‘Amadou Diagne is exceptional…he matches Baaba Maal and Salif Keita at heir best’ fRoots Magazine / ‘Anyone on an errants quest to find the rightful heir to the Ry Cooder guitar globetrotter mantle should start with Cory Seznec’ fRoots Magazine
The Green Note
106 Parkway, Camden Town, NW1 7AN
Ph 020 7485 9899
10.00 advBUY NOW/ 12.00 Door
Nearest tube Camden, 2 mins walk DIRECTIONS
Doors open 7.00 pm, music from 8.15 pm sharp.
This concert marks the reunion of two musicians who first met busking in Bath over a decade ago, with each having gone on to have acclaimed international careers in in roots music. Together, Amadou Diagne and Cory Seznec will perform a mix of West African and American styles, merging their traditions. The result is an entrancing, groove-based reverie of lilting voices, guitars, kora, banjo, bass and percussion, with recent recordings completed at Peter Gabriel‘s Real World studios in Box, Somerset.
Amadou Diagne is a musician who has the traditions of West Africa at his fingertips, coming from a Griot family line of percussionists and praise singers from the area around Dakar in Senegal. Though Diagne draws heavily on the traditional music and rhythms of West Africa, he is now based in England and has been busy forging his own musical identity as a singer, songwriter, and multi instrumentalist. He writes and performs his songs in Wolof, the most widely spoken language in Senegal, with French and English also in the mix. As a guitarist he has developed a unique and intricate style to accompany himself, drawing on his skills as a percussionist. Amadou has a love of improvisation and an eclectic musical inspiration, exploring the rhythmic possibilities within the melodies he composes.
Somewhere between musical wanderer and uncertified ethnomusicologist dwells the world of Cory Seznec. A French-American musician based in Paris, Cory discovered fingerstyle guitar and clawhammer banjo during his adolescence in the US. This led to numerous travels and encounters that helped develop his sound. The discovery of African fingerstyle techniques coupled with trips to different African countries (including a three and half year stint in Ethiopia) changed everything. His style became more and more syncopated, polyrhythmic, and cross-pollinated, and his approach less and less academic. After 10 years on the road with renowned roots act Groanbox, Cory is now heavily involved in a solo project and on Damakase, an Ethio-groove band with Ethiopian musicians Endris Hassen and Misale Legesse.
New Roots presents perfect, high quality contemporary singer-songwriter double-bills in miniature in the 25 capacity Green Note basement.
The Green Note
106 Parkway, Camden Town, NW1 7AN
Ph 020 7485 9899
10.00 advBUY NOW/ 12.00 Door
Nearest tube Camden, 2 mins walk DIRECTIONS
Doors open 7.00 pm, music from 8.15 pm sharp.
Dublin troubadour ROB CORCORAN is a much respected figure on the London roots scene, with folk legend Christy Moore including his version of Corcoran’s brilliant ‘Ringing That Bell’ as a key song in his current touring set and recently released live album. Corcoran’s lyrically compelling, beautifully observed songs are drenched in Celtic soul, drawing from the same deep wells that serve Van Morrison and Mike Scott so well. Present too is a strong thread of influence from the heart-on-sleeve poetry of John Prine, Hank Williams and Leonard Cohen. He recently supported legendary Irish roots artist Mary Coughlan in the UK, and continues to hone his craft both solo and with full band around the best folk venues of Britain and Ireland.
“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 check him out, don’t let me down… this guy is special.” Americana UK 9/10
“From the moment he steps on stage, Corcoran perspires authenticity in that fluent way that a hundred record execs have tried and failed to manufacture”. Anne Frankenstein: Jazz FM (UK)
GABRIEL MORENO is a Gibraltarian poet and singer songwriter who has been performing for the past 20 years in Gibrlatar, Peru, Italy, Spain, USA and the United Kingdom. His folk songs are both poetic and political, mining the same rich seams as Leonard Cohen, Fabrizio D’Andre and Georges Brassens. He plays solo this evening- you’ll also find him elsewhere alongside The Quivering Poets, his wonderful backing band with Basia Bartz, Pablo Campos, Pablo Yupton, Adam Beattie and Adria Faurra.
