Charlie Dore powers up for Short Circuit tour
Venerated singer-songwriter Charlie Dore has announced her biggest UK tour for over four years, with a storm of dates to wrap up her three Short Circuit outings.
The tour sees the celebrated hit-writer for Tina Turner, Celine Dion, George Harrison, Lisa Stansfield and Jimmy Nail perform songs from her own impressive and widely acclaimed back-catalogue. With a career spanning 10 genre-defying albums, Dore has established herself as a hugely respected performer, song-writer and producer.
Known for her erudite observations of human nature, exquisite sense of melody and impeccable story-telling, Dore has always performed and released music on her own terms - earning cult-like status amongst fans new and old alike. As ever, she will be joined by her multi-instrumentalist co-pilot Julian Littman of Steeleye Span.
Charlie says “Applying ourselves to this longer tour also gives us ample opportunity to feature some of my lesser-known (but often secretly favourite) songs. It’s great to have the freedom to experiment and re-work them and have them share the spotlight. I’m always excited to see what the response will be.
“So far, Short Circuit has taken us from Scotland to Somerset and it’s been gratifying to share the music we’ve re-discovered - there’s an exclusivity about it. We enjoy taking risks, and renewing the sets in this way feels like the perfect way to conclude our Short Circuit adventure.”
With gigs in Hereford, Leamington Spa, Great Kingshill, Abingdon, Barnstaple, St Endellion, Durham, Wigton, Sheffield, Otley, Knutsford, Hertford, Stroud and Banbury the tour kicks of mid-September and concludes mid-October.
Described as ‘brave, poignant, entertaining and original’ by The Guardian, Charlie Dore has recently recorded sessions for BBC Radio 2 with Mark Radcliffe and for BBC Scotland with Ricky Ross - whilst her most famous track Pilot Of The Airwaves was featured on Ken Bruce’s final show at the Beeb further confirming her place in the hearts of listeners across the country.
All tickets and details available at charliedore.com
The tour sees the celebrated hit-writer for Tina Turner, Celine Dion, George Harrison, Lisa Stansfield and Jimmy Nail perform songs from her own impressive and widely acclaimed back-catalogue. With a career spanning 10 genre-defying albums, Dore has established herself as a hugely respected performer, song-writer and producer.
Known for her erudite observations of human nature, exquisite sense of melody and impeccable story-telling, Dore has always performed and released music on her own terms - earning cult-like status amongst fans new and old alike. As ever, she will be joined by her multi-instrumentalist co-pilot Julian Littman of Steeleye Span.
Charlie says “Applying ourselves to this longer tour also gives us ample opportunity to feature some of my lesser-known (but often secretly favourite) songs. It’s great to have the freedom to experiment and re-work them and have them share the spotlight. I’m always excited to see what the response will be.
“So far, Short Circuit has taken us from Scotland to Somerset and it’s been gratifying to share the music we’ve re-discovered - there’s an exclusivity about it. We enjoy taking risks, and renewing the sets in this way feels like the perfect way to conclude our Short Circuit adventure.”
With gigs in Hereford, Leamington Spa, Great Kingshill, Abingdon, Barnstaple, St Endellion, Durham, Wigton, Sheffield, Otley, Knutsford, Hertford, Stroud and Banbury the tour kicks of mid-September and concludes mid-October.
Described as ‘brave, poignant, entertaining and original’ by The Guardian, Charlie Dore has recently recorded sessions for BBC Radio 2 with Mark Radcliffe and for BBC Scotland with Ricky Ross - whilst her most famous track Pilot Of The Airwaves was featured on Ken Bruce’s final show at the Beeb further confirming her place in the hearts of listeners across the country.
All tickets and details available at charliedore.com
New release from the 'Singing Social Worker'
Famously labelled ‘the singing social worker’ by the Guardian after the release of his 2014 debut Something To Take The Edge Off, Edd Donovan has continued his upward trajectory with a steady stream of intelligently written albums.
The new album Anchovy further demonstrates a keen musical mind at work with observations on the fragility of our planet, the need for psychological renewal, the preciousness of protest and egalitarianism.
