Pack your talent and leave the safety of the bedroom and come on down and strut your inner rock star so that all can enjoy. All types of musician and poet welcomed. Better come early to book yer space. Hosted by the talented Chris Deacon
Many people who have heard MSB play would agree but the overriding emotion that lingers and taken home in the heart after a sweat-drenched performance is joy. The infectious joy shared by six musicians at the height of their powers playing the music they love. MSB’s music is slippery when it comes to categorisation. You think you hear traces of 60s soul or possibly blues when hints of heartland rock make an appearance and a nod towards country music can easily be confounded by a psychedelic wig out. Mutter’s addiction to ‘a half-decent tune’ and the band playing what comes naturally are the main consistencies and there is always and ever will be the joy.
a kickass band from the depths of Dorset. Playing fantastic originals and covers in their inimitable style, Alex fronts the band with her rich, powerful voice whilst singing barefoot. To her side is Jack, an ace guitar shredder, if ever I’ve seen one, capable of all sorts of classy licks on his Fender Jaguar as well as adding backing vocals as required. In the engine room is Dingo, laying down a thunderous bottom end bass whilst looking cool as, with Mel’s drumming crisp, deep and spot on always. Check out his fills. In fact, check out the whole band. You won’t be disappointed!
It’s for fun, not Crufts! The categories are: Waggiest tail, Awesome eyes, Best paw shaker, The dog who looks most like its owner. And from the winner of these classes, Ropemakers Top Dog 2021. Sign in from 2:30pm on the day and the competition begins at 3:30pm, £5 per dog for as many classes as you like. All proceeds will go to The Living Tree.
Howlin' Mat has lived an almost nomadic lifestyle to become one of the hardest working solo blues acts around with gigs all over the UK and Europe. Howlin' Mat started his blues journey some 15 years ago playing material by the likes of Robert Johnson, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Jimmy Reed, Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Earl Hooker, Robert Nighthawk, and Hound Dog Taylor. He gained quite a reputation as a slide guitarist and in particular, for his skills on the cigar box guitar. Sadly whilst the pandemic in 2020 meant that his touring had to stop, it gave him the opportunity to blend his blues roots with the heavier styles of artists like Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry and the Black Keys. Howlin' Mat is very much looking forward to touring this voodoo gumbo of heavy blues as soon as the pandemic restrictions are lifted.
This month we welcome six delicious cheeses from Butler’s Farmhouse Cheese in Lancashire, together with crackers and accompaniments . There will be three sittings, one at 7:30pm, one at 8:00pm and one at 8:30pm. The cost for this event is £7.50 per head and there will be a selections of drinks chosen by Palmers Wine Store available for purchase. Booking for this event is essential.
The Fat Marrow Band play jazzy rhythm and blues with a feel good factor. Experienced and reliable they find inspiration in traditional blues music and update and embellish it with brass, harmonica and sparkling guitar to create a fantastic sound. Influences such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, BB King, John Mayall and Robert Cray are all used, and, having played together for some time, the music is tight and polished.
Sixteen String Jack are a 3-piece band from Dorset that combine Americana, Irish Trad & Shanties
The Swamp Stomp String Band are not your average Americana band. Twangy Banjos, driving Guitars and a thudding Double Bass sit behind anything from drinking songs that'll have the room stomping their feet and shooting tequila to ballads that'll break even the most toughest folk, to ragtime songs of bar fights and gambling.
The Sunset Cafe was a top night-spot on Chicago’s infamous South Side. Al Capone owned it, Louis Armstrong starred there. The Sunset Cafe Stompers do play the music of that period... great tunes from Scott Joplin, Irving Berlin, Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller... but the band’s wide repertoire also features songs made famous by artists as diverse as Patsy Cline, Marilyn Monroe, the Inkspots, Fats Domino... even Elvis. Beneath it all, one can sense the elusive, shifting, pulse which defines the sound of New Orleans. In that city, ever since the 1900s, bands have been hired to attract a crowd, or to add spirit and generate excitement for all kinds of occasion. Throughout the last twenty years we have followed in that tradition: playing jazz clubs, concerts for churches, arts centres, village dances, weddings, festivals, funerals, garden parties... from our Dorset/Somerset base, down to Cornwall and up to Cumbria
Emerging from the darkest depths of Dorset, Vanilla Radio burst onto the funk scene in 2013 delivering their soulful funky grooves to crowds all over the south coast. At its core Jamie Parker, Jack Ansell and Rick Veall have been playing in various line-ups for the last 10 years with the later addition of Will Sear on keys adding another dimension to their sound. Vanilla Radio’s live set is a funk explosion taking influence from acid jazz, funk, soul and rock. Mixing all out furious guitar and keys, exploding bass lines and outrageous drum breaks to create a sound that will get you grooving.
