Music
Duos come and duos go...
11/01/19 16:39 Filed in: Music
And some nurture and fine tune their art and watch it grow into something totally original, captivating and award-winning.
Bonded by an unseen alchemy, Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman have entwined their professional and personal relationship into an enviable class act of imaginative songwriting and musicianship.The Dartmoor-based husband and wife have twice won the coveted Best Duo title at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards (2016 and 2013), consistently delivering assured, distinctive performances whether live or recorded. Over two decades of performance they have never been trapped in a groove – always bold and innovative, mixing traditional song arrangements with (increasingly) their self-penned material which reels from the bitter to the sweet, the wry to the sad, the political to the passive. across folk, rock, country and blues genres.
Last year Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman presented ‘Personae’, their landmark fifth studio album. It is an eclectic emotional see-saw of a journey, melding ten tracks of traditional ballads and their own self-penned versatile material. Once again Roberts & Lakeman have created an album by turns curious, thought-provoking, moving and magical – a complete cornucopia astutely delivered by one of the most intriguing, uninhibited and popular duos on the British folk scene. Most definitely not 'personae non gratae'.
They are playing: Saturday 30 March, Riverhouse Barn Arts Centre, Manor Rd. Walton ON Thames, KT12 2PF.
Book on-line here >>> thelittleboxoffice.com and visit www.kathrynrobertsandseanlakeman.com for more information about the duo.
EMERGING SINGER-SONGWRITER GRACE MONROE RELEASES DEBUT SINGLE PAPER HEART
25/07/17 13:49 Filed in: Music
24-year-old emerging singer-songwriter Grace Monroe is delighted to announce the release of her debut single Paper Heart ahead of her first studio album The Truth About Love, due for release this autumn
Written by Sussex born Grace, alongside producers OJ (OFER SHABI) and Yaniv Fridel at Soho Sonic Studios, Paper Heart is Grace’s first foray into the industry. The track reflects her ‘all consuming’ experience of love and is melodically influenced by her passion for original material with old school jazz and soul undertones.With lyrical maturity beyond her years, the young but talented artist takes her inspiration from great musicians past and present, including Etta James, Stevie Wonder, Donnie Hathaway, Bruno Mars, Paloma Faith and Corinne Bailey Rae to name but a few, all of whom have all shaped her sound today.
Grace said: “Paper Heart reflects drowning in someone else's needs of you and just losing your whole being. But not being able to let that person go. My first true experience of love.” The album The Truth About Love focuses on the personal trials and tribulations Grace has been through, expressing her loves, the losses in life, the people she surrounds herself with and her upbringing. “I write songs about my best friend, my partner and anyone else who has had an effect on me - almost a love letter to them with advice and admiration,” added Grace.
Paper Heart is available for download from all major platforms including iTunes, Spotify and Deezer. Plans for a UK tour are currently underway.
Website: www.gracemonroemusic.com
October Drift
22/02/16 14:30 Filed in: Music
Announce Stranger Days EP due March 25 via Scruff of the Neck records
October Drift announce their debut EP Stranger Days for release via Scruff Of The Neck Records on March 25, with a subsequent UK tour beginning with a sold-out show at Manchester’s St Phillips Church.
Lead track ‘Losing My Touch’ sets a stark tone tinged with melancholy, “I’m silver all the time” being the central lyrical motif. “It's a song about self-doubt”, frontman Kiran Roy explains. “When you question whether you've made the right decisions, how the lifestyle of being in a band has put a strain on a relationship, the constantly being away, having no money and having to work minimum wage jobs to fund it. This song is about questioning whether it's all worth it, or whether we're just chasing a deluded dream whilst we watch other opportunities pass us by.”
Stream ‘Losing My Touch’ on SoundCloud here.
Elsewhere tracks like 'Still Here' battle the difference between imaginary worlds and what’s real, as swirling soundscapes send the band soaring to their epic best over Chris Holmes' unshakable drumming. 'Champagne' brings past romances back to life as old ground is re-tread, with meditative EP closer 'I Left My Heart In Amiens' bestowing a modern day 'Blowing In The Wind' upon a paranoid and direction-less generation.
Having spent 2015 selling out venues up and down the UK off the back of their acclaimed first singles, ‘Whoever’, ‘You Are, You Are’ and ‘Robots’, which gained support from the likes of BBC 6Music’s Steve Lamacq, Radio X’s John Kennedy, Q Magazine, Clash and more, the Stranger Days EP comes inspired by the duality of life on the road, before returning home to part-time jobs in bars, bowling alleys and super markets in a town with no music scene.
