PAST SHOWS
Saturday 1st August at The Green Door Store, Brighton
Friday 23rd May at The Green Door Store, Brighton
Sunday 11th May at The Caxton Arms, Brighton
Saturday 26th April at The West Hill Hall, Brighton
Saturday 6th July at The Green Door Store, Brighton
BECKY BECKY, DOLLBOY
Tuesday 25th June at The Green Door Store, Brighton
INTERLOCUTOR, HERB DENTON'S LAST DIME, SHARON LEWIS
Saturday 20th April at The Green Door Store, Brighton
CLOUD / BECKY BECKY / KELLAR plus Egyptian Nosebleed DJs - FREE SHOW
Friday 14th September at West Hill Hall, Compton Ave, Brighton
MEG BAIRD / JASON STEEL
Saturday 8th September at St Andrews Church, Waterloo St, Hove
WOODPECKER WOOLIAMS ALBUM LAUNCH
WOODPECKER WOOLIAMS
A resident of Brighton, a keeper of bees, all round naturophile and lover of Russian Dolls, WOODPECKER WOOLIAMS,
aka singer-songwriter Gemma Williams has an unnerving, sweet tremolo voice. Her songs are unusual, modern + intriguing.
Originally comprised of vocals and harp, the odd bell, chime + whistle they have more recently begun to encompass an
altogether fuller, electronic, droney sound.
"This Woodpecker Wooliams album is fucking superb. It’s fucking superb in the way an album I heard by Smog decades ago
was superb: mysterious, drenched in ennui and torpor, half-heard vowels mingling in with half-digested sounds of distortion
and menace and echo. It has a heart. It has soul. It has silences." - Everett True
http://www.woodpeckerwooliams.com/
'Sparrow' from 'The Bird School Of Being Human'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI1pja9DNxs
The Wilderness Of Manitoba are a widely-acclaimed country folk group from Toronto, Canada.
“The singing is never short of heavenly as (they) soar through rich choral arrangements that often sound eerily likeSimon and Garfunkel or Crosby, Stills, and Nash. The Wilderness of Manitoba sound simply breathtaking.” – No Depression
“lumberjackily-attractive” – Brooklyn Vegan
“It’s totally modern yet captivatingly anachronistic at the same time” – Time Out Chicago
www.thewildernessofmanitoba.com
The Galleons are an upcoming folk six-piece from Brighton.
“One of the UKs most exciting and original new bands, start with folk and then throw in a bit of almost everything elseto create beautifully crafted songs, that stick in the mind long after the last chord has rung.”
Weymouth Folk Festival
www.thegalleons.com
Described by the Scotsman as ‘Effervescent’, Schornikow's music consists of guitars strumming to the fibres of travelogues and anecdotes. It’s made with friends in churches and bedrooms in Melbourne and New York. It’s eclectic, a sum of parts and experiences. There are bits of soul, folk, rock, pop. It’s not cohesive necessarily – that’s not the point – but there’s a timeless quality to it, like the music she loves most.
Rewind to 2008, Schornikow moved to NYC to join The Shivers. The band continue to build their cult following, helped in 2011 by steady US & UK touring, an appearance on BBC Radio 1 and an MTV ‘O’ award nomination (only to lose to Marilyn Manson for not showing enough ass). Before ever having sang or written a 'real' song (her words) this Melbournian artist was a jazz pianist, performing solo for then PM John Howard and accompanying Hugh Jackman, James Morrison and Darryl Somers, amongst other things. Jo also contributed 3 songs and appeared in the 2009 Joe Swanberg/Noah Baumbach (Squid & The Whale/Royal Tenenbaums) film 'Alexander The Last‘. But now Schornikow breaks through from the background to the foreground, evolving from her role as sideman with The Shivers (NYC), Kelli Scarr (Moby) & Jack Howard (Hunters & Collectors). She has worked quietly on her own songs and finished something, a record, that’s unlike anything she’s made before.
Scott Rudd is a lo-fi indie folk artist from Brooklyn, NY. He started playing shows in 2008 and recently toured Europe with his first release Lonely Life. He has played with Jeffrey Lewis, Mute Swimmer, The Shivers.
www.scottruddmusic.com
www.joschornikow.com
TANYA DAVIS
Acknowledged as the premiere poet in her home city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Tanya Davis received enormous acclaim worldwide when the video for her single 'How To Be Alone' became a viral hit on Youtube, also winning prestigious awards in Canada.
Tanya's poetry and music is optimistic and heartwarming, yet focuses on issues many would consider dark.
Since her first show with us last year, Tanya was made Poet Laureate of Nova Scotia!
www.tanyadavis.ca
LIANNE HALL
Brighton favourite Lianne Hall plays beautifully crafted pop music. Once a member of the band Pico, Lianne was described by John Peel as having "one of the great English voices".
