Chess Night
2025-05-26 20:00 - 23:00, 2025-06-02 20:00 - 23:00, 2025-06-09 20:00 - 23:00, 2025-06-16 20:00 - 23:00, 2025-06-23 20:00 - 23:00 (Europe/London)
All welcome for this casual but serious evening of chess.

Poetry & Spoken Word Evening
2025-05-27 20:00 - 23:00, 2025-06-24 20:00 - 23:00
On the fourth Tuesday of the month the music stops and we pay attention to the spoken word. There has been poetry at the Puzzle Hall since the Nineties, with breaks when the pub was closed.

Sometimes we are a small seminar group bringing work we love, and want to discuss, including our own writings. If we get bigger numbers we can get out the microphone and make it an open mic. Everyone is welcome.

There are many kinds of poetry nights: poetry slams, formal invited poets with an audience, open mics, spoken word events. We are often another kind of gathering: talking about poetry, why we write, what we read, themes and differences.

Jazz @ The Puzzle with Rod Mason's Elements
2025-05-29 20:00 - 23:00
Saxophonist Mason and his band Elements, are all set for another barnstorming tour de force, comparable only to their last gig here at the Puzzle.
One of the most popular bands on the jazz scene today, with it’s powerful and uncompromising material, Elements compelling array of music covering just about the entire spectrum of contemporary jazz, is delivered with great energy, commitment and impeccable musicianship.
Band leader and composer Mason is a vibrant and compelling performer who has appeared alongside many of the UK’s best known stars including Alan Skidmore, Pete King, Don Weller, Art Themen, Guy Barker and Gerald Presencer. He often tours in mainland Europe and features at many of the UK’s top festivals.

French Fridays
2025-05-30 17:30 - 18:30, 2025-06-06 17:30 - 18:30, 2025-06-13 17:30 - 18:30, 2025-06-20 17:30 - 18:30, 2025-06-27 17:30 - 18:30
An informal group to practice your conversational French – Everyone welcome!

The Revelator Band
2025-05-31 21:00 - 23:00
The behatted behemoths of Victorian Gothic Voodoo Blues return to one of their very favourite stomping grounds with intent to commit musical mayhem yet again. Anything could happen and probably will. Starting 9pm sharp, free admission.

Acoustic Singaround Session
2025-06-01 13:00 - 16:00
Join us at the Puzzle Hall Inn, the 1st Sunday of each month for an acoustic afternoon informal singaround. All persons of all ages and skill levels welcome.
Hosting, will be the incredible Dave CalvertIn his own words: “Everyone is welcome to come along and sing, play, join in or just listen, the beer is great, as is the atmosphere. Its a lovingly restored, community owned pub which is continuing it’s long history of music events.”
Entry is free, hope to see you there.

Dead Belgian - Age of the Idiot Tour 2025
2025-06-05 20:00 - 23:00
Dead Belgian are a Liverpool-based band playing the music of Jacques Brel. They began life in 2007, inspired to share Brel’s music with all who would listen. Each member brought their own influences to the band, from European folk to progressive rock, stripping the songs to their bare bones and fattening them up again using a ramshackle drum kit, ukulele, guitar, accordion, saxophone, mandolin, clarinet and flute. Dead Belgian have developed a playful and inventive sound that meshes dense melodic patterns, demonic waves of intensity and passages of sparse frailty with vocals that have drawn comparison to Edith Piaf, Anthony Hegarty and Nico.
It is a sound unique to themselves while still capturing the beauty, passion and humour of the original work, a rousing and rowdy back-porch reinvention of Jacques Brel’s honest and poetic stories
“’Bringing the songs of Jacques Brel to an English speaking audience with near missionary zeal’ ”— Liverpool Daily Post April 2010
“If you like the idea of Nico/Edith Piaf singing Jacques Brel backed by the Arcade Fire, get to the next Dead Belgian gig.”— Stuart Wilks-Heeg , twitter March 2012

The Broken Frame + Gabrielle Gee
2025-06-06 20:00 - 22:00
Manchester and Huddersfield based 4 piece guitar band, The Broken Frame, blend together elements of alternative rock and pop music, with influences from early Bombay bicycle club to Pine Grove to The Beach Boys. Only being formed last year, The Broken Frame have many upcoming gigs and are also working on recording and releasing their original songs in the near future…

Gabrielle Gee is a Manchester-based singer-songwriter known for her raw honesty, emotive lyrics, and stripped-back sound. At just 18, she’s quickly gaining recognition in the UK indie scene for her deeply personal songwriting and distinctive voice, drawing influence from artists like Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Adrienne Lenker.

