'Cracking adlibbing... a joke-rich rallying call for a better Britain' The Guardian 'Coruscating live performer specialising in lacerating topical gags' The Independent 'It was 24th June 2016 and I found myself contemplating a supermarket meal deal. I only wanted a sandwich and I only needed a sandwich but given that I could get a snack and a drink for only 5p more it seemed financially irresponsible not to. I had spent so long pondering the EU Referendum result from the day before that I was now in a massive rush. The lad on the till scanned the first two items no problem but the third item he couldn't get to scan at all. I thought this is going to be a nightmare - there was a queue building up and he looked like he was going to call the supervisor. Then to his credit, he tried to scan it one more time, it wouldn't scan - so he went 'bip' himself and chucked it through. And it was at that moment I thought "oh we'll be alright as a country we will". "And we will be alright. Trust me. I'm not a politician." As seen on Mock the Week, Live at the Apollo, Q.I.

If you are going to a Beth Nielsen Chapman concert get ready to laugh and cry and, well, just fasten your seat belt. One thing you can count on is one great song after another and some fascinating stories woven between them. Twice Grammy-nominated Nashville based, Beth Nielsen Chapman has released thirteen solo albums and written seven #1 hits and songs recorded by Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Bette Midler, Elton John, Neil Diamond, Michael McDonald, Keb Mo’, Roberta Flack, Waylon Jennings, Indigo Girls, & Faith Hill’s mega-hit This Kiss, ASCAP'S 1999 Song Of The Year. The fall of 2021 will bring the release of Beth’s 15th solo album along with a world tour starting in the UK. Working with legendary producer Ray Kennedy (Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle) this one is going to be epic!

The multi-award winning duo, Welsh harpist Catrin Finch and Senegalese kora maestro Seckou Keita have built a formidable global reputation since their partnership began in 2013. They delivered a triumphant second album with SOAR in 2018, charting inspirational common ground between seemingly disparate traditions and their intoxicating, often improvised synergy captures a magical meeting of minds and talents within a border-less musical landscape.

Following her sold-out solo performance in 2018, US based country-folk singer-songwriter Courtney Marie Andrews returns to PAC with a full band prior to a series of high profile UK festival performances. Inspired by such luminaries as Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris and Tom Waits, her vocal performances reflect her confidence and growing range as a live vocalist. Much of her recent material, including her acclaimed 2018 release May Your Kindness Remain, (No.1 UK Americana Albums Chart, No. 5 UK Top 50 Independent Albums Chart) deals with the psychological and relational impact of the unrealistic picture of success that is so embedded in modern American culture.

Jeremy Vine is one of the UK's most successful broadcasters, who he has presented Newsnight, Panorama, Crimewatch, Eggheads and Points of View — as well as his daily Jeremy Vine Show on BBC Radio 2 and his daily Channel 5 show. Increasingly he finds himself asking "What the hell is going on?" as information and misinformation get mixed together and the sheer volume of news that gets thrown at us all is mind blowing. Get ready to laugh and cry as Jeremy tries to make sense of a world that increasingly makes no sense at all — where, as he puts it, "my listeners have better stories than I do." (Suitable for 12+)

A songwriting legend loved by generations of music fans for his uniquely joyful songs. He is one of music's eternal survivors, alarmingly prolific and always revered for the way humour and dignity shine through his work in a recording career which has produced 23 albums. Joined by family members Suzzy and Lucy, together they'll be performing their our own songs plus the work of songwriters they admire including Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Stevie Nicks and Baker Knight.

