The Pitmen Poets Dig Deep For Final Tour Honouring North East Mining Communities

The Pitmen Poets Dig Deep For Final Tour Honouring North East Mining Communities

The Pitmen Poets are back on the road for the first time in two years, paying tribute to the north east’s coal mining heritage. Billy Mitchell, Bob Fox, Benny Graham and Jez Lowe bring their night of songs and stories to The Customs House on Wednesday November 6 at 7.30pm.

The Pitmen Poets

Bringing together four giants of the traditional and contemporary folk world, the aim is to celebrate the triumphs, tragedy, humour and hard times of the region’s coal mining communities with north east humour and humanity.  Their music, song and spoken word performances are illustrated by atmospheric archive photography of the Northumberland and Durham coalfields.

The Pitman Poets said: “The 2017 tour was a blast and the audiences were fantastic. It was the biggest and most successful Poets tour so far and after taking a year off, we’re hoping to see everyone fit and well and up for some new songs and stories.” Billy spent much of the 1970s touring Europe with much-missed folk-rockers Jack the Lad before becoming one half of the hilarious Maxie & Mitch. 

When Lindisfarne knocked on his door in 1996, he fronted the band until they retired in 2003. Continuing to perform solo and with his band, he has more recently been touring The Lindisfarne Story with his pal Ray Laidlaw.  Bob has twice been nominated as Folk Singer of the Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Through his masterful interpretation of traditional and contemporary songs he's become a favourite on the national and international folk circuit. Recently he's played the role of Songman in The National Theatre’s West End production of Warhorse and the UK, Ireland and South Africa touring production.

From Easington Colliery in County Durham, Jez is a much-covered and much-travelled songwriter and singer, with around 20 albums to his name, as well as a long-running role as a principle writer for the award-winning BBC series, The Radio Ballads.  Benny served his musical apprenticeship in the folksong clubs of the north east, developing a love of rural songs, and the music which grew from the heavy industries of coal, steel and ship building. Following years working in the UK and Europe as a solo performer, he's recently been working as an actor and songwriter.

Tickets for The Pitman Poets: The Final Tour are priced from £20 and are available from the box office on (0191) 454 1234 or online at www.customshouse.co.uk.