The Poly

24 Church St, Falmouth : 01326 319461
The Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society

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Music // Coming up // A 'NOT' at The Poly event presents: Gigspanner Big Band
31 July
Saturday
7:30pm

A 'NOT' at The Poly event presents: Gigspanner Big Band

“The Gigspanner Big Band are amazing… they storm every stage they walk on” – Mike Harding.

"With the Gigspanner Big Band, Peter Knight has assembled a group of musicians intent on making some of the most important and exhilarating art ever to sit under the banner of folk music." FRUK

***

The Gigspanner Big Band are a unique force in British folk music...

Their high-energy, virtuosic performances appeal equally to traditionalists and to those looking for something more experimental, and they have garnered praise from publications as varied as fRoots, The Telegraph and The Wire, where they were described as ‘melodically folk-rooted yet open and innovative beyond the constraints of genre’.

Beginning life as a trio - with legendary Steeleye Span fiddle player Peter Knight being joined by percussionist Sacha Trochet and guitarist Roger Flack - the line-up has been expanded to form the Gigspanner Big Band, with acclaimed multi-instrumental duo Edgelarks (Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin - BBC Folk Awards 'Best Duo') and Bellowhead co-founder and melodeon player extraordinaire, John Spiers, joining the fray.

As collaborations go, it doesn't get much more mouth-watering than this.

While Peter Knight, as part of Steeleye Span’s classic 1970s line-up, helped invent a brand of folk rock that is still influential today, John Spiers has had an equally profound impact on the landscape of traditional music over the last two decades.

Characterised by riotous inventiveness, technically gifted individual playing and subtle collaborative interaction, this coming together of several of the biggest names on the folk-roots scene combines a deep knowledge of roots traditions with a ceaselessly boundary pushing approach. 

Unsurprisingly, the superlatives have come thick and fast...

"Natural Invention is a stunning achievement - perhaps one of the most sophisticated and enchanting folk albums ever released." From the Margins

"They don't play together often, but when they do it's spectacular. 5*****." Radio 2 Magazine

"What a fabulous team they make, together producing a startlingly new musical form with few, if any, antecedents. The flights of musical fancy are staggering in their natural invention" Fatea Magazine

"Taking self-penned material along with music rooted in the British Isles and beyond, with the flick of a bow, a finely chosen chord or slip of a beat, they produce richly atmospheric arrangements layered within a wealth of subliminal musical influences with notes seemingly plucked from the stars and rhythms from the equator.” Spiral Earth



Adult: £23.00 + £1 Poly Fund 

Concession (Students & Members): £20.00 + £1 Poly Fund

This event will be held indoors in the theatre of the Princess Pavilion. Here's how we will keep you safe: 

  • Ticket-free event: no need to collect tickets from The Poly; simply come to the Pavilion with your transaction number and name, and we will check you and your group in at the door. 
  • NHS Track and Trace: we recommend that on arrival you sign in to Track and Trace via the app or paper form. 
  • Capacity capped at 50%. 
  • Socially-distanced seating: please try to arrive with those you would like to sit with. We will seat one group at a time in your chosen area so the next group can be safely distanced from you. Floor and raked seating is available, first-come first-served choice of seats. 
  • Face coverings: please wear a face covering when moving around the venue, unless you are exempt. Coverings can be removed when seated / drinking. 
  • Ventilation: we will keep external doors ajar during the show (to allow air in while minimising noise disturbance), and fully open during the interval and prior to the show.     

Timings

  • Bar from 6.30pm
  • Doors from 6.45pm 
  • Band at 7.30pm (no support)
  • We will run a pop-up bar selling bottles and cans. We are advised it may be cash only - please come prepared in case we can't get our card machines working!
 

WHAT IS 'NOT' AT THE POLY?

During necessary works in The Poly theatre we will be running a series of events with partner venues in our community. Look out for the ‘NOT’ The Poly brand for some more fantastic performances in the near future. 

 

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T: 01326 319461
E: info@thepoly.org

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The Poly, 24 Church Street, Falmouth, TR11 3EG

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© The Poly - The Poly is the trading name of the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society Limited, a company limited by guarantee and incorporated in England and Wales with company registration number 03909555 and registered charity number 1081199, with its registered office at 24 Church Street, Falmouth TR11 3EG