sutton for the last three years, began playing bass at 12 and has [...]

When I turned my TV on this morning the BBC was still picking over the rather old debate: should Jay- Z be at Glastonbury?
If you’ve missed this, then here’s a quick summary: Jay-Z is headlining Glastonbury, and this is one of the reasons given for poor ticket sales this year.  The theory is that a big slot [...]

[ July 11, 2008; 8:00 pm; ] Claret are an experienced Sutton trio who play an array of instruments with a large repertoire of folk and roots music from the British Isles with hints of jazz, and have an extra string to their bow - performing for ceilidhs and barn dances.

The lead instrument for the dances is accordion, accompanied by guitar, electric bass, [...]

[ July 12, 2008; 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm. ] The Claret duo of Sandra Robinson (vocals) and Tim Robinson (guitar) are passionate about playing music, as is reflected in their live sets, and they thrive on their audience’s enjoyment.

For this set Claret will be playing  a selection of their alternative material, beyond their usual folk influences,  song ballads,  and subtle instrumentals.  On Tim’s solo set he will perform his own fingerstyle  arrangements on electro-acoustic [...]

[ July 13, 2008; 3:00 pm to 4:15 pm. ] Local Churches Together, in partnership with Middleton Hall Trust, present Garden Praise at Middleton Hall on Sunday July 13 between 3pm and 4.15pm, as part of the Festival.

There will be sung Hymns and contemporary worship songs presented by members of various North Birmingham Churches including many youngsters.

Rev Peter Howell-Jones will give a short talk.

Bring a [...]

[ July 9, 2008; 7:30 pm; July 10, 2008; 7:30 pm; July 11, 2008; 7:30 pm; July 12, 2008; 7:30 pm; ] The Highbury Youth Theatre contribution to the Sutton Festival of Arts will be by the ‘older and wiser’ members of the Group and will include a selection of comedy sketches created by the whole Youth Theatre during Group meeting Workshops.

These will cover subjects such as public transport, life with the Jedi, and short pieces written [...]

[ July 12, 2008; 3:45 pm to 4:30 pm. ] Acclaimed Sutton bluesman Paul Cowley performs at Sutton Library (Meeting Room 2) between 3.45pm and 4.30pm.

Vocalist-guitarist Paul will be joined for the gig by harmonica ace Tony Stokes.

Together they offer an intoxicating mix including elements of early country-blues and Chicago and contemporary blues interspersed with Paul’s original compositions. They perform regularly in the Midlands area [...]

[ July 13, 2008; ] Sutton Blues Collective are running their annual, all-day Summertime Blues session involving members in various line-ups, playing acoustic and electric blues on Sunday July 13 at The Station pub.

Includes special performances by 58 Deluxe and the Juke Joint Jammers and the usual spectacular turn from founder member Paul Cowley, with his band the TTs.

Paul Cowley is pictured with harmonica [...]

Sutton-based Irish comedienne Sheila M (pictured top)will show her versatility by hosting a three-and-a-half hour session of music at M&S on Saturday July 12 - and performing some original songs herself.
Sheila, who runs a comedy night at The Place 2B, will be joined by guitarist Gregg Jones to showcase their compositions as The Sweet Peas between [...]