The Best Christmas Party Ever with Dana Gillespie & The London Blues Band

📅 Date: Tuesday, 10th December 2025
🕖 Time: Doors open 6:30pm | Showtime 7:30pm
📍 Location: Temple of Art and Music, 42 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6DR
🎟 In-Person & Online Tickets Available

Step into London’s most atmospheric venue for a once-in-a-lifetime celebration led by the legendary Dana Gillespie and her London Blues Band.

✨ Two sets of unforgettable live music
🎙 Dana’s stories from 60 years on stage, screen, and song
🎧 A DJ spinning remixes from Dana’s debut to her latest release
🎁 Raffle: Win the “Best Christmas Present Ever” – treasures hand-picked by Dana from her travels
🌍 Can’t join in person? Stream the event live & access the replay – raffle included!

Whether you’ve followed Dana for decades or you’re discovering her for the first time, this is your invitation to experience a night of festive music, bluesy brilliance, and storytelling like no other.

🎵 Live Music Sets
Dana and her band will take you on a musical journey across time and genre, performing classics, blues, originals, and holiday favourites with heart, humour, and heat.

🗣 Unfiltered Stories
Between songs, Dana will reflect on her six-decade career, from early stardom to friendships with music legends. Every tale is wrapped in charm, wisdom, and a glint in the eye.

🎧 Remix Breaks
During intermissions, the music doesn’t stop. A live DJ will remix Dana’s catalogue – from Foolish Seasons to Andy Warhol – giving you a rare chance to dance through her musical evolution.

🎁 The Best Christmas Present Ever – Raffle
Everyone with a ticket is automatically entered into a draw for exclusive, personal gifts selected by Dana from her world travels. It’s the kind of raffle only Dana could host.

This is the final Christmas at the Temple of Art and Music before the venue undergoes redevelopment. Dana, considered its godmother, calls TAM her spiritual and musical home.

If you love blues, storytelling, live performance, or just want a joyful and meaningful way to celebrate the holidays — this is it.

• 🎟 In-Person Ticket – Experience the music, stories, and magic up close at TAM.
• 💻 Online Ticket – Watch live from anywhere, rewatch after, and enter the raffle. Perfect for fans across the UK and beyond!

Dana Gillespie is a trailblazer of British blues with a voice as rich as her story. She was the original Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar, co-founded the Mustique Blues Festival in the West Indies, and has released over 70 albums.

Her charisma, authenticity, and storytelling are legendary. As David Bowie famously said:

"Dana Gillespie is a very, very, very, very, very, very excellent songwriter."

This Christmas, let her welcome you into her world of music, mischief, and meaning.

This band doesn’t just accompany — they elevate. Meet the elite lineup accompanying Dana on the night:

• 🎹 Dino Baptiste – explosive, soulful piano with unmatched showmanship
• 🥁 Even Jenkins – tight, groovy, and effortlessly dynamic on drums
• 🎸 Dom Stockbridge – modern blues brilliance with rootsy charm on guitar
• 🎸 Harry Whitty – steady, warm, and deeply musical on bass
• 🎷 Tom Jarvis – smooth, expressive saxophone that brings the holiday spice

Together, they’re not just backing Dana — they’re bringing the house down.

Located at 42 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6DR, TAM is one of London’s most intimate and beloved venues. Known for candlelit charm, warm acoustics, and a heart for music and community, TAM is more than a venue — it’s a vibe.

🚇 Closest tube: Elephant & Castle (Northern & Bakerloo lines)

This will be the final Christmas show before redevelopment — a true end of an era.

🎄 Join us and make this… The Best Christmas Ever.
👉 Book now. Come for the music. Stay for the stories. Leave with a heart full of blues and joy.

Dana Gillespie’s musical journey began in the vibrant London music scene of the early 1960s. As a teenager, she was captivated by American blues – an infatuation sparked by attending the American Folk Blues Festival and watching British Blues pioneers like The Yardbirds and John Mayall. Blues may have been her first love, but Gillespie initially found her footing performing folk and pop songs. She cut her first single at just 15 years old (with folk icon Donovan accompanying on guitar) and became a regular on the U.K. folk club circuit​. In those early days, she mingled with future rock legends – even having a young Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones (later of Led Zeppelin fame) play on one of her first Deca LP 'Foolish Seasons'. These formative years saw Gillespie evolving from a folk-pop singer into an artist with an expanding musical palette, setting the stage for the genre-spanning career to come.