Finding inspiration from Cornish beaches, the rise of feminism and the failures of our civilisation, much of the album was developed during pandemic-era restrictions, recorded with his band The Wandering Moles and co-produced with drummer Paul Arthurs.
Beginning with ‘Echoes of the Sea’ - a song about liberation from fear, the album continues with title track ‘Anchovy’ - an ode to marine ecosystems, whilst ‘St Ives’ pays homage to childhood memories. Elsewhere on the album ‘What You Know’ reminds us of how little we understand the world; ‘Be the One’ is a rallying call to stand up and be counted; ‘Unspoken Heroes’ is a dedication to NHS staff; ‘Aphrodite’ calls in the ancient deities; ‘Get It Out’ acts as a catharsis; ‘God Be With You’ points towards the destruction of the natural world; The self-explanatory ‘Final Song’ encourages us to live in the ‘now’.
Edd describes Anchovy as ‘my finest work’. It’s certainly his most intriguing and pioneering album to date, with ten tracks crafted by an artist at the top of his game whose inspired arrangement and production values surpass the high bar set by his much-celebrated back catalogue.
The album, ‘Anchovy’ will be released on 27th October 2023 with a full band preview gig on Wednesday 4th October at The Bottle Of Sauce in Cheltenham. For more information visit edddonovan.co.uk
The new album Anchovy further demonstrates a keen musical mind at work with observations on the fragility of our planet, the need for psychological renewal, the preciousness of protest and egalitarianism.
Finding inspiration from Cornish beaches, the rise of feminism and the failures of our civilisation, much of the album was developed during pandemic-era restrictions, recorded with his band The Wandering Moles and co-produced with drummer Paul Arthurs.
Beginning with ‘Echoes of the Sea’ - a song about liberation from fear, the album continues with title track ‘Anchovy’ - an ode to marine ecosystems, whilst ‘St Ives’ pays homage to childhood memories. Elsewhere on the album ‘What You Know’ reminds us of how little we understand the world; ‘Be the One’ is a rallying call to stand up and be counted; ‘Unspoken Heroes’ is a dedication to NHS staff; ‘Aphrodite’ calls in the ancient deities; ‘Get It Out’ acts as a catharsis; ‘God Be With You’ points towards the destruction of the natural world; The self-explanatory ‘Final Song’ encourages us to live in the ‘now’.
Edd describes Anchovy as ‘my finest work’. It’s certainly his most intriguing and pioneering album to date, with ten tracks crafted by an artist at the top of his game whose inspired arrangement and production values surpass the high bar set by his much-celebrated back catalogue.
The album, ‘Anchovy’ will be released on 27th October 2023 with a full band preview gig on Wednesday 4th October at The Bottle Of Sauce in Cheltenham. For more information visit edddonovan.co.uk
New project and single for British-Uruguayan musician
British-Uruguayan Alex Etchart (they/them) grew up in London and Montevideo, Uruguay. Raised in the ‘cono sur’ folk tradition, this southern South American canon brings together melancholy melodies with rich, heady timbres, expansive Andean harmonies and continent-wide rhythmic cross-pollination.
Alex trained in jazz instruments and voice and went on to use these songwriting and improvisation skills to write musicals with marginalised communities, selling out shows in twelve countries to standing ovations every night.
Coming late to the British Isles and Irish tradition, Alex got lost in the works of folk legends Anne Briggs and Dick Gaughan while singing for social movements up and down the UK. Drawing on the legacy of Victor Jara, Alex spent years connecting brave communities through new folk.
In electronic music production Alex found a way to bring together the genres and messages in their heritage with the London drum and bass, trip-hop and dubstep they grew up raving to. Synthesis carves space for euphoric pads and neo-soul riffs, while sampling unleashes glute-busting humanised percussion, drawing on years of bilingual choir leading and New Orleans bounce music.
Alex’s new project,Vientos, is a musical journey across genres and hemispheres, in Spanish and English. Rich South American ballads mutate through fat subbass wobbles. British and Irish folk songs sail through soulful electronica and hidden histories. On 4th May Vientos launch their first single and music video in London, with a cinematic live concert and guest performances from DJ Ivicore, Sumaq Ayullu (‘The Sacred Family’) and Pepa Duarte.
