Live, stripped-back, acoustic gigs - carefully curated monthly Bookshelf Sessions. These EXCLUSIVE sessions offer unique opportunity to experience top quality live performance in Alton. Come and see what everyone’s talking about!

HEY! We are looking for local, up & coming solo or duo acoustic acts with original material to support our main artists for Bookshelf Sessions. If you are interested, drop Gary an email and introduce yourself and your music, and you could find yourself supporting the likes of James Walsh (Starsailor), Richard Walters, Matthew & The Atlas, Ben Ottewell (Gomez), Fran Lusty or Nigel Clark (Dodgy).

Performances recorded live for our YouTube channel.

Jessie Reid

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Jessie Reid is a Shropshire-based singer-songwriter whose soulful, folk-inspired music has been featured on Made in Chelsea, Love Island, and BBC 6 Music. With over 20 million Spotify streams, she played Glastonbury Acoustic Stage 2024 and continues to captivate audiences with her distinctive percussive guitar style and evocative songwriting.

Her fingerstyle guitar playing has drawn comparisons with the likes of Ben Howard, RY X, Lucy Rose, and Nick Mulvey. Jessie has provided main tour support for Steph Strings, Louden Wainwright III and Dan Owen on their UK tours. With her unique percussive style of ‘laptap’ guitar playing, Jessie has become a firm Sofar Sounds favorite, performing over 50 Sofar shows across three continents. She had an exciting summer in 2025, appearing at Green Man, Kendal Calling, Moseley Folk Festival, Between the Trees and Found Festival. Jessie has also previously appeared at 110 Above Festival, Shrewsbury Folk Festival, Camper Calling, and Timber Festival.

Jessie’s new album ‘Little Sparks’ was released on 6th February 2026, with support from ‘Fresh Folk’ Spotify Editorial and BBC Radio 6 Music. She successfully completed her first 15 date headline UK tour in Feb 2026 with several sold out shows

13th NOVEMBER

RICHARD WALTERS

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Tickets on sale from 4pm Wed 9th Sept

19th DECEMBER

Richard Walters at Christmas:

Songs, stories, special guests, Xmas socks, festive warmth.

25% of profits go to Alton Arts Festival

As a critically acclaimed UK artist and Grammy nominated songwriter, Alton local Richard Walters has released five solo albums and four EPs since 2007 and his music has featured on a number of TV shows including Grey’s Anatomy, After Life and CSI: Miami. He has also collaborated as a songwriter with an eclectic mix of artists, including Oscar nominated actress and singer Florence Pugh. Collectively, his work has amassed well over 200 million streams and his releases have gained notable support from BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2.