Lianne has also collaborated with Paul Hartnoll of Orbital.
This will be Lianne's last official show as a resident of Brighton!
www.liannehall.com
STUART WARWICK
Heartbreakingly beautiful – the words that spring to mind when you hear Stuart Warwick sing. While he’s been compared to Thom Yorke and Billy Mackenzie we’d rather settle on Michael Wright’s (Brassica/Gold Blood) description – ‘delicate, bittersweet and uniquely his own’.
www.stuartwarwick.com
THE DIAMOND FAMILY ARCHIVE is Laurence Collyer from Devon. Laurence is one half of the band King James.
An outstanding musician and songwriter, Laurence isn't afraid to experiment, defying definition as a 'folk' artist. Expect tape loops, keyboard, drone, voice and guitar, all coming together to form beautiful songs.
Laurence will also be celebrating the release of a new album.
http://www.thediamondfamilyarchive.com/
JASON STEEL - originally from Yorkshire, this London-based folk guitar/banjo prodigy brings a touch of the Appalachians to Brighton. Jason's star is rising fast, but for now we have an exclusive chance to see him small-scale, in the intimate West Hill Hall venue.
'Produces a timeless atmosphere that remains free from pastiche or reproduction. He date-mixes traditional themes, the 1920s and right now in a most disconcerting way; A stripped down & very alluring album.' fRoots
'Steel is an accomplished fingerpicker... demonstrating a real knack for ragtime and Appalachian styles. A deft, emotive performer, he can write too: 'Twined' and the Takoma-style 'Box of Precious' both stand up particularly well, leaving you primed and ready for that forthcoming full-length.' Boomkat
TANDY HARD - 'Sounding in parts like the missing link between Scott Walker and Edwyn Collins, Tandy Hard's (aka Andrew Willis's) passion seemed fuelled by the classic songwriters of our age.' Fresh Dear Meat
Sunday 8th April at The Prince Albert, 48 Trafalgar St, Brighton
SOCCER96 / BECKY BECKY / NICE CASTLE
Friday 10th February at The West Hill Hall, Compton Avenue, Brighton
MICHAEL CHAPMAN plus MARK WYNN
MICHAEL CHAPMAN
Legendary acoustic guitarist, not easily classifiable as folk, jazz or blues - but has elements of all these styles. Rose to prominence at the height of the UK Cornish folk scene in the 60’s. Championed by John Peel, appeared on the Old Grey Whistle Test, has released nearly 40 albums and most recently toured with the likes of William Tyler (Lambchop), Steve Gunn, Bill Callahan and Thurston Moore.
MARK WYNN
York based folk / blues, compared to the likes of Townes Van Zandt and Sam Baker, his songs telling tales of a romantic low life of people in love with love, with drink and with dreams of some way out of all this.
Saturday 17th December at The West Hill Hall
SHHH! AND WILDWOOD PROMOTIONS CHARITY XMAS SPECIAL
Tuesday 6th December at The Basement, Kensington St, Brighton
MEG BAIRD, JANE BARTHOLOMEW
Saturday 19th November at The Haunt, Pool Valley, Brighton
SHE KEEPS BEES, CLOWNS
SHE KEEPS BEES
This garage-rock duo from Brooklyn have taken the music world by storm, drawing comparisons to The White Stripes, PJ Harvey and Cat Poweramong others.
Theirs is an explosive live show, filled with charm, humour and a powerful blues-rock sound
"Feeding the rawness of early PJ Harvey through the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ experimental but always pop-tilted sonics, this Brooklyn bedroom-blues duo’s earthy and exact clatter is imposingly atmospheric." - NME
"We have no way of measuring the noise Larrabee and LaPlant make when they're at it, but we can quantify the racket on their recordings, to the nearest decibel: it's loud. Very loud." - The Guardian
CLOWNS
Tremendous Brighton rock quartet featuring members of Brakes and Electric Soft Parade.
"Their sound is darkly playful, gloriously dirty and loud, like a perverted Sparks with their amps cranked all the way up to 11." - Source Magazine
http://www.myspace.com/shesaysimaclown
Saturday 12th November at The Hobgoblin, 31 York Place, Brighton
THE SHIVERS plus BARBAROSSA
Having built a cult following in New York, releasing five albums to critical acclaim, The Shivers are the latest signing on the legendary Fence Records (home of Mercury nominees King Creosote & John Hopkins, and The Pictish Trail).
This is their first visit to Brighton, promoting their amazing new album 'More'.
The Shivers have drawn comparisons with Springsteen, The Strokes, Cohen and Dylan. They capture the essence of the New York sound, whilst sounding truly original.