Alex’ first single, Johnny Barnes, which will be released on the day of the show, is a forgotten Irish folk song about love between two men, which takes us on a voyage across genders and generations towards a utopian pantheon of queer heroes. The ten minute short is Alex’s first foray into the film world, and is part of an education project for teachers and young people around non-binary history and experiences through storytelling, supported by Arts Council England.
It was shot in six locations – including a rustic hall, a sailing ship, catacombs, a temple and rolling hills – by a stellar team of expert filmmakers and straddles the old world & the new, featuring 'goddexes' designed by genderqueer performers channeling their highest selves.
Tickets and more information available from www.comono.co.uk/live/alex-etchart
Alex trained in jazz instruments and voice and went on to use these songwriting and improvisation skills to write musicals with marginalised communities, selling out shows in twelve countries to standing ovations every night.
Coming late to the British Isles and Irish tradition, Alex got lost in the works of folk legends Anne Briggs and Dick Gaughan while singing for social movements up and down the UK. Drawing on the legacy of Victor Jara, Alex spent years connecting brave communities through new folk.
In electronic music production Alex found a way to bring together the genres and messages in their heritage with the London drum and bass, trip-hop and dubstep they grew up raving to. Synthesis carves space for euphoric pads and neo-soul riffs, while sampling unleashes glute-busting humanised percussion, drawing on years of bilingual choir leading and New Orleans bounce music.
Alex’s new project,Vientos, is a musical journey across genres and hemispheres, in Spanish and English. Rich South American ballads mutate through fat subbass wobbles. British and Irish folk songs sail through soulful electronica and hidden histories. On 4th May Vientos launch their first single and music video in London, with a cinematic live concert and guest performances from DJ Ivicore, Sumaq Ayullu (‘The Sacred Family’) and Pepa Duarte.
Alex’ first single, Johnny Barnes, which will be released on the day of the show, is a forgotten Irish folk song about love between two men, which takes us on a voyage across genders and generations towards a utopian pantheon of queer heroes. The ten minute short is Alex’s first foray into the film world, and is part of an education project for teachers and young people around non-binary history and experiences through storytelling, supported by Arts Council England.
It was shot in six locations – including a rustic hall, a sailing ship, catacombs, a temple and rolling hills – by a stellar team of expert filmmakers and straddles the old world & the new, featuring 'goddexes' designed by genderqueer performers channeling their highest selves.
Tickets and more information available from www.comono.co.uk/live/alex-etchart
Green to Gold - fifth album and tour from Moonrakers
Moonrakers perform sparkling and unique arrangements of traditional UK folk songs and tunes as well as their own compositions. Green to Gold is their fifth album, and though the line-up has changed over the years the new offering retains the trademark warm muti- instrumental sound and sophisticated arrangements that make this band special.
With many years’ experience playing at community centres, festivals, arts centres, churches and private functions, the band’s prolific output has received glowing reviews from the music press (“The real deal”, The Living Tradition; "Multi-instrumental and vocal delights played with skill and verve" Shire Folk magazine, "There is a sparkling upbeat positive feel to this band" Rock&Reel).
Green to Gold is a sumptuous mix of traditional and self-penned songs and tunes, opening with a full-voiced arrangement of Grimsby Fisher Lads, a song written by band member Jon Bennett about the exploitation of teenage boys during the fishing industry boom of the late 19th century. Two traditional songs, The Turtle Dove and The Unquiet Grave, showcase the Sarah Fell’s warm vocals. The album also demonstrates the versatility and exacting musicianship of Jacqui Johnson on cello and Becki Luff on harp as they weave their exquisite arrangements around Jon’s instrumental compositions, Sydlings Copse, Shotover, Bourbon Reel and Chilswell Valley.
There are two longer ballads, also from Jon – Green to Gold, orchestrated by cellist Jacqui Johnson, and Blasket Island – the latter being a reimagined tale of a curse that ultimately drove the human population off the Irish island in the mid-1950s. Ot Moor is a new tune from Moonrakers woven around an anonymous poem protesting against land enclosures in the later 19th century and the riots this induced in an area just outside of Oxford. To lighten the mood, the traditional song Let Your Back and Sides Go Bare has an infectious chorus and Jon’s composition, Kiss Me Quick, dips its toes into lounge jazz. The band is not afraid to explore new avenues for old tunes; Picardy and As I Roved Out each have appended instrumental parts to compliment the original traditional melodies.
