Topsham Brewery is an amazing music venue on Exeter Quay. The kind of place where the riverside setting, taproom atmosphere and laid-back crowd give even a small gig a real sense of occasion.

It also made a fitting setting for The Barefoot Bandit’s EP launch night on Friday, 15 May 2026, with support from EZ Dickens Trio. I talked to the BB before the gig, and we had a laugh about ticket sales: they said it was sold out, then said there were still eight tickets left, while one band member insisted he had sold them all, which apparently meant it was sold out after all!

John, who plays a variety of instruments as well as singing, and brings a sense of fun, told me the night was ‘all about reconnecting with our southwest fans who put us where we are and rekindling our love for them by doing the EP launch in Exeter’.

EZ Dickens Trio were as great as the last time I reviewed them for Involving Music (check that out here). There are a couple of covers on the EP, including their own spin of The Clash’s classic track “The Guns Of Brixton”. The BB brought lots of energy, turning the intimate upstairs room into something that felt much bigger than its walls. That easy humour carried into the set itself. Known for their blend of dub, reggae, brass-driven, and festival-ish sound, the Devon band sounded so good and was completely at home in front of a local crowd.

For a short review, the verdict is simple: lively, confident, sounded great and more than capable of making a brewery gig feel like the start of a very big summer.