The Lookout House Concerts
Local and touring musicians in intimate house concert setting in Blackheath, NSW
The Lookout House Concert series aims to provide a supportive and inclusive environment for local and touring artists to perform in intimate house concert settings. Typically on a Saturday or Sunday evening, the house concerts include a featured act, as well as floor spot opportunities, light supper/tapas and a chance to mingle with friends old and new. Entry is by a nominal donation, to support the artists.
Concerts will be advertised here, and via the facebook page.
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Check out the shows below, and look forward to seeing you soon at The Lookout!
Bookings
Seating and capacity is limited (usually 20 max), so bookings are advised. You will receive the venue address, and any other information about the show, at the time of booking. If for any reason you need to cancel, please let the host know, so that tickets can be reallocated. For bookings, enquiries etc. please contact Craig at thelookouthouseconcerts(at)gmail.com.
Join the newsletter
Join the email list to receive occasional updates about upcoming house concerts.
Saturday March 29th 2025 7pm-9:30pm - Cymbrogi
When: Saturday March 29th, 7:00pm (doors), music 7:30pm - 9:30pm
Where: Blackheath - address supplied on booking
Entry: $20 suggested donation (cash, card or Humanitix)
Bookings: thelookouthouseconcerts(at)gmail.com or via Humanitix)
Artist Info: https://www.facebook.com/cymbrogi5
Based in Bathurst and the Blue Mountains, Cymbrogi is a new musical collaboration between five of the most accomplished and respected traditional musicians the region has to offer, Roger Hargraves (Fiddle), Jane Anderson (Guitar and Vocals), Glenda Kelly (Fiddle), Libby Bell (Accordion and Vocals), Nick Rigby (Bouzouki). The band takes it's name from the old Cymraeg (Welsh) word meaning "companions of the heart", truly capturing the spirit of the their musical project. Describing their music as "North Atlantic Fringe", their unique and creative reinterpreting of the connected musical traditions of the cultures of the wild edge of Europe and beyond, takes you on an exciting journey through the ancient trade routes, sea lanes and drove roads of the Atlantic fringe. From Cumbria to Clare, Nova Scotia to Shetland, and Asturias to Cornwall, step aboard and travel with Cymbrogi as a companion of the heart
Saturday February 1st 2025 7pm-9:30pm Emmy Ryan
The finest folk music explores the personal and the political and Mparntwe/Alice Springs-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Emmy Ryan excels at exploring and detailing the complex terrain of both of those aspects of the genre.
Born and raised on Bundjalung and Wiradjuri Country in regional NSW, of Irish and Scottish heritage, Emmy is now based on Arrernte Country in the NT. In September 2024 she released her debut EP I Ain’t So Blue, a consummate collection of songs that have been shaped by the skies, seas, cities, mountains, plains, and deserts of her homes. The EP has received acclaim and airplay from community and commercial radio around the country, was the feature album on 8CCC Radio in Alice Springs and Tennant Creek in its release week, and has been featured on ABC Radio. Emmy has performed at Dorrigo Folk & Bluegrass Festival, Desert Song Festival, St Albans Folk Festival, the Australian Celtic Festival, and the Top Half Folk Festival, and has shared the stage with Jordie Lane, Maggie Rigby (the Maes), Lucy Wise, Gleny Rae Virus, and Michael Waugh.
Emmy's songs explore colonisation, climate change, capitalism, and love through a lens of emotive folk and languid country while also drifting seamlessly into jazz and soul territory. A line can be drawn to artists such as Paul Kelly, Tiny Ruins, Laura Marling and Sarah Blasko - all experts at stretching and morphing genre expectations into a sublime blend of traditional and contemporary song.
When: Saturday February 1st, 7:00pm (doors), music 7:30pm - 9:30pm
Where: Blackheath - address supplied on booking
Entry: $20 suggested donation (cash, card or Humanitix)
Bookings: thelookouthouseconcerts(at)gmail.com or via Humanitix
Artist Info: https://emmyryan.com/
Saturday November 30th 2024 6pm-8pm Peter Campbell
Australian singer-songwriter Peter Campbell takes the stage with a swag of hilarious, challenging and deeply human indie-folk originals. Expect raucous audience involvement, striking finger-style 6 string, feisty 12 string, tender banjo and arresting a capella as he explores social, political and environmental issues alongside the bitter-sweet matters of the human heart.
