
rise @ bluebird is our Acomb evening arts venue.
The space regularly plays host to live music, spoken word, art exhibitions, theatre, comedy, family- friendly nights and much more.
Rise aims to be a vibrant and independently-run creative hub, driven by love and support from the local community - and an ardent sense of adventure.
Pop down and check us out - we’re looking forward to you helping shape this place just as much as we do.


Gallery
What's on
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Cole Stacey ‘Postcards From Lost Places’ Album Launch Show
‘POSTCARDS FROM LOST PLACES’
ALBUM LAUNCH SHOW
“Soft, pop-aware voice describing a life alive with motion” – The Independent
Cole Stacey is a visceral and lyrical songwriter, singer and musician who has roamed the highest diverse echelons of British folk, 80s pop, spoken word and ambient electronics. From The Royal Albert Hall to The Westfalenhalle Arena, from 700-year-old castles in Gdansk to Glastonbury Festival.
With explorations into traditional songwriting and verse in his blood, Cole will be releasing his extraordinarily honest debut album ‘Postcards From Lost Places’ in early 2025 to audiences far beyond his Dartmoorian horizons. Offering regeneration as its theme while being rooted in tradition, at its heart is a symbiosis of ‘lost’ places and forgotten words, stretching as far back as the 13th century, paired with Cole’s distinctive lyrical songwriting and soft pop vocals mixed with singular field recordings. Collaborations include traditional Lithuanian Kanklės virtuoso Emilija Karaliute, BBC Radio 2 Folk Award Nominee Jack Cookson and electronic producer and composer Guy Andrews. Each track, or postcard, is imaginatively and lovingly recorded on location in spaces that to the outside world are easily overlooked, yet continue to endure.
As one half of alt-folk duo India Electric Company alongside Joseph O’Keefe, Cole has recently been found on prime-time live sessions for BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music with KLOF declaring them “one of the truly pioneering acts in folk music” and BBC Radio 1 describing them as “A full musical odyssey”.
Since 2015 Cole has been accompanying legendary pop icon Midge Ure on everything from mandolin to bass Guitar, analogue synthesizers to vocals, across sold-out tours of Australia, New Zealand, UK, Scandinavia and Germany. Shows with the Human League at Hammersmith Apollo and headline concerts at the likes of The Royal Albert Hall have been plentiful in recent years.
Cole will be performing this debut album live in full for the first time at these handpicked unique live shows in the UK in Spring 2025, each venue selected for its resonance with lost and regenerated places and personal connection to him.
“Cole’s soaring vocals were a highlight of an electrifying performance, nothing short of mesmerizing” – Scottish Music Network
Website www.colestacey.net - 14/02/2025
18:00:00
DJ Nights
Free
Into The Groove Valentines Special
Love is in the air! Our usual eighties vinyl extravaganza with a Valentines twist!
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DBC3 Live
Welcoming Dbc3!!!
A true gem in the city's live scene...
Original Electro Dub Rockers bringing synthy, bone shaking bass infused vibes everytime.
Dbc3 have played live sets through many U.K sound systems, Reggae nights & Festivals including Equinox, Eden, Northern Green Gathering + many more…
Dbc3 have collaborated & had support with their releases from Simma @ Dub Junction Records, Dub Defenders, DJI (Digi), Pinus Mungo, King Shiloh,' Jah love Sound System, Roots Yard Radio, Reel Roots Radio, Roots Train Radio, Reggae Be, Soundmag.club, Culture Dub, to name but a few.......
The Collective are Geeky (Bass, sitar, production), CJ Chi, (Percussion, dubbing, production) & Dandy Dizzle (Lyrical hitman) + they are inviting special guest Nikki H for this date adding extra vocal magic. - 16/02/2025
15:00-21:00
Family Friendly Activities
Free
BYO Vinyl
Bag your 30 minutes of fame! Spin your tunes at our BYO Vinyl Sundays.
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Wychbury and Rosie Brownhill
Wychbury has been carving out a space for themselves within the folk scene, earning recognition alongside fellow rising stars, Maddie Morris, Broadside Hacks and Frankie Archer in Tradfolk's esteemed article, 'Young Folk Musicians You Need To Hear'. Their journey has taken them to the stages of some of the country's most renowned festivals, including multiple appearances at Glastonbury, on the Greenpeace Stage in 2022 and in the Green Futures Field in 2023.
Hailing from Stourbridge, West Midlands, Che and Rhiannon's musical partnership spans over a decade, a testament to their enduring bond and shared artistic vision. At the core of their sound lies Che Bradley's intricate finger-picking guitar and Rhiannon Kenny-McGrath's captivating vocals. Their music is a tapestry woven with threads of tradition and innovation, with a blend of acoustic instrumentation and modern production techniques, Wychbury breathes new life into age-old narratives, offering a fresh perspective for contemporary listeners.
Sharing stages with esteemed artists like John Francis Flynn, Rachael Newton (The Furrow Collective), and Rusty Shackle, Wychbury has cemented their reputation as ones to watch. - 23/02/2025
15:00-21:00
Family Friendly Activities
Free
BYO Vinyl
Bag your 30 minutes of fame! Spin your tunes at our BYO Vinyl Sundays.
