'Patchwork Tour' UK Dates Announced for Aug-Oct

Well folks, we’re back on the road! See our full list of tour dates here

This tour is not just about music, it's about community.

Music weaves our lives together. It is the thread that binds us to so many of you amazing people. This patchwork tour celebrates how music enriches our connections with each other and how it can bring people from different walks of life together.

We invite YOU to bring a small square of fabric or cloth to contribute to a collaborative piece of art. We will later transform these contributions into a unique quilt, symbolising unity, diversity and creativity. Fans who contribute are put into a hat to win the quilt once it is complete.

Patchwork Tour also symbolizes our opposition to the fast fashion fabric market. As usual, our up-cycled shirts will be available AND if you bring your own item of clothing to a show, we’ll stencil our design on it for you!

We’re thrilled, as always, to have Mike Seal on board for most of the tour (what a guy) and we can’t wait to see you all again. The tour kicks off in Wales at Green Gathering Festival!

Wether you can come to a show or not, here are some ways you can support us.

• Get your tickets in advance

• Tell all your UK friends, (you could forward this email on, or send the poster image to them on Whatsapp, - include link if poss)

• Follow us and share our Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube posts

• RSVP to the Facebook events

• Join our Street team - Can you put up posters? Or hand out flyers? Get free tickets

• Know someone that has a radio show, or writes music articles for press? We have a press release upon request

• If you can offer us a place to stay, especially in Bristol, or Manchester, please reply - and thank you for all the kind responses to our last email <3

• Want to see us but can’t afford a ticket? Let us know and we can work out an exchange with you or We can live-stream you in, Music is for everyone, times are hard, we get it. We all need music and we all need each other.

We hope to see you soon,

Robert and Ailcia

UK DATES

Click the event for tickets

AUG 1-4 CHEPSTOW, Green Gathering Fest

AUG 08 BATH, Chapel Arts

AUG 10 TIMSBURY, Tangled Blues Fest

AUG 16 BRISTOL, Crofter’s Rights (with Holly Carter)

AUG 17 HAY-ON-WYE, The Globe

AUG 18 BIRMINGHAM, Kitchen Garden

AUG 19 DERBY, Flower Pot

AUG 21 COVENTRY, The LTB

AUG 22 MANCHESTER, Carlton Club (with Caitlin Gilligan + Mr. Novembre)

AUG 25 PONTEFRACT, The Bradley Arms

SEP 18 LONDON, What’s Cookin (with Kenan Flannery)

SEP 21 NEWCASTLE, Belta Blues Dance Fest

SEP 24 DONCASTER, The Crooked Billet (with Peet Jackson)

SEP 25 YORK, The Black Swan (With Emily Lawler)

SEP 27 SHEFFIELD, Cafe#9

SEP 29 WORCESTER, The Marr’s Bar - tickets TBA

SEP 30 BRISTOL, Blue Monday’s - pay on door

OCT 02 BRISTOL, Folk Tales on The JS - tickets TBA

OCT 03 FROME, 23 Bath St. (with Date)

OCT 05 OSWESTRY, Hermon Arts - tickets TBA

OCT 07 HEREFORD, The Left Bank Speakeasy - tickets TBA

OCT 10 LIVERPOOL, Kazimier Stockrooms - tickets TBA

OCT 11 LICHFIELD, Songwriter Showcase (with Alicia Best, Banjo Jen + Ellie Galvin)

OCT 13 HULL, The New Adelphi - (we open for Curtis Eller's American Circus)

OCT 18 BRIGHTON/HOVE, The Bee’s Mouth

OCT 20 LONDON, Green Note

OCT 25 LICHFIELD, The Hub St. Mary’s

OCT 26 MANCHESTER, Eccle’s Town Hall (ECHO)

UK Tour - Can you help?

UK friends! we are coming in Aug-Oct and we can’t wait to see all you lovely folks across the pond again!

Anywhere you wanna see us play? We still have some space in the calendar for gigs, weddings, birthdays, and private events 🥳  Do you know anyone that books for a venue or might want some music at their party?

No van this year sadly 🚐💀 which means we will be doing some sofa surfing, if you’re able to host us for a night please get in touch!

Reply to this email with your ideas, we’d love to hear from you! We also made this reel about it all.

Confirmed dates are below, we’ll announce to the public in the next few weeks.