New Roots presents perfect, high quality contemporary singer-songwriter double-bills in miniature in the 25 capacity Green Note basement.
The Green Note
106 Parkway, Camden Town, NW1 7AN
Ph 020 7485 9899
10.00 advBUY NOW/ 12.00 Door
Nearest tube Camden, 2 mins walk DIRECTIONS
Doors open 7.00 pm, music from 8.15 pm sharp.
M G Boulter is a singer and songwriter living on the coast of the Thames Estuary, England. Releasing his debut album in Spring 2012 under the name The Whispering Pines, Boulter has been an integral member of leading UK Americana band The Lucky Strikes since 2007, starting out on bass before switching to guitar and vocals, as well as penning much of their material. Since accompanying Simone Felice (The Felice Brothers) on various dates including a prestigious Green Man Festival headline set in 2011, Boulter has become a full member of The Simone Felice Band, touring the US and UK, also opening shows as solo performer. As a much sought after pedal steel and guitar player he has also worked with Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes), Mumford & Sons, Emily Portman’s Coracle Band and Blue Rose Code.
“Gorgeous, in a word” ★★★★ Uncut / “Highly recommended” ★★★★★ Independent on Sunday /“Brings freshness to songwriting” ★★★★ Telegraph / ★★★★ Mojo / ★★★★ The Morning Star
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 Brennan’s cracked baritone, at times intensely intimate, at times broad, peppered with pitch-black humour.
“A master storyteller with a voice like rolling thunder” GQ / “His ability to twist and turn a simple phrase can render the most innocent line into something utterly heartbreaking” CLASH
The Green Note
106 Parkway, Camden Town, NW1 7AN
Ph 020 7485 9899
10.00 advBUY NOW/ 12.00 Door
Nearest tube Camden, 2 mins walk DIRECTIONS
Doors open 7.00 pm, music from 8.15 pm sharp.
Think of Our Man In The Field – AKA Alexander Ellis – as an independent correspondent, with his works dispatches from his travels. So classically crafted are Ellis’ songs that you could be forgiven for thinking you’ve heard Our Man In The Field somewhere before. He and his brilliant band of pedal steel, guitar, banjo, upright bass and drums (with fine harmony backing vocals) take inspiration from the alt-Americana and Caledonian soul stylings of Van Morrison, Neil Young, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Ryan Adams and Wilco. His own sound is undefinable yet familiar- its introspective, intimate and deeply soulful style stands comfortably alongside modern day artists Ray LaMontagne, Damien Rice, Foy Vance and Joe Purdy.
Blending soulful melancholia with the controlled artistry of a classically trained singer, 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.
“It’s lovely stuff” – Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio 2 Folk Show / ★★★★★ Album Of The Year Editors Choice – fROOTS Magazine / ★★★★★ R2 Magazine / ★★★★ Songlines
The Green Note
106 Parkway, Camden Town, NW1 7AN
Ph 020 7485 9899
10.00 advBUY NOW/ 12.00 Door
Nearest tube Camden, 2 mins walk DIRECTIONS
Doors open 7.00 pm, music from 8.15 pm sharp.
Taking inspiration from the twin pillars of American bluegrass and English folk, Alden Patterson & Dashwood weave rich vocal harmonies backed with fiddle, dobro and guitar around a combination of finely crafted original compositions and traditional songs, all the while maintaining a thoroughly contemporary cutting edge. Their debut album, Call Me Home, was fRoots 2016 Album of the Year Editor’s Choice. In 2018 they made their debut performance at the prestigious Folk by the Oak Festival, followed by a nationwide UK tour with folk legends Show of Hands. No museum pieces, A P & D feel equally at home alongside the likes of First Aid Kit and Old Crow Medicine Show as they do the stalwarts of US & UK trad folk.