After writing together informally for over six years, Stranger Days sees October Drift as one of the most focussed and sonically ambitious bands on the UK independent circuit. Based in Somerset, the band’s studio has quickly become the heart of the group when not on the road - whilst recording early demo's it even became their home for a month, as they couldn't afford the petrol to keep travelling between the studio and their homes across their remote countryside locale.
Following sold-out 2015 gigs in Bristol, Leeds, Sheffield and London, 2016 has already seen a performance at BBC 6Music Festival, with and a 15 date UK tour beginning March 18 at Manchester’s St Philips Church.
October Drift are: Kiran Roy (vocals, guitar), Chris Holmes (drums), Alex Bispham (bass) & Daniel Young (guitar).
Tour Dates
March
18 Manchester, St Philips Church SOLD OUT
21 Guildford, The Boiler Room
22 London, The Old Blue Last
23 Oxford, The Bullingdon
24 Bath, Moles
25 Liverpool, Maguire Pizza Bar
26 Manchester, Deaf Institute
27 Glasgow, The Buff Club
28 Edinburgh, Bannermans
29 Leeds, Oporto
31 Hertford, Dog & Whistle
April
1 Scunthorpe, Café Indiependent
2 Sheffield, The Leadmill SOLD OUT
7 Cardiff, Undertone
9 Bristol, The Louisiana
July
22 - 24 Tramlines Festival, Sheffield
Sasha McVeigh “I Stand Alone”
New album to be released 8 June 2015
Meet Sasha McVeigh. An impeccably talented country singer who has taken the US country music scene by storm.Two and a half years ago, Sasha took a two week trip to Nashville with a plan to perform a handful of shows. What resulted was two weeks of solid bookings at venues such as Tootsies Orchid Lounge, The Rutledge, The Bluebird and various others up and down Broadway. The reception she received meant Sasha subsequently returned to Nashville numerous times for extended periods in 2012 to 2014. During one of the trips, Sasha recorded her first EP made up solely of original material. Music from the acoustic EP has received airplay in the US and UK including Coast to Coast AM in the States. Sasha has also been BBC Introducing’s Artist of the Week three times.
This May, Sasha will be releasing her debut album ‘I Stand Alone’, the money for which was raised using Kickstarter, the world's largest funding platform for creative projects. The album is undoubtedly personal. A collection of songs detailing the life of a young singer/songwriter who has hit the big time in a country not her own. A fresh voice which encapsulates the meaning of ‘country music’ in every way.
The catchy ‘Someone To Break My Heart’ speaks of needing a muse in the form of a heartbreaker to use as inspiration to write a decent song. The seductively rocky ‘Hot Mess’ describes the dual personalities of each person and having the urge to do something crazy and unexpected. The delightfully trademark-country ‘Time Of My Life’ describes a fond memory of a young love which oozes happiness.
In the US, Sasha has completed two successful tours in the summers of 2013 and 2014 where she performed at some of the biggest country music festivals. In April, Sasha will embark on a co-headline tour of the UK and Ireland with American singer/songwriter Sonia Leigh.
‘I Stand Alone’ is home to a selection of endearing and charming tunes that will warm the heart of any country music fan. Sasha McVeigh is on the up and this year she’s out to prove it. "These past few years have been part of a journey, a journey that's far from over,” says Sasha. “I feel incredibly blessed for all the opportunities that continue to present themselves and for the support of my fans, friends and family. There's a lot to look forward to in 2015 and I just can't wait to get started!"
UK Tour Dates
April Co-headline tour with Sonia Leigh
08/04 London, Water Rats
09/04 Bristol, The Exchange
10/04 Basildon, Culpeppers
11/04 Nottingham, The Bodega
12/04 Glasgow, Oran Mor
13/04 Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
14/04 Leicester, The Musician
15/04 Manchester, The Roadhouse
17/04 Milton Keynes, Fort San Antone
19/04 Dublin, Whelan's Upstairs
21/04 Exeter, Phoenix
22/04 Birmingham, Hare & Hounds
May
17/05 Dartmouth, Dart Music Festival
24/05 Hay-On-Wye, Hay Festival
29/05 Worcester, SevernSounds Festival
Listen via Soundcloud here >>> soundcloud.com
Follow on Facebook here >>> www.facebook.com
Follow on Twitter here >>> @sashamcveigh
Website here>>> www.sashamcveighmusic.com
Following Foxes are set for the imminent release of their self-titled debut EP
Founded in Guildford, Following Foxes are set for the imminent release of their self-titled debut EP.
Coming off the back of a bunch of local radio play, an array of vibrant shows and an inventive music video this release will cement the expressive four piece’s place as a top emerging talent in the British rock scene.
