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Sunday 16th February 2020

Photos by Keith Belcher

A truly wonderful show by three of the finest musicians on the planet. Fresh off of not only the Celtic Connections tour but also , in the case of Mike McGoldrick and John McCusker, from a world tour with Mark Knopfler, they proved just why they are the most sought after players in the folk world.

New Orleans was a fantastic experience. A unique city with sights, sounds and flavours you couldn’t imagine in any other place on earth. Add to that the annual extravaganza that is the world’s largest gathering of the folk music community, with over 2000 attendees, almost half of whom are performing artists, giving around 4,000 individual performances over the four days, and you get an idea of just how overwhelming it can be!

Keeping track of the days, let alone the acts, shows and conversations of the event is a very difficult task. Meeting old friends, making new ones, touring showcase performances taking place in over 100 rooms over ten floors of a hotel between the hours of 4pm and 3am is great fun, but also takes some stamina! We left the annual closing party square dance, which took place in the The Blackpot & Lafayette Lousiana room, at just after 4am on the final night/morning, and the party was still in full swing with a band that included Rachel Baiman, who plays here at TLR on 31st May!

Despite the chaos and fatigue, we managed to make enough notes to gather a list of artists that we’ll be working hard to bring along to Saltaire for your enjoyment

We also spent a few days in Austin, where the pace and culture was very different. We caught up with old friend and fellow FAI attendee, Laura Thomas of Comboplate Booking, who we first met back in 2003 in Wales when she brought AJ Roach to the Talbot.

It really was a wonderful 12 days and we don’t think we could have packed any more in if we tried. We hope you enjoy the selected photos here and we’ll keep you posted as we hook in our targets!

Sunday 12th January 2020

Photos by Keith Belcher

Some sixteen months after catching him at Americanafest in Nashville and being blown away by his voice and stage presence, Mike finally made his TLR debut last Sunday and he didn’t disappoint. On only his second show with his British band of session musicians, he showed just why he has built such a reputation back in the US as one of the great white soul singers. What a voice! Not only has he got a huge range, with the power of a jet engine, he also has great sensitivity and tone.

Anyone who knows any of Mike’s history is aware that he has had his share of bad times and managed to come out the other side with his huge talent intact. He credits Julie, his wife of 25 years, with keeping him sane and supporting him throughout his years of addiction and we were so pleased that she is on the tour with him and looking after the merch table.

We’ve met many lovely people from the music community over the years of doing this, but we can honestly say that none have been lovelier, warmer and more open-hearted than Mike. He spent time with everyone he was in contact with during the evening and was a joy to be around. The soul he puts into his music is just as apparent off stage and is genuine. We’ll definitely welcome him back as he builds his following on this side of the Atlantic.

Thanks to everyone who came along and gave him such a big crowd and warm welcome for his TLR debut.

Friday 6th December 2019

Words and photos by Keith Belcher

Caroline Street Social Club, 6th December 2019
A very special sold out 3rd visit by master song-smith Richard Shindell brought 2019’s programme of gigs to a close. There were more than 2 hours of superbly crafted songs, musicianship and great humour, insights and rapport, it was all extremely high quality. Richard talked of a long break from touring, safe to say he would be very welcome back whenever he chooses to reappear. 2019 has been a very good year for music at The Live Room. Have a good festive break Ron and Hilary, you deserve it. Many thanks also to the wonderful Live Room audience who made it a very special night. Thanks again to Ron and Hilary for the festive treats on the night.

Sunday 1st December 2019

Photos by Keith Belcher

What a night! What a band!

Friday 15th May 2019

Words and photos by Keith Belcher

Lady Maisery starting their current tour. They are Hannah James, Rowan Rheingans and Hazel Askew. Their ‘fourth’ member controlling their sublime sound is Neil Segrott. A wonderful night.

Sunday 10th November 2019

Photos by Keith Belcher

What a stunning show from this Scottish trio! We knew they were a high energy band, but couldn’t imagine just what a huge, powerhouse performance they’d give us. This extraordinary band have not long returned from a US tour and will be heading to Japan by the end of the month. You can get a flavour of just what sort of night it was from this short clip from the very end of their show. We can’t wait to have them back!

Thursday 7th November 2019

Photos by Keith Belcher

Chip Taylor was, as ever, magical on Thursday night. Still a creative powerhouse, he and his friends, John Platania on guitar and vocals, and Gøran Grini on keys and vocals, treated a rapt audience to almost two and a half hours of songs from across his career, including his classic hits from the 60s, ‘Wild Thing’ and ‘Angel of the Morning’ alongside many others. It made for a fantastic end to our mid-week back to back double.

It was lovely to meet Chip’s wife Joan too after all these years, we’ve heard so much about her. We’ll have to make a trip to Parnell’s Bar in New York one of these days, it’s obviously an inspiration to Chip!

Chip keeps a road journal of every show he plays and you can find his take on the evening and a mention for virtually everyone he met and had a chat to after the show right here!

Wednesday 6th November 2019

Photos by Keith Belcher

A late booking and a first visit to TLR of California’s Dustbowl Revival, and what a night it was! A fabulously tight band, with a great audience rapport, they actually achieved quite a feat: getting the whole audience on their feet by the end of the night! Thanks to Keith for his great photos and make sure you keep your eyes peeled for a return, because the audience will undoubtedly double!

Many thanks too to Tori Sheard, who gave us a sparkling support spot – a name to watch out for…..

Friday 1st November 2019

Photos by Keith Belcher

We were treated to a wonderful show from these two superb musicians, songwriters and singers. We’ve had great feedback from our audience:

‘thanks for putting it on! It was amazing!’ – John Leach from Facebook

‘Fantastic gig at @TLRatSaltaire this evening: the very talented & charming @BrennenLeigh and @mckaynoel. Gorgeous crisp vocals letting us hear all the great lyrics – and quality dog-inspired merch too!’ – Louisa from Twitter

We’ll definitely be seeing Brennen and Noel here at TLR again!