Rob Clamp and The Ashmen

Rob Clamp brings his full band, The Ashmen to Winchester for a ‘one off’ special show at the venue where it all started for him, The Railway Inn. 

Having supported the likes of; Frank Turner, James Walsh (Starsailor) and The Bluetones, Rob Clamp is making a name for himself as a dynamic and captivating performer. ‘It’s not often you come across a voice with such controlled power: even at the emotional heights and depths of the songs, Rob’s voice retains a purity and focus that is all too rare. Wherever his songwriting leads him, his voice adapts to the genre, from pop through folk and roots. A classic voice for classic music.’ Hailing from Southampton, Rob has been featured on BBC introducing, has won the highly regarded ‘Purbeck Rising 2022’ imprinting himself onto the UK folk scene, and won the ‘Sofia International Singer Songwriter Festival 2022’ in Bulgaria.​Heavily influenced by the likes of; Ben Howard, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Bruce Springsteen – Rob’s music is filled with real life experiences, performed in his own compelling storytelling style, with acoustic guitar accompanied by a variation of foot percussion.

Recent years have been eventful for Rob, selling out numerous shows across the South of England and mainland Europe. His debut album ‘Lost Soul’ was released in Spring 2024 featuring his longstanding supporting band, ‘The Ashmen’. The band consists of; Sam Weeks (drums & banjo), Ben Reid (piano, guitar and mandolin), Ed Bentley (bass) and Dave Elliott (violin & harmonica). The group have become synonymous with dynamic and powerful performances and have been touted as having a sound big enough to work well in front of several thousand people.  ♫♪♪

With special guest, Joel Gardner;

With one hand placed firmly in Pop, Rock and Groove and the other in Trad, Roots and Folk, Joel’s music is built on infectious melodies, introspective lyrics and intricate guitar playing. His songwriting style and sound is often compared to the likes of Paul Simon and Frank Turner while drawing on influences from guitar virtuosos such as Andy McKee, John Gomm and John Butler.

Joel’s music celebrates the simplicity of one man and a guitar. Despite its stripped back instrumentation, Joel throws out an enormous sound for a one man operation using only a kick drum and percussive guitar playing. Performing live, his shows are an explosion of positive energy, charisma and showmanship honed from relentless gigging; singing self penned songs that are sometimes quirky, sometimes sad and often energetic, heartwarming and poignant.

Joel has supported US Chart topping band ‘The Revivalists’, James Gillespie and Axel Flovent amongst many others. Over the years Joel’s music has won him an array of awards including the ‘Danny Kyle Award’ at Celtic Connections, Wath Festival’s ‘Young Performer Of The Year Award’ and ‘Manchester’s Got Busker Talent.’

God & Star Signs, his most recent release is an anthemic yet bittersweet folk rock song exploring themes of dementia and lost love underpinned by Joel’s signature intricate guitar playing. God & Star Signs was self produced and released independently and the music video was filmed by Joel himself in a Welsh seaside village telling the story of an elderly care home resident escaping to revisit the beach where he and his wife fell in love.