Secrets of Suffolk & Stowmarket’s Past

Join Stowmarket Local History Group on tongue in cheek journey into ghostly sightings, fairies and historical facts. Come and learn about some of the grisly myths, tales and true stories of Suffolk and Stowmarket. Murder most foul, Devil Hounds and unusual events. Starting at the John Peel Centre, the gruesome crew of the Stowmarket Local History Group will talk and then take you on a guided walk, highlighting some known and not so well-known facts about the town.

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The Hell

Support from Diaphragm Failure

The UK's cheekiest heavy band, The Hell, arrive on the John Peel Centre stage. The Hell have been making waves since the release of their debut EP in 2013, and with the release of new album Joris (A Hardcore Opera​)​, Pt. 2 in June 2021, they're as brutal and flamboyant as ever.

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Common Ground Theatre Company: The Dream of a Ridiculous Man

Common Ground Theatre Company presents The Dream of a Ridiculous Man, adapted by Pat Whymark from the short story by Dostoevsky .

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Vanishing Twin

There’s a mystery to Vanishing Twin – from their name to the multitude of sounds that inhabit their music. They don’t sound like many but they hint at plenty; even the briefest exposure starts a tick list of the weird and beautiful – from Sun Ra to Alice Coltrane, Martin Denny to Morricone, Can’s Holger Czukay to meditative Gamelan, or The Free Design, to library music of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Locked into their strangely-accessible groove is a history of ‘other’ sound, a crafted hauntology that evinces something completely new. Vanishing Twin is a conundrum in these fragmenting times; familiar, yet different; appealing to this world, but from another, parallel one.

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Justin Sullivan

Justin Sullivan stepped out from New Model Army to release his second solo album in May this year, eighteen years after the first. He has now announced a 14 date solo tour where he will be playing tracks from the album and from his extensive New Model Army back catalogue.

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Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs

“I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig” reasoned George Bernard Shaw. “You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.” True to form, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs have left the wiser of us aware that they are no band to be messed with. In the seven years since this band’s inception, the powerful primal charge at their heart has been amplified far beyond the realms of their original imagination. What’s more, no one has been more taken aback by this transformation than the band themselves.

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Baskery

The three sisters can't recall when or why they started playing, the music’s always just been there. In their late teens, the sisters joined forces with their dad, who for decades was a one man band playing old blues and country tunes for a living.

This foundation of classic "roots music and Americana" settled in their hearts, but also awoke the urge of breaking the rules of traditional music. Baskery is a band built on what three people can do together and it's all about turning the music on its head, blending the straightforwardness of punk with the subtlety of singer/ songwriting.

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East Town Pirates

With support from J.S. & the Buccaneers + Pussycat and the Dirty Johnsons

From smugglers dens along the East Suffolk coastline, through the punk dives and back bars of ye Olde Ipswich Towne they have come, armed to the teeth with infectious new tunes. East Town Pirates have been sharpening their hooks in raids on taverns and alehouses around East Anglia before taking their explosive live show on the road and laying waste to the rest of England, Ireland and France. ‘Motorhead meets The Pogues’ seems to be an apt description of the ETP sound.

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Danny Bryant

Riding high on the European blues scene for almost 20 years, Danny has carved a name for himself the old-fashioned way having played over 2000 club and festival shows to his many fans around the world. Hailed as a ‘National Blues Treasure’ (Bernard Doherty, Planet Rock Radio), Danny is acknowledged by those in the business as one of the cream of the crop.

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Tensheds

Musical shapeshifter Tensheds brings his unique brand of gritty blues crashing into the 21st Century with his audacious showmanship and Rachmaninoff style virtuosic piano skills. Channeling the likes of Tom Waits, Nick Cave and Jack White, this award-winning, Classically trained maestro, uses his undeniable skill to effortlessly weave between fuzzed-up garage blues and heart-wrenching ballads, taking the listener on a rock n roll rollercoaster.

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Martyn Joseph

Take everything you think you know about singer songwriters….and rip it up. For one man and a guitar, multi-award winner Martyn Joseph creates a performance with a huge far-reaching sound that is energetic, compelling and passionate.

Please note that this event has not been organised by the John Peel Centre, and all aspects of it are the responsibility of those who have hired the Centre for the evening.

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Kanda Bongo Man

The man who single-handedly gave the world the infectious Kwasa Kwasa dance, Kanda Bongo Man is one of the most well known stars of world music, and is one of the first pioneers of Soukous music.

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BC Camplight

This event has been rescheduled from Sunday 29th August, 2021. All tickets will be valid for the rescheduled date.

BC Camplight plays a special solo fundraising gig to celebrate John Peel's 82nd birthday.

“I’m pretty sure the BC Camplight live experience isn’t something you can find elsewhere,” declares Brian Christinzio, the inimitable force behind BC Camplight. “It is a journey every night. One moment, I’m basically doing a stand-up routine and the next, the band and I are playing like we plan on dying that evening, giving our everything. Then I’m on speakerphone to my Mom on stage before assaulting my piano. I’m very thankful that, after all this time, the audience is finally there.”

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Mark Thomas: 50 Things About Us

In his new show 50 Things About Us, Mark Thomas combines his trademark mix of storytelling, standup, mischief and really, really well researched material to examine how we have come to inhabit this divided wasteland that some of us call the United Kingdom.

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Ian McNabb

Ian McNabb is a Mercury prize nominated singer / songwriter, and frontman of The Icicle Works.

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Honey & the Bear + Alden, Patterson & Dashwood

Joining forces for an evening to showcase the best in contemporary Folk, Alden, Patterson & Dashwood and Honey & The Bear are proud to bring you their own twists on the tradition, storytelling woven in to song and harmonies abound in a magical night to remember.

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The Mentulls

Winning over audiences with their own brand of progressive, bluesy pop/rock, The Mentulls music transcends genres, sounding new and fresh yet timeless and classic all at the same time. Add in Andrew’s searing, soaring guitar work, Jamie’s ‘prog star’ style Hammond, synthesiser and piano work plus the soulful vocals and multi instrumental prowess of David Neil Crabtree, and you have something truly unique and special.

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Fairport Convention

Fairport Convention has been entertaining music lovers for over half a century. During that time the band that launched British folk-rock has seen many changes. But one thing has remained the same - Fairport’s passion for performance.

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