Concert goers in the north east are in for a harmonious treat as a father and son duo take to the road for two rare appearances.
Ex Lindisfarne front man Billy Mitchell and his son Tom will be playing together at different ends of the region next month when they bring their musical talents to Alnwick and Washington.
Billy, who served his musical apprenticeship with Jack the Lad and Lindisfarne has recently toured the UK with Ray Laidlaw performing The Lindisfarne Story says he is looking forward to the gigs and in particular having the chance to work closely with Tom.
“I’m just back from a mammoth tour of the UK with Ray that was great fun to do but doing more than 40 shows in three months makes you appreciate home and family too. Tom is very talented and it will be fun to play on stage with him.”
Having a musical father, it was perhaps inevitable that Tom would follow in his father’s footsteps. His debut CD, Paper Thin Walls was produced by Billy and contains a collection of songs by well known artists such as James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen and of course, Alan Hull.
“We’re a very musical family,” said Tom. “It’s very natural to us both and I’m looking forward to combining my favourite tracks from the album with my dad’s huge back catalogue of songs too.”
And a huge back catalogue it is too from five decades of entertaining the public all around the world as Billy explains.
“The people at Alnwick and Washington can expect to hear songs from my solo albums, ‘Backtracking’ and ‘Devils Ground’, songs from my times with Lindisfarne and Jack the Lad, plus songs from Toms solo album all interwoven with humour and stories from our experiences in the music business.”
Billy and Tom can be seen at:
Friday 5th Dec
Billy and Tom Mitchell
Alnwick Playhouse, Norhumberland
Tel: 01665 510785
Saturday 6th Dec
Billy & Tom Mitchell
Davy Lamp Folk Club, Washington Arts Centre, Biddick Lane, Fatfield, District 7, Washington, Tyne & Wear, NE38 8AB
Tel: 0191 2193455