There are two fantastic Willkommen shows coming up this December in Brighton and Lewes – and both headliners have recorded seasonal hits.

The wonderful Hamilton Yarns have uploaded a typically unique Christmas song which you can get for free from here. The band play at the Needlemakers in Lewes with Kristin McClement on December 20th.

Laish have done the same and their track can be heard here. The band play tomorrow, Wednesday 14th December, at the Proud Ballroom in Kemp Town, Brighton with The Magic Lantern. Tickets are available here. Then the two bands then play at Old St Mary’s Church in Stoke Newington, London on Friday 16th December. Tickets for that one can be purchased here.

Click to see larger flier

Here are further details on the Willkommen Collective tour. The Leisure Society and Sons of Noel and Adrian will play all the dates, and will be supported by a rotating cast of bands from the Collective – to be announced soon.

There is a facebook event for the tour here. Please mark yourself as attending and help to spread the word amongst your friends.

April 2010

Thursday 1st: LONDON – The Tabernacle
—> tickets | last.fm | songkick | map | more info | 0207 221 9700

Saturday 3rd: BRIGHTON – The Corn Exchange
—> tickets | last.fm | songkick | map | more info | 01273 709709

Sunday 4th: BRISTOL – Thekla
—> tickets | last.fm | songkick | map | 08713 100 000

Monday 5th: LEEDS – Brudenell Social Club
—> tickets | last.fm | songkick | map | 0113 2455570

Tuesday 6th: MANCHESTER – Band on the Wall
—> tickets | last.fm | songkick | map | more info | 0845 2 500 500

Wednesday 7th: KENDAL – Brewery Arts Centre
—> tickets | last.fm | songkick | map | more info | 01539 725133

In February the Willkommen Collective embark on a special project. We’ve assembled a twenty piece band and called it The Willkommen Orchestra. We will be playing songs from the Shoreline, Sons of Noel and Adrian, The Miserable Rich and The Climbers repertoires all arranged especially for the occasion. It’ll be the first time any of The Climbers songs have been played live, ahead of the debut album release this Spring.

This is a one off project and we’ll be performing just twice:

Friday 19th February at Brighton Unitarian Church
Saturday 27th February at London Kings Place

The London show is part of the Arctic Circle’s The Bubbly Blue and Green - a four-day festival of eclectic ‘water music’ influenced by shipwrecks, rivers, waves and lighthouses.

Housed in the halls of Kings Place, the festival runs from the 24th to 27th February 2010 and features Philip Jeck, Janek Schaefer, Hauschka, Hildur Gudnadottir, ISAN, Samphire Band, The Sleeping Years, Iarla O’Lionaird, The London Snorkelling Team, Paper Cinema and The Willkommen Orchestra.

Tickets are on sale with very limited SAVER SEATS available online at £9.50 for all concerts. Prices (unless stated otherwise): £24.50, £19.50, £15.50 Premium seats available.

Tickets & more information available here.

The overflowing Stanmer House lineup has a new addition. Recently seen playing keys with Grizzly Bear, Robert Stillman‘s own music exists “somewhere between the fairground, the rural parlor, and the stars” and is influenced by the likes of John Fahey, Kurt Weill, Scott Joplin, and Maurice Ravel.

The lineup also includes The Leisure Society, Alessi’s Ark, Peggy Sue, Sons of Noel and Adrian, Laura Marling’s pianist and banjo player Pete Roe and Caroline Weeks of Bat for Lashes. The event takes place in Grade I listed stately home Stanmer House on Sunday July 5th, tickets cost just £12 from wegottickets.com or Resident Records, 28 Kensington Gardens, Brighton, 01273 606312.

Stanmer House by night

The good news is we’ve found a new venue for our event in July and tickets are on sale here. 

The event features a ridiculously good lineup including The Leisure Society, Alessi’s Ark, Peggy Sue and Sons of Noel and Adrian. Originally at Charleston House, this event has now moved to the even more suitable Stanmer House – with one big benefit. We can now have a second performance area so we’ll be announcing many more acts ASAP.

The house was built in 1722 and is in the middle of a Sussex nature reserve, but also just a 5-10 minute walk from Falmer train station or University of Sussex bus stops.

More details about this exciting event can be found here. Please help support Willkommen by buying tickets as soon as possible, as an event of this size is costing us a lot to run. Thank you so much to everyone who has emailed over the last week voicing their support and suggesting alternative venues.