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, we promise you won’t want to miss this!
Please Note: We aim to provide a family-friendly environment. However, as this is a live music event, some performances may include occasional strong language. Parental discretion is advised.
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…
5th November 2026
Tickets from £5.00
Recommended for ages – all ages
Running time approx 2 hours 40 minutes
Thursday 5 November 2026
Opening Act
Jolene Missing
Folk Artist
Drawing songs from British and American folk traditions, Jolene Missing’s pure, soulful voice has been compared to some of the classic voices of the folk revival of the 1960s and 70s – reminiscent of Shirley Collins or Shelagh McDonald.
A stalwart of the European folk, country, bluegrass and Americana touring scene, in the past year alone Jolene has performed at Ely Folk Festival, Gower Americana & Roots Festival, the Betsey Trotwood, What’s Cookin’ club, Panfield bluegrass festival, the Black Fen folk club, Small World Festival and Purbeck Folk festival on the Jurassic Coast.
Tonight she’s joined by multi-instrumentalist Joe Hymas, best known for his wildfire mandolin playing in legendary rockgrass band Hayseed Dixie.
Jolene has released an album called Leaves of Life.
Thursday 5 November 2026
Headliner
Hippy Joe’s DBC Mofo’s
Bluegrass band
(aka Dead By Christmas/Manifestors of Fantastic Opportunities)
Current line-up includes: Hippy Joe – mandolin/vocals (Hayseed Dixie), Luke Donovan – guitar/vocals (Hackney Hillpickers), Paul Bishop – banjo (Sea Grass), Jolene Missing – Doghouse Bass (Leaves of Life).
The band came together 20 years ago when a group of like-minded hard-drinking bluegrass musicians met during a late-night jam at a festival and stayed picking and drinking until the sun came up! Pints of Bloody Marys for breakfast and Special Brew (kept cold on the ground under the tent) were the group’s only sustenance.
This hard-partying and all-night hellfire lifestyle meant that the band never achieved a lineup that lasted long enough to play a booked gig, due to one or more members of the band passing away before a show could be put in place!
It wasn’t until July 2025 that the above-mentioned band got to play a gig, whilst playing at their previous banjo player, Nick Burrage’s funeral. The result was dynamite! A great send-off to yet another DBC/MOFO banjo player, but also their first gig and the start of greater things to come.
Each show they play is in honour of their fallen comrades — the list of which will inevitably continue to grow.