ASHBURTON: Arts Centre

Friday 28th November, 2025

7:00pm

Event information

Following an excellent show here in in 2024, for one special night this winter, ambient dream-folk songwriter and fingerstyle guitarist Chris Cleverley returns to Devon with the songs from his brand new Christmas E.P.

“Rather Lovely Electro-Folk” Radcliffe & Maconie, BBC 6 MUSIC
“The feel of Elliott Smith and Sufjan Stevens” ★★★★ Scottish Daily Express
“Frighteningly brilliant works” The Daily Star

Chris Cleverley was born under a solstice moon, in the honeysuckle mysticism of a late 80s Midsummer, where the symbolic sounds of ‘Hunky Dory’, ‘Graceland’ and ‘Ladies of The Canyon’ echoed from the woodchip walls of the South Birmingham terrace where he was raised; quiet and curious, saturnine and shy. Here, the soul of a young artist was shaped.

Three decades on and his unique brand of dreamy, psychedelic folk has taken him from the columns and airwaves of The Telegraph, Sunday Times and BBC 6 Music, to the world-renowned stages of Cambridge Folk Festival & the English Folk Expo, twice earning him FATEA Magazine’s ‘Male Artist of the Year’ Award.

And so this winter, Cleverley tours his brand new collection of alternative festive songs ‘Gods Of All Things’, the follow up to 2024’s critically acclaimed ‘In the Shadow of John the Divine’ (“Holiday Music that doesn’t suck!” - No Depression).

Come bask in the intricate fingerstyle and lush ambient soundscapes of this true guitar-man, inspired by the lo-fi American greats, Elliott Smith, Sufjan Stevens & Phoebe Bridgers. He brings a curious tapestry woven from the hazy psychedelia of the 60s folk revival and the soulful oblivion of the 90s Pacific Northwest.

In his characteristically unconventional style, Cleverley offers part 2 of a bittersweet Christmas compendium for the head-spinning modern age. A brand new selection of songs for the misfits, celebrating this curious, magical season, in all its joyful and melancholy contradictions.

Whether you love or loathe the festive period, this rare evening promises a welcome, serene and reflective space for all to unwind in their own way, as the year draws to a close.

Video: Snowfall, My Evergreen (Live for the Runaway Session)

Katie Whitehouse
Poet, songwriter and long-time champion of others’ voices, Katie Whitehouse steps back into the spotlight for her only live performance this year.

Performing songs from her debut album Drawing Lines, and poems written since that release, Katie brings her deeply-felt writing and quietly-luminous presence to the stage. She’ll be accompanied by Dan Whitehouse (no relation) on electric guitar and synth. This is music that moves between strength and fragility, intimacy and universality.

“Katie’s voice has a velvety tone which is crystal clear and hypnotic, perfect for the late hours of a dying year.” The PRSD (Full article here)