"Certain songs can seem like home the first time you hear them. When you reach the second verse, you want to kiss them" - The Guardian
BARBAROSSA
Beautiful folk tunes with a tinge of electronica. Barbarossa is the music of James Mathe, another luminary of the Fence Records collective.
"Conjures up drizzle, a log fire, single malt and dusting off the old acoustic guitar" - The Telegraph
http://www.myspace.com/barbarossauk
Tuesday 18th October at The Prince Albert, 48 Trafalgar St, Brighton
VIKING MOSES + JASON STEEL
An electrifying performer, Viking Moses has wowed crowds worldwide and become a cult favourite on the independent rock and folk scene.
"Werewolves Across America", a new film starring Viking Moses and featuring regular collaborators Phosphorescent, Deertick and Golden Ghost premiered at this year's Green Man Festival.
This is Viking Moses' first show in Brighton in over a year.
Jason Steel - originally from Yorkshire, this London-based folk guitar/banjo prodigy brings a touch of the Appalachians to Brighton. Jason's star is rising fast, but for now we have an exclusive chance to see him small-scale, in the intimate Prince Albert venue.
'Produces a timeless atmosphere that remains free from pastiche or reproduction. He date-mixes traditional themes, the 1920s and right now in a most disconcerting way; A stripped down & very alluring album.' fRoots
Friday 14th October at The Hobgoblin, 31 York Place, Brighton
WITHERED HAND + ROZI PLAIN
WITHERED HAND
Withered Hand is a rapidly rising new folk star from Scotland. His recent album "Good News" was produced by New York legend Kramer (Shimmy Disc, Galaxie 500, Bongwater). This unassuming singer writes songs with a heartbreaking honesty and beautifully simple delivery.
http://witheredhand.com/
ROZI PLAIN
The unassuming charm of Rozi’s live show has led to tours across Europe, the UK & USA. Notable tours include supporting Devendra Banhart (who fell for her debut album, and named it one of his albums of last year), James Yorkston and Viking Moses, as well as appearances at festivals such as Green Man, End Of The Road and Fence Record’s Homegame.
Friday 30th September at The Hope, Queens Rd, Brighton
STANLEY BRINKS, FRESCHARD, BIRDENGINE
STANLEY BRINKS (ANDRE HERMAN DUNE)
A beatnic Leonard Cohen, a gritty Jonathan Richman.
Setting the bar when it comes to artistic independence, freedom, and avoiding fashionable trends.
In 2006, when he still called himself André, he left Herman Dune to stop the music industry compromising his artistic vision. Now based in Berlin he releases timeless albums, playing them live in small venues and private apartments where he can remain true to his musical ideals.
FRESCHARD
oozes french indie pop class ..reminds me of Stereolab in parts but also hints at chicago post rock..worth a listen, especially if you love the humour of french indie pop.
Beautiful and witty stuff. -Norman Records
BIRDENGINE
the musical project of Lawry Joseph Tilbury, whose unique music has been described by The Independent as 'beautiful, backwards weirdness' and by WARP Records as “an unknown supernatural force".
Wed 15th June at The Prince Albert, 48 Trafalgar St, Brighton
FRANK FAIRFIELD, HATFUL OF RAIN
After a a debut tour last September that left anyone who encountered him spellbound, Frank Fairfield returns this summer with a new album on Tompkins Square. Introduced to the UK as a touring partner to Charlie Parr, and playing anywhere from large festival stages to intimate gatherings across Europe, this is a man who lives and breathes it, rarely separated from his guitar and fiddle, and in possession of a seemingly limitless repertoire of songs. When he's not playing, he's digging for rare 78s in thrift stores and junk shops.
Frank sings soaring hillbilly stompers, arcane rambling songs and murder ballads, delivered in a reedy tenor backed by his dextrous and ragged fiddle, guitar and banjo arrangements. Still in his early twenties but steeped in the pre-War Americana of Mississippi John Hurt and Dock Boggs, he cut his teeth as a street performer in LA and has the raw intensity, passion and technique to make your hairs stand on end.
Fleet Foxes handpicked him to open for them on their 2008 US tour and he has found fans elsewhere in Ry Cooder, CW Stoneking and Grammy winning producer Chris King (Charley Patton, People Take Warning box set). His eponymous debut album came out last year on Tompkins Square and picked up rave reviews across the board.
Wed 18th May at The Prince Albert, 48 Trafalgar St, Brighton
DAVID THOMAS BROUGHTON, SARABETH TUCEK
DAVID THOMAS BROUGHTON
Over the past few years, David Thomas Brouhton has been making waves with his unique and distinct approach to folk music. When Broughton performs it’s a story of incompletion and insecurity. As his songs ponder the difficulties of relationships, the awkwardness of emotion, he plays the same games with the audience. A pause mid-song to brush off his knee, or to rearrange his belongings on the floor: Layers of melody are slowly built, soar, whistle then fizzle as does a kettle on a stove.
