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We're very excited to announce another concert treat that's bound to be a very hot ticket, by a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, no less. John Illsley, bass player and co-founder of Dire Straits and a distinguished solo artist, will play the Sutton venue on Friday July 16, when he and his band will bring an evening of music and memories of that legendary group, plus songs from his own catalogue, in a semi-acoustic show. Tickets £25 + booking fees via www.ticketweb.uk. Don't delay!John Illsley is an English musician who rose to fame as the bass guitarist of the critically acclaimed, multi-million-selling Dire Straits. A founder member with Mark Knopfler, Mark's brother David and drummer Pick Withers, John played a major role in the development of the Dire Straits sound. As a constant linchpin of the band, he was the recipient of multiple BRIT and Grammy Awards and a Heritage Award.
Throughout it all, John and Mark were the only founding members to remain in the line-up of Dire Straits right through from 1977 until they decided to call it a day in 1995. They remain close friends and recently produced the programme Guitar Stories for Sky Arts.
During their time together, Dire Straits sold over 120 million albums and toured extensively across the world. When the band took a couple of well-earned breaks, John released two albums, Never Told a Soul (1984) and Glass (1988). Both featured Mark Knopfler as a guest musician.
John happened upon the Irish band Cunla in a Leicestershire pub in 2005, and appeared with them on several occasions, most notably in 2006 at Cathedrale d’Image in Les Baux de Provence, France. The performance was recorded and subsequently released as an album, Live in Les Baux, in 2007.
In 2008 John released Beautiful You, an album with Greg Pearle from Cunla and followed the release with a a short tour of Ireland. 2010 saw the release of Streets of Heaven, with appearances from Knopfler and a host of other musicians on an album recorded at Mark's British Grove Studios and produced by John and Straits bandmate Guy Fletcher. John signed Native Roses to his label, Creek Publishing, in 2011, and produced their debut album alongside Guy Fletcher.
When Dire Straits finished touring in 1993, John became heavily involved in the art world. Having carved a reputation for himself as a painter, John had solo exhibitions in London, New York, Sydney and across Europe. He also co-founded the children’s charity Life Education in 1987 which recently was integrated into Coram, one of the oldest UK charities.
John also owns a pub, the East End Arms in the New Forest. In recent years, he has toured with the show The Life and Times of Dire Straits, with songs and stories from his years with the band. A DVD of the show, recorded in 2019 with Robbie McIntosh on guitar, is available via johnillsley.com. 2019 also brought the addition of another solo album to his catalogue, Coming Up For Air, again recorded at British Grove and co-produced by Fletcher.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The Sound Lounge, 102 London Road, London, United Kingdom
Tickets
GBP 26.75