DAVE BAINBRIDGE & SALLY MINNEAR
Award winning multi-instrumentalist Dave Bainbridge joins forces with Lord of the Dance vocalist and fellow multi-instrumentalist Sally Minnear to bring a spellbinding evening of music that will, in equal measure, have you jigging in (or out of!) your seat or bring a tear to your eye. A compelling mix of powerful and ethereal vocal songs (including the occasional emotive Gaelic ballad), instrumental tracks - jigs/reels/slow airs/evolving soundscapes and virtuoso improvisation on keyboards, electric guitar, bouzouki and cowbell! All held together with Dave's humerous banter.
The idea was simple. To put together an entertaining mix of vocal and instrumental music, drawing upon Dave's extensive back catalogue from his band IONA, his solo albums and the traditional Celtic material that both Dave and Sally love, also leaving room for plenty of spontaneous improvisation - phew!
Tied together with humorous introductions, with an impressive array of instruments on stage, the aim was to be able to play in any size of venue, from house concert to concert hall to festival stage, retaining the same, intimate, relaxed atmosphere with the audience.
The duo have performed to enthusiastic audiences extensively around the UK since 2015. In 2019 they also toured in Germany. 2020 was set to be their busiest year yet, with festival appearances and a 15 date UK summer tour, all sadly put on hold due to the pandemic. However the duo quickly bounced back, and have gone from strength to strength, not only touring the UK several times, widening their fan base, but also appearing three times in the USA at the prestigious ProgStock festival in New Jersey in 2023, 2024 and 2025 and also on the iconic Cruise to the Edge in the Caribbean in 2024, all to incredibly receptive audiences.
Summer 2025 saw their most successful English tour to date with 17 dates around the country including two amazing performances on the ancient island of Lindisfarne.
October 2025 saw the duo tour in the USA with Frank Zappa alumni Mike Keneally's band Beer for Dolphin, featuring Bryan Beller and Joey Travers (Steve Vai band), playing a support set and joining Mike's band for the last 1/2 an hour of his set.
Their debut DVD release 'Live in the Studio' initially released in August 2018 and re-released as a DVD/CD combo in November 2020 and is available from www.musicglue.com/iona
Sally is currently working on her debut solo album and the duo will be back on tour in 2027.