“It’s lovely stuff” – Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio 2 Folk Show ★★★★★ Album Of The Year Editors Choice – fROOTS Magazine ★★★★★ R2 ★★★★ Songlines “When we saw this Folk / Americana trio live we were completely captivated, and knew we had to bring them to Folk by the Oak and share them with our audience” Adam Slough – Folk By The Oak Festival Director
Brighton based quartet Bird in the Belly collect little known and forgotten lyrics, poems and stories from around the UK, and set them to their own “hypnotically original compositions” (fRoots). Their sound is raw and bare-boned with “distinctively contemporary and earthy vocalising” (R2 Magazine), linking them stylistically to contemporaries Stick In The Wheel and Lankum. Their debut album ‘The Crowing’ (March 2018, GF*M Records) was met with critical acclaim across the board from fRoots, R2, Songlines, Louder Than War, Northern Sky, Folk Radio UK, as well as the Sunday Express giving the album 5/5 and hailing it folk album of the year.
Exciting new band project from Laish founder Danny Green and his wife LG…praise for Green’s songwriting includes “Wondrous folk pop ballads” – Rolling Stone / ‘Beautiful and hypnotic’ Tom Robinson, BBC 6 Music
The Slaughtered Lamb
34-35 Great Sutton St, Clerkenwell, EC1V 0DX.
Ph: 020 7253 1516 8.50 advBUY NOW/ 10.00 door
Nearest tube Farringdon, 8 mins walk Doors open 7.30 pm. Music from 8.00 pm sharp.
Danny Green, leader of cult favourites Laish, has started a new band, DG Solaris. This is a collaboration with his wife LG, drummer Matt Hardy, and Laish mainstays Tom Chadd and Matt Canty. The material for their new album ‘Spirit Glow‘ , to be released in the Spring of 2020, was demoed in the jungles of Peru and Colombia and recorded at London’s Bella Union Studios. Showcasing a more colourful and collaborative development to Green’s song-writing, the album is a mixture of shimmering 70s synth-led psychedelic folk pop and darker, earthier sounds.
As a live band, there remains the anarchic energy and uplifting warmth of Laish’s stage presence, with the bewitching addition of LG’s voice, flute and movement. Don’t miss your chance to catch them in this intimate setting.
“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 check him out, don’t let me down… this guy is special.” Americana UK 9/10
The Green Note
106 Parkway, Camden Town, NW1 7AN
Ph 020 7485 9899
10.00 advBUY NOW/ 12.00 Door
Nearest tube Camden, 2 mins walk DIRECTIONS
Doors open 7.00 pm, music from 8.15 pm sharp.
Dublin troubadour Rob Corcoran is a much respected figure on the London roots scene, with folk legend Christy Moore including his version of Corcoran’s brilliant ‘Ringing That Bell’ as a key song in his current touring set. Backed by a firing five-piece band, Rob’s lyrically compelling, beautifully observed songs are drenched in Celtic soul, drawing from the same deep wells that serve Van Morrison and Mike Scott so well. Present too is a strong thread of influence from the heart-on-sleeve poetry of John Prine, Hank Williams and Leaonard Cohen. He recently supported legendary Irish roots artist Mary Coughlan in the UK, and continues to hone his craft both solo and with full band around the best folk venues of Britain and Ireland.
“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 check him out, don’t let me down… this guy is special.” Americana UK 9/10
“From the moment he steps on stage, Corcoran perspires authenticity in that fluent way that a hundred record execs have tried and failed to manufacture”. Anne Frankenstein: Jazz FM (UK)
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 Brennan’s cracked baritone, at times intensely intimate, at times broad, peppered with pitch-black humour.
“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
‘So gifted, possessing a fine ear for a tune and a real knack for storytelling..stunning’. 8/10 – UNCUT Magazine / ‘Absolutely gorgeous stuff…one to really get excited about’ – Lauren Laverne, BBC 6 Music
The Harrison, 28 Harrison Street, Kings Cross, WC1H 8JF. Ph: 020 7278 3966 Nearest tube Kings Cross, 5 mins walk DIRECTIONS
£8.50 adv BUY NOW / £10.0 door Doors open 7.30 pm. Music from 8.15 pm sharp.