Combining luscious and often haunting vocals with improvised spontaneity, his baffling genius has been dividing opinion on the UK and European live circuit since 2005. A new album coming out in May 2011 will be released worldwide.
"The most brilliant and baffling show I’m likely to see this year" – Hank Schteamer, Time Out New York
"David Thomas Broughton = an actual, honest-to-god, straight up genius." – The Internet Sleeps Sundays, review of End of the Road Festival 2009
http://www.davidthomasbroughton.co.uk/
SARABETH TUCEK
Sarabeth was born to a psychiatrist and a psychologist in Miami, but grew up in New York. She was a latecomer to music, her first calling being acting. However, after a few years in Hollywood, her singing and songwriting was encouraged by people on the music scene she fell in with. She first made an impression singing backing vocals on Smog’s 2003 album ‘Supper’ and then in the film ‘Dig!’, where she sings a song she had just written called ‘Something For You’. The Brian Jonestown Massacre went on to cover the song (retitled ‘Seer’), but Sarabeth’s own version became her debut single, on Sonic Cathedral, back in February 2007.
Sarabeth Tucek releases her second album, ‘Get Well Soon’, via Sonic Cathedral Recordings on April 4. It will be available on limited-edition heavyweight vinyl, CD and as a download.
Wed 6th April at The Prince Albert, 48 Trafalgar St, Brighton
TANYA DAVIS, LIANNE HALL, HARUKO
TANYA DAVIS
Acknowledged as the premiere poet in her home city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Tanya Davis received enormous acclaim worldwide when the video for her single 'How To Be Alone' became a viral hit on Youtube, also winning prestigious awards in Canada.
Tanya's poetry and music is optimistic and heartwarming, yet focuses on issues many would consider dark.
This is Tanya's first ever performance in the UK. Be the first to see this upcoming superstar before she's only playing mega-domes.
www.tanyadavis.ca
How To Be Alone
LIANNE HALL
Brighton favourite Lianne Hall plays beautifully crafted pop music. Once a member of the band Pico, Lianne was described by John Peel as having "one of the great English voices".
Lianne has also collaborated with Paul Hartnoll of Orbital
liannehall.com
HARUKO
"Pure, classic and absolutely stunning" - Slowcoustic
"Beautifully timeless in texture and lushly hushed in a detail that recalls the more genteel Mayday follies of both Mellow Candle and Fairport Convention" - Losing Today
Mon 4th April at The Hobgoblin, London Rd, Brighton
WILLIAM TYLER, MICHAEL CHAPMAN - Co-pro with Drifter Promotions
WILLIAM TYLER
Well-known for his work as part of Lambchop and Silver Jews, William Tyler follows up his release as Paper Hats with 'Behold The Spirit', a stunning album under his own name. Experimenting with the boundaries of acoustic guitar playing; incorporating sampled noise with slide and harmonics, all the while anchoring his playing in a countrified tradition.
MICHAEL CHAPMAN
A self-styled old white blues guy from Yorkshire and one of the most under-rated heroes of our time. Chapman's uniquely English melancholic perspective and emotive guitar style first won him the admiration of John Peel and then more recently kindred spirits Jack Rose and No Neck Blues Band. 2011 will see Tompkins Square release 'Word Fail Me Vol 1+2' and a re-issue of his classic 'Fully Qualified Survivor'.
Sun 13th March at The Prince Albert, 48 Trafalgar St, Brighton
DEATH VESSEL, ROZI PLAIN, RONIT
This is the debut headline tour in the UK and Ireland of Sub Pop & ATP Recordings artist, Death Vessel. He has previously toured the UK and Ireland in support of Low and Jose Gonzalez and appeared at the ATP Vs Fans weekend in 2007. He recently completed a North American tour as special guest to Jónsi of Sigur Ros. Death Vessel will be joined on the UK and Irish leg of this tour by Rozi Plain and in Brighton by new Sony BMG artist Ronit.
Joel Thibodeau (Death Vessel) sings highly crafted and personal songs, mainly on plucked acoustic guitar. His "complex and compelling" (Pitchfork) melodies are a beautiful accompaniment to his singularly striking voice.