Your fan,

A Different Thread

UK DATES 2024

Aug 1 - 4
Green Gathering Festival, Chepstow

Aug 8
Chapel Arts, Bath

Aug 10
Tangled Blues Fest, Somerset

Aug 16
Crofter's Rights, Bristol

Aug 17
The Globe at Hay-on-Wye

Aug 18
Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham

Aug 19
Flower Pot, Derby

Aug 21 [TBC]
The Litten Tree Building, Coventry

Aug 22
Carlton Club, Manchester

Aug 25
The Bradley Arms, Pontefract

Aug 25
Private event, Sheffield

Sep 18
What's Cookin', London

Sep 21
Belta Blues Fest, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Sep 25 [TBC]
The Black Swan, York

Sep 27
Cafe#9, Sheffield

Oct 3
Folk Tales, Bristol

Oct 5
Hermon Arts, Oswestry

Oct 11
Songwriter Showcase, The Hub, Lichfield

Oct 13 [TBC]
The Adelphi, Hull

Oct 20
Green Note, London

Oct 25
Lichfield, The Hub

Cicadas & Suitcases

The rain has paused and the cicadas are singing as they go about their curious, transformative business. The pine forest is warm and humid and in our tiny-home, we’re laying down some test recordings with Alicia’s suitcase drum-kit.

The next piece of the puzzle, one step closer to making our new record.

We have a handful of shows coming up in North Carolina, and we’ve been meeting some talented fellow musicians recently. Including Abigail Dowd, Anna La Mare, and Admiral Radio. Go check ‘em out!

As you may have noticed, time is slipping away — it won’t be long at all until we’re touring the UK once more. There are still some open dates in our tour schedule. If you want to book us for a house concert, wedding, or a local venue (Aug-Oct) then send us a reply.

We’ll be announcing all the tour dates very soon!

Online Concert Announcement! ‘Music my mother would not like’
Tune in this Tuesday (May 21st) at 8 PM Eastern Time (that’s 1 AM GMT for you night owls). We’ll be playing some songs live with another artist.  https://musicmymotherwouldnotlike.com/concert-series. 

Until then, we’l be in the pines, amongst the sound of the forest. Here’s a little audio recording of the Cicada’s to bring you a taste of early summer here in North Carolina.

Your fan,

A Different Thread

Upcoming North Carolina shows:

MAY 21
8:00 PM
MUSIC MY MOTHER WOULD NOT LIKE
ONLINE ONLY
Set  length: 25 mins
8 PM Eastern Time (GMT: 1 AM)
Donations accepted online through PayPal link
REGISTER / WATCH HERE

MAY 31
6:30 PM
HILLSBOROUGH, NC
‘Last Fridays & the Art Walk’
Orange County Historical Courthouse
104 E King St, Hillsborough, NC 27278

JUN 6, 13, 20, and 27th (Every Thu in June)
12:00 PM
TAKING BACK THURSDAY
Boxyard RTP
900 Park Offices Dr, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
Show time 12 PM - 2 PM

JUL 20
8:00 PM
KERNERSVILLE, NC
The Brewer's Kettle
308 E Mountain St, Kernersville, NC 27284

Leaping into action

The forest is quiet today, apart from the bull frogs, the creaking of the pines, and the soft buzz of highway 54 in the distance. Spring time is coming and we’ve been planting seeds in North Carolina (literally).

Our first show was on Leap Day. First show of the year, first show in the US since 2019, first show post Green-card (apart from the odd song or two while we were in Brooklyn selling Xmas trees). It was a great turn out and the audience really brought the energy, it felt like the community was lifting us up.  It was so good to perform alongside our Brother Alan’s band - Lagomorph Quartet, and fellow troubadour, Liana Gabel.

We are moving out of winter’s era of reflection, and gathering momentum for A Different Thread as spring unfurls. We have plans to sew, ideas to germinate, seedlings to grow, including our next record, which currently waits in demo phase.  We’re working towards a 2025 release and can’t wait to get these songs down in the studio.  

We recorded a live video for one of the new songs ‘The Prophet’ for our Patreon and shared in on our YouTube.
Click here to watch

Our UK tour is coming together for Aug-Oct and we have some new music videos coming your way too. We’re missing our UK Threadheads and pals, and can’t wait to see you all and tour with Mike again at the end of the summer. Dates so far include Green Gathering Festival, What’s Cookin’ London, The Hub, Lichfield, Chapel Arts, Bath and Tangled Blues Festival to name a few.