Moonrakers’ current line-up was created in 2020. Becki Luff (Celtic harp, harmonium) has played at prestigious venues such as The Wigmore Hall and The Sage and has toured in Hong Kong. Jacqui Johnson (cello, accordion) comes from a classical background where she’s played as a soloist with orchestras both in the UK and Australia, was a member of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and has toured in China and Europe. Jon (bouzouki, guitar, whistles, bodhran) founded Moonrakers 20 years ago and is a published composer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Sarah Fell has run community choirs and has for 6 years been the lead vocalist with Moonrakers.
The 2023 Moonrakers tour comprises 26 dates including an exciting collaboration with the OXUS Quartet covering the music and folk song collections of Ralph Vaughan Williams. This was commissioned by the Vaughan Williams Festival and performed there in October 2022. Moonrakers have been described as “startlingly talented” (Oxford Times), with five albums of "exquisite music "(BBC) and "truly wonderful" performances (Broadstairs and Wycombe Festivals).
For more information and tour dates, visit the website moonrakers.net
With many years’ experience playing at community centres, festivals, arts centres, churches and private functions, the band’s prolific output has received glowing reviews from the music press (“The real deal”, The Living Tradition; "Multi-instrumental and vocal delights played with skill and verve" Shire Folk magazine, "There is a sparkling upbeat positive feel to this band" Rock&Reel).
Green to Gold is a sumptuous mix of traditional and self-penned songs and tunes, opening with a full-voiced arrangement of Grimsby Fisher Lads, a song written by band member Jon Bennett about the exploitation of teenage boys during the fishing industry boom of the late 19th century. Two traditional songs, The Turtle Dove and The Unquiet Grave, showcase the Sarah Fell’s warm vocals. The album also demonstrates the versatility and exacting musicianship of Jacqui Johnson on cello and Becki Luff on harp as they weave their exquisite arrangements around Jon’s instrumental compositions, Sydlings Copse, Shotover, Bourbon Reel and Chilswell Valley.
There are two longer ballads, also from Jon – Green to Gold, orchestrated by cellist Jacqui Johnson, and Blasket Island – the latter being a reimagined tale of a curse that ultimately drove the human population off the Irish island in the mid-1950s. Ot Moor is a new tune from Moonrakers woven around an anonymous poem protesting against land enclosures in the later 19th century and the riots this induced in an area just outside of Oxford. To lighten the mood, the traditional song Let Your Back and Sides Go Bare has an infectious chorus and Jon’s composition, Kiss Me Quick, dips its toes into lounge jazz. The band is not afraid to explore new avenues for old tunes; Picardy and As I Roved Out each have appended instrumental parts to compliment the original traditional melodies.
Moonrakers’ current line-up was created in 2020. Becki Luff (Celtic harp, harmonium) has played at prestigious venues such as The Wigmore Hall and The Sage and has toured in Hong Kong. Jacqui Johnson (cello, accordion) comes from a classical background where she’s played as a soloist with orchestras both in the UK and Australia, was a member of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and has toured in China and Europe. Jon (bouzouki, guitar, whistles, bodhran) founded Moonrakers 20 years ago and is a published composer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Sarah Fell has run community choirs and has for 6 years been the lead vocalist with Moonrakers.
The 2023 Moonrakers tour comprises 26 dates including an exciting collaboration with the OXUS Quartet covering the music and folk song collections of Ralph Vaughan Williams. This was commissioned by the Vaughan Williams Festival and performed there in October 2022. Moonrakers have been described as “startlingly talented” (Oxford Times), with five albums of "exquisite music "(BBC) and "truly wonderful" performances (Broadstairs and Wycombe Festivals).
For more information and tour dates, visit the website moonrakers.net
New Ciderhouse Rebellion Album Out Now
Over a winter’s week in the heart of the Yorkshire Moors, Adam, Kirsty and Murray devised and recorded an album of brand new music.
