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Velvet & Stone / Brigid O’Neil / South Side Fiddlers / Tom Houston / Lyra Official
Velvet & Stone Sun 24th Jan 2021
Lara Snowdon / Kathryn Tremlett / Paddy Blight / Gary Kroll / Kev Jackson
Velvet & Stone’s female-fronted, indie-folk combines haunting soundscapes with catchy pop hooks and great songs, offering a fresh and original take on a traditional genre. Crafting their live set on the festival circuit with performances at Cambridge Folk Festival, Celtic Connections and Larmer Tree Festival, among many others, they take their audience on a journey from stunning soundscapes to foot-stomping folk-rock.
Led by Lara Snowdon’s vocals and songwriting, Kathryn Tremlett’s violin, and supported by their band – their music draws upon personal stories, melancholy tales and rugged landscapes – creating a sound that is difficult to forget. The band weave traditional threads and combine them with folk-revival and contemporary flavours, producing a sound that has been likened to a twenty-first century Fairport Convention, and comparisons drawn with Mumford & Sons, Laura Marling and Seth Lakeman.
Velvet & Stone release their self-titled debut album on 2nd August 2019. Two singles were released prior to the full album, including ‘By the Water‘ and ‘Oh Boy‘. Previous releases include the Live EP (October 2018); their single ‘High Tide‘ (July 2018) in aid of Cancer Research UK; ‘Raise Your Ghosts‘ (August 2017); The Embers EP (October 2017); and The Storm EP (April 2016). Their music has gained critical acclaim from across the music press, airtime on BBC Radio 2, Radio 6, BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio Wales and is championed by BBC Introducing. The band regularly tour as both a duo and a full band and play at festivals across the UK.
Brigid O’Neill Sun 24th Jan. 2021
Described as “a little bit of Mary Black and Cara Dillon, with some Emmylou Harris with Alison Krauss thrown in”, Co. Down singer songwriter Brigid O’Neill’s star has been steadily in the ascent since the release of her debut EP ‘Arrivals and Departures’, followed by the insistently catchy single ‘Don’t Make me Go to Town’.
Plaudits have continued to rain down with the release of her remarkable new album ‘Touchstone’. O’Neill’s debut album, produced in Belfast by critically acclaimed songwriter, Gareth Dunlop, (Tim McGraw and Faith Hill), and mastered in Nashville, featuring co-writes with Thomm Jutz, (Nanci Griffith) exhibits the full spectrum of her formidable repertoire.
Fans and critics alike have been drawn, not only by the sweet recipe of country-folk and blues blended with a delicious dash of jazz that has become her trademark ‘sound’, but also by the rapid development of an artist who has just set out on her journey.
Having won a prestigious Arts Council of Northern Ireland Artist Career Enhancement Award in 2016, which came hot on the heels of a Roots Radio Singer Songwriter of the Year nomination earlier the same year, in the last twelve months alone, she has sold out shows throughout NI, also opening for and singing alongside stars like Eddi Reader, Duke Special, Frances Black and Mary Coughlan. A regular visitor to Nashville (where she has performed at the world famous Bluebird Café and appeared on the Music City Roots show) Brigid collaborated there on exciting new material with Grammy-winning songwriters.
South Side Fiddlers Sun 24th Jan. 2021
The Southside Fiddlers started back in 2002 when Louise Hunter started her first class with a few local children. Over the years it has grown and now almost 100 children are learning as part of the fiddle school.There are a variety of group classes, one to one lessons, concerts, performances, day trips, residentials, visits to festivals and holiday camps.Fiddlers learn Irish and Scottish traditional music and prepare for exams and competitions.
Tom Houston Sun 24th Jan. 2021
in the 1980’s an aspiring songwriter wandered into the BBC in the West End of Glasgow for an audition. He played a couple of songs into the high quality microphones in a large room. For maybe the first time in his musical career there seemed to be a ‘bit of a buzz’ as a group of adults (including the producer) chatted away. Tom remained innocent and wide eyed. Later as he chatted with the organiser of Mayfest he found out : ‘They were really interested in your songs, but the producer was sacked the next week’ Tom was later to work with the said producer for an independent video of his song Fast Food.
In 1990 a freelance creative ventured to New England to play music and promote his first Album ‘Filling in the Cracks’. Within a week Tom had formed a band and was playing a few ‘hip gigs’ and bamboozling folks with his accent. He ventured into the Mountain Goat (a shop selling outdoor gear). The conversation with K led to romance, marriage and two delightful daughters brought up in Stirling, Scotland, where Tom formed and ran the project INTER-ACT.
It’s now 2020 I’m typing on a computer trying to capture words that might be of interest to a passing online visitor. I can’t pretend to ‘be cool’. Although a recent instagram post by my very cool daughters has me down as an original hipster. I’ve written a fair few songs. I’m really lucky to have worked and connected with a whole range of creatives and musicians over the years. I have been the singer, writer and ‘front guy’ for davesnewbike for over 10 years now. We have 2 Albums on the go. Since my first solo Album I have written and recorded another three, all produced by the wonderful Neill MacColl. The latest of these Gap in the Fence is being released this year. It features fragments from Tom the young lad holding the rope, Tom the as yet undiscovered songwriter but still creating meaningfull ripples of interest with his songs, and Tom the traveller, the creative adventurer and the father.
Lyra Official Sun 24th Jan. 2021
Jenna Naylor-Tymon / James Skingle / George Price / Ehike Nnodi / Craig Norford / Manon Vix
Lyra is a London six piece Neo Soul – Electronic pop group combining epic and sweeping vocals, driving and rhythmic guitar lines, with a euphoric rhythmic sound. Lyra have been hard at work shaping a style and groove that can’t be ignored. In an age of recording artists, it is truly refreshing to find a band that is as good, if not better live than on recording.Lyra comprises Craig Norford’s drum beats with funk edge aplenty, George Price’s smooth base lines, James Skingle’s R+B licks to his heavy solos, Ejike Nnodi’s Jazzy Keys, Manon Vix’s perfectly blended pop backing vocals and Jenna Naylor-Tymon’s soulful yet haunting vocals. Their neo-soul originals ooze an irresistibly euphoric rhythm.
While unable to go and see the artists live during lockdown they are still able to bring you their music via all their social media so please go and check out how busy they have been writing and performing their music during this difficult time for all artists