"Everything about this neo-folk artist is as engaging as it is cryptic; as natural as it is considered...make space on your iPod if the phrase "Joanna Newsom meets Iron & Wine" tickles your tastebuds." - The Independent
Sun 13th Feb at The Basement, 24 Kensington St, Brighton
SINGING ADAMS, WITHERED HAND
SINGING ADAMS
New outfit from former Broken Family Band frontman/songwriter Steven Adams. Continuing to create the “gracefully witty” (Mojo), “bold and lovely” (Guardian) and “truly remarkable pop music” (NME) that attracted a dedicated cult following for TBFB, Adams has assembled a crack squad of like-minded pop enthusiasts; Melinda Bronstein (Absentee, Wet Paint), Matt Ashton (The Leaf Library, Saloon) and The Amazing Michael Wood.
http://www.singingadams.com/
WITHERED HAND
Withered Hand is a rapidly rising new folk star from Scotland. His recent album "Good News" was produced by New York legend Kramer (Shimmy Disc, Galaxie 500, Bongwater). This unassuming singer writes songs with a heartbreaking honesty and beautifully simple delivery.
http://witheredhand.com/
Wed 2nd Feb at The Prince Albert, 48 Trafalgar St, Brighton
BIRDENGINE - 'The Crooked Mile' album launch party
With THE DIAMOND FAMILY ARCHIVE, MINUS A PLUS M
BIRDENGINE is Lawry Tilbury, a celebrated name on the Brighton music scene, currently based in France.
The music of Birdengine is beautiful, dark and unique. Sometimes described as 'twisted folk' or 'weird pop', his live performances are spell-binding and not to be missed.
“Like visiting a museum of curiosities packed with shelves of malformed foetuses and two-headed dogs pickled in jars; the songs are full of rustic-mythic weirdness, with Tilbury singing about dead mermaids, feral children, beast folk, and sewing his eyelids shut” - Andy Gill, The Independent
This show also celebrates the release of the new Birdengine album "The Crooked Mile".
http://www.birdengine.com/
THE DIAMOND FAMILY ARCHIVE is Laurence Collyer, another Brighton favourite. Laurence is one half of the band King James.
An outstanding musician and songwriter, Laurence isn't afraid to experiment, defying definition as a 'folk' artist. Expect tape loops, keyboard, drone, voice and guitar, all coming together to form beautiful songs.
Laurence will also be celebrating the release of a new album.
http://www.thediamondfamilyarchive.com/
MINUS A PLUS M interweave the sound of two acoustic guitars to hypnotic effect, building an intricate sound that transports the listener to another, stranger place.
Fri 3rd December at The Hobgoblin, 31 York Place, Brighton
THE VIKING MOSES, WITHERED HAND, UNDERGROUND RIVER
An electrifying performer, Viking Moses has wowed crowds worldwide and become a cult favourite on the independent rock and folk scene. "Werewolves Across America", a new film starring Viking Moses and featuring regular collaborators Phosphorescent, Deertick and Golden Ghost premiered at this year's Green Man Festival.
This is Viking Moses' first headline show in Brighton in over a year.
Withered Hand is a rapidly rising new folk star from Scotland. His recent album "Good News" was produced by New York legend Kramer (Shimmy Disc, Galaxie 500, Bongwater). This unassuming singer writes songs with a heartbreaking honesty and beautifully simple delivery.
Underground River is a band from New York, presenting complex and fascinating melodies reminiscent of English folk singers such as Roy Harper and Michael Chapman.
http://www.myspace.com/vikingmoses
http://www.myspace.com/witheredhandmusic
http://www.myspace.com/undergroundrivermusic
Wed 20th October at The Prince Albert, 48 Trafalgar St, Brighton
THE GREAT PARK, WOODPECKER WOOLIAMS, FIONA SALLY MILLER
BREAKING NEWS: Unfortunately Takeda are unable to play at this show. We are delighted to announce the wonderful Fiona Sally Miller has agreed to replace them at very short notice.
SPECIAL OFFER: The first 20 people to buy advance tickets for this show will get a free 11-track album by The Great Park. This is an exclusive session album including a new unreleased song. You can't get this album anywhere else!
Thu 7th October at The Prince Albert, 48 Trafalgar St, Brighton
STANLEY BRINKS, FRESCHARD, FROZY
Co-promotion with Put It On and Simple Folk Radio
Sun 3rd October at The Basement, 24 Kensington St, Brighton
JOSEPHINE FOSTER & THE VICTOR HERRERO BAND + CAROLINE WEEKS
JOSEPHINE FOSTER
One of the most enigmatic, luminious and enlightening American singers of her time sings Federico Garcia Lorca’s popular folk song collection “Las Canciones Populares Espanolas” with guitarist Victor Herrero and live band.
