Meadowfest may not be going ahead this year, but Malton still has a fantastic music treat on offer on Saturday, July 27.

Iconic BBC DJ Andy Kershaw is bringing his African, Caribbean & Latin Dance Night to the Milton Rooms. An evening of irresistible top-class tunes is on offer and tickets, at £20 including Hyde Family Jam as support act, will be in high demand, so head over to www.themiltonrooms.com to book.

Before then, there are plenty of great shows on offer in the early summer. Graffiti Classics break the traditional classical string quartet boundaries with an all-singing, all-dancing family show on June 14 and on June 16, The Belgrave House Band present their unique take on Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black album, supported by York-based singer-songwriter Maggie Wakeling.

There’s blues with Tim Ainslie & The Vibes on June 28 and comedy the next day with Hilarity Bites, featuring Sully O’Sullivan, Don Biswas and Danny Deegan.

And don’t forget the story of the first FA Cup heroes who took on the toffs in The Giant Killers, presented by The Long Lane Theatre Company on July 4.

New events are being added to the programme all the time, so head over to www.themiltonrooms.com to see what’s coming up through the whole year and to book tickets.

June

Friday, June 14: Graffiti Classics! It’s a classical concert, a gypsy-folk romp, an opera, a stand-up comedy set and a brilliant dance show all rolled into one. From Beethoven to Bluegrass, Baroque to Pop, Mozart or Offenbach to Elvis, Strauss to Saturday Night Fever, there really is something for everyone. Children and adults alike love the uplifting and virtuosic variety of musical styles, all tied together with cheeky audience interaction. Sixteen strings, eight dancing feet and four voices with one aim - to make classical music wickedly funny and fantastically exhilarating for everyone, young and old. Graffiti Classics burst the elitist boundaries of the traditional string quartet with their hilarious all-singing, all-dancing musical comedy show. 8pm. Tickets £17.

Sunday, June 16: The Belgrave House Band present Amy Whitehouse’s Back to Black supported by Maggie Wakeling. Regular favourites The Belgrave House Band reimagine classic albums with energetic and creative live interpretations. They’ve previously visited the Milton Rooms with their unique interpretations of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours and classic Bowie album Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Now they return with their take on Amy Winehouse’s classic second album, which was produced by Mark Ronson and includes much-loved hits such as Rehab and You Know I’m No Good. Their line-up will be supplemented by a full horn section, backing vocalists and a rhythm section from the burgeoning Leeds jazz scene, chosen to honour Amy’s live band circa 2007. London-based vocalist Lydia Kotsirea will front the band with her dynamic, powerful voice. The band will be supported by local musician Maggie Wakeling, an up and coming singer/songwriter based in York. Influenced by artists such as Birdy, Sleeping at Last and Freya Ridings, her songwriting can be characterised as melancholic pop, with emotive and dynamic vocals. 8pm. Tickets £20.

Thursday, June 27: Ryedale Blues Club – Tim Ainslie and The Vibes. A powerful three-piece band from Suffolk, fronted by Tim Ainslie and showcasing his original material and dynamic guitar playing. Since turning professional in 1997, Tim has created a reputation for being one of the most exciting, creative and versatile performers around. His unique style and sound encompasses blues, jazz and funk but also crosses over into country and rock. 8pm. Tickets £10.

Friday, June 28: Hilarity Bites Comedy Club – Sully O’Sullivan, Don Biswas and host Danny Deegan. Sully O'Sullivan has been declared a highlight of the New Zealand International Comedy Festival, a highlight of the Glasgow International Comedy Festival, featured on Australian TV’s The Comedy Channel, won Canada’s annual Improvaganza Tournament and completed two UK national tours supporting cult Heavy Metal Comic Steve Hughes. Don Biswas is one of the gems of the circuit. A politically charged gag merchant who likes to cover a wide range of subjects including his Asian upbringing, his neurodiversity as someone with dyspraxia, ADHD, and ASD and even the most important of topics, conspiracy theories. Host Danny Deegan is a comedian, writer and actor who began performing in 2003 and has since risen steadily through the ranks of some of the most prestigious comedy clubs in the UK. 8pm. Tickets £10.

Sunday, June 30: Ted Kellock – Live @ The Milton Rooms. Ted Kellock’s intimate gig in the Studio Bar. Ted is a local artiste from Malton, releasing music of all genres from disco to ballads. He released his first song in 2020 and has put out eight more tracks since then. There is limited availability for this event, so get tickets while you can. 7pm. Tickets £5.

July

Thursday, July 4: Long Lane Theatre Company presents The Giant Killers. Set in the early years of Association Football, The Giant Killers follows a ragtag bunch of Lancashire mill workers who defied all odds to become the first working class team in the country to play in the FA Cup. Left tired and despondent from the cotton famine of the 1870s, this small group of northern lads found pride and hope in a game that up until then had been reserved for the upper classes. Darwen FC rose up against prevailing social prejudice and the might of the Football Association to earn a place in history as the first real ‘giant killers’ in English football and take on the ‘poshest team of all’ – the Old Etonians. 7.30pm. Tickets £15, concessions £12.

Thursday, July 25: Ryedale Blues Club – The Alex Voysey Trio. The band’s shows are packed with incredible guitar performances, musicianship and grooves and riffs, and a deep passion for blues. Alex is fast becoming a leading exponent with his virtuosic and complex blues writing and has recently been appointed Youth Ambassador to the UK Blues Federation. 8pm. Tickets £10.

Saturday, July 25: Andy Kershaw’s African, Caribbean and Latin Dance Night. Iconic DJ Andy Kershaw supported by the very talented Hyde Family Jam, guarantee a huge feelgood dance event. Andy is a pioneer and evangelist, bringing music from around the globe to UK audiences with more than three decades of programmes on BBC Radios 1 and 3. But Andy’s DJ talents are not restricted to just the radio, he brings all his enthusiasm to live DJ gigs. Andy Kershaw’s African, Caribbean & Latin Dance Night, a one-man war on musical mediocrity, is a straight through two-hour explosion of irresistible tropical dance music. 7.30pm. Tickets £20.

Sunday, July 28: An Audience without Jake Thackray or Les Barker! York-based John Watterson is a talented guitarist and vocalist who has been keeping alive the spirit of Jake Thackray through his catalogue of songs which he acknowledges are at the same time painfully funny, sad, tragic, rude, irreverent, incisive and happy. And for this new show, John also features the work of another unsung legend – Mancunian former accountant Les Barker, who discovered that his real talent was in writing silly poems, which he would perform at local folk clubs and later at festivals and on tour in America and Australia.