Our performers

Argonaut

Argonaut hail from London and concoct a heady mix of post punk pop and alternative rock with a strong DIY ethos. Argonaut songs overflow with three part harmonies, plenty of fuzzy guitars, synth squalls and groovy bass - all driven by a relentless electronic backbeat. Live, the band relish the chance to blast forth their energy, positivity and passion, and to make sure that the audience have as much fun as they are having.
Nathan and Lorna conceived the band back in 2006 with Abby then Deb joining the ranks to form the latest line up.

The band are celebrating the 10 year anniversary of their eponymous debut album this year. This release was followed by critically acclaimed albums Try and Forever and the New Argonaut EP. Check out singles Futoko and 13 for the latest Argonaut sounds.
Argonaut are honoured to have played the very first Byline Festival and every year since its inception - and can't wait to be back this year!

TOKYO TABOO

Riotous rockers Tokyo Taboo have built quite a reputation for their spectacular, character driven, and often shocking vibrant live performances. With glowing comparisons to Deap Vally, Halestorm, and Juliette & The Licks, Tokyo Taboo drop their much awaited new single, American Dream, on September 11th.

Composed of the feisty and ferocious pair Dolly Daggerz and Mickey Danger, the Londoner’s debut album, 6th Street Psychosis, brought them acclaim from the likes of Radio X’s John Kennedy, BBC Radio 1, Clash and Punktastic. The duo have been hard at work on their upcoming album, recorded in California by Noah Shain (whose most recent production Badflower’s ‘Ghost’ recently occupied the Number 1 spot in the US rock chart). Their second album showcases how diligently the band have honed their sound since their debut, developing musical layers and refining production to create something utterly unique.

Mike Walsh

A singer, songwriter and poet from London via Madrid, MIKE WALSH attributes his raw and observational writing style to influences in philosophy, literature, and music; infatuated by the works and words from the minds of Senecato Jim Morrison.Launching his debut project with lead-off single ‘PICKINGFIGHTS’, the single joined the iTuneschart at No. 10 in Spain and No. 115 in the UK. Subsequent singles have featured on the playlists of Amazing Radio as well as regional FM and online stations across Europe and as far as Australia. Since the launch of his project in May 2021, Mike has also released two brand new music videos for singles ‘RIDE’ and ‘FALLING’ as well as shared stripped versions on his YouTube channel.

THE LOST TRADES

The Lost Trades are a trio of Wiltshire based singer songwriters (Jamie R Hawkins, Phil Cooper and Tamsin Quin) brought together by a mutual love of modern folk and roots music. Having joined forces in late 2019, their close three part harmonies have consistently drawn comparisons to Crosby Stills & Nash and Fleetwood Mac.

Performing both collectively and individually penned songs, The Lost Trades tell carefully crafted stories using an array of stringed instruments and light percussion, all lovingly stitched together with soaring vocal harmonies.

Sophia Thakur

Sophia Thakur is an award-winning, best-selling author and performance poet.

She has most recently been announced as the Youth Creator and Educator Ambassador for Jordan’s Jumpman23 women’s squad where she will work on a series of activities throughout the year to empower communities. 

The spoken word artist climbed onto the stage at the age of 16 with a refreshing and intimate take on traditional poetry, and captivated a room full of career professionals. Since then, she has pushed the boundaries of poetry to inspire varied audiences across the world from the Glastonbury stage to the Ted Talks stage to countless mainstream TV and radio stations. 

Sophia’s powerful messages on mental health, diversity, politics, self-expression, empowerment, women and wellbeing has led to participation at events organised by Google, Accenture, Nike, The Guardian, The Royal Family, Channel 4, BBC, Viacom and the Liberal Democrat and Labour party. Many of whom she has continued to work with. Sophia has sold out three groundbreaking headline shows across the world, including her book launch at the Jazz Cafe in London. Sophia was recently the headline act for the New Voices show with a powerful performance at Union Chapel in London, December (2021) . 

MILLY THIMARAS

Milly Thimaras is a Southampton based artist who draws on life experiences to inspire her writing. Her music can be described as indie - pop with an alternative twist of synth and rock. She has been supported with airplay, most notably from BBC Introducing which also landed her a slot on the BBC stage at last years Priory festival supporting Toploader. Her song writing draws on her life experiences, recent single "Dark in here" is about emotional trauma and that those bad things we experience don't have to destroy us, in fact they can make us extremely powerful. Her new single "Adrift" will be released on 18/03/22 and is already highly anticipated.

PHIL KAY

Phil is a Scottish born comedianKay became known to the public when he won the newcomer's competition, 'So You Think You're Funny', at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1989. He then went on to be nominated for the prestigious Perrier Award in 1993. He won the award for Best Stand-Up at the British Comedy Awards in 1994. He later hosted. his own stand-up comedy series on Channel 4 in the UK called Phil Kay Feels..., recorded in front of a live audience in 1997. His other works on television have included Next Stop, Phil Kay (also on Channel 4), Edinburgh Nights (BBC1) and The Montreal Festival of Fun (Channel 5).

