Events

Martin Turner and his band return to the concert stages in Autumn 2019 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the formation of the original Wishbone Ash and perform two classic albums in their entirety – 1971’s Pilgrimage and 1976’s New England – plus other classic tracks.

Wishbone Ash was formed by West Country musicians Martin Turner and Steve Upton, who arrived in London in 1969 to embark on their musical journey. Intent on creating a musical sound that was rich in texture and melody, Martin Turner envisaged the band’s innovative harmony-guitar hallmark and guitarists Ted Turner and Andy Powell were recruited via a now legendary Melody Maker advert. The partnership of the original line-up of Wishbone Ash forged a unique musical identity that would produce some of rock music's best loved works and influencing numerous successful bands, resulting in millions of album sales and concert attendances. Wishbone Ash would become one of the most enduring British rock acts - its name synonymous with high quality guitar-driven melodic rock music.

Five decades later, the music of the classic line-ups of Wishbone Ash continues to delight audiences worldwide through both live performances and a rich legacy of recorded work that continues to be enjoyed by fans old and new. Classic album releases such as Wishbone Ash, Argus, Pilgrimage, There’s the Rub, New England and Live Dates defined the Wishbone Ash sound and have touched the hearts of several generations of music fans. As lead vocalist and key creative force, founding original member Martin Turner was central to the critical and commercial success of Wishbone Ash’s most revered albums, with his passionate vocal delivery, songwriting ability and keen melodic sense being major ingredients in the definitive Wishbone Ash sound. Martin Turner continues to perform the band’s best loved works with his current line-up, which features guitarists Danny Willson and Misha Nikolic, and drummer Tim Brown.

In recent years Martin Turner has delighted audiences worldwide with his performances of material from the classic periods of Wishbone Ash’s history. Martin’s 2019 touring continues his exploration of the Wishbone Ash catalogue and follows the release of a deluxe 30-disc Wishbone Ash career retrospective CD boxed-set entitled The Vintage Years 1970-1991 as well as Martin Turner’s 2016-recorded 2CD/DVD package The Beauty of Chaos – Live at the Citadel.

Released in September 1971 and featuring the celebrated original Wishbone Ash line-up of Martin Turner, Steve Upton, Ted Turner and Andy Powell, Pilgrimage built on the creative and commercial successes of the band’s 1970 debut album Wishbone Ash and paved the way for the classic 1972 album Argus, earning the band “Best New Band” awards in the UK’s music press. Featuring a diverse range of influences such as blues, jazz, folk and rock, Pilgrimage contained mainstays of the Wishbone Ash’s live set such as “Jail Bait” and “The Pilgrim” as well as fan favourites “Vas Dis” and “Valediction”. Resplendent in its distinctive Hipgnosis-designed album sleeve, Pilgrimage reached number 14 on the UK album chart. The Autumn 2019 tour will mark the very first time Pilgrimage has been performed in full.

Released in October 1976 and featuring the Wishbone Ash “Mark 2” line-up of Martin Turner, Steve Upton, Andy Powell and guitarist Laurie Wisefield (who had joined Wishbone Ash in 1974), New England marked a return to form for Wishbone Ash after the relatively disappointing response to its predecessor Locked In. New England was written and recorded in the loose environment of a basement rehearsal facility set up at Martin Turner’s Connecticut home, resulting in an album that was brimming with live energy. With a mix of powerful rock numbers such as “Runaway” and “Mother of Pearl”, alongside melodic cuts like “Lorelei” and “You Rescue Me”, the album was an instant crowd-pleaser. The band’s twin-guitar hallmark had never sounded so vibrant as on the album’s instrumental showcase “Outward Bound” and New England highlighted all that was great about this much-loved band. New England was first performed in full by Martin Turner and his band during their Spring 2019 tour and has been retained as part of the programme for the Autumn 2019 shows due to overwhelming public demand.
The Wishbone Gold tour is an event that no Wishbone Ash fan or classic rock aficionado will want to miss.

Tickets £18 / £16 concessions.
Doors open 7.30pm, show starts 8pm