“Imagine if Brian Blessed got drunk and formed a band after listening to too much Tenacious D…” The Sweetchunks Band play an unusual, yet compelling amalgamation of parodic folk, rock, chap-hop and drinking anthems, fused into a Steampunk horse-carriage of farcical and anecdotal comedy. Not to be missed.
Grant is a double bass wielding, musical satirist dealing in insightful social commentary, leftfield musical creations, challenging political messages and often just plain silly songs.
Led by Chris Deacon
SINFUL MAGGIE formed in 2014 and set out to show people you can have a punk band with an accordion and not play Folk, Gypsy or Celtic Punk. Based in Dorset, England they have shared bills with the likes of Buzzcocks and Slaves. Despite far too many promoters getting their name wrong, Sinful Maggie's following has continued to grow, and with their debut self-titled album on the way they're back out on the road bringing their intensity and high-energy punk with them
D’Ska Assassins, a six piece, up-tempo Ska Band performing a mix of classic covers and originals. Their love for Ska music shows through in their performances, full of enthusiasm and great tunes… guaranteed to get the audience up singing and dancing.
Principal songwriter & lead vocalist in Glastonbury based festival favourites and stalwarts of live music scene, John D Revelator. He sings songs of humour, heart, soul, passion and justice
Pack your talent and leave the safety of the bedroom and come on down and strut your inner rock star so that all can enjoy. All types of musician and poet welcomed. Better come early to book yer space. Hosted by the talented Chris Deacon
Classic Ska with Big Brass Sounds and Skanking Rhythms. Guaranteed to make you Dance and Smile! :-)
A collective of musicians who have shared the stage with the likes of Noel Gallagher, Frank Turner, & Megadeth, to name but a few, each member has journeyed individually in a vast range of genres ranging from funk to grind-core. Together, they speedball more genres, styles & influences into a single punk fuelled Reggae, Ska show than you could shake a rhythm stick at! This cheeky trio are not afraid to take songs from all through the ages, put them in a blender, give it a stir and sing them back to their audience. As well as taking their own spin on popular song, these boys have released original material that has received a somewhat lukewarm response at best, but regardless to this, they will not back down as they now prepare to record their latest release coming to a streaming service near you relatively soon. All in all, BlineyOhRiley are sure to force your foot to tap, your frown to turn upside down and leave you wanting more… they speedball more genres, styles & influences into a single punk fuelled Reggae, Ska show than you could shake a rhythm stick at!
Are you proud of your beard or moustache? The Ropemakers competition for men or women who are perhaps facially hirsute or maybe not! A prize will go to the holder of the most magnificent moustache or beautiful beard. In the Ropemakers tradition, this is not quite what it seems, but the relevant beard or moustache need not be their own, but can be made out of any material suitable, it is time to get creative! Perhaps decorate the beard you have? Get decorating! There will be two classes in this competition, one for the women and one for the men. Prizes etc. to be announced. Entry will be £5 per beard or moustache and all proceeds will go to The Bridport Living Tree cancer support charity.
Mutter Slater, already legendary on the music scene and in Bridport. performs live in Bridport at The Ropemakers pub. Mutter Slater was the front man and flute player for the 70’s cult band Stackridge (produced by George Martin, signed by Elton John): a group that established itself as a firm favourite on countless stages throughout the land and appeared regularly on BBC TV’s The Old Grey Whistle Test and John Peel’s radio programmes. Lyrically it’s intriguing; telling of human strengths and frailties and illicit loves, bar room observations, train rides, bus rides, long walks and cosmic disintegration
This month we welcome six delicious seasonal cheeses, together with crackers and accompaniments . There will be three sittings, one at 7:30pm, one at 8:00pm and one at 8:30pm. The cost for this event is £7.50 per head and there will be a selections of drinks chosen by Palmers Wine Store available for purchase. Booking for this event is essential.
