News, events and insights at Caffe Portico.
After the toe tapping evening we had on Wednesday, courtesy of the very talented duo Jinski, we want to keep the ball rolling! We will be welcoming Liteside, a firm favourite at Caffe Portico, on Saturday 24th September.
Liteside are a Newark based band and have been playing together for the past 8 years. Their six piece outfit (3 horns, 3 rhythm) have played in all the Newark jazz festivals and at Caffe Portico on many occasions.
Liteside’s smooth, melodic tunes mean you don’t have to be a jazz buff to enjoy them; they call it “jazz for people who don’t think they like jazz”. Their foot-tapping swing & Latin tunes and smooth ballads make for sweet listening. Think Duke Ellington meets Jools Holland and you’ll be in the right area.
Follow this link to have a listen, they’ve put together a compilation to give you a flavour of what a Liteside jazz evening will be like.
Tickets are an absolute steal at £6 so pick up yours while we still have seats available!
As usual a special menu will be prepared, the food being nearly as much of a treat as the music!
We hope to see as many of you there as possible, its not a night to miss, call 07956653156 for more details.
After the last season of music ended we have had a short break to establish our pizza nights on a weekly basis. Now we are serving pizza every Friday. However in that time we have had multiple enquiries about when the next music nights will be held. You spoke and we listened. So, the next music will be on Wednesday 17th August, followed by a new programme of live acts for you all to enjoy. To kick us off we will be welcoming the fantastic duo Jinski.
Recently they appeared live on BBC 1 The One Show and were featured on Channel 4 News. They also just opened for Lindisfarne at The Palace of Arts Newcastle on 3rd June.
Based in Newcastle Upon-Tyne, JINSKI are song writer Stephen Wegrzynski and musician Dave Kennedy. Their music touches the borders of folk, country, and pop, keeping alive the song writing tradition whilst remaining resolutely modern. JINSKI tell stories that capture the mundane and the magic in everyday life.
They have supported O’Hooley & Tidow, Martin & Eliza Carthy and The Poozies last year and headlined the 12 Bar Club in London, also playing on the main stage at Broadstairs Folk festival.
They have just supported US band The Grahams on several of their dates last November at The Met Bury & The Musician in Leicester.
Their music has been described as ‘Folk for Modern Ears’ – MAVERICK magazine
In addition they had an article in Feb/Mar R2 Rock n Reel magazine:
If you would like to hear them in action this is a link to their most recent live video:
And to listen to more tracks go to
Check out their Facebook Twitter and Website for more about the band.
Tickets are now on sale at the Caffe for only £6, you can call 07956653156 to reserve tickets. The event will run as usual, a specially prepared menu will be served from 7.30pm and music to start at 8.30pm. We hope to see as many of you here as possible for another great night of music at Caffe Portico.
Ryan Farmer has taken influence from sounds of the Mississippi Delta, the traditional folk of the Appalachian Mountains and the Honky Tonk of a Texas bar room and will be bringing his unique blend of gospel, country and blues here, to us at Caffè Portico on the 9th April. So prepare for songs to make you dance, drink and cry in the space of a few minutes.
After the success of his debut Worries & Troubles in 2014 (I’m Not From London Records), Ryan is back with more tales of whiskey, women and worry. Ryan’s music has been praised across the midlands for the last two years:
“In fact, if it’s modern blues you’re looking for, you can’t go far wrong with this record. Chuck it on while you’re having a bottle of beer and a cigarette, then listen to it again when your head’s pounding the next morning.” – Leftlion
Here’s a link to his most recent videos.
Tickets are only £5 from the Caffe, call 07956653156 to reserve tickets.
With the start of March the live music season will be getting into full swing at Caffe Portico. Our first live act, Franc Cinelli, has already sold out, however there will be many more in the coming months.
Mali & Me will be our next event on the 18th March. The local duo are bringing back the old fashioned piano and vocal combination, reviving this old tradition with some of their favourite Jazz and RnB tunes. This is the perfect act to have a relaxed evening with good food, wine and music.
Here are a couple of their tracks:
A cover of Nora Jones, I don’t know why.
Their first original track Right Here – Live at Leeds Corn Exchange.
Tickets are £6 from the Caffe or call 07956653156 to reserve.
We’ve already sold half the places available so don’t delay!
You have all been very patient with us, but we can now say that music nights at Caffe Portico are now back!
We will be kicking off with two events in March; with more to follow in the coming months.
The First will be Franc Cinelli, an Italian born singer, songwriter who has toured the Uk, USA and Italy and will be bring his unique combination of Folk, country and Rock n’Roll here on March 4th
Here’s a link to his site: http://www.franccinelli.com
Following, on the 18th March, will be a fantastic local duo Mali and Me, a group who combine Jazz and RnB to create the perfect atmosphere to wine and dine, relax and listen to great music.
Check out their Facebook and a few of tracks here: https://www.facebook.com/maliandmeofficial
Tickets will be available from the Caffe or you can reserve by calling 07956653156.
For each event we will be serving a specially prepared dinner menu, please let us know if you wish to dine with us when collecting your tickets.
Don’t miss out on the return of live music to Caffe Portico and we hope to see you all soon.