{"id":31625,"date":"2026-03-19T10:07:40","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T10:07:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/?p=31625"},"modified":"2026-03-19T11:42:05","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T11:42:05","slug":"preview-martin-stephenson-the-daintees-acoustic-trio-at-firebug-fri-10th-april-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/preview-martin-stephenson-the-daintees-acoustic-trio-at-firebug-fri-10th-april-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Preview &#8211; Martin Stephenson &#038; The Daintees (acoustic trio) at Firebug, Fri 10th April 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"fb-root\"><\/div>\n<p>Click <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/events\/2114240806010244\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a> for the Facebook event.<\/p>\n<p>Promoter: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MagicTeapotgigs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Magic Teapot Presents<\/a><\/p>\n<p>There are few artists in the British music canon as genuinely beloved and idiosyncratic as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/getgetgone\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Martin Stephenson<\/a>. For over 40 years, the Durham-born songwriter has bypassed the cynicism of the &#8220;industry&#8221; to create a world of his own\u2014one built on a &#8220;glorious collision&#8221; of folk, ragtime, jazz, and rockabilly.<\/p>\n<p>On Friday, April 10, Stephenson brings his stripped-back acoustic trio to the intimate surroundings of Firebug in Leicester, a setting that perfectly suits his storytelling style.<\/p>\n<p>This tour isn&#8217;t just another run of dates; it\u2019s a celebration of a milestone. 2026 marks 40 years since the release of the Daintees\u2019 seminal debut album, Boat to Bolivia. While the full band shows are legendary for their energy, the acoustic trio format allows Stephenson\u2019s songwriting\u2014and his legendary stage presence\u2014to truly breathe.<\/p>\n<p>Expect a setlist that spans the Daintees&#8217; &#8220;big four&#8221; albums:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Boat to Bolivia (1986)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Gladsome, Humour and Blue (1987)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Salutation Road (1989)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>The Boys Heart (1992)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Stephenson is famously &#8220;un-categorisable.&#8221; One moment you\u2019re hearing a delicate finger-picked folk ballad, and the next, he\u2019s launching into a sun-drenched piece of rootsy pop or a gritty punk-tinged rocker.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the music, it&#8217;s the connection that makes a Martin Stephenson gig special. Known for his warm, self-deprecating humour and &#8220;heart-in-your-mouth&#8221; intimacy, his shows often feel less like a formal concert and more like a gathering of old friends.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Tickets: General Admission is approximately \u00a322.00 <a href=\"https:\/\/daintees.co.uk\/event\/6422097\/750543449\/daintees-acoustic-trio?fbclid=IwY2xjawQopy1leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETA2NklkZEVqbWRWWHVLVFhVc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHsKO-tvleoOr31uq4zHaNzBojp6cuL9bvPNwb5QarmqbIIxzxKV7rxX9aquM_aem_65rBz3TzdPsvd1wulhVhmg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">(click here)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Atmosphere: Firebug offers a relaxed, up-close environment that is ideal for this kind of &#8220;unplugged&#8221; storytelling.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Age Restriction: This venue is typically 18+ for evening music events.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Martin Stephenson began his career as a busker aged 15. He then spent three years plying his trade as the guitar player in various bands in the North East of England . But Martin wanted more, he wanted to tell stories of his own and he was quickly developing ways of doing just that.<\/p>\n<p>He developed his song-writing technique by firstly learning a few licks from a Spanish guitar book and repeated the process with Jazz, Blues, Country, SkifFle, Reggae etc. Eventually, this glorious collision of styles would become the trademark which Martin has carried through his career of almost 40 years. Martin formed his band The Daintees, who became busking sensations and were signed by Kitchenware at around the same time as Prefab Sprout and Hurrah! The band, and indeed Martin, have always been known for their incredible range of styles, each album covering a multitude of genres, tempos and moods.<\/p>\n<p>The Daintees went on to release four critically acclaimed albums between 1986 &amp; 1992; Boat To Bolivia, Gladsome Humour and Blue, Salutation Road, and The Boys Heart. Martin has since supported himself through a combination of extensive live work and a multitude of self financed solo albums. 2000 saw the reformation of theDaintees, and to this day Martin splits his time between solo and small collaborative projects with band albums and annual celebratory Daintees UK tours.<\/p>\n<p>We are delighted to represent Martin in all configurations, be it his solo shows, with Rupert Hughes (acoustic guitar) &amp; Niles Kreiger(fiddle and mandolin) as The Good Will Trio, with his full band Martin Stephenson &amp; The Daintees, or as a stripped back Daintees show with Gary Dunn (guitar) and Finn McArdle (percussion) as The Daintees Trio.<\/p>\n<p>A prolific and immensely popular performer, no show being the same, Martin is generally available for solo shows, and festivals throughout the summer in all guises. \u201c\u2026 they [The Daintees] exude so much warmth and charm that you walk away wishing good to all mankind and wanting to hug everyone you encounter.\u201d \u2013 Rockshot Magazine<\/p>\n<p>Click <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=vvRXcVHm5do&amp;t=105s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a> to see the Martin Stephenson showreel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\">Stephenson is famously &#8220;un-categorisable.&#8221; One moment you\u2019re hearing a delicate finger-picked folk ballad, and the next, he\u2019s launching into a sun-drenched piece of rootsy pop or a gritty punk-tinged rocker.