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Rise Up!
Join us to welcome Antony Dunn, Lisa Coates & Nathan Walker to our bakery stage! DOORS 7.30PM, SHOW 8.30PM. Antony Dunn has published four collections of poems; Pilots and Navigators, Flying Fish, Bugs and, most recently, Take This One to Bed (Valley Press). Winner of the Newdigate Prize and an Eric Gregory Award, he is a regular tutor for The Poetry School and the Arvon Foundation. He has worked on translation projects with poets from Holland, Hungary, China and Israel, and has been Poet in Residence at the University of York, Ilkley Literature Festival and the People Powered Press. He was Artistic Director of Bridlington Poetry Festival from 2012 until 2018.
www.antonydunn.org Lisa J Coates is a multi-disciplinary artist, working as a musician, writer, and opera director. She has poetry published in Southbank Poetry Magazine, Northern Gravy, York Literary Review, Bad Lilies, and Anthropocene, and has undertaken commissions for Risky Cities, and Hull Maritime. She was mentored by Helen Mort and in 2023 was awarded an DYCP to develop her writing for the stage. A classically trained mezzo-soprano she has performed internationally on stage and in concert, recorded for labels such as Naxos and Delphian and appeared on television and radio. Lisa J Coates is a multi-disciplinary artist, working as a musician, writer, and opera director. She has poetry published in Southbank Poetry Magazine, Northern Gravy, York Literary Review, Bad Lilies, and Anthropocene, and has undertaken commissions for Risky Cities, and Hull Maritime. She was mentored by Helen Mort and in 2023 was awarded an DYCP to develop her writing for the stage. A classically trained mezzo-soprano she has performed internationally on stage and in concert, recorded for labels such as Naxos and Delphian and appeared on television and radio. Nathan Walker is an artist and writer from West Cumbria. Nathan works across and between performance art and poetry, exploring both the body and the page as sites for vocal exploration and the manipulation of sound and speech.Their scores and poetry have been published in books, magazines and journals most recently in the anthology 100 Queer Poems edited by Mary Jean Chan & Andrew McMillan (Vintage 2022), Prototype Anthology 5 (UK), Tripwire (USA), & Pamenar Magazine Online (UK).Their first collection of poetry, Skirting, was published by Broken Sleep Books in 2024. They have published two books of language-based artworks, Condensations (uniform books) & Action Score Generator (if p then q). They are course lead for Fine Art at York St John University. - 01/03/2025
18:00-23:00
DJ Nights
Free
Elvis!
A DJ session celebrating 90 years of the king of Rock n Roll
- 02/03/2025
15:00-21:00
Family Friendly Activities
Free
BYO Vinyl
Bag your 30 minutes of fame! Spin your tunes at our BYO Vinyl Sundays.
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International Women's Day event: Going the journey
Join us for a creative and playful workshop to celebrate International Women's Week, hosted by Bryony Rowntree!
- 06/03/2025
18:00-23:00
DJ Nights
Free
Under the Influence - De La Soul
A journey into the musical output of De La Soul - the scene they emerged from, their influences as a band and the sounds they influenced.
DJ set curated by Mat Lazenby & Ed Heaton -
Gary Stewart
Gary Stewart is a singer/songwriter from Perthshire who cut his teeth performing on the Leeds Music Scene for 15 years before moving to York where he currently resides. Stewart writes songs in the Folk/Pop vein and is influenced by the Folk Artists of the '60's and '70's (Paul Simon/James Taylor/The Eagles/Joni Mitchell/Carole King).
The Scottish Songsmith has released 4 albums to date, his latest, 'Lost, Now Found',self-recorded, produced and released in June 2021. The debut single, 'Leopard' received steady A-List radio play on YO1 Radio, BBC Radio Scotland and Amazing Radio and the second single, 'Hot To Trot', features backing vocals from Rosie Doonan (Birdy/Peter Gabriel). His debut record, 'Boy Cries Wolf', garnered much praise from Janice Long and was played on Radio 2 courtesy of Steve Lamacq. The left-hander is also no stranger to the festival circuit, having played Kendal Calling, Green Man, Shrewsbury, Towersey, Wickham and Beardy Folk Festival to name but a few.
When not performing his own music, the multi-instrumentalist busies himself playing drums for Hope & Social and bass for Leeds-based Fleetwood Mac Tribute, Weetwood Mac(ex-Ellen & The Escapades). He also fronts his own reworking of Paul Simon's Classic Album, 'Graceland', with a seven-piece band who have played many a Theatre and Festival, including Shrewsbury, Towersey, Costa Del Folk, Moonbeams and Underneath the Stars.
'That's Pop with Pizzaz' - For Folks Sake
'Reminiscent of a 1960's bedsit-era Paul Simon' - Northern Sky
'Definitely onto a winner' - This Is Fake D.I.Y - 09/03/2025
15:00-21:00
Family Friendly Activities
Free
BYO Vinyl
Bag your 30 minutes of fame! Spin your tunes at our BYO Vinyl Sundays.