'Anda Jaleo' the recordings of these songs will be released in September by Fire Records. Live the band want to play suitable acoustic spaces. Josephine sings, dances a bit and play castanets with the band whom she describes as “a like a Andalusian jug band playing very energetic and animated music”. Taking their cue from Lorca and La Argentinita’s infectious 1931 recording of the songs, Josephine Foster and her partner Spanish musician Victor Herrero have arranged the poetically rich collection for their new acoustic band, formed while living in the Grenadine Sierra. Anda Jaleo is the band’s live recording of “Las Canciones”; a visceral celebration of the persistance of popular anonymous song.
http://www.josephinefoster.info/
http://www.myspace.com/josephinefoster
http://www.myspace.com/jfostervherreroband
Caroline Weeks is a composer, multi-instrumentalist musician, performer and installation artist. Caroline also collaborates with many art, music, dance and theatre projects, including work with Bat For Lashes and Radiohead’s Philip Selway.
http://www.myspace.com/carolineweeks
Fri 3rd September at The Basement, 24 Kensington St, Brighton
EMILY JANE WHITE, MATT BAUER & DANA FALCONBERRY, OLD LOST JOHN
Emily Jane White is a singer/songwriter from California who released her debut album in 2007. Influenced by American blues and folk music tradition along with contemporary female singer/songwriters such as PJ Harvey and Kate Bush, she has been compared to Chan Marshall of Cat Power and Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star.
"Emily Jane White's singing voice, wispy and sweet but undercut with an alluring world-weary weight, lends itself to brow-furrowing introspection and rustic tales of woe... She doesn't go out of her way to invoke a comparison to Cat Power, but during certain moments it's difficult to not notice the flattering (albeit striking) resemblance." Pitchfork
"White's emotionally drenched, strong-willed masterpiece [Victorian America] unravels a fresh, mystic outlook toward American songwriting, where she should assume deep notoriety." Venuszine
Matt Bauer grew up in Kentucky, and his music is rooted in the sounds and natural surroundings of the region. His melodies and banjo style bear the markings of traditional mountain music, bluegrass and early country, but his sound is distinctly contemporary. The lyrics live unflinchingly in the present and the arrangements draw on influences as varied as gamelan orchestras and post-rock. "Bauer's work is simply astounding—not just on par with Samuel Beam's Iron and Wine bittersweet ethos, but a rival to its haunting intimacy" -Kevchino.com
Matt is joined on this tour by Dana Falconberry, who is already an established and popular musician in the states. "Falconberry’s low-key charisma and unconventional vocals will instantly capture your heart. Her down-home sincerity, nuanced folk-influenced melodies and a lyrical sense that blends classic simplicity with subtle literary finesse marks her as a surprisingly original artist." -Last FM
So, who's this Old Lost John really? Nobody knows for sure. He's been out there, it seems, as long as anyone can remember. Deep dark eyes, long grey beard, always hummin' a tune or blowing his sad harmonica. That's how some people would picture him. Somewhere in that odd little cabin outside that small town you've passed a thousand times heading north without ever noticing its real name.
Old Lost John is from Sweden. His songs are reminiscent of the dark whistful folk music of Michael Chapman, Nick Drake and Bonny Prince Billy. His album 'Faceless' has received rave reviews across Europe.
"I’m left in utter awe at the ten tracks on Faceless. Old Lost John has really embraced the overall rustic, cabin-esque, backwoods feel that any hauntingly beautiful folk record should be happen to posses." - adequacy.net
Sat 31st July at West Hill Hall, Compton Avenue, Brighton
THE HURDLE HOP 2010 - ALL DAY FESTIVAL
feat. JOE GIDEON & THE SHARK, JANE BARTHOLOMEW, LIANNE HALL, LOVE STOP REPEAT, GEORGE THOMAS & THE BUZZARDS, MEN DIAMLER, WOODPECKER WOOLIAMS, BECKY BECKY PARENTHESES, THE VAGUE GYRATORY
Sun 25th July at The Prince Albert, 48 Trafalgar St, Brighton
RACHAEL DADD & THE HAND, ICHI, Plus SPECIAL GUESTS!
"Whether it be by handing out cake or percussive pots of rice to shake, Rachael puts her audience at ease - she’s had plenty of practice, having toured England and Japan numerous times, and played festival slots since 2001 including an appearance on Glastonbury’s Acoustic Stage with one of her collaborative projects, Whalebone Polly (with Kate Stables of This Is The Kit). She enjoys performing in intimate settings the most, but can adapt well, having proved this when she performed a series of shows in Japan, each to an audience of 3000." Last FM
"a beautiful slice of modern-tainted folk, the vocals and songs bring to mind early Unthanks in their simplistic delivery that hides deeper and darker stories behind the scenes." The Line Of Best Fit
The hand do some indescribable things with their fingers: the double plucking breakdown on one such number causes me to scribble 'rubber bands and chickens' as the best auditory comparison I can muster under their spell. Her banjo and his guitar nimbly spin yarns, conversing about closing gaps in the music staff, and how romantic everything seems up close, by the light of the candle
(kristen grayewski, venue magazine, september '08)
The Cascade Steps were treated Saturday afternoon to the absorbing, intrinsically brilliant sounds of Rachael Dadd and her banjo and Wig Smith on the kora as they poked around in their folk back-catalogue for every maritime song they could remember. They were never short of material being two workers on the Bristol ferries, and it was a nice touch and deliciously heart-warming to hear that most of these fantastic songs were inspired by the harbour behind them as they played.
