Hejira – Joni Mitchell tribute announces Yorkshire gig

A TRIBUTE act to a legendary singer-songwriter is heading to Yorkshire once again.

The band Hejira was set up to celebrate the music of the Grammy-winning artist Joni Mitchell and will play a Yorkshire gig next month.

The seven-piece touring band, set up in 2023 to celebrate the greatest songs of Joni Mitchell, will be performing at the City Varieties Music Hall in Leeds on Easter Sunday – April 5.

It follows their two previously sold-out shows at York’s National Centre for Early Music.

Hejira on stage. Image: Supplied

Press reporter Maxine Gordon reviewed the band in York last year and gave this verdict: “The set list was pitch-perfect, balancing the more energetic tracks (In France They Kiss on Main Street) with the heart-stoppers where vocalist Hattie Whitehead, like Mitchell before her, has the audience holding on to every word and vocal flight.”

Pete Oxley, guitarist and bandleader of Hejira, said: “Hejira is a project that has rapidly blossomed from an initial ‘one-off gig’ into a highly successful touring band, set up to celebrate the music of Joni Mitchell.

“In particular, the band performs the masterpiece works that Mitchell captured on her live 1980 album, Shadows and Light.”

The name of the band comes from Mitchell’s eighth studio album of the same title, released half a century ago in 1976.

Hejira, 1976 album by Joni Mitchell.

Pete said: “We feel that there couldn’t be a better time for celebrating the major works of, arguably, the greatest singer-songwriter of the 20th century.”

Band members were not only accomplished jazz musicians, but also huge Mitchell fans, said Pete.

Hejira is fronted by vocalist Hattie Whitehead who also plays guitar with Mitchell’s stylistic mannerisms.

Hattie Whitehead of Hejira

The Guardian said of the band: “The UK’s best and most convincing take on Joni Mitchell.”

The band performs works from a range of Mitchell albums – expect to hear such classics as Amelia, Help Me, Hejira, Song For Sharon, A Case Of You, Free Man In Paris, Coyote, and the Hissing of Summer Lawns.

For the 2026 tour, Pete said some new songs were being added to the set list. “We definitely have new songs, including: You Dream Flat Tyres, Both Sides Now, Don’t Interrupt the Sorrow, and Yvette in English.”

For all the tour details, visit: www.hejira.co.uk