Madame Claude + Wino
2025-06-07 21:00 - 23:00
Madame Claude are a 5 piece band from Saddleworth who mix ska, rocksteady, reggae and even disco to form their own inimitable style. With support slots for The Beat, Selecter, Cast and Bad Manners under their belt don’t miss this opportunity to catch the band Pauline Black calls ‘the most exciting and original ska band in years’
“A band of vibrant musical tastes both fierce and smooth in voice and ska-jumping rhythm” – Saddleworth Independent
https://www.instagram.com/madameclaude.official/

Bradford’s Wino is the brainchild of former Fling guitarist/songwriter and resident dreamer Jack Winn. With his band in tow they create psychedelic indie rock with visceral punk energy and a nod to the sound of 90’s nostalgia. Think Beck if he’d been brought up in a a back to back in Bradford rather than the urban sprawl of LA.https://www.facebook.com/j.wino21/https://www.instagram.com/winobfd/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572297756977#

Floating World Pictures + Helicopter Quartet
2025-06-08 16:00 - 18:00
Floating World Pictures‘Loud Ambient’/Improv trio from London feat. members of Snapped Ankles https://floatingworldpictures.bandcamp.com/
Helicopter QuartetMelancholic soundscapes from Leeds violin, guitar and synth duo https://helicopterquartet.bandcamp.com/music
FREE ENTRY with donations for bands gratefully accepted.

— Further Info —
Floating World Pictures is led by Chestnutt, producer & member of Snapped Ankles (The Leaf Label) and graphic/sound artist & instrument builder Raimund Wong. It has an ever-changing flexible lineup for adapting to different contexts & acoustic environments, but its current optimal trio includes:
Sophie Lowe – drums, percussion, clarinetChestnutt – analogue synthsRai Wong – cassette 4-track, live instruments treatment
While the recorded output has detailed non-quantized production at its heart, the live setup, punctured by a heavy rhythm section, is driven by improvisation and collective gestures within the framework of cassette tape-loops manipulations, live signal processing and analogue synthesis provided by the duo. Alongside a shifting cast they spin a sensuous, densely populated soundscape: grounding drones and flowing waterfall synths, a rainforest of hisses and a thrumming hive of life while in the distance the metallic snaps of drums conjure people working. Fragments of found dialogue, melodies and environmental sounds navigate impressionistic passages, focussing the performance as a way of searching and recontextualising.
Previous and ongoing collaborators / guests:
Alabaster DeplumeCharles Hayward (This Heat)Danalogue (The Comet Is Coming)Clementine MarchAkihide Monna (Bo Ningen)EmanativeCathy Eastburn (Southbank Gamelan Players)Charles Prest (Noon Garden/Flamingods)Francesca Ter-Berg (Fran&Flora)Kamal Rasool (Flamingods)Phil MFUAndy Channing (Lila Cita/Unrest Work & Play)tyroneisaacstuartJon Tye (Lo Recordings/Ocean Moon)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUPNYwF2PSIhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjpyUh00ENE
——
“It’s a small world we live in. I was delighted to find when reading about Helicopter Quartet that they are two musicians I am quite familiar with from another time in my life. Over the years I have shared a bill with both Catscans and We Sell Seashells (Helicopter Quartet‘s predecessors), both of which were incredible acts: huge-sounding, complex and ultimately entertaining. One thing I noticed when Catscans began performing was that they appeared to have less members than before. It seems that the group has since dissolved even further into what we have before us today: Chrissie Caulfield on violin & synth duties and Michael Capstick on guitar and bass.
‘Helicopter Quartet’ is the product of two dedicated musicians, full of ideas and inspirations. The pair have been writing together for an incredibly long time so there is no doubt in their musical ability. I have witnessed firsthand the immense force to come from Caulfield’s violin when screaming through a wall of sound and I have seen Capstick’s guitar create and enforce this wall in top form. “
Jake Murray for Echoes and Dust
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-SLOdehhBg

Outside The Box
2025-06-14 21:00 - 23:00
“Spirited trad, Scottish themed folk/bluegrass tunes with three part harmonies and shenanigans”
Outside the Box are a Calderdale based group featuring Mark Paramor on guitar, Justin Graham on accordion, David Insua-caoand on percussion and Daz Jones on bass. Coming from a background of ceilidh, strict time Scottish Competition, New Orleans Second Line Jazz, Folk and Punk bands they put their own feel to songs and tunes old and new. Add beautiful and full throated three part harmonies, Outside the Box bring foot tapping energy, glorious tunes and sing-along choruses.
You can check out some of their work here:https://www.facebook.com/outsidetheboxband3/

Improv @ The Puzzle
2025-06-15 13:00 - 16:00
Audience and players VERY WELCOME. These are open playing sessions where weird and wonderful pieces are improvised by the group using some light direction and guidance on the playing.
Donations welcomed: Bring Instruments and if needed little amplifiers and come down and join in with the improvisations. Arrive by 1.30pm to be ready to play at 2.00pm.
No previous experience needed. Any questions? Feel free to message.

