Blackbeard tea’s up 53 date

In four years, this York six-piece band have built a reputation as one of the most formidable live acts on the folk circuit.

That was cemented in 2012 by a plethora of shows at festivals in Cambridge, Sidmouth and Shrewsbury.

And now they’re coming to Preston’s 53 Degrees on Saturday, November 10.

Blackbeard’s Tea Party have been together since the summer of 2009, starting as a busking, function and ceilidh band.

They quickly gained a reputation as a formidable live act and found themselves selling out venues in their home city.

The Yorkshire sextet strike a perfect balance between traditional material and contemporary arrangements, their fans ranging from committed folkies to the most hardcore of rockers.

And following a stratospheric take-off with their first UK tour, word spread and the band began to play gigs further afield.

That included noteworthy festival concerts and ceilidh bookings throughout 2010 and 2011, including those at Sidmouth, Shrewsbury and a headline slot at Galtres.

The band released an EP, 2009’s Heavens to Betsy, and critically-acclaimed debut album Tomorrow We’ll Be Sober followed in 2011, receiving a five-star rating in R2 Magazine, and soon recognised as one of the best live bands in the UK in the 2011 FATEA Awards.

In 2012 they enjoyed a long run of festival bookings, including Cambridge, Whitby and return visits to Sidmouth and Shrewsbury.

And this year has shaped up to be the biggest yet, the release of second album Whip Jamboree accompanied by their first UK headline tour, R2 magazine describing the latest release as ‘the best party going on five inches of plastic’.

Numerous festivals this year included a return to Sidmouth plus appearances at Beverley, another Galtres headline slot and visits to Broadstairs, Holmfirth and many more.

Yet between those shows, Blackbeard’s Tea Party can still be found busking on the streets of York, and now the sextet - featuring in turn melodeon, bass, trombone, sousaphone, electric and acoustic guitar, djembe, congas, shakey things, bells, faux bells, drums, tambourine, minature cymbal, fiddle and cello – are headed for Preston, with tickets (£8) available from 01772 893000 or via http://www.53degrees.net.