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
- 20/06/2025
18:00:00
DJ Nights
Free
Into The Groove
An eighties vinyl extravaganza!
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June Rise Up!
Our monthly celebration of poetry and spoken word - join us to welcome Rosie Garland, JP Seabright and Spencer Wood! ROSIE GARLAND writes poetry, fiction, song lyrics & sings with post-punk band The March Violets. Poetry collection What Girls Do in the Dark (Nine Arches) was shortlisted for the Polari Prize 2021. Her new collection, ‘This Is How I Fight’ (Nine Arches Press) is the Observer Poetry Book of the Month for June 2025.
Val McDermid has named her one of the UK’s most compelling LGBT+ writers, & in 2023 she was made Fellow of The Royal Society of Literature. JP Seabright (she/they) is a queer disabled writer living in London. They have six solo pamphlets published and four collaborations, encompassing poetry, prose and experimental work. They have been nominated for Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, Forward Prize, and shortlisted (twice) for a Saboteur Award for Best Collaborative Work. More info at https://jpseabright.com via Twitter/X @errormessage and @jpseabright everywhere else. Spencer Wood (he/him) is a writer, facilitator and performer living in Leeds. His poetry and non-fiction has been published in journals and anthologies such as 14 Poems, Hinterland, And Other Poems, Broken Sleep and Modern Queer Poets among others. Spencer was recently awarded a Fast Track Cities grant to create Erasure Poetry posters to fight HIV stigma in Leeds and works for The Reader to lead shared reading groups in criminal justice settings.
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David Ward Maclean CD and Book Launch
Doors 7:30pm
"I’m absolutely thrilled to share an evening of music with the marvellous Steve Kendra at the Bluebird Bakery, where I’ll be launching the release of a new CD, Sold As Seen, a beautifully edited and mastered selection of demos and live recordings, and a book of my lyrics from the last 20 years or so. Do join us." - 29/06/2025
10:00:00
Family Friendly Activities
Free
Summer Makers' Fair
Join us for our Summer Makers' Fair - expect an incredible collection of crafts, jewellery, candles, wood-turned gifts, prints, ceramics, plants and much more! These events are always popular, working with local creatives and makers to bring an array of wonderful products - all under one roof!
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The Sunday Social Comedy Club
Join us for The Sunday Social Comedy Club at Rise, Bluebird Bakery, Acomb. We're bringing another night of pure laughter, with a fresh lineup of five fantastic comedians that'll have you howling. Expect a mix of hilarious local talent and rising stars from across the comedy circuit, all hosted by the brilliant John Pease. Why join us? The Sunday Social Comedy Club isn't just another comedy night – it's a good time, surrounded by great people and even greater laughs. Whether you're coming with mates, a date, or just fancy a solo night out, you'll leave with a sore belly from laughing so much.
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Dawn Landes
PPY presents Dawn Landes: Dawn Landes is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Originally from around Louisville, Kentucky but spent many years living and performing in Brooklyn, New York. As a recording artist she has released five full-length albums: dawn's music (2005), Fireproof (2008), Sweetheart Rodeo (2010), Bluebird (2014) and Meet Me At The River (2018) as well as five EPs: Straight Lines (2006), Two Three Four (2006), Mal Habillée (2012), Covers EP (2014) and Desert Songs (2015).
In support of her releases, Landes has toured extensively in the US, Europe and around the world, often sharing the stage with artists such as Ray Lamontagne, Feist, Andrew Bird, José González, The Weakerthans, Midlake, Suzanne Vega, and Sufjan Stevens.
- 03/07/2025
18:00:00
Exhibition
Free
Art Preview
Join us for the art preview to launch the exhibition of Clare M Wood. All wecome for nibbles and to get a first look at theses wonderful artworks.
- 04/07/2025
18:00:00
DJ Nights
Free Entry
Resurrection - Indie Revival
Matt Aston is back with the best Indie tunes from the 80's & 90's.
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Tropica! Live - Kasai Masai
¡TROPICA! dancers we are back once again!
Next up, we present another returning band – Kasai Masai – who last played for us in June 2024 when it's fair to say were it not for the martial arts club upstairs they'd have taken the roof off!!!
Kasai Masai are superb musicians reeling out sublime Congolese grooves of Rumba and Soukous with much style & substance and you'd need to go a long way to find another guitarist as accomplished as Otis Lumumba. Kasai Masai also tour as the house band for one of Congolese music's biggest global stars – Kanda Bongo Man – expect audio fireworks!
This event is going to be a popular and guaranteed SELL OUT after last years capacity wall to wall dance - do not forget your dancing shoes!!!
