Martin Harley brings Morning Sun to Cluny 2

Martin Harley at Cluny 2 brings three decades of slide guitar, roots songwriting and road-tested musicianship to Newcastle on Thursday 26 November 2026. Harley’s work sits where blues, folk and Americana overlap, with an approach shaped by records made in Texas, Nashville and Wales. Doors open at 7.30pm, tickets are £20 and the show is 16+.

Martin Harley at Cluny 2: Morning Sun and slide guitar

Harley’s latest release, Morning Sun, places the writing at the centre while still leaving room for the instrumental detail that has defined his career. Produced by Nigel Stonier, the album features inventive contributions from Michael Blair, Mark Lewis and Chris “CJ” Hillman. It is a collaborative setting, but one built around Harley’s ability to make technique serve the emotional shape of a song.

That balance has carried him from intimate rooms to stages including Union Chapel, Glastonbury and the Royal Albert Hall. His music has also travelled through television placements in The Vampire Diaries and Banshee, as well as a live appearance on PBS programme Music City Roots. Collaborations with dobro player Jerry Douglas and Grammy-winning drummer Derek Mixon add further threads to a career that has never been limited to one corner of roots music.

Harley’s album Static in the Wires reached number two on the iTunes Blues chart, but his reputation is rooted most firmly in performance. Slide guitar can become a display of dexterity in the wrong hands; Harley uses it as another voice, moving between grit, space and melody. Cluny 2 offers the sort of close setting where the small movements of a solo and the grain of a lyric can carry equal force.

The date therefore connects two sides of the same artist. Newer songs from Morning Sun show where his writing has arrived, while a catalogue developed across thirty years gives the set depth and room to change direction. For roots listeners, it is a chance to hear craft without the polish crowding out personality.

Martin Harley plays Cluny 2, Newcastle, on Thursday 26 November 2026. Doors are at 7.30pm, tickets cost £20 and the event is 16+, with under-18s accompanied by an adult. See the official event page or buy tickets. Browse more dates in our Upcoming Gigs guide.

Event details are correct at the time of publication. Please check with the venue or ticket provider before travelling.