Is your community rail partnership or station group looking to host creative performances at stations?

This exciting opportunity could be for you!

Aubrey Blakeledge is a gothic folk comedy musician from Hampshire who has been gigging across the UK underground and festival circuit for nearly 15 years, performing original songs that turn local myths, legends, and odd bits of history into humorous, foot-tapping folk tunes.

Aubrey is currently planning a tour of community rail stations across the UK, with the aim of celebrating stations as valuable community spaces, encouraging local engagement, and raising money for each venue or station group that hosts a performance.

The idea is to perform small, intimate gigs for around 20 people, ideally hosted by community rail partnerships, station volunteer groups or other rail partners. These performances work well in informal, welcoming settings and are designed to bring people together through music, laughter and storytelling.

A key part of the project is local history. Aubrey would love to hear about the stories, folklore or unusual history connected to each station or area, and weave these into the set so that every performance feels unique to that place.

As a current example of this kind of collaboration, Aubrey is hosting a gig at Bitterne Station on Friday 20 March, as part of the station’s 160th anniversary celebrations. The show will be held in what was the old ticket office for 25 people, with a portion of each ticket sold going to the station trust. Aubrey is hoping to encourage other artists from their circuit to come and play, making the venue a regular fixture of their touring calendar.

Aubrey would love to connect with community rail partnerships and station groups who may be interested in hosting a performance, sharing local stories, and helping bring a bit of music, folklore, and gothic folk mischief to their station.

Below is a list of proposed tour dates, although these are flexible and Aubrey can work around local availability:

• September
  • 4, 5, 6, 25, 26, 27
• October
  • 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 30, 31
• November
  • 1, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29

Visit Aubrey’s website to discover more and get in touch via info@aubreyblakeledge.com to discuss this exciting opportunity further.