20260918: Friday 18th September 2026: Fran and Mike Burke
£13.00
Support: Robert Brown
At the Golden Hind, 355 Milton Road, Cambridge CB4 1SP
8pm (Doors open 7:30pm)
Entry: £14(door), £13(advance), £12(members).
Fran McGillivray (vocals, bass guitar) and Mike Burke (acoustic, electric and resonator guitars and vocals) started playing folk, roots and blues venues in the late 1970s. In the late 1990s they formed the urban blues band So Long Angel, and started touring the UK as members of the Spikedrivers Blues Roots Revue in 2012. With drummer Roger Nunn, they have also been playing as the Fran McGillivray Band since 2012.
Fran’s sublime and soulful voice combined with Mike’s impassioned guitar makes them an exciting and compelling duo, whose unique take on roots music complements their vibrant and original songs with soulful, dynamic and powerful interpretations of songs from Americana to Country and Blues. Regulars on the club and concert circuit, Fran and Mike have shared the bill with such artists as Bob Dylan, Bert Jansch, John Renbourne, Davy Graham and Elvis Costello. Fran and Mike have recorded six albums, ‘Into the Light’ (1977); ‘Restless’ (2006); ‘The Road That You Believe In’ (2009); ‘Some Luck’ with Roger Nunn (2013); ‘Midnight Call’ with Alan Glen, Mike Paice, and Martin Smith (2017); and ‘Rain’ (2021) with Roger Nunn.
Robert Brown is a singer/songwriter who can be compared to Nick Drake, Davy Graham and Jimmy Page in his writing and his remarkable finger style guitar technique. Extensive travelling in Europe, North Africa and North America has enabled him to absorb the music and culture of other countries, which can be heard in subtle rootsy nuances in his work, some obvious, but some hidden to all but the expert ear.
Robert plays solo shows all over the UK, using an array of different stringed instruments. He enjoys performing music from many of his favourite artists and songwriters, including Led Zeppelin, The Stranglers and Diana Ross, as well as older tunes from the folk repertoire.