Everyone being on tour at once is usually what happens in November and December, but this year April is just silly. It seems every female-fronted prog band is on tour that month.
It starts with what is likely to be a very emotional farewell gig for Heather Findlay with Mostly Autumn on April 2nd in Leamington Spa. Just two days later will be Olivia Sparnenn’s final performance with Breathing Space at Bilston Robin 2. I hope to attend both if I can sort out the logistics.
The following Saturday is Olivia’s debut as Mostly Autumn’s official frontwoman, in Gloucester. It’s a long way to travel just for one gig, but I attended the Gloucester shows on the last two occasions MA played there, and they were among the best of the tour each time.
Friday 16th April is the only currently-announced gig by Karnataka that doable for me - the others are all just too far away. They’re playing The Flowerpot in Derby.
The following weekend is one of those with two gigs in two different cities. Mostly Autumn return to Manchester Academy on the Friday, a rare local gig for me, and on Saturday The Reasoning play the O2 Academy in London.
There’s another two gigs in two nights the next weekend - The Reasoning play Bury Met on the Thursday, and on Friday Panic Room are supporting Hawkwind in Cardiff. I haven’t seen Hawkwind for many, many years; indeed I’m not even sure of Anne-Marie Helder was even born last time I saw them.
As I said, a bit of a manic month. And there are gig in March and May too…
Manic indeed. Over April/May/June I have Mostly Autumn in Leamington, Exeter & London, Panic Room in London (with MA & the Andy Powell version of Wishbone Ash), The Reasoning in Bilston, Poole & Bristol & Karnataka in Poole as well. Maybe adding Joe Bonamassa & Mark Knopfler gigs to the list as they are both playing in Bournemouth around that time.