Between stories of wreckers and smugglers, midwives and hedge-witches, snake-catchers and nightmen, the new trio Cider With Kirsty reveal the hidden lives that were the historic heartbeat of the country. Originally meeting through folk legends Show Of Hands, The Ciderhouse Rebellion found that their create seascapes and laments, prayers and evocations danced perfectly with Merryn’s poignant and angelic vocals. Their prolific original songwriting led to an incredible album The Devil’s On The Mast - released June 2nd 2023.
Master improvisers, the Ciderhouse Rebellion works differently to most artists — rather than engaging in a process of rehearsing and refining, Adam Summerhayes (fiddle) and Murray Grainger (accordion) create music in the moment, through improvisation and instinct, honed over years of working together, two lifetimes of musical study and a rare, magical connection. Kirsty Merryn has been working for many years as a solo performer and songwriter, and brought her own skills and experience to the project.
The creative process: Adam and Kirsty wrote the lyrics for all of the tracks, bar two with older words, and then, in separate rooms, connected by headphones and the freezing silence of the moors, the trio just ... made music. The songs you hear are almost all first takes — not only the first time that they were recorded, but the first time they were played ... something captured in the moment of its creation. This dynamic, challenging and — for Kirsty — entirely new way of working takes a remarkable amount of trust, but the end result is something organic and beautiful that couldn’t be captured in any other way.
The Ciderhouse Rebellion have cooked up a bit of a storm in just three years with five albums, multiple FATEA awards and sensational live sets across the country - including at The Manchester Folk Festival. Known for creating music through improvisation and instinct, honed over years of working at the highest level and a lifetime of musical study, they continue to produce prolifically and keep audiences enthralled and fully engaged. Meanwhile, the huge talent of Kirsty Merryn - celebrated for many years as a solo performer and songwriter (‘her voice a treat for the soul’ - The Guardian ☆☆☆☆), brought her own virtuoso skills and experience to the project. The end result is a dynamic, enrapturing set of uniquely magical songs.
For more information visit www.theciderhouserebellion.com
Between stories of wreckers and smugglers, midwives and hedge-witches, snake-catchers and nightmen, the new trio Cider With Kirsty reveal the hidden lives that were the historic heartbeat of the country. Originally meeting through folk legends Show Of Hands, The Ciderhouse Rebellion found that their create seascapes and laments, prayers and evocations danced perfectly with Merryn’s poignant and angelic vocals. Their prolific original songwriting led to an incredible album The Devil’s On The Mast - released June 2nd 2023.
Master improvisers, the Ciderhouse Rebellion works differently to most artists — rather than engaging in a process of rehearsing and refining, Adam Summerhayes (fiddle) and Murray Grainger (accordion) create music in the moment, through improvisation and instinct, honed over years of working together, two lifetimes of musical study and a rare, magical connection. Kirsty Merryn has been working for many years as a solo performer and songwriter, and brought her own skills and experience to the project.
The creative process: Adam and Kirsty wrote the lyrics for all of the tracks, bar two with older words, and then, in separate rooms, connected by headphones and the freezing silence of the moors, the trio just ... made music. The songs you hear are almost all first takes — not only the first time that they were recorded, but the first time they were played ... something captured in the moment of its creation. This dynamic, challenging and — for Kirsty — entirely new way of working takes a remarkable amount of trust, but the end result is something organic and beautiful that couldn’t be captured in any other way.
The Ciderhouse Rebellion have cooked up a bit of a storm in just three years with five albums, multiple FATEA awards and sensational live sets across the country - including at The Manchester Folk Festival. Known for creating music through improvisation and instinct, honed over years of working at the highest level and a lifetime of musical study, they continue to produce prolifically and keep audiences enthralled and fully engaged. Meanwhile, the huge talent of Kirsty Merryn - celebrated for many years as a solo performer and songwriter (‘her voice a treat for the soul’ - The Guardian ☆☆☆☆), brought her own virtuoso skills and experience to the project. The end result is a dynamic, enrapturing set of uniquely magical songs.
For more information visit www.theciderhouserebellion.com
