“This man can surely sing, and he has a great band behind him. He says some things that need to be said” Christy Moore
“I implore you to check him out, don’t let me down… this guy is special.” Americana UK 9/10
Blending soulful melancholia with the controlled artistry of a classically trained singer, piano based singer-songwriter HANNAH NICHOLSON gives voice to the light and dark of the human condition. Having previously performed as one half of the Manchester based psych-folk duo Bird to Beast, coupled with her extensive session work – including Maz (Snarky Puppy) and Ellie Goulding- she has gone on to create her own individual musical identity: a blend of choral, electro and folk, stitched together with a thread that runs from J.S. Bach to Judee Sill and Jane Weaver. A singularly exciting new artist, Hannah Nicholson is a powerfully individual voice- a lighthouse in a crowded sea of UK singer-songwriters. Don’t miss her.
London-based Dubliner LOUIS BRENNAN is a singer-songwriter in the folk tradition. His folk however aren’t the field hands and travelling minstrels of yore but the repressed middle managers and ennui-ridden urbanites of late-stage capitalism. They populate tales of bad sex, half-drunk commutes and interpersonal claustrophobia delivered in Brennans cracked baritone, at times embarrassingly intimate, at times spuriously broad, peppered with pitch-black humour.
His debut album Dead Capital was recorded at Berlin’s Candybomber Studio, located in the now-defunct Tempelhof Airport. Produced alongside acclaimed Irish songwriter A.S. Fanning and legendary engineer Into Krauss, whose credits run from noise-merchants Einsturzende Neubauten to tango pioneer Astor Piazolla, Dead Capital brings together a body of work shaped through dozens of live shows in London and further afield. It was released to critical acclaim in February 2018 with For Folks Sake remarking ‘Dead Capital is an overwhelmingly beautiful album forged from hopelessness’. He plays this evening accompanied by a full band of drums, bass, pedal steel, guitar and keys.
‘A master storyteller with a voice like rolling thunder’ – GQ Magazine
‘His ability to twist and turn a simple phrase can render the most innocent line into something utterly heartbreaking’ – Clash Magazine
NEW ROOTS is committed to promoting events that shine a light on up and coming talent in the UK alt-folk and contemporary roots music scene. It’s committed to providing artists with an environment that is sympathetic to what they do, giving musicians the respect they and their music deserve – for this reason we ask for no talking and no use of mobile phones while artists are performing. Our music policy comes from the kitchen table, the roots of public performance- intimate, acoustic based, high quality musicianship with as little interference between performer and listener as possible.
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