And as always keeping the grooves bubbling... DJ support from Drummie Dave and Mark Thompson.
IMPORTANT - Please note this is a STANDING ONLY show as last time it was very crowded and we wish to maximise the space for dancing! - 06/07/2025
15:00:
Family Friendly Activities
Free
BYO Vinyl
Our now monthly slot for playing the best vinyl in town - yours! Pop in for a half hour slot on the decks.
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The Weeping Willows
The Weeping Willows are a couple of old souls, steeped in Bluegrass tradition and draped in Gothic Americana imagery. Multiple award winners, they tell stories of sunshine and romance, God and The Devil, murder and decay. ..."stunning acoustic guitarvwork, heavenly harmonies, and a haunting melody rooted in American Gothic." Pop Matters (USA)
- 19/07/2025
18:00
DJ Nights
Free
Madonna - A Celebration
Join us for an ultimate celebration of Madonna, from 'Everybody' to 'I Dont search I Find' and everything in between.
- 25/07/2025
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!
- 26/07/2025
18:00:00
DJ Nights
Free
Dusko!
Join us for Dusko — a pilot early-nighter of house music through the decades in a chilled-out café setting. These new nights will bring talented DJs to transport you right back to the old-skool clubbing scene - with classic uplifters, retro anthems and dirty beats. Pop down after work, grab a beer, catch up with mates and - when the music takes over - get yourselves on the dance floor. All with the promise of a full eight-hours of beauty sleep.* *any after-party activity is entirely at your own risk.
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Lachlan Bryan and the Wildes
Doors 7:30pm
Over more than a decade LACHLAN BRYAN has built a reputation as a master storyteller, regardless of whether he’s performing solo, fronting his band The Wildes or collaborating with Country Music Icon Catherine Britt in The Pleasures. His songs range from hard hitting social commentary to deeply personal musings, but each contains a unique turn of phrase, dark humour and an ever-present sense of romance.
Lachlan has toured with icons such as Justin Townes Earle, John Hiatt and Shawn Colvin, as well as headlining his own tours and performing at festivals all over the world. He’s released five full length albums with The Wildes, all of which have received critical acclaim, featured in Yearly Top Ten lists and in some cases even charted strongly in the ARIA Official Australian Albums charts.
But it’s as a live act that Lachlan truly thrives. LACHLAN BRYAN & THE WILDES have built a devoted audience at home and are growing overseas thanks to their captivating performances – which have drawn comparisons to artists as disparate as The Bad Seeds and Wilco. As a solo act Lachlan slips effortlessly into troubadour mode, reminiscent of the Texas singer-songwriters who first inspired him.
If you haven’t caught Lachlan on his own or with the band, you may have seen him on the road as piano-player and co-conspirator with his friend Henry Wagons – the two have most recently been supporting Canadians The Dead South in theatres and arenas across the USA, Canada, the USA and Europe. Failing that, you may have heard the multi-award-winning Dream of America album which he co-wrote and produced for Muscle Shoals Southern Gothic Queen Hannah Aldridge. In any of his guises, Lachlan Bryan brings a warmth and wisdom to the stage and studio that wins over fans for life.
Lachlan Bryan. www.lachlanbryanandthewildes.com
www.thepleasuresmusic.com. Insta: @lachlanbryan - 30/08/2025
18:00:00
DJ Nights
Free
Sixties Spectacular!
Take a trip back to the swinging sixties with timeless hits from The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and all the other legends who made the 60s an unforgettable era in music!
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Paper flower workshop with award-winning designer, Susan Bradley
Come and learn how to transform simple materials - crepe and tissue papers - into striking hand-made blooms. Susan will show you how to create your own unique paper flowers by hand. You'll learn techniques to create different types of flowers, and different ways to customise each petal from delicate and subtle to dramatic and striking. Your blooms will be unique and personal to you, and really fun to create. You'll leave with your own bloom of beautiful paper flowers to take home. No water required and they never wilt!
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September Rise Up!
Our monthly celebration of poetry and spoken word - join us to welcome Ian Duhig, Kirsten Luckens and Henry Raby!
