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Estuary Fringe Reporter, The Last Post, Southend-on-Sea (2026)

01/04/2026

🚀 Armageddon Outta Here – a darkly hilarious comedy sketch show – is coming to Southend! ☄️

An asteroid is hurtling toward Earth. Humanity’s last hope? Two astronauts. But absolutely nothing is simple. Ego, faith, panic, and petty squabbles ripple through a world teetering on the edge, where the end is imminent and the absurdity never stops.

Dark, loud, childish, and gloriously anarchic, this sketch-comedy hour is the apocalypse we deserve.

Written by Tom Johnson (Verbal Diary, Chortle’s Top 10 recommended theatre show for comedy fans, EdFringe 2024) and Chris Roberts, it grew from their Short & Sweet award-winning ten-minute piece Sacrifice, expanding into a full collection of surreal, end-of-the-world sketches. Starring Tom Johnson and Rob Glenister.

In the end, we all show our true colours… either on the floor or in our pants.

📅 Thursday 28th May📍 The Dixon Studio, Palace Theatre, Southend 🎟️ Tickets: https://trafalgartickets.com/palace-theatre-southend/en-GB/event/play/armageddon-outta-here-tickets

20/01/2026

Join us for an electrifying evening of poetry, politics and punk energy as Attila the Stockbroker brings his fiery words and music to Up The Road Road. His first time back in Southend for 30 years!

Exploding onto the scene in the early 1980s with John Peel sessions and a Melody Maker front cover, Attila has spent more than four decades performing his unique fusion of punk poetry, dub verse, acoustic song and early music rebellion. With over 4,000 gigs in 24 countries, 20 albums and eight books to his name, he remains one of the UK’s most outspoken and original live performers.

Attila’s latest album, 40 Years in Rhyme (endorsed by the late Benjamin Zephaniah) blends dub rhythms from Kingsley Salmon and What’s Left Dub with his sharp, politically charged verse. His previous record, Restoration Tragedy, combined early music and punk to tell the story of the English Revolution – a lifelong ambition realised with his band, Barnstormer 1649.

Also newly published is A Lifetime of Football Writing (Poems, Songs & Stories), inspired by Attila’s connection to Finnish fan-owned club Tampere United, whose founding story mirrors Brighton fans’ own fight to save their club – a campaign in which Attila played a key role.

Expect an unfiltered performance that’s satirical, political, personal and deeply human – a career-spanning celebration of 44 years of words, wit and defiance from one of the country’s great alternative voices.

Attila's Facebook presence is https://www.facebook.com/attilathestockbroker

’40 Years In Rhyme’, my new dub poetry album, ‘Heart On My Sleeve’, my Collected Works poetry book and loads more books/CDS/vinyl - https://attilathestockbroker.bandcamp.com/merch

Listen on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/artist/6MpFXOAwEfGuJFB4xa9Dl5?si=mE25nvLlSReEQeknfksQ0Q

Also Instagram and Twitter

£10 (+booking fee) £12 OTD

https://wegottickets.com/event/683577

20/01/2026

🎸 Folk Roots Blues Sessions – January 2026 🎶

The Folk Roots Blues Sessions return to Ironworks at Leigh Community Centre for an evening of live acoustic music featuring Darren Jones & Dom Jones.

✨ First guest of 2026: Dom James
Dom James is a talented young singer-songwriter whose songs resonate and inspire. His distinctive guitar style, incorporating open tunings, brings a fresh and captivating sound to the session.

📍 Ironworks, Leigh Community Centre, Leigh-on-Sea�📅 Thursday 22 January 2026�⏰ 7:30pm start�💷 £5 entry (CASH)�🍺 Bar and seating available�🚗 Parking available at the rear
A relaxed, intimate night of folk, roots and blues — all are welcome.

15/01/2026

🎶 An Hour of Music & Poetry 📖

Join John Smith & Adrian Green for a rich and varied lunchtime recital at The Jazz Centre UK.
�An hour of beautiful music — from jazz standards and folk melodies to original piano suites — interwoven with poetry drawn from Adrian Green’s acclaimed collections.

📍 The Jazz Centre UK, Beecroft Art Gallery�🗓 Wednesday 4th February�⏰ 1pm–2pm
🎟 Retiring collection in aid of Jewish Care, Southend & Westcliff Jewish Community Centre.

A perfect midweek cultural escape, all welcome.

17/11/2025

❄️ Winter Prelude ❄️�Featuring The Owl Service, M G Boulter, Jason Steel, Harriet Bradshaw & More!

📍 Leigh-on-Sea: The Fisherman’s Chapel�🗓 Saturday 29th November 2025�⏰ Doors: 2:00 PM | Show: 3:00 PM�🎶 All Ages | Folk, Blues & World Music�☕ Non-alcoholic refreshments available

Hosted by MG Boulter, this is an afternoon of enchanting live music you won’t want to miss. Tickets available at https://wegottickets.com/event/674298

17/11/2025

Craftwerk, Southend’s cosy craft-beer den and grass-roots music venue, hosted a night of acoustic storytelling that began with a gentle pull and ended with the whole room buzzing. Three artists, three completely different energies, all stitched together into a night that showed exactly why intimate venues matter and should be supported.

Kev Butler, in the middle of a pendulum between indie Americana and Roy Harper Englishness, opened with nimble fingerpicking and striking vocals, easing the audience in with warmth and capable hands. No theatrics needed, just good, honest songwriters creating that fireside quality that makes a room fall still without realising it.

Then came Essex Music Scene veteran Phil Burdett, bringing a very different force altogether. Rough-edged, soulful and delivered with a Tom Waits-like growl, his set was a howl, gritty, poetic and full of lived experience. Beneath the gravel sits a razor-sharp lyricist, and he held the room in the palm of his hand.