The Undisputed Kings of Cowpunk and purveyors of the hardest and finest banjo/fiddle action you'll ever come across. A more motley collection of bad shirts, mullets, prison tattoos, broken teeth and greasy comb-overs you'd be hard pushed to find outside of a Dale Winton garden party.
Psychadelephant is a groove heavy four piece smashing their way out of the Southwest UK. Celebrating a plethora of psychedelic funk, heavy soul, blues, jazz and R’nB. Expect gymnastic guitar and vocal shenanigans with provoking lyrics and a rhythm section that would keep James brown on his toes!
They have been described variously over the years, with references to Billie Holiday, Tom Waits and a “moody Mary Margaret O’Hara”, yet Ma Polaine’s sound is very much their own. Beth’s effortlessly distinctive vocals and evocative lyrics coupled with Clinton’s understated guitar underpin the songs, and on their latest release “City of Love” we hear the character of Ma Polaine explored more deeply than ever before. “City of Love” received wide-spread acclaim and earned the band “Best band/duo” award from Fata Magazine, with MOJO magazine saying they “have evolved a pop-folk-blues-americana style that is warmly familiar, yet is sufficiently unhinged to keep you guessing”. The first single from the album is Morphine, described by the band as “what Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was for LSD, this one is for childbirth” and racked up airplay on 6 Music and Cerys Matthew’s Radio 2 Blues Show.
Shelby’s Elbows are an acoustic duo, made up of Dorset musicians Martin P. Davies and Phil Jeffs. Formed after meeting in various Open Mic nights in 2008, Shelby’s Elbows have developed into a locally well known entertainment duo, playing a variety of instruments and producing an instantly recognisable sound that surprises people when they discover that there’s only two people making it. Starting out as a covers band, they are now writing and recording their own original music from a wide variety of influences gained from their covers set – from Nirvana to Neil Young, Seal to Skynyrd, Dire Straits to Turin Brakes and anything in between. Shelby’s Elbows are an exciting, dynamic duo, delivering a deep filled sound that punches well above the level which their numeric deficiency should allow. Inspirational lyrics and catchy conundrums for those who like to rock their fun but socially-aware world with guitars, exuberance and honesty, along with the misuse of inappropriate and inaccurate presidential quotes.
The psychosonic constellations are clearing so open your airwaves and countenance these cavalcades of swinging surf and raucous rockabilly. Thundering their way to a gathering near you this year secreting rustic rockabilly charm, allow their guttural guitars and dynamic drums to reverberate your reason and magnify the madness. Simply throw back your hair, whirl that waistline onwards and follow your frenzied feet to the searing sounds of Dorset's musical sensation that is The Surfin' Birds
Fly Yeti Fly are the Wiltshire-based acoustic duo Lorna Somerville and Darren Fisher. Blending sensitive vocal harmonies with intricate guitar arrangements, mandolin and harmonica, the duo weave songs and stories from their travels together, with a sound that is reminiscent of the late-’60s folk scene. Now living on their canal boat on the Kennet & Avon canal, their music is heavily influenced by the natural world and life on the water. Their debut album ‘Shine a Light in the Dark’, released March 2017, has since received critical acclaim. Having appeared on BBC Introducing stages across the south west and keen artists on the festival circuit.
The Sunset Cafe was a top night-spot on Chicago’s infamous South Side. Al Capone owned it, Louis Armstrong starred there. The Sunset Cafe Stompers do play the music of that period... great tunes from Scott Joplin, Irving Berlin, Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller... but the band’s wide repertoire also features songs made famous by artists as diverse as Patsy Cline, Marilyn Monroe, the Inkspots, Fats Domino... even Elvis. Beneath it all, one can sense the elusive, shifting, pulse which defines the sound of New Orleans. In that city, ever since the 1900s, bands have been hired to attract a crowd, or to add spirit and generate excitement for all kinds of occasion. Throughout the last twenty years we have followed in that tradition: playing jazz clubs, concerts for churches, arts centres, village dances, weddings, festivals, funerals, garden parties... from our Dorset/Somerset base, down to Cornwall and up to Cumbria
Special Boxing Day Quiz. Just for fun, but our quizzes are getting well-known. Any size team. Free entry. Bottle of wine for the winning team. Booking is essential for this event, just ring 01308 421255
Party New Year’s Eve away with excellent tunes brought to you by DJ Santa