(Suit yourself magazine, Bristol Harbour Festival review, August 2008)
Ichi, from Nagoya in Japan, takes the notion of a one-man band to new limits - combining steel-drum with ping-pong balls, tape-loops with double bass and trumpet with bongos, all in the space of one short set. Somehow there's an ancient, ritualistic feel to his performances, he's like the misplaced leader of a tribe and perhaps he will be - it's this kind of excellence and innovation which inspires a cult following. At the same time, his music is so playful and unusual, it gives you the feeling that you're witnessing something entirely new. It's fun, it's danceable, it's exciting. His album, 'mono' is released on the Japanese label Coup, and if you heard the CD before you see him play, you'd never believe he reproduces it live, but he does (minus the mewing from his two cats, some atmospheric sound recordings and contributions from some other friends). Ichi is also a 20-year long member of the Nagoya new-wave band Nohshinto, has toured extensively as a solo artist in Japan, and has played with Shugo Tokumaru & Asa-Chang and Junray.
"His live show is so much fun!!! Super recommended." Satomi Matsuzaki (Deerhoof)
Sun 18th July at The Prince Albert, 48 Trafalgar St, Brighton
JASON STEEL, VIO/MIRE, MUTE SWIMMER
Jason Steel - originally from Yorkshire, this London-based folk guitar/banjo prodigy brings a touch of the Appalachians to Brighton. Jason's star is rising fast, but for now we have an exclusive chance to see him small-scale, in the intimate Prince Albert venue.
'Produces a timeless atmosphere that remains free from pastiche or reproduction. He date-mixes traditional themes, the 1920s and right now in a most disconcerting way; A stripped down & very alluring album.' fRoots
'Steel is an accomplished fingerpicker... demonstrating a real knack for ragtime and Appalachian styles. A deft, emotive performer, he can write too: 'Twined' and the Takoma-style 'Box of Precious' both stand up particularly well, leaving you primed and ready for that forthcoming full-length.' Boomkat
Vio/Miré is, essentially, Providence, RI's Brendan Glasson. His consistently affecting music spans from pop/folk to ambient sound art to chamber music. His instrumentation is similarly wide-ranging and sophisticated. Glasson is often accompanied by a rotating cast of string players, clavichordists, and singers.
Glasson has four Vio/Miré albums to his credit, including one entirely written and recorded while living in Bolivia and his most recent, “January, 2009” recorded in Jonsí from Sigur Ros’s apartment in Reykjavik, Iceland. The third Vio/Miré album, 'March, 2007' was released that month by Leisure Class Records. Glasson’s recordings have been called "absolutely vital" (so the wind won't blow it all away) and an "amazing experimental journey of an album" (smother.net). Indie Folk Forever describes Vio/Miré as “a blend of slowly evolving, textured soundscapes and intimate vocals” and, as Animal Psi notes, “the music is airy yet well-defined, filled out by steady runs of finger-picked guitar and the dry heat of cello.”
Glasson toured with Sigur Ros on their 2008 US tour as a member of the Icelandic octet Parachutes. As Vio/Miré, he’s played with dozens of different artists including Ramona Cordova, Deer Tick, Eva Luna, Annuals, Bee Mask, Black Swans, Cassette Concrete, Chris Paddock, Dreadful Tawns, Expecting Rain, Lewis and Clarke, Liz Isenberg, Noble Lake, Ra Ra Riot, Tall Pines, and the Whigs. Vio/Miré also played at the 2007 Gladtree Festival along with Thurston Moore, Jack Rose, MV+EE, J. Mascis, and others.
Mute Swimmer is a moniker of the visual and sound artist Guy Dale.
Mute Swimmer writes songs. Sometimes they are ironically self reflexive and nearly serious. Sometimes they are sincerely earnest and nearly funny. Often they are both at the same time.
A full-length album entitled simply 'Mute Swimmer' was released in April 2010 on the Woodland Recordings label.
Fri 11th June at The Basement, 24 Kensington St, Brighton, BN1 4AJ
HARUKO, BIRDENGINE and WOODPECKER WOOLIAMS
It's a real pleasure for Shhh! to welcome the critically acclaimed Susanne Stanglow for her first visit to Brighton. Currently based in Bremen Germany, Susanne has already gathered significant praise world-wide for her first album "Wild Geese".
Comparisons with female big-hitters abound: Joanna Newsom, Vashti Bunyan, Meg Baird, even Kate Bush. On the surface Haruko's delightfully simple pastoral songs tell a tale of wide-eyed wonder at the beauty of life, but within is a world of elemental nature and raging forces of passion.
