Blue Sky Falling

About

A three piece acoustic Brighton band performing original songs for your pleasure -as our regular member Melodie takes a rest from performing we are so pleased to have Barry Wickens joining us on Violin and Vocals- He has played with Steve Harley ( Cockney Rebel) for many years and has toured the world including playing at Glastonbury ,Womad, IOW festival etc More about him below -Stewart Gray and Del Hallet are delighted to welcome him aboard for a few months of gigs -Melodie will return shortly but until that its BSF 2 !

Barry is a British musician, multi-instrumentalist and composer. Primarily a violinist and guitarist, he also plays mandolin, viola, Appalachian dulcimer (psaltery), dobro and keyboards. He is best known for being one of the longest-serving members of Steve Harley's rock group Cockney Rebel, and for being a former member of the pop group Immaculate Fools.He is also a violin teacher for Brighton & Hove Music & Arts.

Outside of Cockney Rebel and Immaculate Fools, Barry has been involved in recording sessions for a number of artists, including John Martyn, Lick the Tins, Howard Jones, The River Detectives, Thrashing Doves, Martin Grech, along with TV and radio recordings of the Americana musicians The Milroys, and Folk Alliance Award nominee Diana Jones. He has also performed with Nick Pynn at a number of live events.

Our support act for this gig is Jimmy Herrity, an artist who melds raw, grounded emotional depth with the transcendent grandeur of post-rock. His music evokes the sensation of feeling profound emotions in a world that seems too small to contain them. Herrity's songs traverse this contrast with a seamless blend of lo-fi grit and expansive, ambient textures, creating a soundscape that feels both intensely personal and remarkably expansive.

This distinctive fusion keeps Herrity's hauntingly beautiful voice at the forefront, ensuring that his storytelling prowess remains the central focus. His nuanced approach demonstrates that true creativity lies in enhancing an exceptional song, rather than overshadowing it with unnecessary embellishment.

The loss of his brother to suicide in 2019 profoundly affected Herrity's mental health, leading him to leave his previous band, Submariner, despite their rising success. To mark the first anniversary of his brother's passing, Herrity released "April Fools Day," a raw demo that drew unexpected acclaim from critics and industry insiders. It's All Indie praised the track as "nothing short of a masterpieceI can't praise it anymore," highlighting the surprising impact of such a raw piece.
Initially, Herrity's intention was to channel his grief into music as a personal expression. The attempt to use this initial buzz as a stepping stone for broader success felt misaligned with the authentic resonance of his work. The industry's conventional expectations clashed with what Herrity felt he was able to provide.

Herrity returns with new single "Lost Boys on September 27th, the first look at his debut album arriving in 2025 and is finishing the year with two special shows at The Joiners in Southampton and The Hope & Ruin in Brighton this December, following his appearance at the Isle of Wight Festival earlier this summer.

In live performances, Herrity's blend of intense emotional depth and offbeat humornaturally reflective of his working-class background'strikes a chord with audiences, making him refreshingly relatable and endearing. His ability to fuse profound personal narratives with an engaging stage presence has garnered a loyal following and a growing reputation as an artist to watch.

Described by Clash Magazine as reminiscent of The National and Ben Gibbard, Herrity also charts his own course with a raw yet literate songwriting voice.

To understand Herrity's sound, it helps to look at his influences. Drawing from the subtle emotional depth of Nick Drake, Sparklehorse, Mount Eerie, and Low, while also admiring the expansive sonic grandeur of Manchester Orchestra and This Will Destroy You, Herrity crafts music that reflects a broad emotional range. These diverse inspirations subtly shape his work, providing context to the profound yet nuanced sound that defines his artistry.