After kicking off 2024 with a sell-out show in Belfast, Scotland’s alt.blues troubadour Dave Arcari embarks an a series of four live dates south of the border including a show at Port Mahon Ale House, Oxford on Saturday 10 February.
When: Saturday, 10th February @8pm
Where: Port Mahon Ale House, 82 St Clement’s St, Oxford OX4 1AW
Tickets: £10 early bird available on eventbrite, £12.50 on door
The Oxford date comes after shows in Newcastle and Barnoldswick then Arcari continues to mid-Wales for a sold-out show in Brecon on Sunday 11 February.
The dates follow the recent release of his latest album Devil May Care on limited edition red vinyl and a new single, Younger Days – a curve ball that sees Arcari injecting a little bit of Americana into his more familiar deep blues sound.
Arcari is delighted to be coming back to play Oxford “Finally things are returning to ‘normal’ for touring musicians,” he says. “And it’s been a while since my last visit in 2015 when I played at the Bullingdon.
“There’s two runs of Scottish dates with some special guests coming up in March and May,” adds Arcari who’s also looking forward to playing festivals in Romania, Czech Republic and Finland – as well as the UK – later in the year.
At the same time Arcari is busy writing new material for what will be his eighth full-length solo album.
He is an an official artist for Newtone Strings, Reunion Blues gig bags, Diamond Bottlenecks, G7th Capo and National Reso-Phonic Guitars who launched their ‘Dave Arcari signature’ instruments in 2019.
Who is Dave Acari?
A finalist in the UK Blues Federation’s UK Blues Awards 2023, Arcari has had his music featured in numerous BBC TV programmes as well as popular USA series The Deadliest Catch.
The ultimate validation for Arcari’s music and performance came in 2019 when National Reso-Phonic Guitars launched the ‘Dave Arcari signature model’ guitar. Arcari joins an elite and exclusive group of players who have signature models and is the first – and only – musician outside the USA to be honoured by the iconic instrument maker whose name is synonymous with the development of the blues genre.
While continuing to build his audience in the USA with once or twice-annual tours since 2013 – including official showcases at SxSW in Austin, Texas – Arcari also maintains his presence on the UK and European touring and festival circuits.
Arcari’s festival appearances include Glastonbury (UK), Red Rooster (UK), BluesAlive (Czech Republic & Poland shows), Moulin Blues (Netherlands), The Great British R&B Festival and Peer Festival (Belgium). He has also played industry showcases at the North by North East (NxNE) music festival in Toronto, Canada and he was a finalist the UK Indy Music Awards reaching the top four in his category (best male solo artist).
A series of shows with folks including Steve Earle, Alabama 3, Seasick Steve, Toby Keith and Jon Spencer along with his relentless UK and European tour schedule have established Arcari as a formidable international solo performer who is fast building a media reputation as a ‘hell-raising National guitar madman’.
A former debt collector, Arcari cut his musical teeth busking on the streets of Glasgow before forming his first band Summerfield Blues which won the Alexis Korner Memorial Trophy and accolade of Scottish Blues Band of the Year at Edinburgh International Blues Festival in1993.
He went on to form pioneering alt.blues trio Radiotones, releasing three studio albums between1998 and 2003 before embarking on a solo career.
