NML presents

Robbie Cavanagh and Band

With Connor Christian and Paris Adams - Hosted by Matt Spracklen

Event Has Passed

Last Show: Wednesday 24 th May 2023

PizzaExpress Live (Holborn)

NML presents is delighted to welcome back ‘Manchester’s finest son’ for a very special concert to launch his new album ‘Tough Love’. Winner of the Whispering Bob Harris Emerging Artist Award in 2023, Robbie has built a devoted following in the UK through his distinct musical approach and outstanding performances. Robbie Cavanagh will be joined by a very special guest frontman & principal songwriter of The Southern Gothic, Connor Christian. One not to be missed!

"One of my absolute favourite UK grassroots artists"

Bob Harris

This year sees Award Winning Singer and Songwriter Robbie Cavanagh present his newest body of work ‘Tough Love’ to the world. A brand new studio album recorded live with his incredible band.

A self-confessed devotee of 'real music', Robbie Cavanagh is not defined by genres. His only rules are good musicians, real instruments, great microphones and performance with emotion; capturing sound, not producing it. Believing we live in a world where music is produced and consumed like fast food, to fill a hole where speed and value for money is prioritised over quality, Robbie is in the game for what he coins “fine dining music”.

Robbie performs self-penned, unscrubbed music, and when he puts pen to paper, he lives by his own words. '”The more you wrestle with an idea, the more contrived it becomes”. His songs are rich with honesty, emotion, and most importantly; instinct.

Cavanagh’s previous releases have been championed by Bob Harris on BBC Radio 2 and have received additional radio support from BBC Radio Manchester, Absolute Country Radio and Chris Country Radio. Robbie and his band have made their way onto many UK festival stages including Black Deer, The British Country Music Festival, Maverick, BlueDot, Cornbury, Wilderness, Buckle and Boots, and Silverstone Woodlands, and have performed in the UK, Europe and USA alongside such artists as The Striking Matches, The Shires, The Wandering Hearts, Jarrod Dickenson, Aaron Lee Tasjan, The Deslondes, Beth Nielson Chapman, Mary Gauthier, Jaimee Harris, James House, Ferris & Silvester, Wildwood Kin, Max Jury, Whitney Rose, Amelia White, Us The Duo, Jace Everett.

Whereas Robbie’s previous record ‘To Leave/To Be Left’ (2017) grappled with emotions of loss and self pity from leaving or being left behind, ‘Tough Love’ comes as an invigorating reality check. It’s a grittier and stronger-minded letter to himself and to anybody else who may be in need of a heavy dose of tough love. Written over the course of the past 5 years, each track explores a new perspective on the record’s overarching theme and documents Robbie’s own journey of self-reflection and maturity, both as a person and as a songwriter.

When it came to capturing these songs in the studio, Robbie knew he wanted to record the album live with the musicians he has toured and worked closely with over the past year. Having developed a magnetic connection on stage, they play with instinct and heart. Together with Thomas Dibb (AMA UK musician of the year nominee), Dan Wiebe, Roberto Ruiz, Joe Harvey Whyte (AMA UK musician of the year nominee) plus guest vocals and violin from Abby Gundersen, the band recorded at StudiOwz in Pembrokeshire, Wales. ‘Tough Love’ hits a sweet spot between slick production and authenticity with an immersive live band feel.

Connor Christian

For Connor Christian, frontman & principal songwriter of The Southern Gothic, life has always been about the journey. The son of an American serviceman & diplomat, that journey started at 6 months old, when his family moved from Los Angeles to Jakarta, Indonesia and we then travelled on to places such as Singapore, South Korea, and Belgium, as well as stints all over the US.

It is a story that led Christian to find his calling in singing and continuing his world travels as a performer, racking up nearly 3000 shows just since forming the band that would become the Southern Gothic. Teaming up with former Truckadelic drummer Shawn Thacker, along with a revolving cast of some of the best musicians in the Atlanta music scene. What started as a high
energy, house cover band at venerated Atlanta dive bar; Dixie Tavern grew along with Connor’s writing to become the band that Billboard Magazine called its ‘Band on the Verge’.

Sharing stages with bands as diverse as Willie Nelson, ZZ Top, Uncle Kracker, Styx, Zac Brown Band, and Heart, SoGo’s honest lyrics, heartfelt melodies, and stellar musicianship cut through to appeal to fans across the world without regard to genre, age, or locale.

Early 2023 finds the band adding the final touches to their first full length album in nearly 10 years, “One More For the Road”. Christian and the band have put together an 11-song set that both returns to the bands country/rock/folk/soul roots; ala-New Hometown, while pushing forward into more mature lyrical themes, and backed up by a lifetime of experience. The band kicked off the year with a new single “Up On Your Love” featuring Old Crow Medicine’s frontman Ketch Secor.

Rediscovering the joy in creating that made them a household name a decade earlier, Connor and the crew have once again harnessed that energy that’s always been at the heart of The Southern Gothic. Look for Christian on tour in the UK in May and June and the full band and special guests doing US, UK, and EU dates in the fall of ’23.

Paris Adams

Paris Adams, founder member, lead vocalist and main songwriter of The Adelaides, is launching her solo career with the release of her single ‘Gold’ on 17 February 2023 through Demon. ‘Gold’ was recorded in Nashville with Grammy winning producer Femke Weidema, and Paris will follow it by performing a slot of on each of the three days of the prestigious C2C Festival at the O2 in March. She has previously performed at the event with The Adelaides, in fact she also appeared on all three days in both 2018 and 2019! Her music is no stranger either to the BBC Radio 2’s Playlist, The Adelaides’ track single ‘Good Love’ was heavily supported, and they also performed live sessions for the Bob Harris and Michael Ball shows.

Paris said, “I have spent a year writing, in Nashville and in the UK, and I am so proud of the results. This new material, of which ‘Gold’ is the first taste, is my best yet and I cannot wait for people to hear it”. Whilst Paris made her live debut as a solo artist on the Caitlyn Smith tour of October 2022, she is a seasoned performer. The Adelaides played at British Summertime in London’s Hyde Park two years running as support to Michael Bublé (2018) and Celine Dion (2019). The Adelaides, who sadly fell victim to the enforced hiatus over Covid, had even received an unprecedented invitation to perform a repeat slot at CMA Fest in Nashville in 2020; having already appeared in 2019. The offer from Country’s biggest worldwide showcase came after the band had established a following with a series of special guest appearances with the likes of Charles Esten, who personally requested them to perform with him on two major British tours including a sell-out date at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

Paris has also featured on tours with Kiefer Sutherland, Catherine McGrath, Ashley Campbell & Mo Pitney, Andy Brown and Key West. Festival appearances include Ramblin’ Man, Cornbury, Nashville Meets London, Black Deer and the Long Road Festival.

‘Gold’ represents nothing less than the emergence of a major new solo artist in the international Country scene, as the confirmation of her C2C appearances attest. Building on what is already an incredible track record for such a young artist, this single is just the first sign of what is yet to come. With ‘Gold’, Paris Adams is truly setting the standard.