Damian Lewis

Damian Lewis plays District on Saturday 17 October, as part of the tour for his second album, Sweet Chaos. If you know him better from the screen than the stage, it's worth a bit of context first: he's a BAFTA, Emmy, and Golden Globe winner, but he's been playing since long before the acting took over. After leaving school, he spent time busking across continental Europe with his guitar, and he's talked about that period as something that still informs the raw authenticity of his work. He kept playing at wrap parties throughout his career, but it wasn't until lockdown that he seriously considered making a record. The idea was to trace his journey from those early busking days to where he is now.

Sweet Chaos is a bolder, rawer collection of songs than his first, backed by a rootsy, bluesy sound. He teamed up with American jazz musician Giacomo Smith, and that partnership led him to play his own songs in public and put together a band with himself at the front. Since then, the live side of things has grown: a festival appearance at Wilderness sparked more shows, and packed gigs at London's Omeara, Koko, the Tabernacle, and Hoxton Hall drew glowing reviews, with critics calling him a compelling performer. He's also played the Cheltenham Jazz Festival and Black Deer Festival, and staged his biggest headline show to date at Union Chapel in London.

So, on the night, it's Lewis fronting his own band, playing through the material from Sweet Chaos — the same set he's been taking around the UK. It's a rootsy, bluesy sound that comes from a musician who spent his early years playing on the street, rather than someone stepping out of a studio for the first time. The gig is at District, 61 Jordan Street, Liverpool, L1 0BP, on Saturday 17 October, with doors opening at 7:00 PM.