Theon Cross at Headrow House on 21 September

Theon Cross, having made his name as a leader of the UK’s jazz scene, starts his UK headline tour on 20 September and is at Leeds Headrow House on 21st.

This tuba player and composer released his debut album, Fyah, earlier this year, and it reached #1 in the UK jass charts, with its mix of jazz, Caribbean dub and dance music, bringing the tuba to the forefront in place of electronic basslines.

Theon Cross will be joined by Chelsea Carmichael, Patrick Boyle and Nikos Ziarkas on the following dates:

20.09 – Birmingham – The Hare & Hounds
21.09 – Leeds – Headrow House
22.09 – Margate – Olby’s Soul Cafe
25.09 – London – Village Underground
26.09 – Sheffield – The Old Fire Station (Bungalows & Bears)
27.09 – Manchester – YES
03.10 – Bristol – Exchange
04.10 – Nottingham – Peggy’s Skylight
05.10 – Milton Keynes – MK Gallery
06.10 – Storyhouse – Chester

What the critics say:

“Roving at will across other genres, Cross is able to wholly remake the horn in his own image.”
– Pitchfork (7.5)
“Part heavy anchor, part combustion engine, with a will to set any groove aflame.”
– NPR
“Could easily be sampled for a fiery Skepta track”
– Rolling Stone
“One of the most important players on the explosive London jazz scene.”
– Stereogum
“Offers individuality worth as much as the community this scene describes”
 Jazzwise
“Even with the current spate of stellar debuts from London’s young jazz mavericks, stands out for it’s genre-crossing audacity”
 London Evening Standard
“A central figure of the contemporary UK jazz scene.”
– Downbeat
“A sharp distillation of the fierce talent lighting up the capital”
 MOJO
“Incredible!”
– Gilles Peterson
“Crucially embraces the bass and rhythm role with exuberant inventiveness”
 the Guardian
“One can only hope his lips and lungs are insured”
– the Observer
“A prodigious young talent”
– New York Times
“Completely essential”
 CLASH
“Another great triumph for Cross and the region as a whole.”
– Bandcamp
“High-octane stuff that’s heavy on groove and carnival-style groove.”
– Mixmag
“A blend of New Orleans brass-band music and a grime and soundsystem culture”
– Uncut
“Fyah is his chance to take some of the limelight.”
– Jazz Journal
“A thrilling cross-pollination of urban genres”
 Record Collector
“Swaggering grime tuba and hyped-up free-bop interplay”
– the Quietus
“A key player in the UK’s bright-burning young jazz scene”
– Stamp The Wax

Photograph by Andy Earl.

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