Jon Gomm

Event information

Jon Gomm is widely viewed as one of the most prominent acoustic guitar players in the world. He has appeared on BBC Breakfast, the front page of Reddit, and Stephen Fry's Twitter feed. His video for 'Passionflower' has received over 4 million views on YouTube and the past few years have seen him perform to packed rooms all over the planet.

Suddenly being catapulted from cult obscurity to mainstream acceptance has been a strange experience for someone so devoted to his craft, and Jon is an unlikely star and remains very much true to his roots in the acoustic circuit of the North of England.

Jon is a truly and fiercely independent artist. He has deliberately worked with his own label and has sought no mainstream industry support. Instead he relies on mostly online social networks for promotion and good old fashioned word-of-mouth. He has defied the odds with a huge, truly supportive fanbase resulting in headline tours from Australia, Canada and the USA to China and South Africa. His debut CD Hypertension has sold over 50,000 copies at the time of writing, and his latest CD Don’t Panic sold out within 3 days of appearing on Amazon. His videos are watched tens of thousands of times within hours of appearing on Youtube. He is currently releasing a series of Pay What You Want singles, with a new fan-funded album Secrets Nobody Keeps out later in 2013.

Mike Dawes achieved what appeared to be overnight fame in 2012 when his cover of 'Somebody That I Used To Know' went viral and achieved over 1 million views in a matter of days. In actual fact he had spent years honing his craft and playing all over England. His surprise success came months after logistical and health problems nearly scuppered his career completely.

Opening the show will be Petteri Sariola, who is one of the finest solo-guitar players in all of Finland and with a great voice too. He is visiting the UK on a short tour and we're very lucky to have acquired him for this date.