Rob Heron & Conrad Bird

Rob Heron and Conrad Bird play The Voodoo Rooms on Friday 20 November, part of a country-wide tour promoting their new solo releases. It's a double bill of two songwriters coming from different corners of the north — Heron from the Lake District, now based in Newcastle, and Bird from North Yorkshire.

Heron has spent the last fifteen years touring the world with his band, The Tea Pad Orchestra, folding classic country, gypsy-swing, rhythm & blues and rockabilly into his original songs. He's well known for his live performances and dry stage humour, and has shared stages with Americana acts like Pokey LaFarge, The Dead South and Sierra Ferrell. This year he's recording his first solo record since 2008, delving deeper into a lonesome country sound and yodelling cowboy songs.

Conrad Bird is a rambling rover from North Yorkshire who spent more than a decade fronting the festival act Holy Moly & The Crackers. He's returning to his roots with a brand-new solo EP of poetic folk songs and Dylan-inspired balladeering; his gravelly voice and on-stage storytelling make for a charming show. Between them, the night brings together two distinct takes on the folk and country tradition — one leaning into the lonesome, yodelling side of things, the other into storytelling and Dylan-esque folk.

The gig is at The Speakeasy at The Voodoo Rooms, 19a West Register Street, EH2 2AA, starting at 7:30pm. Tickets are £15, and the night is strictly for over-18s.