Mikey's Birthday Bash at Liverpool Irish Centre
Tickets

Mikey's Birthday Bash at Liverpool Irish Centre

with special guests Anna McLuckie, Bearcat Gumbo and Ellen McGovern

Presented by: The Choicey Club


0 LIVERPOOL: Irish Centre (info)
P Friday 1st May, 2026
N Door time: 7:00pm, start time: 7:30pm
. All ages
C Music - Folk/blues/world

Event information

Mikey's touring his new album at the time of his birthday so it only made sense to have a big bash to celebrate as part of the tour!
Coming together at Liverpool Irish Centre (boundary lane) with a big bunch of mates performing that he'd also like to celebrate alongside having a traditional music session afterwards:

MIKEY KENNEY
www.mikeykenney.com

Mikey Kenney has taken up residence as a quietly influential figure within the emerging revival of the English experimental folk scene winning audiences over with his warm energy and dynamic musicality. His new album Tiny Little Light captures the essence of that alternative musical spirit: an exciting and innovative voice for our times.

A musical outsider artist, Mikey also embraces duality. Primarily known as a respected fiddle player, singer, songwriter and composer from Liverpool, he is also a multi-instrumentalist, often performing many of the parts on his recordings (banjo, mandolin, guitar, melodeon etc). He is hailed by many as an important conduit of learning, conserving and handing down both English and Irish traditional fiddle music in England's Northwest (his digital release 'Northwestern English Fiddle' bringing him to the fore of the English traditional music scene). Yet he is constantly composing alternative and progressive music of his own: often compared with the likes of Michael Hurley, Vashti Bunyan, Joanna Newsom, Brian Wilson and the Incredible String Band based on his uncompromising, eccentric and boundlessly creative approach to his art.

He has performed, collaborated and recorded with an impressive number of his peers (Alabaster Deplume, Vinicio Capossela, Victor Herrero, Josephine Foster, Katherine Priddy, Dan Haywood, Alessandro ‘Asso’ Stefana, Emily Portman, Moulettes, Owen Spafford, Adam Beattie, Dominie Hooper, Johnny Campbell... to name a few). His past self-produced albums have been released to acclaim (both Counsel of Owls and the Reverie Road were rated 5 stars by then fRoots magazine) and his own idiosyncratic, psychedelic brand of fiddle-led songs have earned him a loyal fanbase from multiple music scenes.

This latest release sees Mikey marry these two forms, the song and the fiddle tune, in a vibrant and imaginative expedition into Mikey's inner-world. The songs are a meditation on life, music and the times we find ourselves in. Mikey specifically wanted to create a record that would bring some joy and light to the listener (hence the album title, 'Tiny Little Light') whilst also treating the traditional fiddle tune form with the informed respect that he carries for it. The result is a thoughtful and adventurous recording that remains gentle and accessible to those previously unfamiliar with the genre.

Mikey considers it his finest work yet and the truest expression of a life devoted to his craft.


"Mikey Kenney is a rare gem... there are few people who seem to embody traditional music in quite the same way. He’s like a walking tune book, and his dedication to keeping the old music of his native Lancashire alive is something to be cherished. In person, he’s much as his press images suggest he might be. Surely born in the wrong era, there’s a wide-eyed wonder about him, and a sense that he was left on this planet to roam and soak up as many musical traditions as he possibly can. He’s seen a lot and he’s played a lot and his music positively drips with the wisdom and experience he’s picked up along the way."- Jon Wilks, TradFolk

“Nobody sees or hears the world like Mikey Kenney." - Songlines Magazine

“Mikey Kenney is an artist for whom music is a calling, not a career choice…a singular and inspiring talent... unfettered by expectations of geography or genre, and a wanderer of worlds both seen and invisible, Kenney is an authentic free spirit”. - 5/5 fRoots

"Superbly charismatic fiddle playing / once heard, never forgotten singing"- FRUK

"Mikey Kenney is a true original" - RnR Magazine

“This is magical, medicinal music that defies labels and borders” - Liverpool Echo


ANNA MCLUCKIE
https://www.annamcluckie.co.uk

Anna McLuckie is a Scottish singer, songwriter and Clàrsach player. Raised on classical
and traditional music, Anna’s writing draws on her musical beginnings and also takes
influence from her love of popular music and more experimental sounds. Her music sits in a
world of contemporary folklore; her songs layered with interweaving harmonies, story led
lyricism and free form structures. Based in London, she has performed in places around the
world from Rockwood Music Hall NYC, to a concert series in Russia, to house shows and
folk sessions. She’s appeared at festivals across the UK and supported the likes of Jake
Xerxes Fussell, Rozi Plain and Richard Hawley. In 2024 Anna took part in the Making
Tracks residency and toured the UK with renowned global roots musicians. She is currently
being mentored by English Folk Expo (Soundroots UK) and Kick Arts UK. Her first full
length album ‘The Little Winters’ is set to be released at the start of 2026.

“lush indie-folk at its finest, with Anna backing her dexterous picking with some equally
sublime vocals” - Klof Magazine
"a voice like birdsong" - Bella Caledonia
"a haunting collection of nu-folk poetry set to music" - Only A Northern One


BEARCAT GUMBO
https://www.instagram.com/bearcatgumbo/

Bearcat Gumbo are an all female 5 piece from Liverpool specialising in the early jazz gems, joyous harmonies and sultry blues from the depression era.


ELLEN MCGOVERN
Traditional Irish flute and Uilleann pipes.


TICKETS: £12 advance (plus bf) / £16 on the door.

Tickets

General Admission

Tickets are available

` Max 5 tickets per order
Total price: £13.20
Ticket price: £12.00, Booking fee: £1.20
 
 

Venue information

Liverpool: Irish Centre
0 6 Boundary Ln
Liverpool
L6 5JG
> www.liverpoolirishcentre.org/
! 0151 263 1808