Hels Pattison is a musician I could never get enough of seeing, or hanging out with, and being able to book her a tour at the start of this year brought me immense amounts of joy. The venues and promoters loved her as much as I did and it’s always nice when that happens! You can read all about Hels’ adventures below, and sign up to her mailing list here!

Night 1 – The Globe, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Where better to kick off an independent UK tour of grassroots venues than The Globe. As part of Aelius Rising, we (myself, Zac and Niles) played alongside personal favourites CRANE HOUSE and Oliver Hunt. The gig was the perfect way to start – familiar, energising, fun.

Night 2 – Strings Bar and Venue, Isle of Wight
After a short stay with Zac’s family on The South Coast, we were off to the Isle of Wight, officially making this an over-seas tour. Strings Bar and Venue kindly opened early so we could drop all our gear and go exploring. We headed out to The Needles, on the west of the island, enjoying the scenery (and wind), as well as the gift shops stuck in time. Corrine Atkins opened with swampy blues and thigh slapping honky tonk, before TriAmi blew us away with gorgeous three part harmonies, and tender slice-of-life songs. Fortunately, the car did not get locked into the Morrison’s and we even managed to blag our way onto an early ferry home – nice.

Night 3 – The Guitar Social, London
We expertly navigated around the congestion charge zone to arrive in London, where we played The Guitar Social in Shoreditch. Two years ago, to the day of the show, I played an open mic at The Guitar Social so it felt right to be returning there for a debut London show at their Folk Club. With supporting sets from Matt, Miliella, and From the Workshop.

Night 4 – Magic Dragon Brewery Tap, Wrexham
Wrexham was a whirlwind. After being completely ghosted by the venue we were supposed to play, we were taken in and well looked after by Magic Dragon Brewery Tap. We tweaked the set to suit the louder room and the pub vibe and had an absolute blast. Megan Lee played a blinder of a set, with perfectly crafted country songs, top notch guitar playing, and a slick stage presence. It became apparant that we’d struck gold with the venue change and had ended up in the Ticket Office of Wrexham. Before leaving for Stoke, we did a whistle-stop tour of some beautiful spots just outside of Wrexham – we shall definitely be returning.

Night 5 – Artisan Tap, Stoke-on-Trent
With nowhere to stay directly in Stoke-on-Trent, we had a bit of a weird day waiting for the venue to open, which was largely spend in the local Morrison’s, including catching up on admin in the cafe (Hels), and napping in the car (Zac). It was a drizzly and uninspring day, but our spirits lifted once we were in the quirky, cosy, three-roomed Artisan Tap. Beth Hill opened the show with her sublime vocals, and introspective songs about her life – can’t wait to hear some of these recorded and released. Next, the Hollie Vee Trio (playing as a duo) effortlessly waltzed through a range of country, Western swing, and bluegrass classics with professional ease. Honestly, we were happy just to have seen these two great acts and by the time we played we’d already had a great night.

Night 6 – Northern Guitars, Leeds
Feeling refreshed after a day off staying with family, we had a short trip to Leeds, and a longer trip navigating through the one way system to the venue. Zac was in his happy place because the venue was also a guitar shop and bar – heaven. Madeleine May’s soft vocals and gut wrenching song writing gave serious Phoebe Bridgers energy (which I obviously loved), and Lilian sung hauting traditional English folk packed with folklore and ghost stories, absolutely great. Northern Guitars seems to be the Leeds venue I always see other Newcastle based artists playing, so I’m super pleased to finally pop my name on that list.

Night 7 – AAA Vinyl Coffee House, Harrogate
One of the most unexpected venues of the tour was AAA Vinyl Coffee House, nestled in deepest darkest Harrogate. A cafe/bar/vinyl & apparel shop kitted out with a surround sound system fit for any audiophile. The “AAA” moniker made more sense once Dave explained he was formally a globe trotting audio engineer, and pointed out the framed collected of backstage triple A access passes on the wall. Despite the impressive array of artists on the wall (think Amy Winehouse, Corine Bailey Rae, even Goldie Lookin Chain), not a single name drop clanged to the floor – classy. It was a fun gig, playing a double set in the absence of a local support, and an even better hang after the show with Dave (venue), Marquee (photos), and Annabelle (friend) in the venue.