Dana Gillespie originated the role of Mary Magdalene in the original London production of Jesus Christ Superstar (1972), earning recognition for her performance in the West End​. This role marked her early success beyond music and highlighted her talent as an actress.

One of the most pivotal friendships of Gillespie’s career was with David Bowie. The two met as teenagers in mid-1960s London, sparking a close personal and professional relationship that lasted through the late ’60s and early ’70s​. Bowie quickly became a champion of Gillespie’s talent as he penned the song “Andy Warhol” specifically for her, and he invited her to sing backing vocals on his iconic Ziggy Stardust album, and even co-produced with her 1973 record Weren’t Born a Man alongside Dana herself and guitarist Mick Ronson​. During this glam-rock era, Gillespie and Bowie were both managed by Tony Defries (the famed MainMan organization).

In 1980 Dana began fronted her own group, the London Blues Band​, and from that point on, her recordings and performances were firmly rooted in the Blues genre, allowing her powerful voice to shine. She immersed herself in Blues music, touring extensively across Europe and beyond. In 2002, for example, Gillespie and her London Blues Band made history by embarking on the first-ever major concert tour of India by a Western Blues act, filling venues from Mumbai to Calcutta and bringing the Blues to thousands of new fans​.

In the 1990s she was voted “Top British Female Blues Vocalist” four years in a row (1992–1996) and was eventually inducted into the British Blues Hall of Fame​. Dana Gillespie’s dedication to the Blues, and her ability to channel its emotion with grit, humour, and passion, firmly established her as one of the leading voices in Blues world.

Even after more than sixty years in the business, Dana Gillespie shows no signs of slowing down. She remains remarkably prolific and to date she has been involved in the recording of over 74 albums​ and continues to perform for audiences around the world. In 1995 Dana Gillespie co-foiunded with Basil Charles OBE the now famous Mustique Blues Festival, a Caribbean event that draws international talent and raises money for charity​.

Gillespie’s enduring appeal across generations is evident in the company she keeps. In 1997, none other than Bob Dylan, an old friend from the ’60s, invited her to join him as the opening act on his U.K. tour, including a sold-out show at Wembley Arena. Whether on stage, on record, or even on the airwaves (she has hosted radio shows and podcasts to share her love of music), Gillespie’s passion remains undiminished. Her continued presence and energy inspire both longtime Blues aficionados and new fans alike, as she proves that authentic music only grows richer with time.

With a career that has spanned folk, rock, and blues​, Dana Gillespie has carved out a singular place in music history. She is often hailed as a “multiple award–winning Blues legend”​, an artist who not only mastered the craft of Blues singing but also tirelessly promoted the genre across the world. Few performers can claim her level of versatility, from sharing stages with 1960s folk heroes and rock superstars, to becoming a matriarch of the British Blues scene, Gillespie has done it all. Through changing musical eras, she has continually evolved herself while staying true to the soulful, rebellious spirit that defined her art. Trends have come and gone, but Gillespie’s bold personality, witty songwriting, and powerhouse voice have remained constants, endearing her to generations of listeners.

Today, Dana Gillespie stands as a living link between musical eras, a true embodiment of rock and Blues heritage. Her influence and longevity are a testament to the timeless quality of the music she loves. Celebrating her career at this event is something truly special. It’s an opportunity to honor an artist who has given six decades of music her heart and soul. For both lifelong fans and those discovering her for the first time, experiencing Dana Gillespie’s story and songs in person promises to be an unforgettable celebration of a unique and enduring musical legacy.​

Dana Gillespie has captured her 60 years in music with the release of her memoirs, Weren’t Born A Man, offering fans an intimate look into her extraordinary journey through rock, blues, and beyond. From her early days in the London folk scene to working alongside legends like David Bowie, Jimmy Page, and Bob Dylan, Dana’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and rock ’n’ roll spirit.

For those who prefer to hear it straight from Dana herself, an Audible version of the book is also available, bringing her incredible tales to life in her own unmistakable voice.

🎶 Want a piece of history? You can purchase a signed copy of Weren’t Born A Man at the Temple of Art and Music, a perfect keepsake for any true music lover.

This memoir isn’t just a book—it’s a backstage pass to one of the most fearless careers in music history.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Temple of Art & Music (TAM), 42 Newington Causeway, London, United Kingdom

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

Get App