Headliner Calum Baird arrived with guitar, harmonica and mandolin. Mixing humour, stories and sharp left-wing politics, he blended heart, activism and melody in a way that feels natural, spirited and deeply human. The Scottish Billy Bragg, perhaps?

His set moved from humanitarian issues to masculinity, relationships and the necessity of always punching up, with anecdotes woven in for good measure. The crowd were fully with him, especially during a warm, perfectly placed nod to being on Essex soil, a tender cover of The Milkman of Human Kindness.

From Butler’s clear-voiced delicacy to Burdett’s gravelly thunder and Baird’s political fire and charm, Craftwerk delivered the kind of night that only small rooms can offer.

15/10/2025

A new exhibition by artist and curator Graham Burnett

Opening Saturday 1st November at the People’s Gallery, The Forum, Elmer Square, Southend-on-Sea.

📍 Preview from 3–5pm, followed by drinks at Craftwerk Beers – ALL WELCOME!

Join us for a fascinating dive into Southend’s vibrant underground past with “Places, Spaces, Faces and Traces” — a celebration of six decades of fanzines, DIY publishing, and subcultures that have helped shape the alternative spirit of our city.

This isn’t the Southend of cliché, not just Kiss Me Quick hats, fights outside seafront boozers, or TOWIE. This is the other history, told through the raw, creative voices of zine-makers, activists, punks, poets, and everyday rebels.

Discover the stories, spaces, and people who kept the DIY flame burning.

05/10/2025

Live at Craftwerk – Friday 24th October, Southend-on-Sea 🍻

A special night of live music at Craftwerk on Friday 24th October, headlined by Calum Baird as part of his nationwide UK tour. Known for his powerful songwriting and socially conscious lyrics, Baird’s performances blend heartfelt storytelling with a strong sense of purpose, making him one of the most compelling voices on the contemporary folk scene.

Supporting Calum are two of Essex’s finest musicians. Phil Burdett is a much-respected songwriter whose music moves effortlessly between folk, blues and Americana. Often described as one of the region’s best-kept secrets, Burdett’s songs carry the warmth, wit and emotional weight of a true craftsman, reflective, soulful and unmistakably honest.

Also performing is Kev Butler, a songwriter, producer and guitarist known for his work with Dead City Athletic, The Empty Bears and Dad Eggs. Butler crafts timeless melodies and rich, resonant lyrics, with guitar playing that speaks volumes between every word.

📍 Craftwerk, Southend-on-Sea
🗓️ Friday 24th October | Doors 7:30pm
🎟️ £7 at https://wegottickets.com/event/676912

19/09/2025

🎵 Friday 24th October, Calum Baird, Phil Burdett and Special Guest (TBA) at Craftwerk Beers 🍺

Calum Baird is an emerging Scottish folk, punk and story-telling singer-songwriter and musician featured on BBC Radio 2, BBC 6 Music, BBC Introducing, BBC Radio Scotland and Amazing Radio.

His music is characterised by its honesty and authenticity, with lyrics that are often introspective and personal. His songs explore social commentary, modern life, relationships, alienation and social change. Calum’s influences include Neil Young, Billy Bragg, The Pogues and Dick Gaughan.

Calum has been featured on radio stations across the UK and internationally, and he has performed at festivals and events throughout the UK, Europe and Cuba. He has been featured in online media and the press, including in Scotland on Sunday as their Artist of the Week.

Phil Burdett is a singer songwriter who has been making music for over 40 years. From early years solo on the folk/blues/indie circuits of the late 70s/early 80s through his later band 'The New World Troubadours' playing in Essex & London to getting a record deal through a BBC documentary (resulting in his first album 'Diesel Poems') & on through subsequent changes in styles & personnel making nine further albums of songs drawn from a myriad of experiences & influences with many of Essex's top musicians.
"One of the great undiscovered talents of the last twenty years" - Ralph Dartford

Special Guest TBA

Doors 7:30pm
Start 8pm

Tickets available at https://wegottickets.com/event/676912
£7 online
£8 OTD

23/03/2025

I had the pleasure of catching a live show at Craftwerk Beers in Southend on Sunday, March 23rd, and it was an experience worth sharing. The evening kicked off with Tuppeny Bunters, a talented duo made up of Fi and Dave Dulake. Their chemistry was unmistakable, weaving together melodies with though our and funny lyrics with an intense passion. Reminiscent of early theatrical 60s pop and garage punk. All supported by an engaging mix of keyboard and drums. Their latest single, "(We All Know) How It Ends” is out now, and it’s definitely worth a listen. Available at https://www.tuppennybunters.com/merch/p/pre-sale-we-all-know-how-it-ends-7-vinyl. There’s a well crafted charm to their sound, you can really tell they care about what they’re making.

Then came the main act, Luxury Holiday, a band that's quickly making a name for themselves locally. Despite only being together for a few years, they have a remarkable back catalogue that they performed with such ease and confidence. Their music has this delightful, quirky vibe that reminded me of a mix between Elvis Costello and Pavement—clever lyrics and catchy hooks that grab your attention.

The atmosphere at Craftwerk (decent selection of craft beers on and choice of cans/ bottles from the fridge btw) was perfect for live music, allowing the audience to really connect with the performers. I found myself swaying along, enjoying every moment of their set. If you ever have the chance to see either of these acts, I highly recommend it.

Estuary Fringe Reporter

01/04/2026

20/01/2026

20/01/2026

15/01/2026

17/11/2025

17/11/2025

15/10/2025

05/10/2025

19/09/2025

23/03/2025

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