PLEASE NOTE: This event will be taking place at our alternative home for the evening:
THE LEXINGTON, 96-98 Pentonville Road, London, N1 9JB
ADAM HOLMES & THE EMBERS
27-year-old Edinburgh-born singer/songwriter Adam Holmes is one of the brightest rising stars on the UK roots music scene, with influences from either side of the Atlantic mixing traditional and contemporary folk with his own brand of soul and Americana.
Twice nominated for BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, his first two albums were also nominated for Scottish Album of the Year in 2014 and 2017, and there is much anticipation as to whether he can make it three in a row this year with third album Midnight Milk, which was released in September 2017.
His first album, Heirs and Graces, was produced by John Wood (producer of all Nick Drake’s albums and John Martyn’s iconic Solid Air album) and mastered by Simon Heyworth (co-producer of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells) and second album, Brighter Still, features two-time BRIT award winner Eddi Reader on backing vocals throughout.
Latest album Midnight Milk was recorded in one room in his Edinburgh flat, but came complete with full brass section, an eighteen voice choir and a widescreen folk/soul/electronica production, which was influenced by a 2016 collaboration he was involved in with Adrian Utley of Portishead, Dominic Aitchison of Mogwai and Martin Green of Lau.
Live, he and his band the Embers combine the rhythm and blues, country and folk music textures of classic artists such as The Band, Tom Petty and The Heartbeakers and Ryan Adams and The Cardinals with their own hint of Scotland.
They have featured widely on live sessions for BBC Radio 2 and Radio 3, BBC Scotland, Edith Bowman’s BBC Scotland Quay Sessions show and Virgin Radio, amongst many others, and are regulars on the UK and European festival and touring circuit, having shared bills with the likes of Laura Marling, Van Morrison, Richard Thompson, Jason Isbell, The Avett Brothers, Sturgill Simpson and Chvrches amongst many others.
BASKERY
The three sisters can’t recall when or why they started playing, the music’s always just been there. In their late teens, the sisters joined forces with their dad, who for decades was a one man band playing old blues and country tunes for a living.
This foundation of classic ”roots music and Americana” settled in their hearts, but also awoke the urge of breaking the rules of traditional music. Baskery is a band built on what three people can do together and it’s all about turning the music on its head, blending the straightforwardness of punk with the subtlety of singer/ songwriting.
The first album, ”Fall Among Thieves” (2008) was recorded in Stockholm, co-produced by Lasse Mårtén (Pink, ’Peter, Bjorn and John’, Kelly Clarkson). ”New Friends” (2011) the follow up, the band referred to it as the ”gypsy album” since it was mainly tracked on the road in various hotel rooms and band apartments, then mixed in Berlin by Blackpete (Depeche Mode, Joe Jackson, Peter Fox). As a contrast to the first two albums which took several months to make, the third one ”Little Wild Life” (2013) was recorded during ten days in an old dance studio converted to a studio in former east Berlin, co-produced by Matt Wignall (Cold War Kids, J. Roddy Walston).
All three albums received great acclaim by the press and are released in numerous countries. The releases in combination with relentless touring have given the band a reputation as one of the music scene’s most noticeable live acts.
In 2012 the Bondesson sisters founded their own production and publishing company, Mother Tarantula / Spiderling and have produced and released two albums and one live DVD. Their projects are supported by the Swedish art council which aim is to preserve unique art and music. In both 2011 and 2013 the sisters received individual awards for their songwriting skills by Swedish composer’s society STIM.
In early 2014 the band started working with Kobalt Music Publishing and have recently collaborated with high-profile songwriters such as Billy Steinberg (Madonna, The Bangles, (Cyndi Lauper), Joe Henry (John Denver) and Jimmy Harry (Madonna, Pink, Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears).
Since the very beginning of Baskery the sisters have guarded their independence but when approached by Dan McCarroll (President and A&R) at Warner Music, they felt intrigued to break their indie tradition and make their next record on a major label. In August 2014 they signed a world wide recording deal with Warner Bros Music (Los Angeles). Baskery is one of few Swedish acts to get signed directly to a US major record company.
Baskery has successfully toured all over the world, performing at festivals such as Glastonbury, Shrewsbury Folk Festival, SXSW (US), Colours of Ostrava (CZ), Portland Waterfront Blues Festival (US), California World Fest (US), Four Corners Folk Festival, (US), Winnipeg Folk Festival ( CA), Calgary Folk Festival (CA), Woodford Folk Festival (AUS), Peace and Love (SE), Storsjöyran (SWE), Lowlands (NL), Azkena Rock (ES), Bergen Fest (NOR), Toender (DK).
In 2015 the band toured in Europe and North America, performing with legendary artist Robbie Williams. The girls have toured with Gary Clark Jr, and Brandi Carlile , earning critical acclaim from Q magazine, Mojo magazine, Uncut magazine, and many more. The band will continue to tour throughout the end of 2016 through 2017, dotting Europe and North America with performances of their already legacy-laden career.
2017 was a busy year with multiple trips to the US. The band performed at festivals like Bonnaroo, Newport Folk Festival, Arroyo Seco, UtopiaFest and Bottlerock alongside artists
like Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alabama Shakes, Dr John, Mumford and Sons, The Meters, The Avett Brothers and more. They were invited to perform at the renowned live radio show Etown in Boulder, sharing the bill with Fruition out of Portland. New music was recorded at their longtime friend Ray Kennedy’s studio in Nashville, where they plan to return in 2018.