HAPPY New Year. Bring on 2015! We’ve been working hard to fill the venue with all good things for your delectation in the coming months and are very excited about what we’re offering this year.

As well as our monthly regulars; jive dances on Friday evenings, Your Musical Memories on Thursdays and the Stroud Ceilidhs on Saturdays, we’ve our now standard festival programme coming up, with the Fringe at the end of August, Theatre in the middle of September and Folk at the end of September. A couple of June additions to the festival diary this year are Americana on 4th and 5th and we’re delighted this year to be playing a part in the Festival of Nature with events and exhibitions throughout the month.

Classical music and theatre are becoming a stronger part of our programme and I’ve already agreed a return by the Orchestra of St John’s, hopefully in Spring, and the European Chamber Orchestra later in the year. Further to these I’m hoping to agree a visit by the Philharmonia Brass Ensemble who perform some stunning orchestral brass programmes. We’ve a couple of cracking pieces of theatre in Jekyll and Hyde from Isosceles Theatre, local company Spaniel in the Works return with Bernard and Beatrice’s Complete Guide to Modern Art, a tongue-firmly-in-cheek look at the art movements of the 20th and 21st centuries, and we continue the historical theme with one man/woman shows about both Lord Nelson and Elizabeth I. One show currently in negotiation is a brilliant piece I saw at the Edinburgh Festival in 2014 called Black Is the Colour of My Voice. If we do manage to bring this show, beg, steal, borrow, do all sorts of nefarious things to get a ticket for it. I assure you it is a one woman emotional tour de force of singing and acting the like of which you will not have seen before. Trust me!

The usual eclectic mix of music is the mainstay of the year’s programme so far with a combination of stunning tribute bands like the mighty Hayseed Dixie, newcomers to Stroud, The Dark Side of Floyd and regulars Whole Lotta Led; TV celebs (well, one!) in Joe McElderry and unique sounds from The Moscow Drug Club and Leveret (on different nights!). Following the success of a night of Leonard Cohen, Keith James returns to give Nick Drake his unique treatment, and I’m pleased to welcome back the Bookends duo with their Simon and Garfunkel songs and stories. Tom Hingley, ex Inspiral Carpets front man, will also be here with some Inspirals classics as well as his own solo work to kick off March.

Just as the days are dark and dreary and credit card bills are lurking, we’ve a month of smiles in February with a new comedy club heading our way and more laughs coming from Jonny Fluffy Punk, Crispin Thomas and friends on Valentine’s night and the wonderfully named Elvis McGonagall at the end of the month.

Fancy a bit of a girls’(or boys’) night out? We’ve two great shows for you so far with An Evening of Dirty Dancing in March and Islands in the Sun (a night of Kenny and Dolly) in June.

I’ll finish with news of a reincarnation for 2015. Many of you may remember fondly the Stroud Brass Band festival of years gone by. Well we’re bringing some of the country’s top bands back to the Sub Rooms this year. Starting in February with Virtuosi GUS who will be followed by Welsh Wizards Tredegar Town, local heroes Flowers, Northern giants Leyland, the series culminates in a return visit by the World’s No 1 band, Cory.

Don’t forget our classes and workshops and keep your eyes open for the many free and ad hoc performances in both Mr Twitchett’s Coffee House & Bar and on the Forecourt. Mr T’s is open every day for food and drink and the lovely ladies of the Tourist Information Centre are here to help you make the most of your visit to Stroud and the surrounding areas, or just to sell you tickets for the many shows I hope you’ll want to come and see.