Martyn Joseph is a completely unique and mind blowing artist. Take everything you think you know about singer songwriters….and rip it up. For one man and a guitar he creates a performance with a huge far-reaching sound that is energetic, compelling and passionate. Be it to two hundred people or twenty thousand, he blows the crowd away night after night. April 2019 saw him win a “Wales Folk Award” for “Here Come The Young”, the title track of his most recent album, of which Uncut magazine said “He’s never sounded more potent than he does here” In 2018 he was honoured with a ”Spirit of Folk” Award by Folk Alliance International in Kansas USA and he also received Fatea magazine’s “Lifetime Achievement Award” here in the UK. He is gifted with the rare ability to speak to the soul with his expressive and poignant lyrics and has a career spanning 30 years, 32 albums, over a half a million record sales and thousands of live performances. Compared to Bruce Springsteen, John Mayer, Bruce Cockburn and Dave Matthews, he has created his own style and reputation as a mesmerizing live performer and stands in his own right, built on a reputation for giving what thousands have described as the best live music experience of their lives. A unique talent driven by passion, social awareness and love for his trade, he's a jaw dropping guitar player who has developed a unique percussive style, teamed up with a powerful show stopping voice, and has been called “The Welsh Springsteen” Concerned with making music that is relevant and vital to his audience, he engages with challenging narratives tackling the complexity of the human condition, underpinned with a promise of hope. In his own words “Really what I do is to try and write songs that might step up and make some sense of a moment in time. A good song makes you feel like you’re not alone in the world.” He is hailed as a raconteur weaving tales on topical concerns, as well as stories on the fragility of love, with a magical ability to reach out to his listeners through his passion and humour. Stunning reviews single him out as an unmissable solo performer whose music stays with you long after the show has ended.

Ireland’s most foremost jazz & blues female singer and performer makes a welcome return to PAC. “Dubbed as Ireland’s Billie Holiday, Mary is a jazz & blues singer whose life story gives weight to the truth that the best singers are the ones with the most painful lives” (The Guardian). Whether into folk, blues or jazz, no one can fail to be moved by the emotional depth, expression & power in her voice, forged from an extraordinary life. As the Observer newspaper rightly said, “Mary Coughlan’s talent is awesome.” Come & witness Mary for yourself - one woman, one amazing voice, and the truth.

One of Britain's freshest and most original comics. Known for his legendary stand-up performances, Omid is intelligent, sometimes provocative and always entertaining. His stand-up is a hugely energetic and captivating comedy masterclass. With a career in comedy spanning across three decades, Omid Djalili's legendary performances on stage and screen have won him fans and plaudits the world over. Renowned for his razor sharp wit, boundless energy and expertly crafted cultural observations, his original material continues to explore the diversity of modern Britain and he remains one of the most exciting entertainers on the circuit.

Powered by evocative songcraft, jaw-dropping guitar playing, and indefinable spirit, this venerable icon holds a coveted spot on Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” and counts a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association in Nashville, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the BBC Awards among his many accolades. Moreover, Time touted his anthem, “1952 Vincent Black Lightning,” on its “100 Greatest Songs Since 1923” list. Thompson was co-founder of the ground-breaking Fairport Convention, which virtually invented British folk rock in the 1960s, and his influence can’t be overstated. Everybody from Robert Plant, Don Henley, and Elvis Costello to REM, Sleater-Kinney and David Byrne have covered his music.

As one decade ticked over another, 1970 would prove to be a vintage year for music and the start of an era that would change the world. For Steeleye Span – formed the year before – it would mark a major milestone. The band released their debut album Hark The Village Wait, a record that would not only launch one of the most enduring stories in the folk world and beyond but also come to influence further generations of artists. Five decades on and the band, led as ever by the iconic vocals of Maddy Prior and with a seven piece lineup, featuring some of the most skilled musicians on the UK folk scene, their 50th anniversary tour will be a celebration of the key tracks from that famous album as well as favourites and gems from their long and famous career.

Teddy Thompson is an acclaimed singer-songwriter with a career that has consistently garnered critical praise. NPR proclaims that he’s “the musical equivalent of an arrow to the heart,” while The New York Times calls his work “beautifully finessed.” Teddy will be supported by Roseanne Reid.

Ian and James Felice grew up in the Hudson valley of upstate New York. Self taught musicians, inspired as much by Hart Crane and Whitman as by Woody Guthrie and Chuck Berry, they began in 2006 by playing subway platforms and sidewalks in NYC and have gone on to release nine albums of original songs and to tour extensively throughout the world. Following the release of Life in the Dark, The Felice Brothers served as the backing band for Conor Oberst's 2017 release Salutations and the subsequent tour. In 2019 they released their latest album 'Undress' to critical acclaim and will be performing songs from this and their extensive back catalogue accompanied by Will Lawrence (drums) and Jesske Hume (bass).

