Just a couple years ago, Nikki Hill was a bartender with an affinity for punk and a deep love for classic R&B. At her husband (and now guitar-player) Matt Hill’s behest, she stepped out from behind the bar and onto the stage. The response has been ecstatic, and now the band tours the globe relentlessly, stunning audiences with their muscular sound, Matt’s volcanic leads, and, of course, Nikki’s inimitable charisma.

Raised in the church choir and steeped in R&B and garage rock rumble, Nikki Hill is a spitfire with the soul-drenched voice of Etta James and the tattooed, beehived-hair aura of Cramps’ guitarist Poison Ivy. This blues shouter and growler is a bona-fide rock’n’roll diva that has audiences wrapped around her finger.

“If Tina Turner and Little Richard had a daughter and raised her with the help of uncles James Brown and Chuck Berry, she’d be like Nikki Hill.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune

Her 2012 self-titled EP created an underground buzz that has continued to grow and build on her fan base after her first full-length release Here’s Nikki Hill in 2013.

Hill and her band have been touring extensively following the independent 2015 release Heavy Hearts, Hard Fists. Buoyed by her band’s roaring boogie that’s equal parts Staple Singers and AC/DC, the new album sees Nikki exude a self-assured swagger as her fiery rasp preaches the rock & roll gospel: late nights, hot licks, and intoxicating love.

“Channels such rhythm and blues greats as LaVern Baker, Etta James and Ruth Brown–with a little Sam Cooke and Solomon Burke thrown in for good measure. Hill is the real deal…steeped in gospel and soul, wrapped up in a punk rock DIY ethic.” —Time Out LA

Who: Nikki Hill

When: Monday 17 April

Where: Newtown Social Club

Ticketing and more information here.