Signed to the Green Note affiliated Aveline label (home to Ruth Theodore and Ani Di Franco) Ned Roberts was discovered by producer Luther Russell (Sarabeth Tucek, Richmond Fontaine, Noah & The Whale) and brought to Los Angeles to record. The pair have since developed a close creative partnership.
The first single culled from these sessions was “Red Sun”, which featured frequently on BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio Scotland. On the heels of this came the single “Blues #6”, featuring vocals by acclaimed songstress Sarabeth Tucek. The track was championed by Lauren Laverne, Jo Whiley, Gideon Coe, and Huey Morgan on BBC Radio. His debut self-titled album was released to great acclaim in 2014, garnering significant national press, notably from the Guardian and Uncut magazine. Live sessions for BBC Radio London and Bob Harris’ Radio 2 show soon followed.
No stranger to the road, Ned has toured the UK extensively. He attained a much sought after support tour with celebrated US songwriter Anais Mitchell, and has also supported the likes of Joe Pug, Micah P. Hinson, The Delines and Sarabeth Tucek. He has also toured the West Coast of the US, embarked on a 14-date tour of Germany, as well as gigs in France, Spain and Italy.
‘Absolutely gorgeous stuff…one to really get excited about’ – Lauren Laverne, BBC 6 Music
‘A warm treat…his melodies reminiscent of Leonard Cohen with lyrical nods to Bob Dylan, and his voice has echoes of Tim Hardin‘ ★★★★ The Guardian
‘…a beautiful record’ – Gideon Coe, BBC 6Music
‘so gifted, possessing a fine ear for a tune and a real knack for storytelling..stunning’. 8/10 – UNCUT
‘An understated gem’ – The Independent on Sunday
Martha St Arthur’s razor-sharp observations on modern life and how to survive it combine with a super-tight focus on what makes a great pop song to mark her out as one to watch. Armed with a set of all-killer-no-filler, superbly honed, fiercely intelligent songs that take their cues from Laura Marling, Regina Spektor, Margo Price and First Aid Kit, she comfortably goes beyond her influences to create something distinctly and defiantly her own.
“We were hooked on this from first listen…a beautiful slice of country and folk-infused pop” – Folk Radio UK
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/ social media 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.
Great new gigs on the way! Mon 18 Nov to Tues 3 Dec – tickets, details, videos & more…!
Hiya folks – we’ve got five fantastic gigs for you between now and 3 Dec, stretching from the electronic soundscapes of Beg Friend and Faultress to the classic songwriting of Ned Roberts (with great support from Martha St Arthur), queens of indie-folk and alt-folk Piney Gir, Samantha Whates and Fiona Bevan to the mind-bending contemporary jazz and minimalist mix of Organelles, and finishing up with the world-folk tour de force of John Langan, Alastair Caplin and Dila Vardar. All killer, no filler. Ticket links, youtube videos and gig details below, with more for the Christmas run-up on the website- dive in!
The Harrison,
28 Harrison Street, Kings Cross, WC1H 8JF.
Ph: 020 7278 3966
8.50 advBUY NOW/ 10.00 door
Nearest tube Kings Cross, 5 mins walkDIRECTIONS
Doors open 7.30 pm. Music from 8.00 pm sharp.
Multi-instrumentalist Joe da Costa from South London is composer, singer and producer Beg Friend. Combining guitar led folk, intricate electronica and intimate vocal lines, his cinematic and alternative pop sound is underpinned with a lyrically poetic sensibility. The resulting songs can be found nestled stylistically between the emotional directness of Elliot Smith, the delicacy of Bon Iver and the electronic experimentation of Thom Yorke… Following on the heels of his debut single ‘For The Win’ this gig marks the release of his new EP ‘Make Shift’ ‘on Babylegs Records, home to Mesadorm.
