Blow The Fuse

We’re delighted to have been awarded funding to record the new ARQ album ‘Short Stories’ and for a national tour promoting the album.

Many thanks to the Arts Council Of England for their support….

and to the equally wonderful people working at the PRSF for the Women Make music fund.

We’re excited, in fact we’ve been dancing up and down on hearing this news because it makes all the difference to what we’re able to do as a team. We’ll be recording 8 new compositions for the album which we hope to press on vinyl as well this time and we’ve programmed 18 dates so far in the tour.

Thank you to all our supporters and watch this space for more news…

C R E A T I V E    •   C U R I O U S
•  E X P E R I E N C E D  •

This year Blow the Fuse celebrate 30 years. Started in 1989 by musicians and composers Deirdre Cartwright and Alison Rayner who were members of the internationally acclaimed jazz group The Guest Stars, BTF have played a crucial role in raising awareness about women jazz musicians and importantly giving them support, a space and opportunity to perform in times which have sometimes been very challenging.

BTF have been very much part of the new resurgence of jazz musicians, which contain many talented young women. Beginning in 2012, Blow the Fuse seasons Tomorrow the Moon ‘one small step for women’ have featured groups led by composers Laura Jurd, Yazz Ahmed, Laura Cole, Dee Byrne, Sophie Tetteh, Lauren Kinsella, Roz Harding, Nikki Iles, Shama Rahman, Daphna Sadeh, Flo Moore, Chelsea Carmichael, Camilla George and Nubya Garcia.

BTF have managed many UK jazz tours with new musical works, innovative collaborations and educational projects and they run the Blow the Fuse record label.

Blow the Fuse were shortlisted for the Services to Jazz award (outstanding contribution to jazz in the UK) in the 2018 All Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards. Congratulations to winner Jill Rodger and all her work on the Glasgow jazz festival.

 Performances for the ‘Resistance’ season take place at the Vortex Jazz Club and the Old Church on Stoke Newington Church Street. See our gigs page for details on all our events.

ARQ are returning to the studio this year to record a new album. Working title ‘Short Stories’. In the meantime…

2019
March 28 Leicester Jazz House
April 5 Map Studio Cafe Kentish Town
May 30 Vortex Jazz Club
May 31 Lichfield Jazz & Blues Festival
June 8 Bromley Youth Music Trust
June 27 Hampstead Jazz Club
June 28 Orpington Jazz Club
July 23 Eastside Jazz Club

August 25 Aberjazz Festival Fishguard
September 29 Albany Empire Deptford
September 30 Ashburton Live
October 1 St Ives Jazz Club
October 11 Bracknell Jazz, South Hill Park
October 12 Marsden Jazz Festival
October 13 Leeds Inkwell
November 8 Wakefield Jazz Club
November 9 Brighton Verdict
November 15 Kings Place EFG LJF

2020
Feb 26 Pizza Express Soho
March 12 Jazz Coventry
March 13 Birmingham Jazz
March 14  Shrewsbury Hive
March 31 Liverpool Parr Jazz
April 1 Sheffield Lescar
April 2 Nottingham, Bonington Theatre
April 3 Derby Jazz
May 3 Colchester Arts Centre Jazz Club

“…infused with the kind of heady imagination that transforms their resonances into a series of vivacious musical adventures.”
BBC Music Magazine ★★★★★

‘A Celebration of life itself ‘ LondonJazzNews

LIVE preview of songs from new album
‘Short Stories’ released October 2019

Look at our new Artist page for more HERE