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":31636,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[352,218,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-352","category-gig-previews","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Martin-stephenson.jpg?fit=797%2C341&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p73uhX-8e5","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":25633,"url":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/preview-firebug-bank-holiday-sunday-all-dayer-sunday-29th-august-30th-august-2021\/","url_meta":{"origin":31625,"position":0},"title":"Preview &#8211; Firebug Bank Holiday Sunday all dayer Sunday 29th August &#8211; 30th August 2021","author":"Kevin Gaughan","date":"26\/08\/2021","format":false,"excerpt":"As live music makes its long-awaited return, Firebug and her sister bar Duffy\u2019s have teamed up to provide a stomping day of music this Bank Holiday Sunday and it is all for FREE! Headlining the evening on Firebug are Leicester\u2019s own preachers of rock, the mighty Goldwater...","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2021&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2021","link":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/Music\/2021\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Bank-holiday-weekender.jpg?fit=1200%2C669&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Bank-holiday-weekender.jpg?fit=1200%2C669&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Bank-holiday-weekender.jpg?fit=1200%2C669&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Bank-holiday-weekender.jpg?fit=1200%2C669&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Bank-holiday-weekender.jpg?fit=1200%2C669&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17570,"url":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/preview-lets-face-the-music-at-duffys-bar-firebug-friday-22nd-march-2019\/","url_meta":{"origin":31625,"position":1},"title":"Preview &#8211; Let&#8217;s Face the Music at Duffy&#8217;s Bar &#038; Firebug, Friday 22nd March 2019","author":"Kevin Gaughan","date":"01\/03\/2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Organised by\u00a0Music in Leicester,\u00a0Firebug and\u00a0Duffy's Bar Friday 22nd March sees possibly one of the best nights of live music this year in the fair city of Leicester. Music in Leicester online magazine combines forces with Firebug and Duffy\u2019s Bar to bring you \u2018Let\u2019s Face the Music\u2019. Spread over three stages,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2019&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2019","link":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/Music\/2019\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/LFTMposter-1000px-wide.jpg?fit=849%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/LFTMposter-1000px-wide.jpg?fit=849%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/LFTMposter-1000px-wide.jpg?fit=849%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/LFTMposter-1000px-wide.jpg?fit=849%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":31652,"url":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/gig-review-amy-dx-at-firebug-friday-20th-march-2026\/","url_meta":{"origin":31625,"position":2},"title":"Gig Review &#8211; Amy Dx at Firebug, Friday 20th March 2026","author":"Kevin Gaughan","date":"27\/03\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"This local band has been making waves recently. The vocals were clear and the music engaging. It was an enjoyable set that went down well with the audience.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2026&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2026","link":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/Music\/2026\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_8493.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_8493.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_8493.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_8493.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_8493.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":28487,"url":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/gig-review-day-job-at-firebug-friday-15th-april-2022\/","url_meta":{"origin":31625,"position":3},"title":"Gig review &#8211; Day Job at Firebug, Friday 15th April 2022","author":"Kevin Gaughan","date":"04\/05\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Their sound ticked many boxes, and each song was not the same. The versatility of the style of each song was impressive...","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2022&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2022","link":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/Music\/2022\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/IMG_8264.jpg?fit=1200%2C751&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/IMG_8264.jpg?fit=1200%2C751&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/IMG_8264.jpg?fit=1200%2C751&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/IMG_8264.jpg?fit=1200%2C751&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/IMG_8264.jpg?fit=1200%2C751&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3209,"url":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/resins-night-at-the-firebug-2013\/","url_meta":{"origin":31625,"position":4},"title":"Resin&#8217;s night at the Firebug 2013","author":"Trevor Locke","date":"02\/01\/2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Resin's night at Firebug 2013 Saturday 21st December Hinckley-based band Resin held a night at Firebug which was widely acclaimed by gig-goers as being one of the best of the year. Here are Kevin Gaughan's moments from that show: Photos and videos by \u00a0\u00a9\u00a0Kevin Gaughan Mage - watch this video\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Gigs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Gigs","link":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/Music\/music-home-page\/gigs-in-leicester\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Resin-at-the-Firebug.jpg?fit=576%2C510&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Resin-at-the-Firebug.jpg?fit=576%2C510&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Resin-at-the-Firebug.jpg?fit=576%2C510&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6331,"url":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/martyr-de-mona\/","url_meta":{"origin":31625,"position":5},"title":"Martyr De Mona","author":"Trevor Locke","date":"26\/04\/2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Saturday 25th April 2015 Martyr de Mona at Firebug A gig promoted by Resin Events Photos: RhinoFeroSs; words: Trevor Locke It is rare for this magazine to feature a band from out-of-town; but Martyr de Mona from Stourbridge in the West Midlands is a worthy exception that proves the rule.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2015&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2015","link":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/Music\/history-of-leicester-music\/the-year-2015\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Martyr de Mona at The Firebug Photo: RhinoFeroSs","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/QF0B9828-600x400.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/QF0B9828-600x400.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/QF0B9828-600x400.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31625"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31625\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31641,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31625\/revisions\/31641"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}