“…like falling into a gorgeous dream from which you never want to wake.” Rick Pearson, Evening Standard
“Beg Friend’s sound is cinematic but also deeply pop – beautiful” Where The Music Meets
Faultress creates incisive and psychological songs that offer us a look into the complex fragmentation of feminine power, desire and mental health in a rapidly changing musical and cultural world. With a diverse set of influences that includes the likes of Kate Bush, James Blake, Aldous Harding, FKA Twigs and Joni Mitchell, Faultress plays both solo and in ensemble form (the full band show features an epic six-part girl choir replete with synths and drums). Playing solo at The Harrison tonight, she will perform with piano and loop stations.
Sat 23 Nov: Ned Roberts with support from Martha St Arthur
The Harrison,
28 Harrison Street, Kings Cross, WC1H 8JF.
Ph: 020 7278 3966
8.50 advBUY NOW/ 10.00 door
Nearest tube Kings Cross, 5 mins walkDIRECTIONS
Doors open 7.30 pm. Music from 8.00 pm sharp.
Signed to the Green Note affiliated Aveline label (home to Ruth Theodoreand Ani Di Franco) Ned Roberts was discovered by producer Luther Russell(Sarabeth Tucek, Richmond Fontaine, Noah & The Whale) and brought to Los Angeles to record. The pair have since developed a close creative partnership.
The first single culled from these sessions was “Red Sun”, which featured frequently on BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio Scotland. On the heels of this came the single “Blues #6”, featuring vocals by acclaimed songstress Sarabeth Tucek. The track was championed by Lauren Laverne, Jo Whiley, Gideon Coe, and Huey Morgan on BBC Radio. His debut self-titled album was released to great acclaim in 2014, garnering significant national press, notably from the Guardian and Uncut magazine. Live sessions for BBC Radio London and Bob Harris’ Radio 2 show soon followed.
No stranger to the road, Ned has toured the UK extensively. He attained a much sought after support tour with celebrated US songwriter Anais Mitchell, and has also supported the likes of Joe Pug, Micah P. Hinson, The Delines and Sarabeth Tucek. He has also toured the West Coast of the US, embarked on a 14-date tour of Germany, as well as gigs in France, Spain and Italy.
‘Absolutely gorgeous stuff…one to really get excited about’ – Lauren Laverne, BBC 6 Music
‘A warm treat…his melodies reminiscent of Leonard Cohen with lyrical nods to Bob Dylan, and his voice has echoes of Tim Hardin‘ ★★★★ The Guardian
‘…a beautiful record’ – Gideon Coe, BBC 6Music
‘so gifted, possessing a fine ear for a tune and a real knack for storytelling..stunning’. 8/10 – UNCUT
‘An understated gem’ – The Independent on Sunday
Martha St Arthur’s razor-sharp observations on modern life and how to survive it combine with a super-tight focus on what makes a great pop song to mark her out as one to watch. Armed with a set of all-killer-no-filler, superbly honed, fiercely intelligent songs that take their cues from Laura Marling, Regina Spektor, Margo Price and First Aid Kit, she comfortably goes beyond her influences to create something distinctly and defiantly her own.
“We were hooked on this from first listen…a beautiful slice of country and folk-infused pop” – Folk Radio UK
The Green Note
106 Parkway, Camden Town, NW1 7AN
Ph 020 7485 9899
10.00 advBUY NOW/ 12.00 Door
Nearest tube Camden, 2 mins walk DIRECTIONS
Doors open 7.00 pm, music from 8.15 pm sharp.
Scottish singer-songwriter and Rough Trade Records recording artist Samantha Whates is a hugely respected figure on the London roots scene. Her beautifully crafted, poetic songs retain a strong affinity with her Scottish roots, cultivating a sound that is thoroughly contemporary, rooted in tradition, yet uniquely her own. She recently formed new Rough Trade Records signings Picapica with her long time friend and collaborator Josienne Clarke. She has just released her brilliant second album ‘Waiting Rooms’ to great acclaim.
