A small but very welcome development on the Songwriter Showcase front…

Simon has been chatting with the team at Vinyl Whistle in Headingley, and they’ve very kindly offered us a regular monthly slot — the second Sunday of every month, 4–7pm, starting from 12th April.

What I particularly love about this is how naturally it’s come about. No grand strategy, no committee meetings — just people enjoying the nights, talking to other people who enjoy them, and quietly making space for more good songs to happen.

The plan is for the showcases to semi-alternate between Vinyl Whistle and The Triangle in Shipley, giving each venue the chance to spotlight brilliant writers from their local area — while also encouraging us all to occasionally swap postcodes and introduce our songs to new rooms and new ears. It feels like a lovely way to keep things fresh, connected, and properly rooted in the wider Yorkshire songwriting community.

We’ll be rotating a handful of familiar faces and new discoveries — starting with a mix of friends, collaborators, and a few brilliant writers Simon’s been scouting around Leeds. With free entry and the venue providing PA and an engineer, it’s very much about creating a welcoming, low-pressure space for listening and sharing — with maybe the occasional whip-round to keep everyone in tea and train tickets.

More details soon, once diaries have been wrestled into submission — but it’s lovely to see this little project continuing to grow legs and wander into new rooms.