The tribute night for Paul Hickman on the 28th of March brings the Chester scene together in a way that feels true to the man it honours. Paul spent years showing up for other people’s music. He supported artists at every level and carried a quiet belief in what this city could be when people backed each other. This event is a chance to return that energy. Four acts. One room. A night built around the friendships, the admiration and the shared history that shaped Paul’s life in music.
Toria Woof
The night begins with Toria Woof. Paul followed her work with real admiration and rarely missed a chance to see her play.
He loved the way she could shift the atmosphere of a room with just her voice and a few carefully chosen lines. There is a clarity to her writing that feels both fragile and fearless and it has made her one of the most distinctive artists to come through the Roman Candle circle in recent years.
Toria’s songs move with a slow burn. They build from small details and quiet moments until they settle into something that stays with you long after the set ends. She has a way of making even the stillest parts feel alive and that quality makes her the right person to open a night like this.
It sets the tone without needing to push. It gives the room time to breathe.
It gives people a moment to remember why they are there.
Her connection to Roman Candle adds another thread to the evening.
Paul supported that whole community of artists and saw something special in the way they approached their craft.
Having Toria on the bill brings that wider creative world into the room and ties the tribute back to the people and projects he championed.
Mighty Atomizer
Next up are Mighty Atomizer.
They are not the easiest band to pin down and that is part of their charm.
Their sound pulls from heavy soul, the Low era Bowie palette, the pulse of Krautrock and the grit of Detroit rock. It is a heady mix that feels both familiar and completely its own.
The lineup is a tight unit built around Simon Hunter on bass, keys and guitar with Steve Jones on guitar, Tim Chapman on bass, keys and guitar, Matthew Hilditch on drums and Izzy Hunter on Wurli piano.
There is a deeper thread running through their appearance on this bill. Simon was a lifelong friend of Paul’s and that connection brings a weight to their set that goes beyond genre or influence. It is the kind of friendship that shaped years of gigs, conversations, ideas and late night plans.
Having Mighty Atomizer on the tribute lineup feels right.
It brings a piece of Paul’s own musical world into the room and anchors the night in the relationships that mattered to him.
Their sound will shift the energy of the evening. It has movement and colour and a sense of momentum that comes from musicians who trust each other completely.
It is the point in the night where the room starts to lean forward and the tribute becomes something shared rather than observed.
IMAGE CREDIT: iDreamofPiesPhotography
Sonic Trip Project
Sonic Trip Project take the night into a different space.
Their sound has always been built on movement and texture and they have a way of creating long flowing passages that pull you in without warning.
It is music that feels open and exploratory and it brings a welcome shift in pace to the tribute lineup.
The heart of their appearance is Vince Cory. He and Paul shared decades of friendship and countless nights of music between them.
Vince has been part of the Chester scene for as long as most people can remember and his playing carries that history with it.
There is a warmth to his guitar work that comes from years of doing this for the right reasons and that quality will sit at the centre of their set.
Sonic Trip Project are the point in the evening where the room starts to stretch out a little.
The songs breathe.
The sound widens.
People settle into the moment.
It is a fitting place for a band tied so closely to Paul’s own musical life and it adds another layer of meaning to a night built in his honour.
The Electric Blues Factory
The Electric Blues Factory close the lineup with a set built on grit, feel and the kind of musicianship that only comes from years spent inside the craft.
Led by Sam Orr, well known on Brook Street for Sam’s Guitars and for his long friendship with Paul, the band bring a deep love of electric blues to the night.
Their sound pulls from rhythm and blues, Chicago blues and classic rock and roll and they shape it into something that feels lived in and full of character.
The group formed in 2025 and the lineup brings together players with long histories on stages across the UK.
Chris Lee and Mike Johnson form a rhythm section that has been locked in for decades and it shows in the way the songs move.
Sam’s guitar work sits at the centre of it all. He has a tone that can lift a room and a style that shifts easily between fire and restraint. Ken Peace completes the picture with harmonica and vocals that carry real weight and experience.
Their appearance on this tribute night carries a personal thread.
Sam and Paul shared years of friendship on Brook Street and in the wider Chester scene.
Having The Electric Blues Factory on the bill brings that connection into the room and gives the night a final burst of energy. It is a closing set built on heart, history and the kind of playing that comes from people who do this because they love it.
IMAGE CREDIT: iDreamofPiesPhotography
The event features psychedelic visuals by Richard Starbuck, with Dragons Are Real supplying top notch sound on the night.
Tickets are £10 with all funds going to Liverpool’s Walton Centre, who cared for Paul after his stroke.
They will be available on the door on the night, or to secure your entry, you can pick them up from Grey N’ Pink.
This tribute is more than a lineup. It is a reflection of the way Paul moved through the world. He listened. He encouraged. He turned up. The artists on this bill all carry a piece of that story and their sets will bring those threads into the room in their own ways. It will be a night of music, memory and community and a reminder of how much one person can give simply by being present. Chester will feel that on the 28th of March.
Have a great week.
Dan.
