Bellowhead in Newcastle Upon Tyne

Bellowhead, the English folk band that reformed for periodic anniversary tours after splitting in 2016, bring their eleven-piece line-up to Newcastle upon Tyne. Between them the members play more than twenty instruments -- melodeons, fiddles, cellos and guitars alongside a four-piece brass section and percussion -- reworking traditional English dance tunes, folk songs and sea shanties into arrangements that pull from music hall and brass-band traditions. The band's reunion shows, staged periodically since 2020 to mark milestones including their twentieth anniversary in 2024, have leaned on that same large-ensemble sound rather than a stripped-back format. Expect a loud, full-stage show built for a big room rather than an acoustic set.