- 14/03/2025
18:00:00
DJ Nights
Free
On My Way
Our Northern Soul residency with Michael Toy & Dan Guest (Brighton Beach). Expect Northern soul classics along with some upbeat Motown to get you moving. Don't forget your talcum powder!
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White Sail
White Sail - Alt-folk chroniclers of Love, Life, Land & Sea…
White Sail are York-based trio Sarah Dean, Jane Stockdale & Chris Bartram. With a glorious melding of harmony vocals & guitars, mandolin, Celtic harp, Appalachian dulcimer, shruti box, trumpet, flute, woodwinds & percussion, the trio weave its unique magic on the contemporary & traditional. Taking inspiration from nature, history & heritage they write about love, life, the land and the sea. Their stories are told with passion and sublime musicality, set against soundscapes that are joyous, vibrant, gentle and mesmeric.
White Sail have recently toured twice with Liam O’Maonlai, charismatic frontman of Hothouse Flowers, acting as his support, and also taking on the role of ‘house band’!
A very busy diary of engagements in 2025 sees White Sail performing all over the north of England. Catch them here in the fab setting of rise @Bluebird
“White Sail are rooted in the music of the people and the music of the land. There is a heart driven energy in the way they share their music and songs…we made a lot of music together venturing into the unknown .” Liam O’Maonlai (HOTHOUSE FLOWERS)
I know you're going to enjoy this...a band to listen out for..." DJ Phil Meek (RADIO CAROLINE)
"...this (WINTERTIDE) looks wonderful…and it's great to hear the band is doing well" Steve Hackett (Guitar God, ex GENESIS)
Website: www.whitesailband.com - 16/03/2025
15:00-21:00
Family Friendly Activities
Free
BYO Vinyl
Bag your 30 minutes of fame! Spin your tunes at our BYO Vinyl Sundays.
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Jazz @ Rise: Jamie Taylor and Jamil Sheriff
The musical association and friendship between Jamil and Jamil goes back over twenty years, and they have performed together in settings ranging from intimate small groups, through to large ensembles such as Jamil’s own big band. Performing here as a duo, they hope to channel some of this shared history and musical empathy, taking inspiration in the process from great jazz piano/guitar collaborations such as those of Bill Evans with Jim Hall and Fred Hersch with Bill Frisell.
One of the UK’s most respected jazz guitarists, Jamie Taylor's swinging, lyrical playing has seen him perform at legendary London venues such as Ronnie Scott’s, The Vortex, and The Troubadour, along with many other jazz clubs across the country and beyond. He has worked with a long list of top-flight jazz musicians from Europe and the US, amongst them Wayne Escoffery, Sebastiaan DeKrom, John Goldsby, John Stowell, and Baptiste Herbin. Jamie is also very active as a teacher, and is a Principal Lecturer in Jazz Guitar at Leeds Conservatoire.
“Appreciate him, guys. He's world class.” Two-time DownBeat award winning US guitarist John Stowell
Jamil Sheriff is a celebrated jazz pianist, composer, and educator based in Leeds. Over the past two decades, he has established himself as a significant figure in the British jazz scene, known for his innovative compositions and skilful, expressive playing. Jamil’s career is marked by a diverse range of projects, from leading his own ensembles, such as the Jamil Sheriff Octet and Big Band, to collaborating with prominent British jazz musicians. His discography showcases his versatility, with acclaimed albums like Daydreams and Places Like This receiving praise for their melodic sophistication and compositional depth.
“Excellent northern pianist who brings together a range of classic , contemporary and urban approaches.” The Times -
SOBAR!
SOBAR is back! Our sober dance night (with a brilliant mixtape soundtrack) returns by popular demand - after a fantasric and bust inaugural event back in January. Tickets fly for this so don't delay. Come and be part of this lively friendly evening for a night out you won't regret. Whether you are sober, sober curious, off the booze or just fancy something a bit different, you are very welcome to this unique and uplifting alcohol-free night - the first of it's kind in York!
- 23/03/2025
15:00-21:00
Family Friendly Activities
Free
BYO Vinyl
Bag your 30 minutes of fame! Spin your tunes at our BYO Vinyl Sundays.
- 30/03/2025
15:00-21:00
Family Friendly Activities
Free
BYO Vinyl
Bag your 30 minutes of fame! Spin your tunes at our BYO Vinyl Sundays.
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York International Shakespeare Festival: Macbeth (solo)
Presented by award winning theatre company The Shakespeare Edit
This thrilling monodrama has played to sold out venues in Italy, Latvia, London, and at United Solo Theatre Festival in NYC where the production won the award for Best International Show.
Performed by Artistic Director Paul Goodwin, and created in collaboration with Ukrainian composer Dmitriy Saratsky, this 50 minute dramatic monologue is storytelling at its best; with psychological depth, superb verse speaking, dynamic physicality and a brilliant soundscape bringing Shakespeare's tale of ambition, murder, and madness fully alive for contemporary audiences.
"Paul Goodwin's astonishing performance condenses and crystallises the tragedy of Macbeth into a non-stop stream of consciousness roller coaster...utterly compelling." - LondonTheatre1 More events coming soon!