Venue Profile:
When Danny and Sarah Cross took over the Zebra Bar in 2007 e
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they knew that to be a success, the venue had to offer something
different. The idea was to present a range of entertainment on
different nights of the week, maintaining Zebra Bar’s reputation for a
great weekend hang out, with DJs, great atmosphere and affordable r;
Da
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drinks.
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A year later things have been steadily falling into place. During 2008 om
thanks to the hard work of the venue’s promoters and management P
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the town centre bar has become one of the region’s leading live music
venues, offering a great deal more besides. Whether you are a lover
of great live music, if you fancy Latin American Dance classes, or
even an evening with the Comedy Club, then Zebra Bar deserves
further investigation.

Back in August 2007, Maidstone based music magazine ‘Maverick’
chose the venue to host a weekly showcase of Americana, Roots, Folk
and Country artists. Like the Soul Café before it, Maverick @ Zebra
has become an established venue on the UK circuit for many of the
finest players and singers not just from Nashville itself, but all over
the USA, Canada and Europe. This is quite remarkable as there are just a handful of such venues in the
country. In its first year at Zebra, Maverick has brought notables such as guitar hero Albert Lee, Dire
Straits co-founder David Knopfler, and Bluegrass phenomenon Uncle Earl, to Maidstone’s town centre.
The list goes on and is added to on a weekly basis by songwriters whose tunes have been hits for such
artists as Trisha Yearwood and The Backstreet Boys, as well as musicians who have graced the
recordings of The Eagles, Dolly Parton, Madonna, Bjork, Robbie Williams and pretty much everyone
else in-between.

There is so much to say about Maverick @ Zebra, yet surprisingly much of its audience travels from far and
wide. It seems the people of Maidstone
have yet to be let in on the secret to some
extent. Last year during her gig, respected
British songwriter Charlie Dore asked the
audience to raise their hands if they came
from Maidstone. Less than 10 hands went
up in a busy room. Promoter and sound
engineer Dan Turner explains why Maverick
gigs pull in crowds from far and wide. “The
very nature of what we do is just off the
mainstream radar. Many artists have a
kind of cult following in the UK, fans will
travel from all over the place to see people
play. We had a guy fly from Berlin to see
Albert Lee!”. Dan was instrumental in
bringing the Maverick events to Zebra, but
David Knopfler Band, Live at Maverick before he became involved with promotion and sound he went to a few Maverick gigs
p16 | The Gig Guide | September/October
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