"Pure, classic and absolutely stunning" - Slowcoustic
"Beautifully timeless in texture and lushly hushed in a detail that recalls the more genteel Mayday follies of both Mellow Candle and Fairport Convention" - Losing Today
Birdengine is Lawry Joseph Tilbury. Originally from Dorset, now a Brighton resident. Lawry's dark musings are the perfect accompaniment to Haruko's open-hearted wonderment.
"Tilbury displays the same quiet understatement and backwards weirdness as Bonnie 'prince' Billy, but transposed to Dorset. Listening to I fed Three Rabbit Water is like visiting a museum of curiosities packed with shelves of malformed foetuses and two-headed dogs pickled in jars; the songs are full of rustic-mythic weirdness, with Tilbury singing about dead mermaids, feral children, "beast folk" and sewing his eyelids shut"
Andy Gill, The Independent
“Charming and original”- Tom Robinson BBC radio6 music
“Utterly brilliant”- Paul Moxham, BBC radio Devon
'Definitely bonkers in a lovingly endearing sort of way'- AmericanaUK
"Darkness, foreboding, earthbound wandering and airy mists -they are all here" -Folkword
Mon 29th March at The Prince Albert, 48 Trafalgar St, Brighton
STANLEY BRINKS (Andre Herman Dune), KING JAMES, plus Support TBC
When he left the family band (Herman Dune) in 2006, Andre changed his stage name to Stanley Brinks. Since then he has continued to play knock-out live shows which never fail to surprise and entertain.
A Brighton favourite, his last show here was to a packed-out Freebutt, alongside regular collaborators The Wave Pictures.
Here's a chance to see Andre in his element, at the intimate Prince Albert pub with an audience of friends.
King james is performed by the diamond family archive, thirty pounds of bone and a loose collection of singers and musicians set between the Cornish coast and berlin. The project was formed by the two principal characters as a distraction from, and interpretation of, their irreversibly turbulent romantic lives. Both men finding a strange solace in exploring what might be described as disproportionately religious upbringings. Something they had left in their most remote pasts. The religious aspect of the songs is confused, unhappy, accusing and frequently misinterpreted.
Freschard grew up in a farm in French Burgundy. She started organizing shows in the barn when she was about 12 years old. Aged 18 she moved to the big city, Paris, where she baked pies and cakes in a cafe. There, a local musician and regular customer called Andre Herman Dune wrote a few songs for her to sing. In 2004 she moved to Berlin, where she recorded her first LP, "Alien Duck", with a mix of electronic and acoustic sounds. Her second album, "Click Click", recorded in 2006, features a drummer (Leo Bear Creek), and electric guitars by Stanley Brinks. On her third album, “moonstone”, she plays the drums herself. She works as a sound engineer and records her friends' music. She also has a Calypso cover band with Stanley Brinks, called Kreuzberg Museum.
Sat 13th Feb at The Marlborough Theatre, 4 Princes St, Brighton, BN2 1RD
GOLDEN GHOST (feat. The Viking Moses), GEORGE THOMAS & THE OWLS, WOODPECKER WOOLIAMS
GOLDEN GHOST - is a band fronted by Laura Goetz from the village of Endicott in Upstate New York.
Goetz' music is addictive, yet surprisingly dissimilar to typical "pop" songs. Rhapsodic in structure, her music often has dramatic stress and meter fluctuations, unpredictable key changes, and tantalizing discord. Goetz fuses catchy melodies, which can reoccur from song to song, delivered with technically complex electric guitar playing.
Lyrically, she often uses themes from extremely brief life encounters and observances, (such as a Scottish man who paints moonscapes, or an institutionalized Missouri woman who had been discovered swallowing hundreds of small metal objects, and even of 70's television's French Chef host Julia Child!) and produces extensive monologues told from the perspective of her subjects, an exquisite display of imagination, compassion and poetry.
Golden Ghost has toured extensively in North America and Europe since 2007 supporting her album and single releases with snowballing acclaim.
Laura will be joined on stage by Brendon Massei (The Viking Moses)
GEORGE THOMAS & THE OWLS
“Heart-wrenching songs, a self effacing maverick” The Guardian
“He's actually a genius” Plan B
"Eerie and gorgeous songs of deep breath and small miracle" Foxy Digitalis
WOODPECKER WOOLIAMS
“Charming and original”- Tom Robinson BBC radio6 music
“Utterly brilliant”- Paul Moxham, BBC radio Devon
'Definitely bonkers in a lovingly endearing sort of way'- AmericanaUK
"Darkness, foreboding, earthbound wandering and airy mists -they are all here" -Folkwords
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