The Fureys have been entertaining audiences worldwide for 42 years, audiences that have included former Australian Prime Minister John Howard, Former Irish President Mary McAleese and the late Pope John Paul while Tony Blair has publicly stated his favourite peace song of all time is the Fureys “Green Fields of France” and President Michael D Higgins attended their last concert in National Concert Hall. The Fureys are responsible for some of the most stirring music ever to capture the public imagination. Their folk based music has received standing ovations in some of the biggest concert halls of the world and they credit their musical ability to their parents, Ted and Nora, who were well-known musicians themselves. They encouraged their sons to play music from a very early age and there was live traditional music in their house almost nightly. Their emotive songs stir many emotions….tears and laughter, sadness and joy.

Signed to Decca Records (discovered a mere 30 mins after uploading their first track to Soundcloud), the London-based band had a whirlwind 2018. They won the coveted Bob Harris Emerging Artist Award at the UK Americana Awards before heading out on a sold-out album tour. The Deluxe edition of Wild Silence, featuring eight new recordings of new, live and reimagined tracks, is out now. After being personally invited to the US by music legend Marty Stuart, The Wandering Hearts became the first UK band to debut at two of the most prestigious venues in Nashville - The Ryman Auditorium and The Grand Ole Opry - in the same week. Receiving a rapturous welcome and standing ovations, the band were invited back to the Opry the following week, after a trip to Memphis to support Marty Stuart at Graceland - live recordings from this show feature on the Deluxe album. A busy summer of UK festivals followed, including Latitude, Black Deer and BST Hyde Park, before the band whipped back to Nashville for Americanafest, then returned home to finish the year with their second sold-out UK headline tour. Breaking all genre boundaries, The Wandering Hearts didn't set out with a sound in mind and nor do they have one now. They'll take the Americana tag because it encompasses their influences - pop, rock, blues, folk and country among them, filtered through their British roots - but they write songs for fun and that shines through. "We love a dark lyric," laughs AJ. "We have so many of them that we sometimes play what we call our death set - all songs with sad subject matter like break-ups and dying. Most of them are upbeat, so it's fun, but if you listen closely, you'll hear we're obsessed. Why? Because we enjoy writing about deep feelings but couching them in catchy tunes."

Thea Gilmore takes to the road in October 2021 for her first EVER tour performing completely solo. Following her 4th successive chart album, 2019’s “Small World Turning” (‘the most soulful, confrontational music of her career’ said The Mirror) and rapturously received performance at the recent BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards,Thea will head out on tour later this year to perform material from all stages of her career. Accompanying herself on guitar, keyboard and loop station, Thea will give audiences a chance to hear some of her most special songs exactly the way they entered the world - raw, unadorned, delivered intimately by that long revered, hauntingly beautiful voice. As anyone familiar with her acoustic catalogue will testify, the results are set to be spine tingling and the shows promise to be some of the most affecting and personal of Thea’s career. In that career of over two decades Thea Gilmore has long secured a place as one of the UKs most gifted and celebrated singer/songwriters. Since first stepping out aged 18 she has released 18 albums, 6 EPs, been lauded by titans (Bruce Springsteen, Neil Gaiman) and collaborated with roots royalty (Billy Bragg, Joan Baez, Waterboys).She recently performed on BBC Radio 2 with Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, contributed songs to the soundtrack of BAFTA winning film “Bait” and continues to explore new musical boundaries.

Since 2016, Women In Rock have been wowing audiences across the UK & Europe with their high energy performances. Featuring soaring vocals, choreography, audience interaction, striking costumes and backed by a band of world class musicians, Women In Rock has built a reputation as the leading rock show around. Having performed to audiences of up to 120,000, these women are ready to take you on a spectacular journey through five decades of female rock leaving you cheering for more. Featuring the songs of Cher, Blondie, Janis Joplin, Republica, Belinda Carlisle, Bonnie Tyler, P!nk, Suzi Quatro, Tina Turner & many more, Women In Rock are guaranteed to get you on your feet. Grab your tickets and let’s get ready to sing, dance and ROCK!