Expertly combining folk, soul and and pop, singer-songwriter Fiona Bevan is noted for co-writing ‘Little Things’ with Ed Sheeran, reaching no 1 in 13 countries, for which she received a BMI Award. Her debut solo studio album Talk to Strangers was released on Navigator Records, and she has toured as support to Nick Mulvey, Ryan Keen, Ed Sheeran, Hawksley Workman, Ingrid Michaelson, Gwyneth Herbert, Luke Friend and Bill Bailey. She also runs a residency night at Servant Jazz Quarters, Dalston, called “Fiona Bevan Presents” which has featured acts including Mercury Prize-nominated Sam Leeand Ed Harcourt.
‘Startling odysseys that suggest Erykah Badu, Joanna Newsom and Kate Bush spine-tinglingly joined’ The Guardian
The inimitable Piney Gir has been described as a ‘musical chameleon’, and ‘the Indie Dolly Parton’. Hailing from Kansas in America, she has been a key player in trhe UK music scene since moving to London in 1998. Her long list of career credits includes six critically received solo albums, collaborations with Andy Ramsey (Stereolab), Rob Campanella (The Brian Jonestown Massacre), Eamon Hamilton (Brakes/ British Sea Power) and Simple Kid, and BBC radio sessions for Mark Radcliffe, Marc Riley, and Cerys Matthews. Her songs have appeared on Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Hit & Miss, Made in Chelsea, Misfits, Drifters, Waterloo Road, Being Human, Fried, Talking to the Dead, What Remains, Switch, and in feature films Nina Forever, You’re Not You (Hilary Swank), C’e Chi Dice No, and American Girl.
Fri 29 Nov: Organelles
The Harrison,
28 Harrison Street, Kings Cross, WC1H 8JF.
Ph: 020 7278 3966
8.50 advBUY NOW/ 10.00 door
Nearest tube Kings Cross, 5 mins walkDIRECTIONS
Doors open 7.30 pm. Music from 8.00 pm sharp.
‘Exquisite meta-pop hewn from crystalline shards of jazz ambience and whirled into prismatic splendour. The cure for all ills.’ (VENUE Magazine)
Doors open 7.30 pm, music from 8.15 pm. Organelles will play two sets with a thirty minute interval. Nearest tube Kings Cross, 5 mins walk.
The intricate and beautiful contemporary jazz and minimalist-inflected music of trumpet, guitar, bass and drums quartet Organelles defies categorisation. Playing a VERY rare London show, the Bristol four-piece features Paul Bradley of alt-folk pioneers Three Cane Whale and Pete Judge of jazz supergroup Get The Blessing (Jim Barr/ Portishead, Clive Deemer/ Radiohead). If you’re a fearless musical explorer you can’t afford to miss this in all its challenging, enthralling, masterful splendour. And all in the confines of the intimate Harrison basement- nights like this don’t come along very often, don’t miss it….
Tues 3 Dec: John Langan, Alastair Caplin & Dila Vardar
The Green Note
106 Parkway, Camden Town, NW1 7AN
Ph 020 7485 9899
10.00 advBUY NOW/ 12.00 Door
Nearest tube Camden, 2 mins walk DIRECTIONS
Doors open 7.00 pm, music from 8.15 pm sharp.
New Roots presents a very special trio performance from John Langan, Alastair Caplin and Dila Vardar.
Known for raucous abandon with trio The Langan Band (award winners at the prestigious Celtic Connections festival), this show sees something very different from John Langan and renowned fiddler Alastair Caplin. Joined by brilliant singer Dila Vardar (Dila and the Oddbeats), the trio will be performing a very special collection of traditional folk songs dear to their heart, honed at the festival campfires and after shows over the years.
Expect superb musicianship and a wonderful collection from across the global spectrum, with everything from Scottish and Irish to European, Turkish, American and South American folk in the mix. John, Alastair and Dila are key members of twelve-piece folk supergroup Band of Burns, also featuring Riognach Conolly (The Breath/ BBC Folk Awards Best Vocalist 2019), Mikey Kenney, Adam Beattie and Dominie Hooper.
LATER IN DECEMBER…..