We will be annoucing more info soon, if you’d like to host a private show, or see us at a venue near you, please get in touch!

Until then, enjoy the live video, and check out our Patreon for a cheeky listen to the demos we’ve made for our next album!

Your fan,

A Different Thread

From the Mountains to the Stage - last UK show for Robert (Sheffield - Wed 18th Oct)

Greetings from the French Alps, Robert here. It’s the final countdown until Alicia and I are reunited in New York on November 9th and I’m almost ready for the big move. My suitcase is packed and my guitar and harmonicas are itching to go.


I’ve been taking some time out here in Saint-Jean-d’Aulps to focus on health and wellbeing, mental and physical, and allow time to emotionally prepare to make this move across the Atlantic.



We have some very exciting things lined up in the USA but before that, you have one last chance to see me and Mike perform in Sheffield on Wednesday 18th October at Cafe#9. Support comes from the talented troubadour Gerard Frain, from Doncaster. Tickets are available here.

In other news, following a meeting with our mentor and advisor, Gene Foley, A Different Thread have joined TikTok. We will be sharing videos to count down the two weeks before our reunion, so make sure you head over to our profile and give us a follow.



We are planning a UK tour at the end of next summer and are beginning to book shows for August, September, and October. Give us a shout if you would like a house concert, or have any venues where you’d like to see us play!

Until then, you can find our latest demos on Patreon and look out for us on TikTok, we have some home-made music videos coming very soon too!



Your fan, 

A Different Thread.

Last UK Show of the Year + Moving to USA!

The tour is almost over, we just have one show left on Friday (in Lichfield) before we go our separate ways once more… but not for long this time.

We are over the moon to announce that Robert has been approved for a US visa and we will be relocating stateside at the end of the year! It’s been too long since we’ve been able to see our American pals and we can’t wait to see y’all. We are starting to sketch out some plans for the new year and we hope to be back on the road in your direction. What venues would you like to see us play?

In the meantime we’re stoked that Banjo Jen will be joining us for the tour finale this Friday at The Hub @ St. Mary’s in Lichfield., along with Mike on bass and our very special guests Farefeld (previously know as Chris Elliott and Caitlin Jones). Tickets are selling fast so make sure to grab a seat! Get tickets here

Thanks to all of you who have come out and supported us on this tour, it’s been a hard year for a lot of people in the UK, financially, politically, emotionally, and we’re grateful that we can still be bringing music to you. It’s times like these that we all need it most.

We hope to see some of you at the show. See you further down the road!

ADT

From London to Sheffield - Tour Update from the road

The tingle of stinging nettles and heady aromas of hawthorn and cut grass bring waves of nostalgia as the Dorset countryside blooms in the sunshine. With Dartmouth harbour in our rearview and London on the horizon, we take a pause to write this email to you — almost a third of the way into our tour.

Thanks to all who came out to our shows in Scotland, Liverpool, Huddersfield, Manchester, and Dartmouth. The last 700 miles have been a rollercoaster of new places, new faces, some intense shows, a bit of van trouble (though it’s doing alright now) and the gloriously varied countryside of the UK.

Our next stop is Camden in London this Sunday. If you’ve seen the tour videos we have been putting out (the one with the red velvet drapes behind us) then you’re familiar with the stage at Green Note, where we will be playing. It’s a fantastic, intimate venue that have always treated us well. If you’re in the area and are around on Sunday, we would love to see you at the show. Tickets are available here.

On Wednesday, we’re up in Robert’s ancestral hometown, Sheffield, South Yorkshire. We’re sharing the bill with local songwriter, Banjo Jen, and Scottish folksinger, Caitlin Gilligan. As well as being good friends, these two are top shelf performers and it’s sure to be a great night. Tickets available here.

While we’re in London, Robert will have his medical examination in preparation for his Green Card interview. Three years ago, we began the process to apply for him to come and live in the USA and we’re finally at the last few stages. Fingers crossed it all goes well and we can be stateside soon, bringing our music back to its American roots.

If you are in the UK catch us while you can, and if you are in the USA and beyond, we hope to see you before too long! 


