Factor 50 + The Issues + Poppyshow @ Cavern
Monday 13th October
Bristol-based quintet Factor 50 touch down somewhere between the boxes of Crank Wave, neo-folk and indie rock.
Support from Exeter bands The Issues and Poppyshow (see Artist Spotlight).
King King @ Exeter Phoenix
Tuesday 14th October
“What I love about playing in these venues is the connection between me and the audience! We can really build the atmosphere and excitement to make it a great night for everyone! ” Alan Nimmo
King King is a name synonymous with, not only great music and outstanding musicianship, but with, and perhaps even more importantly, having a damn good time every time.
Alan Nimmo is incapable of just sitting back when everything is going well and the accolades are flooding in. Absolutely not. He wants to take that level of excellence already achieved and turn it up a notch with every performance and every new release to try and become the best that he and his band can possibly be. And judging by public response he is most definitely succeeding.
The addition of Alan’s brother Stevie (guitar and vocals) to the already stunning line up of Jonny Dyke (keys), and fellow Scots Andrew Scott (drums) and Zander Greenshields (bass), the mighty King King is sounding arguably the best it ever has. A string of sold out performances on their latest tours is testament to just that.
It may well have been high profile support slots with the likes of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Thunder and Europe which opened King King’s music up to a much wider audience. But it was pure talent and hard work which got them there in the first place. The very same talent and hard work which has allowed them to continue on their ever widening path to success ever since.
Many may feel a need to pigeon hole music, to give it a name and a place. Not King King. King King’s music is the kind of music that makes people happy.
‘Best blues-rock band in the world’ Blues Rock Review
Cloud @ Exeter Phoenix
Wednesday 15th October
In a land of hate and mistrust, where witches are hunted, persecuted and condemned to death, one such creature receives a hazy prophecy of her future, triggering a journey of grief, manipulation and self acceptance that ends in flames and tears. Listen to the stories of love and loss – of mountains and oceans and of burning at the stake. Of floating, of sinking and of drawing down the moon; a story told through song, dance and magic. Be among the first to experience Cloud’s debut album in its haunting entirety.
Fantastic Stranger @ 12 Bar Music & Social
Thursday 16th October
Fantastic Stranger are an explosive sax trio redefining UK jazz with ferocious riffs, tender melodies, and fearless improvisation. Blending post-rock intensity, trip-hop grooves, and underground energy, their live shows are unpredictable, immersive, and unforgettable. Led by drummer/composer Ollie Grant, alongside Dave Colebourn on sax and Zach Bartlett on bass, the trio have lit up stages from Bristol Beacon to The Jam Jar, caught the eye of Sons of Kemet’s Theon Cross, and shared bills with Mercury nominees Corto Alto. 2024 also saw them open for rising heavyweights 137, cementing their reputation as one of the most exciting new acts in UK jazz. Expect intensity, creativity, and total immersion – a performance that will stay with you long after the final note.
**FFO:** Corto Alto, The Comet Is Coming, The Messthetics, Acoustic Ladyland
Presented by 12 Bar Music & Social.
This is an 18+ event
The Bluetones @ Exeter Phoenix
Thursday 16th October
“The Bluetones are a band tied to their Brit Pop past but with tunes that begin to transcend it too” Louder Than War
The Bluetones first came to prominence in 1995, when their debut release ‘Are You Blue Or Are You Blind’ broke into the Top 40. The single proved to be the launching pad for a run that saw 14 hit singles and 6 albums follow on from it.
From thereon, the band, made up of brothers Mark & Scott Morriss alongside Adam Devlin and Eds Chesters, enjoyed considerable UK and Ireland successes, extending out across into Europe and Japan, before taking a hiatus in 2011 that lasted for 4 years.
Since then they have re-established themselves as one of the UK’s most consistently entertaining live acts, regularly touring their extensive catalogue to their army of devoted fans.
2024 saw the band release the first new Bluetones material in 14 years, culminating in a packed out tour across the UK. In 2025, the promise of new music continues, as the band gear up to release more Bluetones joy into the world, alongside a huge tour, taking in some of the prominent cities and towns in the land.