Technical Difficulties
2025-06-18 19:00 - 23:00
Technical Difficulties is Sowerby Bridge’s original experimental music open mic held on the third Wednesday of Each Month.
FREE ENTRY
Please send us a message if you want a slot!
We have a PA installed, two tables and somebody to plug you in…
Whether you’re into alternative hip hop, dark ambient, free jazz, freak folk, beat poetry or drone rock come on down, plug yourself in and let your freak flag fly!

Open Mic with Maddie Brooks
2025-06-19 20:30 - 23:00
Open mic & Jam hosted by Maddy Brooks at the Puzzle Hall Inn – Sowerby Bridge 8.30pm onwards and upwards…
This night is an Open Mic with Jam session capabilities where everyone is pretty much guaranteed a chance to play & are peppered with moments of absolute joy & magic!
Everyone and anyone welcome, get yourselves down to play, sing, say and listen!
We have a PA installed, plus mics, stands and DI boxes available to use.

Mora & The Fabulous Wonderfuls + Vincent Whyte
2025-06-20 20:00 - 22:00
Born backstage, and raised by a VOX AC30, MORA was always destined to be a performer who makes the ground shake. With her band The Fabulous Wonderfuls she brings a unique blend of righteous anger and soul-lifting songs to channel the pain and rage of this crushing existence into a communal connection. Together they send audience spirits soaring, ready to face the next sunrise reborn with dazzling sparks of defiance and empathy.
“This is protest music which tugs at the heartstrings rather than calling to arms, and it would take a hard soul indeed not to be moved by Mora’s plaintive voice” – Louder than war
“A bewitching blend of soulful vocals and lively stage presence that would ignite any room from the first note to the curtain call.” -Arenaline
https://www.instagram.com/morasnaps/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6qpbN7YH_3tqIMxaAIYTUQ https://
www.tiktok.com/@mora.fabulouswonderfuls https://www.x.com/MoraMusic1
A self-styled ‘Anglo-Chanteur’ at his core, Vincent Whyte’s prevailing ambition is a simple one – to sing songs worth remembering in an increasingly forgetful world. Taking inspiration from a continent spanning gaggle of bards and storytellers, Vincent’s tragicomic songwriting and idiosyncratic Spanish guitar chops may well do just that. Having previously opened for Half Man Half Biscuit, The Wave Pictures and The Fugitives he now brings his talents to The Puzzle Hall Inn.
“Vincent’s songs combines drollness, sincerity, tragedy, comedy and musical prowess.” The best of Shrewsbury
https://www.vincentwhyte.com/about
https://www.facebook.com/vincentwhytemusic/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnFhC9g77m8

Steve Reich In The Afternoon
2025-06-21 13:00 - 16:00
“Steve Reich In The Afternoon” An afternoon of minimalist & ambient music in the Puzzle Hall Community Pub beer garden (Weather permitting).Enjoy the drones, loops and repetition as you sup on your ale as fish stir on the surface of the Calder and Sand Martin tumble in the deep blue sky…… or something like that.

This event does not feature a performance by Steve Reich. This event is not in association with Steve Reich.It is however, in the afternoon.

Chill Out.

Pepperjam
2025-06-21 21:00 - 23:00
Pepperjam are a 9-piece ‘old-school’ band playing all original material rooted in reggae, dub, rocksteady, ska, funk, soul and jazz, but with a rocky twist. They create a unique but easily-identifiable sound of their own which is guaranteed to get you up and dancing.

Andrew Turner & Lucy Speller
2025-06-22 16:00 - 18:30
When Andrew Turner met Lucy Speller they bonded over a shared love of folk music and classic prog rock. They became fast friends and collaborators and played in folk band Spinning Jenny and Flag Crackers Border Morris together and now work together as a duo. In their latest work this collaboration between generations draws on their rich and eclectic range of influences, spanning their time together in ceilidh, Morris and traditional folk bands as well as being grounded in a shared love of prog, experimental and new wave music. Proudly out of step with current trends and following their own wayward path Andrew and Lucy make magical music that is strange, wistful and at times a little bit sinister.
www.goathouse-music.uk

Knome + Solderer
2025-06-23 20:00 - 22:00
KNOME Punk rock inna hardcore style from Glasgow.
https://knomeknome.bandcamp.com/album/demo-2025
SOLDERER Dirgey alien anarcho-no wave from Leeds.
https://solderererer.bandcamp.com/album/normal-style