With musical roots deep in the socially conscious 60s/70s, decades on the stage, four albums and a songwriter’s take on wrangling an ominous future, Pete’s infectious performances have taken him around the world calling audiences to action, connection and healing.
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‘Peter has the thrilling knack of empathy that enables him to move inside people’s states of mind so that he is not singing about them, but about himself as one of them – singing on behalf of them. It’s a rare gift...’
When: Saturday Nov 30th 6:30pm (doors), music 7pm - 9pm
Where: Blackheath - address supplied on booking
Entry: $20 suggested donation (cash, card or Humanitix)
Bookings: thelookouthouseconcerts(at)gmail.com or via Humanitix
Artist Info: https://www.petercampbell.au/music
Thursday October 17th 2024 7pm-9pm Alan Reid (Battlefield Band, SCO)
Alan Reid has taken Scottish folk music all over the world since 1975. He joined Scotland's Battlefield Band in 1969 and subsequently recorded almost 30 albums with this influential, innovative and enduring of Celtic bands.
He began composing songs and tunes in the 1980s and from 1990 was the band's principal songwriter. His songs are noted for their storytelling element whilst being strongly rooted in Scots folk tradition. His first songbook "Martyrs, Rogues and Worthies" was published in 2001 and in 2009 he was nominated in the 'Composer of the year' category in the Scots Traditional Music Awards.
In 2010 he left the band to concentrate on his duo with singer/guitarist Rob van Sante, recording a further five albums and continuing to tour at home and abroad. In 2016 Alan was inducted, along with his former Battlefield Band colleagues, into the Scots Traditional Music Hall of Fame, a recognition of the band's contribution to Scots folk music.
Now solo, and with extensive performing experience, Alan's engaging concert features songs from his long career. Whether singing or playing piano, guitar or accordion, Alan delivers the very best in modern and traditional Scottish folk music and in a manner that delights audiences everywhere.
When: Thursday Oct 17th 6:30pm (doors), music 7pm - 9pm
Where: Blackheath - address supplied on booking
Entry: $20 suggested donation (cash, card or Humanitix)
Bookings: thelookouthouseconcerts(at)gmail.com or via Humanitix
Artist Info: https://www.alansongsreid.com/
Saturday August 10th 2024 7pm-9pm Cap in Hand Duo
Cap in Hand are Nigel ‘Muddy’ Walters and Dave ‘Fingers’ Spira – a duo who share a common love of the subtle tones and contrasting dynamics of a wide variety of acoustic instruments, which they blend together to produce a refreshing and enchanting mix of songs and tunes…..both old and new.
Nigel sings, plays cello mandolin, dulcimer, guitar, harmonica, spoons and more….and is well known to Australian music lovers through his work over more than a decade with the iconic Wheeze and Suck Band (subsequently reincarnated as Traditional Graffiti). Dave plays exquisite finger style acoustic guitar in a range of different tunings. Nigel and Dave both write their own material as well as drawing on a treasure-chest of traditional and contemporary acoustic music from around the World.
When: Saturday August 10th 6:30pm (doors), music 7pm - 9pm
Where: Blackheath - address supplied on booking
Entry: $20 suggested donation (cash, card or pre-booking link)
Bookings: thelookouthouseconcerts(at)gmail.com or via Humanitix
Artist Info: http://www.capinhandduo.com/home/about.aspx
Saturday June 8th 2024 7pm-9pm The Narrownecks Trio
The Narrownecks bring their 'old time string band down under' sound to the next instalment of the Lookout House Concert Series.
Fiddler David Hoffmann (USA) is a multi-generation old time musician, and has been surrounded by the music of the Appalachian mountains since he was in the womb. Multi-instrumentalist Harry O'Donovan (CHW) has studied music with the likes of Jody Stecher and incorporates his traditional frailing banjo style and exceptional ear to fill out the melodies. Susanne 'Skye' Evans is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist based in Katoomba, hailing from Nebraska USA. Skye brings an evocative Americana style with her emotive double bass lines and haunting vocal harmonies.