MeMe Detroit

Self-described as Uplift Angst, British/Latina MeMe Detroit & her band are a genre merging, high octane breath of vivacity with an unforgettable live show that has pure passion & ardor for music at its heart.

Birmingham based, indie/grunge/pop influenced, Maria Rodriguez aka MeMe Detroit was raised on the outskirts of Stratford-Upon-Avon and ironically developed a strong aversion to Shakespeare from a young age. As the singer/multi-instrumentalist grew, so did her passion for any music that moved her (regardless of genre), mainly thanks to the heavy influence of an eclectic box of vinyl passed down through family generations. She inevitably & ironically developed into a poet/songwriter of her own.

Championed by BBC Introducing, Fresh On The Net, Kerrang! Radio’s Jonny Doom & BBC’s beloved Janice Long, MeMe, along with drummer Kallum McEwen & Bassist Joey Strange have been described as a force of nature worth reckoning with. With over 200+ gigs under their musically cohesive belts, they are known for their high octane, fully immersive shows and are fast gaining traction on the UK music scene and beyond.

"...The only track I’ve had on constant repeat this week! AMAZING!" JFlames - Fresh on the net (Can't get you out of my mind)

"MeMe Detroit bridges the gaps between grunge, indie and Blues rock..." Louder than War

"A fast and furious sonic tour de force…" - GigSoup

"This is the kind of person you get jealous of because they're an incredibly talented singer, multi-instrumentalist and composer..." Janice Long - BBC Radio.

ELLE BERT

Elle is part of a new wave of female voices taking the comedy scene by storm. Combining a mixture of story telling with satire and sarcasm with social observation, she’s a hot mess of fun rolled up into a smooth cigar of good times and laughter.

DON LETTS

Donovan "Don" Letts is a British film director, DJ and musician. Letts first came to prominence as the videographer for The Clash, directing several of their music videos

ANGHARAD

Angharad is a non-binary Lit-Pop / Anti-Folk musician and performer from Swansea, Wales, with a visionary perspective. They write songs about things they can’t find songs about: literary figures, feminist theory, and friendship break-ups. They believe everything is complex, and it is a disservice to edit out the nuance.

Their first single, “We Grew Up In The Graveyard,” is based on the Dylan Thomas quote, “Swansea is the graveyard of ambition,” and deals with despair in the face of institutional neglect, and resilient pride of a hometown nevertheless full of talent and joy.

Angharad has recently been awarded the Youth Music “Next Gen” award and will be bringing out an EP with the theme of complicated friendships and friendship breakups later this year

Grant Sharkey

For the last 20 years Grant Sharkey has dedicated his life to live performance and connecting with his audience. He is bone-headed-ly focused on creating songs and a stage show that make us laugh, think and cry – often at the same time. 

            A true troubadour – he writes, records and releases a new album every 6 months and then goes out on the road with his double bass, touring as many places as will have him, to bring something fresh, exciting and hilarious to the stage. Eager to strip away all barriers between himself and the audience, he makes every attempt to make all shows inclusive, honest and connective to everyone in the room – often shunning microphones, barricades and light shows in favour of singing to a room full of humans who have the chance to sing right back. It has to be seen to be believed.

            With exceedingly catchy songs like I’m Sorry To Hear You’re A Racist, Spoons, Massive Car, The Power of F***, Genitals, Pubes and Toenails (The Brexit Song) and Calm Down, he’s performed every possible sort of gig from fans’ lounges to Glastonbury, Isle of Wight, Bestival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festivals (scoring four-stars for his debut show, Trollbadour in 2018). Grant has shared the stage with a diverse range of acts such as Electric 6, Beans On Toast, The Lounge Kittens, Skindred, Mike Watt (Minutemen, The Stooges), K*nt and the Gang, Andrew O’Neill (comedian), Desmond Decker, and The Wurzels.

Grant is also an author releasing two books in 2021, Excellent Choice: Essays on Trying to be Good in a Horrible World and The Wrong Side of the Wye, a novella set in an isolated, absurd England, 30 years after the EU Referendum. Both released on Hobo Sapien Press.

JEFF INNOCENT

Multi award winning comedian Jeff Innocent has reached legendary status among his peers and audiences alike by staying at the top of his game for over 20 years.

His unique appeal lies in the contrast between his east end 'geezer’ appearance and demeanour, and his educated, philosophical delivery and culturally relevant subject matter. 

Always original, he continues to cement his position within the history of British stand up comedians with his regular performances on the UK and world live comedy circuit and has recently acquired a whole new generation of fans, through his online viral video clips.

SIMON BRODKIN

Named “the world’s most famous blagger” by The Daily Telegraph, untameable prankster and acclaimed character comedian Simon Brodkin has hit global headlines multiple times for his high-profile stunts. Most famously he handed Prime Minister Theresa May a P45 form during her keynote speech at the Conservative Party Conference and showered disgraced FIFA president Sepp Blatter with hundreds of dollar bills in bribe payments “for the North Korea 2026 World Cup bid”.

Of his many characters, Simon is best known for his irrepressible, south London wide boy Lee Nelson. With each of his Lee Nelson tours (Serious Joker, Suited & Booted, Lee Nelson’s Well Good Tour and Lee Nelson Live) being extended twice or more.