Jazz Night with Revival Room
2025-06-26 20:00 - 23:00
REVIVAL ROOM
Revival Room (album)…
”One of the best UK-derived albums of the year to appear” – Stephen Graham, Marlbank
Revival Room are:
Adam Fairhall, (organ), Mark Hanslip, (tenor saxophone), Johnny Hunter (drums)
The band offer a fresh and distinctive take on the classic organ trio format, three equal
and creative voices, playing vibrant new tunes, unhurried and engagingly original, they
create a subtly new approach for a long-established format with influences outside of
the world of jazz.
“Excellent mix of tradition and experimentation” – Tony Dudley-Evans – London Jazz News
“…bristles with ideas, delivered with a sly wit and unruffled confidence” – Daniel Spicer, Jazzwise

Sweet Williams + The Bricks
2025-06-27 20:00 - 23:00
Sweet Williams (Spain/UK – Wrong Speed Records)Slowcore Postrock Light Industrial feat members of Charlottefield / I’m Being Good / Hey Colossus https://sweetwilliams.bandcamp.com/album/four-five
The BricksYork-based postpunk garage rock feat members of Static Waves / Broken Arm / Red Monkeyhttps://thebricksband.bandcamp.com/album/modern-mirror
at Puzzle Hall Inn, 21 Hollins Mill Lane, Sowerby Bridge, HX6 2RF
8pm – 10pm (live music)
FREE ENTRY with donations for bands gratefully accepted. Live music done in time for trains back to Leeds / Manc.
—-
Sweet Williams
Thomas House has been busy in the two years since Sweet Williams’ last LP.
“I got very nervous about playing live, so I stopped. Quit all the bands I was playing in, stayed at home in Zaragoza with the cat and made tunes between classes.”
Tunes that grew from fragments on old tapes or came fully formed in dreams in the small hours. He was sending us (Wrong Speed Records) a fistful of new songs every couple of weeks. Nobody knew where this was leading. There was a half-joke about House releasing his own version of The White Album, until another artist close to our hearts beat him to it.
Then we realised: House turns forty-five in 2025. How about forty-five songs to celebrate?
Bringing in neighbour Carl Jehle to co-produce, the pair spent last summer putting Four Five together in long, delirious sessions, stretching through the forty-plus mid-afternoon heat into the balmy small hours. More than a hundred songs were on the table. A significant chunk of the work was completed while House recovered from emergency dental surgery – “the worst pain I have ever experienced”.
The results, House says, can be taken as a whole “if you’re mad enough,” or as three separate LPs. “The first one’s dark and dreamy, the second one’s got all the short and funny songs, and the third one wraps it up. I don’t wanna spoil the ending.”
What’s clear is that a triple LP has afforded the possibility to stretch out in directions Sweet Williams have not previously explored. Tape loops and warped, sampled voices butt up against brief, punky earworms. Influences are either worn on sleeves – PIL, The Amps, Beefheart – or nigh impossible to discern. Ever present, as ever, are repetition, space, and the sputtering growl of petrol guitars.
Four Five is a masterpiece. The perfect mix of spontaneity and obsession; of serendipity and sheer force of will. Not to mention maybe the only justifiable triple album ever made.
“I thought this might be the last one, obviously, but then again obviously not. I’m just getting started.”
—-
The Bricks
It’s clear from their live shows that there’s a musical chemistry between the four of them, but equally, the tightness they demonstrate is the kind that comes from disciplined rehearsal.
Here, the production is just right for the band: with a sound that’s from the heart of the gothier end of late punk – think early Siouxie, Skeletal Family, but also with more overtly punk leanings at times – theirs is the sound of 1979-81, and where so many contemporary exponents go wrong is applying 21st century production values in the studio. So here, we have songs which are fiery, choppy, edgy, and the recordings convey the energy and the raw dynamism, but without sounding rough.
Lyrically, The Bricks always achieve more with less, with snappy, declarative couplets consisting of the fewest words possible and uncomplicated but effective rhymes. And so it is that the EP closes with ‘Meantime’, another songs that’s well-established and road-tested. ‘Trickle trickle… you’re so fickle’ may well not be TS Elliot or Milton, but it’s all in the delivery, and to hear Gemma belting out the dismissive flick of ‘fickle! FOOL!’ with her immensely commanding voice is enough to wither even the most cocksure and arrogant of bastards. With Guy’s magnificent weaving guitar-line and rock-solid rhythm section, it’s a powerful finale.
The Bricks have always been great, but they’ve never sounded more solid, or more confident than here.
– Christopher Nosnibor