“The Bluetones run the gamut from classic indie-pop to psychedelic-tinged rock with unselfconscious ease” The Scotsman
Helpless + Ian + Row Of Ashes @ Cavern
Thursday 16th October
HELPLESS ; Music can be used to convey a variety of emotions. Ecstasy, tragedy, misery, fear and OUTRIGHT F*****G HATRED. Carrying the burning torch of powerviolence from the depths of Plymouth, Helpless’ music is a gnarled exploration in savagery, drawing from the likes of Converge and Nails. It’s grinding, it’s nihilistic, it’s aggressive. New record ‘Caged In Gold’ OUT NOW via Church Road Records.
IAN: Hardcore noise merchants from London! (NOT the Dallas-based rapper and producer!!). With members of Tyler and Quiller Memorandum. Seen supporting the likes of SKLOSS and HOLY SCUM.
ROW OF ASHES: Post metal from Bristol. New LP TIDE INTO RUIN
Spyres + MASCA @ Cavern
Friday 17th October
Since their official formation in April 2019, Spyres have racked up over three million streams on Spotify alone, with break-out singles Otherside, Fake ID and I Don’t Care, all receiving an incredible outpouring of radio support from the likes of BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders, Radio X’s John Kennedy, BBC Introducing Scotland’s Phoebe I-H and Vic Galloway. The reaction to the band has been mirrored in press with fevered endorsements from DORK, Gigwise, The Scottish Sun, Daily Record, Tenement TV and Distorted Sound at a glance. Making a name for themselves on stage, Spyres supporting credentials include The Jesus And Mary Chain, Nothing But Thieves, The Snuts, Soft Cult to name a few. In spite of the pandemic, in 2021 Spyres made serious ground in the live space in their own right. Their headline show at Glasgow’s King Tuts on the Summer Nights programme sold-out in less than 24 hours of the onsale date, and months later, the band sold-out London’s Old Blue Last, Glasgow’s Stereo and Edinburgh’s Mash House. In addition to this, Spyres made their debut at a number of major festivals; TRNSMT, Neighborhood, Live At Leeds, including a headline slot on the This Feeling stage at Isle Of Wight Festival.
In 2022, the band released their highly anticipated debut EP ‘Dear Diary’, featuring the likes of Lost Without You & Test. Hitting the road for their first headline tour, Spyres took over the UK for a week on their ‘Dear Diary Tour’ selling out shows in Dundee, London and Leeds. Taking stage on the world renowned Barrowlands supporting local hero Declan Welsh & The Decadent West later on in the year, Spyres showed that they’re ready to take on these types of venues. This showed as they rocked their own headliner at Glasgow’s St Luke’s. Since then, Spyres have released a 5-track EP, ‘Karaoke Sellouts’. Showing their range of talent through tracks like ‘Money’ & ‘Sleep Forever’. This set up Spyres nicely into 2024 where they supported NewDad just before heading over to the USA to play New Colossus Festival, New York and SXSW, Austin, TX.
+ MASCA
Newton Faulkner @ Exeter Lemon Grove
Saturday 18th October
Dreadlocked, laidback surfer dude troubadour doing tricksy stuff with acoustic guitars.
The Da Freak
Saturday 18th October
On the road since 2017, TH DA FREAK released 6 albums and many EPs on french labels (Howlin banana, Flippin Freaks, Les Disques du Paradis…), playing a bit more than 150 shows in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Netherland and Italy. Lead by this blue hair guy named Thoineau Palis, the band likes to give fun shows, full of energy, dance and headbanging ! 2025 will be a busy year for TH DA FREAK : a new album is coming out, composed and recorded by the entire band, kind of a Pop Grunge masterpiece.
Inspired by 80s post-punk and 00s horror, Lantana concoct a gloomy, nostalgic atmosphere in every song, perfect for lonely late nights dreaming of what once was. Since their debut release in February, Lantana have received airplay on stations in England, Scotland, Spain and the US, quickly cementing their places in alternative corners across the globe.
The band’s sound is defined by deep baritone vocals, aggressive Linn drums and sharp guitar riffs, earning comparisons to post-punk greats Joy Division and the Cure
Lantana’s upcoming debut EP will release in late Autumn 2025 and focuses on themes of decay and stagnation. Singer/bassist Charlie Paterson wrote the EP after returning after years to the seaside town where he grew up, finding integral buildings in his life boarded up, empty or gone.
ABABCB magazine: ‘Bloc Party style riffs that could pack an arena and start an 80s goth revival’