Ian Duhig has published seven books of poetry, won the Forward Best Poem Prize once, the National Poetry Competition twice and his New and Selected Poems was awarded the 2022 Hawthornden Prize for Literature. His most recent book of poems, An Arbitrary Lightbulb, was the 2024 Poetry Book Society Winter Choice. Kirsten Luckins is a Teesside-based poet whose work explores ekphrasis, ecopoetics and experimentation generally. Her latest pamphlet, Offworld (The Braag, 2025) tells the journey of two runaways as they planet-hop through a disintegrating empire of colonised worlds, where octopi seek out strip clubs and anything can be bought at a spaceport. Beautiful, shocking, funny and prescient, this pamphlet presents us with glimpses of ruined and defiant futures. Punk poet Henry Raby's work has been described as playful, highly-charged, passionate and anarchic! Henry writes about anger and hope - the twin emotions to keep you fuelled for the fight. You'll find him gobbing verse at DIY venues, protests and festivals (Manchester Punk Festival, Deer Shed, Latitude, Greenbelt and Boomtown Fair). Henry has been published by Burning Eye Books and co-runs York spoken word organisation Say Owt. He co-hosts the Vandal Factory podcast, looking at the magic moments where art and activism meet. - 23/10/2025
Doors 19:00. Show 20:30
Live Music
Curtis Eller's American Circus
Curtis Eller is a banjo player, songwriter, dancer, and storyteller. The beloved show business veteran started his career at the age of seven as a juggler and acrobat, but has since turned to the banjo because that's where the money is. The iconoclastic troubadour has spent thirty years relentlessly touring the burlesque houses, beer halls, underground theatres, and punk rock dives of North America, Europe, and Australia. His band, Curtis Eller’s American Circus, has developed a devoted international following based on spellbinding stage performances that combine compelling songcraft with silent-film-style physical comedy, and explosive rock & roll energy. This October, Eller will return to the UK for a limited run of club and festival dates, joined by a heavy-hitting, four-piece lineup of The American Circus featuring musicians from both sides of the Atlantic.
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Blair Dunlop
“The busy crowd… is testament to Dunlop’s talents. Dunlop brings an air of tenacity while displaying a fine repertoire of well-crafted songs spanning traditional and contemporary. He’s determinedly taking the traditions of folk in his own direction” The Independent
Blair Dunlop is an award-winning British singer-songwriter and guitarist, who has released 5 albums, 2 EPs and toured around the globe.
Blair burst onto the scene with his debut album ‘Blight & Blossom’ in 2012, showcasing virtuosic musicianship and lyrical maturity, and was awarded a prestigious BBC Folk Award in the wake of its release. A string of critically acclaimed albums followed, along with headline tours and festival appearances in the UK, Europe, North America and Australia. ‘Gilded’ and ‘Notes from an Island’ were released on his own label and singles ‘The Egoist’ and ‘356’ received national playlist status on BBC Radio 2. Following this, ‘Trails: Queensland’ (2021), Blair’s first live album, documented a tour of rural Australia, playing for isolated communities. From Glastonbury to Tuscany, Queensland to Palestine, Blair has brought his musicality and storytelling to audiences young and old. Album five was released 24th May 2024.
“From the outside, when listening to the music of Blair Dunlop, you get the impression that though he’s something of a natural talent he continues to work hard to progress both his songwriting and musicianship…. you can hear the folk heritage coursing through his veins as well as the originality he brings to the genre.” Songwriting Magazine
“A cult hero whose work is adored by those who come across it”
Clash Music
“An adept guitarist whose epic songwriting instincts prevail on a personal-political fourth album”
MOJO
“Blair Dunlop’s fourth album finds him fully ensconced as a singer-songwriter of maturity and sophistication…
‘Notes From An Island’ really ought to give Blair Dunlop the wider exposure he deserves”
RnR Magazine
“On his fourth full length LP, ‘Notes From An Island’, he develops a more mature sociopolitical undertone to his music…
Blair Dunlop could help bring the genre back to the forefront of the UK music scene.”
Guitarist Magazine -
Edwina Hayes
Doors 7:30pm - Music 8pm
One of the finest female singer/songwriters this country has produced in years. Edwina brings together English folk, Americana and the rich Northern singer/songwriter tradition to create a sound that’s truly her own.
Highly accomplished she’s toured with such notable performers as Jools Holland, Van Morrison, Nanci Griffith and Loudon Wainwright III to name just a few.
Edwina numbers Michael Parkinson and Mike Harding among her fans and the title track of her album Pour Me A Drink was covered by Nanci Griffith who calls her 'the sweetest voice in England'.
Her cover of the Randy Newman song Feels Like Home was featured in the Cameron Diaz film My Sister's Keeper and has since had over twenty million plays on Spotify and over fifty million plays on You Tube.
Edwina's 4th album Ruby Rose was released in 2022.
'The sweetest voice in England. A wonderful young woman, so gifted and full of song.' Nanci Griffith
'Haunting, honeyed, solo songwriter.' The Guardian More events coming soon!