A Different Thread

Upcoming Shows:

LONDON
SUNDAY, MAY 28, 2023
Green Note, 106 Parkway, London, NW1 7AN
Doors 7 PM, Show 8 PM
TICKETS

SHEFFIELD - MIDWEEK AMERICANA
WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 2023
The Greystones, Greystones Road, SHEFFIELD, South Yorkshire, S11 7BS
Triple Bill with BANJO JEN + CAITLIN GILLIGAN
DOORS 7:30 PM
TICKETS

CREWE
THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 2023
Ebenezers, Nantwich Rd, Crewe CW2 6DF, United Kingdom
DOORS 7:30 PM
TICKETS

OSWESTRY
FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 2023
Hermon Chapel Arts Centre. Chapel St, Oswestry SY11 1LF, United Kingdom
TICKETS

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE
THURSDAY, JUNE 8, 2023
The Cumberland Arms, James Pl St, Newcastle upon Tyne NE6 1LD, United Kingdom
Doors 7:30 PM
TICKETS

DONCASTER
FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 2023
Roots Music Club, Ukrainian Centre, 48 Beckett Road, Doncaster DN2 4AD
7:30 PM, SUPPORT: PEET JACKSON
TICKETS

BIRMINGHAM
SUNDAY, JUNE 11, 2023
Kitchen Garden Cafe, 17 York Road, Kings Heath, Birmingham B14 7SA
DOORS 7:30 PM, SUPPORT: Farefeld
TICKETS

BRIGHTON & HOVE
THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2023
The Bee’s Mouth, 10 Western Road, Hove, BN3 1AE
DOORS 7:30 PM
TICKETS

WORTHING
SATURDAY, JUNE 17, 2023
Palm Court Pavilion, Beach House Park, 55 Lyndhurst Rd, Worthing, BN11 2DB
More details TBA
Contact venue for tickets

STONEHENGE SOLSTICE FESTIVAL
MONDAY, JUNE 19, 2023
Stonehenge Campsite and Glamping, Berwick Rd, Winterbourne Stoke, Salisbury, SP3 4TQ
TICKETS
SHOW AT 7:40 PM

BRISTOL
SUNDAY, JUNE 25, 2023
SouthBank Club. Dean Ln, Southville, Bristol BS3 1DB, United Kingdom
TICKETS
DOORS 5PM, SHOW 6PM - 8:30PM. SUPPORT: RYAN MCMURTRY
Facebook event

MAVERICK AMERICANA FESTIVAL
FRI, JUN 30, 2023 - 1:00 PM + SAT, JUL 1, 2023 - 2:00 PM

TICKETS

Maverick Festival Productions Easton, Woodbridge, IP13 0EJ

NOT A CULT FESTIVAL
SAT, JUL 1, 2023 - 7:00 PM
TICKETS
Out to Grass, Woodend Farm, Bromyard Rd, Malvern, WR13 5JW

HULL
WEDNESDAY, JULY 5, 2023
TICKETS
The New Adelphi Club, 89 De Grey Street, Beverley Road, Kingston Upon Hull, East Yorkshire, HU5 2RU
SUPPORT ACTS (TBA): 8:30 PM - 9:30 PM. MAIN SHOW: 9:55 PM

MANCHESTER
THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2023
TICKETS
Carlton Club, Rowan Lodge, 113 Carlton Rd, Whalley Range, Manchester, M16 8BE
DOORS 7:30 PM. SUPPORT: CAITLIN GILLIGAN

LEEDS
FRIDAY, JULY 7, 2023
TICKETS
Mill Hill Chapel, City Square, Leeds, LS1 5EB
DOORS: 7:30PM. SUPPORT: CAITLIN GILLIGAN + DANNY BRADLEY

SHEFFIELD
SUNDAY, JULY 9, 2023
TICKETS
Cafe#9, 9 Nether Edge Road, Sheffield, S7 1RU
DOORS: 7 PM

BRISTOL BLUES DANCE
MONDAY, JULY 17, 2023
The Board Rooms, Market Chambers, 20 St Nicholas St, Bristol BS1 1UB
BLUES DANCE CLASS 7:30 PM, SHOW WITH DANCING 8:30 PM.
Tickets can be purchased at the door, at limited availability.
Anyone is welcome, though this is a dance event: dancing is encouraged and seating may not be available for all.

LICHFIELD
FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2023
TICKETS
The Hub at St. Mary’s, Market Square, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 6LG
DOORS 7:30 PM. SUPPORT: BANJO JEN + SPECIAL GUESTS: FAREFELD