Britain’s Got Bluegrass: February 2019

Get off your couch and go hear some live music with Britain’s Got Bluegrass!, BGS – UK’s monthly guide to the best gigs happening in the UK and Ireland. Here are our top picks for February:

Mike McGoldrick, John McCusker & John Doyle — from 11 February, nationwide.
After their sell-out shows with the Transatlantic Sessions, John McCusker, Mike McGoldrick and John Doyle take their powerhouse folk trio on the road. The Wishing Tree Tour visits 24 towns and cities across Britain until 9 March, including London (Kings Place), Liverpool and Perth.

The Dead South — 17 February, Birmingham.
The Bastard Son tour has reached the UK and Saskatchewan’s superstars of bluegrass have been steamrollering their way through the UK on a series of sold out gigs, and their remaining nights in Portsmouth, Brighton, London and Cambridge are all returns only. But you can still buy tickets for their Birmingham gig, at O2 Institute3, so grab them while you can.

Whiskey Shivers— to 23 February, nationwide.
The Austin punkgrass outfit are halfway through their rumbustious tour, with gigs still to come in Galway, Norwich, Nottingham, Settle and Newcastle upon Tyne. We recommend the 19 February gig at the Lexington in London, whose upstairs room should suit their energetic, anarchic spirit.

John Smith — 24 February, Royal Exchange, Manchester.
The singer-songwriter’s first album, Hummingbird, combines his original songs with a deeply personal collection of traditional folk tunes. And he’s bringing his unique blend of slide and fingerstyle guitar to one of Manchester’s favourite venues.

WATCH: Whiskey Shivers, ‘Long Gone’

Artist: Whiskey Shivers
Hometown: Austin, TX
Song: “Long Gone”
Album: Some Part of Something
Release Date: July 21, 2017
Label: Clean Bill Music

In Their Words: “‘Long Gone’ takes us to the moment of drunken grief, when a man gives up hope, sitting at a bar, reflecting on the death of his friend, the end of his relationship, and loss of prized physical possessions.” — Jeff “Horti” Hortillosa


Photo credit: Sean Daigle