Night 8 – Fabio’s Bar, Durham
Our final night on the road, before finishing the rest of the shows from home, we were in Fabios’s Bar. This one is a bit tenuous to include in a headline tour as we were billed as part of a Durham Fringe Presents event, but hey, there are no rules to getting your name out there these days! We were billed as the musical act among a variety performance including improv comedy troupe Shellshock! and magician Brooklyn-Ellis Carr. Leading up to this event, we had many discussions about how to curate a set list if we were to follow a magician and/or improv comedy – do you keep the mood high? do you play songs that have funny stories behind them? do you hide an animal in the sound hole of the guitar to pull out midway through a ballad? Mercifully, we opened the show to an attentive and engaged audience who didn’t shout out prompts throughout the set. It was a great experience, and the full force of Durham Fringe were out to pull the show together. Fingers crossed, we might be back in the summer with a full Durham Fringe Show to share.

Bonus gig – Supporting The Often Herd at PILGRIM
Back in the North East, we had a gorgeous home town show opening up for The Often Herd. Neither Zac or I had seen The Often Herd live before and we were both blown away. The level of musicianship was inspiring, as the four piece effortlessly weaved through a double set of blistering bluegrass solos, sweet and sentimental songs, and generally great craic throughout. Thank you to the many people who came and chatted, brought merch, and shared kind words after the show. The joy of a matinee was that extra time to hang out after the show but still be home by nine (the 30 year old’s dream).

Night 9 – Repas7, Berwick-upon-Tweed
Next up on the North East leg of the tour was Berwick, which is further than we’d expected, but definitely worth it. Friend and collaborator, Ezra Briggs, came down from Edinburgh to open the show, playing a mixture of dark folk favourites as well as new songs from his latest EP, Industry, with Three Good Years being a standout track both in the set and on the EP. There were a lovely group of regulars down to watch the music, and also a slightly roudier group of holiday makers who’d made use of the recent coupon campaign in The Sun for the local caravan park – an interesting mix but still a great gig. Haaruun, of Newcastle Jazz Fusion outfit Sleep Suppressor had recommended this venue to us and it was a great choice.

Night 10 – The Angels Cut, Darlington
We returned to Darlington for our second time playing here, this time at The Angels Cut, a super cool bar with a cosy upstairs venue space with a warm, DIY feel. I met Steve, the owner, at The Glasshouse watching Imogen and The Knife, and by the end of the opener we’d booked a gig. Anna Karila (who you might also know as Anna Stevo) was there for support, bringing effortlessly cool, haunting vocals, and beautiful blend of originals and covers. People of Clay was our consensus favourite – “I wish I was the lightning, but I’m the gentle thud of rain.”

Night 11 – The Vault, Hexham
After what has felt like an age (almost 2 months!), we managed to sneak a full band into the tour. Hexham is a gorgeous town, and one that is new to us, so we were genuinely surprised when we found out we were one ticket off a sell out! The narrow stone arch way of the venue quickly filled up while we got ready and changed in the upstairs art gallery (don’t ask). Like our last full band show, Tommy Arch opened, and I’m not sure what else I can say about Tommy’s set that I’ve not said before, other than it’s bloody amazing. He treated us to a new track too which I can’t wait to be released.

Night 12 – The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay
Finally, we wrapped up back home at The Ticket Office, for an almost surprise show. I think almost everyone by now knows my connection with The Ticket Office, and why it’s so special to me. In the year or so that I worked there, it became the place I started doing open mics on my own, and it was the time I really started to work on writing songs under my own name, not for a group project. If you’ve been there, you know it’s small, so it was lovely to see it packed full of friendly faces – from Ticket Office regulars, to friends, to new fans of my music who we’d met from the North East leg of the tour. We played through a fairly lengthy set of 15 songs, and I also took the time to play three covers that used to be on my regular rotation while I worked there – Tin Man, Travelling Solider, and Kyoto. I wouldn’t have wanted to end the tour anywhere else, or in any other way, so thank you to everyone who came down and made it so special.