Towngate LIVE! – Music Nights
Join us for our monthly live music night in the Gielgud room, with emerging local musicians and bands.
Your Town. Your Stage. Your Music.
Join us for our monthly live music night in the Gielgud Room where we will be hosting an evening of original music from both local and national artists!
All of our tickets are just £5.00! Simply enter the number of tickets you would like and add them to your basket – just like that, you’re in!
Still on the fence? Check out some of the talent that will be performing for you over the next few months and below, we promise you won’t want to miss this.
Why not join us for our Towngate LIVE! Jazz Café! This event is free to attend, and no need to book. Just pop along to the Café/Bar and enjoy!
Music Matters. Help Make It Happen with a Voluntary Donation
Towngate LIVE! is more than just a gig – it is a movement to celebrate creativity and bring world-class music to our community.
We showcase local artists with original music and host incredible acts from across the UK and beyond – including a Grammy Award winner!
Your donation helps emerging talent from Basildon, keeps tickets affordable, and brings top-tier artists to our town. Every contribution makes a real difference. With your support, Towngate LIVE! can thrive and keep Basildon a destination for musicians and music-lovers alike.
To donate, please visit the Music Matters page online or call the team on 01268 205 300.
LIVE at your local venue…
22nd May 2026 - 6th November 2026
Tickets from £5.00
Recommended for ages – all ages
Running time approx 2 hours 40 minutes
Friday 22nd May 2026
Opening Act
Sam Fraser
Singer/songwriter
Sam Fraser is a UK singer-songwriter crafting music built on raw honesty, emotional depth, and fearless vulnerability.
Writing songs since the age of 12, Sam has always used music as a way to process life’s challenges – often describing his work as “a cost-effective alternative to therapy.” He first emerged in 2019 with his debut EP Sing Out!, introducing a songwriter unafraid to turn personal experiences into powerful, relatable songs. Releases such as Painkiller and Hold On further showcased his ability to blend introspective lyricism with anthemic energy and emotionally driven performances.
After stepping back to refine his sound and develop his voice as an artist, Sam returned with his EP I Made It Out Alive. The project marks a defining new chapter, confronting themes of anxiety, resilience, and personal growth while continuing to connect with listeners through deeply personal storytelling.
Friday 22nd May 2026
Headliner
Fraser Morgan Band
Folk/Pop
Fraser Morgan; a rapidly up and coming folk-punk singer-songwriter who’s known for their relentless gigging and for bringing to the stage high levels of passion, energy, and showmanship.
Whether he’s playing solo or with his band “Fraser Morgan and the Great Catastrophes”, Fraser keeps the crowd on their toes and captivated, delivering a performance that is often compared to the likes of Ren, Frank Turner, and Jamie T.
Fraser recently played his 1000th show to a sold-out crowd at Colchester Arts Centre, and this experience shows when he’s putting on a beautifully chaotic, yet passionate and enjoyable performance. Throughout his live shows, Fraser keeps the crowd laughing between songs with his unpredictable, Dad-like humour, whilst also delivering important messages of mental health within the songs themselves.
If you like leaving gigs with a heart full of life and a bamboozled smile strapped to your face, then a Fraser Morgan show is exactly where you need to be.
Friday 12th June 2026
Opening Act
Jessie Reid
Singer-Songwriter
Jessie Reid’s second album Little Sparks is about hope, about those tiny moments of positivity that get us through the everyday, the glimmers of light hidden amongst the mundane.
The young Shropshire artist’s raw and intimate indie-folk has already racked up over 10 million streams, support from the likes of Chris Hawkins, Tom Robinson & Emily Pilbeam on BBC 6 Music, regular spins on BBC Radio Ulster & BBC Radio Wales, a regional BBC Introducing Artist of the Year accolade, and a breakfast show Single of the Day on LA tastemaker Nic Harcourt’s SoCal 88.5FM. Of the new album, Jessie says:
“These songs stress the importance of noticing the small things that give us meaning, even when life feels heavy. Some are soft and personal, like ‘Let Your Love Run Cold’ and ‘Your Story’. Others, such as ‘Devil Calls’ and ‘Cracks Forming’, wrestle with darker feelings. Sitting somewhere in between are ‘Against the Tide’ and ‘Beauty in Sadness’ – songs about struggle, but also about staying strong and holding on. I’d like to think the title track ‘Little Sparks’ ties it all together: the idea that even in the midst of the mundane, we can find sparks of light worth chasing and holding on to. I’m really proud of this record. It feels honest, and I hope these songs can be little sparks for anyone who needs them.”
Following 2024’s Glastonbury and Camp Bestival debuts, Jessie enjoyed a great 2025 festival season with acclaimed sets at Fuse Fest, Kendal Calling, Green Man, Found Festival, Between The Trees and Moseley Folk. Her 2026 live schedule is already shaping up nicely.
A songwriter wise beyond her years, Jessie’s understated vocals and innovative percussive guitar style have drawn praise from tastemaker press and comparisons with the likes of Iron & Wine, Lucy Rose, Memorial & Ben Howard, with tracks enjoying wide editorial support at Spotify, including the coveted Most Beautiful Songs in the World playlist, and sync placements on Channel 4, SKY and ITV.
Released on 6th February 2026, Little Sparks is an album about finding hope in the darkness, living and loving again, and seeing beauty even in sadness.
Friday 12th June 2026
Headliner
M G Boutler & Samantha Whates
Singer/Songwriters
M G Boulter and Samantha Whates have been collaborating since 2014. Both respected and critically acclaimed singer songwriters in their own right, they are set to release their third collaborative project in the 2026. Flower Days is a collection of alt-folk and experimental recordings, inspired by flowers and their cultural significance throughout history. Recorded at the historic Cambo Country House and Estate in Fife by producer Douglas Whates, Flower Days blends the duo’s well established songwriting style with the Estate’s inspirational surroundings.
M G Boulter is a songwriter and musician living on the Thames coast in Essex. He creates vignettes of suburban lives and seaside communities, and his albums have featured in the top ten end of year lists for the publications including the Daily Telegraph. He has been described as a ‘weapons grade songwriter’.
Samantha Whates is a Scottish singer songwriter who has released several albums across a range of record labels including Rough Trade Records. She is regularly played on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 6. Her beautifully crafted poetic songs retain an affinity with her Scottish roots, cultivating a sound that is contemporary, rooted in
tradition, yet uniquely her own.
COMING SOON
Friday 17th July 2026
Mick Wilson & GREENE