When: Saturday June 8th 6:30pm (doors), music 7pm - 9pm
Where: Blackheath - address supplied on booking
Entry: $20 suggested donation (cash, card or pre-booking link)
Bookings: thelookouthouseconcerts(at)gmail.com or via Humanitix
Artist Info: https://www.narrownecks.com
Sunday May 5th 2024 2pm-4pm Anousha Victoire Duo
Anousha Victoire is a weaver of everyday dreams, stitching together folk/world influenced melodies with bell-over-water clarity of vocal tone. The introspective singer-songwriter blends delicate ideas with a heart-aching immediacy. Her trademark fingerpicking folk guitar style and haunting vocal melodies are complemented by soaring, emotive strings and vocal harmonies, blending into folk storytelling songs that could be timeless classics. Once they discover her, her fans prove tenacious, if not downright possessive.
After a surprise win of an ABC Music Award for Folk for one of the first songs she wrote in the early 2000s, she went on to build a loyal local following, while the early songs gained indie and ABC radio airplay. Performance credits include the National Folk Festival, St Albans Folk Festival, Planet Dungog, Woodford’s Women Out Front showcase, and tours of the east coast of Australia, particularly at home in intimate concerts and folk clubs.
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Initial EP releases back in early 2000’s won additional awards and gaining her recognition with her song on the plight of the last asylum seeker on Nauru with “Last Man Standing“. She returned to the studio with 2020 full-length album ‘Precious Things’, and the single ‘Rather Be Your Lover (Than Your Wife)’ featuring guest bluegrass musicians Gleny Rae and Robbie Long, received airplay on Double J. 2023 heralds the launch of a brand new studio EP ‘Embers of the Night’ produced by Gareth Hudson.
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“I love it when I find a young singer-songwriter who understands the tradition from which their music grows. Anousha Victoire is one such performer. She knows where her songs come from, both in form and content, and her music is the more powerful for that knowledge” (Judy Small)
When: Sunday May 5th 1:30pm (doors), music 2pm - 4pm
Where: Blackheath - address supplied on booking
Entry: $20 suggested donation (cash, card or pre-booking link)
Bookings: thelookouthouseconcerts(at)gmail.com or via Humanitix
Artist Info: https://anoushavictoiremusic.com/
February 2024 - Margaret & Bob Fagan
The Lookout House Concert series is back in 2024, with the wonderful Margaret & Bob Fagan. These Blue Mountains residents are two of Australia's most respected folk musicians with a long history both as a duo and with their family band The Fagans. They have been firm favourites at festivals all over Australia, and have toured in the UK on numerous occasions. Their work has its roots in the Anglo-Irish-Australian tradition, and is marked by political integrity and striking harmonies. Their vast repertoire includes songs of social and environmental justice, traditional ballads, and contemporary stories. And there’s often a good chorus to join in on as well. Be transported by Margaret's beautiful voice and Bob's superb fingerpicked guitar. https://margaretbobandkatefagan.bandcamp.com
When: Saturday February 24th 6:30pm (doors), music 7pm - 9pm
Where: Blackheath - address supplied on booking
Entry: $20 suggested donation (cash, card or pre-booking link)
Bookings: thelookouthouseconcerts(at)gmail.com
September 2023 - Valley Road (duo) and Jess Parker (Vic)
The inaugural show of the Lookout House Concert series features not one but two wonderful acts. Valley Road and Jess Parker are making their NSW debuts, fresh off the Hume Highway all the way from Central Victoria. Join us for an intimate evening of country/folk/blues-infused stories and songs. Both Valley Road and Jess Parker are celebrating the release of their latest singles and are excited to bring them to Blackheath!
Valley Road is a folk duo of two friends, Marty Mckenna and Rebecca Jane Howell, who have been singing together for over a decade, creating a rare kind of magic when they take to the stage. Known for their heart-rending harmonies and intricate guitar playing, they weave their experiences into songs of people and place, bringing an Australian perspective to their diverse folk influences.
Summoning the dark folk spirits from her home in the Victorian Goldfields and making them dance to sweet country blues, guitar picker Jess Parker has been sharing her stories state-wide for the past 8 years. Gearing up to release her 4th album 'Wholesome Prison Blues' in autumn of 2024, Jess is thrilled to be bringing her freshest batch of stories to NSW for the very first time.
When: Sunday September 17th 6:30pm (doors), music 7pm - 9pm
Entry: $15 donation
Bookings: thelookouthouseconcerts(at)gmail.com