“Whether you’re looking for a great summer song or a bunch of young hotshots to sign, stop here and think about this.”
Lead singer/guitarist Gid Sedgwick, bassist Mike Chapman, guitarist Alex Hill and drummer Steve Price blend the easiness of cheerful summer vibes with tenacious rhythms and heartfelt vocals, the perfect treat for every pop, indie, folk and rock fan’s ears. With a rainbow of influences including Biffy Clyro, City and Colour and progressive pioneers Pink Floyd, Following Foxes have it all covered from emotive, insightful lyrics to raw rocking groove.
“Mother Brother, Following Foxes’ second single, lives up to expectations effortlessly”
The young four-piece ventured onto the live scene in 2014. Sharing stages with fellow talent – Winters Island, Yearbook and Cavalier, they quickly made a name for themselves across popular local venues with their well-crafted and spirited stage presence. After a selection of shows in London, including a performance at the prestigious Metropolis studios, it wasn’t long before they were picked up by local radio stations Eagle FM, Kane FM, Radio Woking and Radio Warwick, earning a spot on the station’s playlists as well as a few interviews along the way. The band also found themselves with repeated appearances and an interview on BBC Introducing,
Following Foxes are ready to take the UK by storm with their fresh combination of warming choruses, catchy hooks and edgy riffs, and if you don’t believe us, here are a few words from people who would most definitely agree.
“Tunes like this make me proud to live in Guildford.”
Website: www.followingfoxes.com
Youtube channel: www.youtube.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/FollowingFoxes
Miel de Botton ‘Magnetic’
Debut album release March 9 2015
On this, her debut album, Swiss-born, London-based Miel de Botton presents a collection of deeply personal songs, in English and French, and breathes new life into her beloved chansons (Jacque Brel et al) with sensitive interpretations and innovative arrangements. Produced by Andy Wright (Simply Red, Eurythmics, Jeff Beck, Imelda May) at Abbey Road, South West Studios and State Of The Ark Studios, ‘Magnetic’ is presented on two discs and is the sensuous, exultant sound of a woman who is finally following her path; a woman just hitting her stride.
With coverage in the Evening Standard, You Magazine and The Telegraph, Miel’s music and story is starting to spread, and fast. Her first headline performance at Chelsea’s infamous The Pheasantry in November 2014 sold out, she was invited to be a special guest singing with the Jerusalem Youth Chorus at the Aldwych Theatre on their December UK Tour and played a special acoustic set at the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital as part of their healing arts programme. Miel will return to the stage on January 27th when she performs a sold out show at The Purcell Room on London’s Southbank. Promising an evening that will take the audience on a trip of passion, sensuality and romance, Miel will also be joined by some very special guests from the worlds of dance and music.
Listen to Miel de Botton - Magnetic HERE
Listen to Miel de Botton - Magnetique HERE
Miel is clearly a woman who loves passionately and she expresses this in her songs; she dreams of a kiss from a stranger in her “dark nights” in ‘Embrasse Moi’. The charming acoustic ’Vivement la Joie’ is a burst of carefree happiness, Miel sounding like a footloose Vanessa Paradis. “It’s a poem I wrote to cheer myself up – a tiny ode to joy!”
An excruciatingly painful love story becomes ‘Beautiful You’ (“Don’t tell me that it was only a lie/I know what I saw…”), and that lost desire is also expressed in ‘Something More’. Despite all this unrequited longing, she is full of hope that things will turn out well and she believes her songs are about finding a way to heal from past pain. ‘Forest Prayer’ and ‘Dazzle Me Diamond’ are heart reaching songs about sensuality and love and the joy to be found in our lives. ‘Dazzle Me Diamond’ really is about diamonds – but this synth-heavy track is mystical too, expressing a longing to be in the presence of their strength, clarity and purity. “I need your rainbow lights to reach the dark corners of my mind.”
The majestically bare, Morricone-esque mantra ‘Bad Men’ is many a woman’s rallying cry, slowly stripping layers off those debonair men who talk about forever but can’t seem to follow through. This honest song explores the pain and pathos that underlies such relationships. With her title song, ‘Magnetic’, she talks of making her “voice become audible”, of not being “left to lie in the dark”. This is an epic ballad, almost a desiderata, in which she asks to be attracted magnetically to a beautiful life.
Mixing maturity and youth, this is a woman flexing her muscles, making life make sense. As she says, “I’m experiencing a depth of fulfilment I have never known.”
For more information please contact Republic Media
Email: info@republicmedia.net
Tel: 020 3213 0135