Monday 9 December: The Magic Lantern at The Sebright Arms, Bethnal Green
‘The Life That I Have’ EP launch, full band show. ‘Extraordinary’ Tom Robinson, BBC Radio 6 Music / ‘Gorgeous, beautiful. This stopped me in my tracks.’ Jamie Cullum, BBC Radio 2 / ‘Dreamy, beautiful. Something very, very special’ Lauren Laverne, BBC6 Music. TICKETS & DETAILSHERE
Thurs 19 Dec: Paul Mosley, Jack Harris plus a very special guest TBA, at The Green Note, Camden
A cornucopia of Yuletide revelries and a feast of festive celebrations with Jack Harris and Paul Mosley (plus a very special guest addition to be announced soon!). Expect collaborations and Christmas songs alongside the artist’s own formidable repertoires.TICKETS & DETAILSHERE
Sun 22 Dec: Whiskey Moonface Christmas Special at The Harrison, Kings Cross
New Roots presents a Whiskey Moonface very special extended performance at The Harrison. The band will play two sets with a thirty minute interval inbetween. Doors open 7.30 pm, music from 8.00 pm TICKETS & DETAILSHERE
That’s all from New Roots for now– if there’s anything more you’d like to know please drop me an email to newrootsevents@gmail.com. Cheers! Rory.
Great new gigs on the way! Thurs 31 Oct to Sat 9 Nov + Christmas gigs announced!- tickets, details, videos…
Hiya folks – we’ve got a six brilliant events for you between now and Nov 9th, plus we’re announcing two fantastic Christmas shows! On Thurs 16 Dec we’re at the Green Note with Paul Mosley, Jack Harris and a special guest to be announced very soon (you’ll have to wait a few weeks to find out who), and on Sunday 22 December we’re in The Harrison in Kings Cross for a very special extended two set performance from the sublime Whiskey Moonface. Tickets are very limited for both of these gigs, don’t leave it too late! You’ll find tickets for Paul Mosley and Jack Harris here, and tickets for Whiskey Moonface here. In the meantime of course, we have our fantastic programme over the next fortnight- Our Man In The Field, Laura James, Hugo M Hardy, Hannah Nicholson, Nick Dudek, Mesadorm, Genevieve Dawson (with full band), The Rail Abandon, Robin Elliott, Men Daimler, and Dilettante across the Harrison, the Lexington, the Green Note, the Slaughtered Lamb and the Betsey Trotwood…All ticket links, youtube videos and gig details below- dive in!
Thurs 31 Oct: The New Roots Boutique – Our Man In The Field / Laura James / Hugo M Hardy
The Betsey Trotwood, (Upstairs Venue)
56 Farringdon Rd, Farringdon, London EC1R 3BL Ph: 020 7253 4285 7.00 advBUY NOW/ 8.50 door
Nearest tube Farringdon, 5 mins walk Doors open 7.30 pm. Music from 8.00 pm sharp.
New Roots presents THE NEW ROOTS BOUTIQUE, a brand new night UPSTAIRS in the legendary Betsey Trotwood celebrating the very best in new and upcoming contemporary roots and alt-folk artists and bands. With three ensemble acts on one superb triple bill, we ask that all attending stay for the full line-up – the night’s intention is to introduce musicians and artists to each other’s audience , and to introduce the audience to great new artists. We’ll also be asking for no talking during performances, and for social media devices to be switched off so the music gets the full attention it deserves!
You could be forgiven for thinking you’ve heard Our Man In The Field somewhere before. He records live with his band just like the best of his influences; Neil Young, Van Morrison, Credence Clearwater Revival, Ryan Adams and Wilco. His own sound is undefinable yet familiar, and has been compared to modern day artists Ray LaMontagne, Damien Rice, Foy Vance and Joe Purdy. He has assembled a band of the finest players and together they give a deeply personal yet wholly cathartic performance, like an off the record admission from you to yourself.
After many years spent playing in different bands, working on records with David Gray, Caro and more, sharing studios with members of Elbow, Hugo M. Hardy’s latest musical incarnation is an exploration to the core of his evocative songwriting. Having lost loved ones and moved away from a familiar home, Hugo locked himself away in the French Alps with nothing but a guitar, a laptop, and music from Kanye, Sufjan Stevens and James Blake. By the time he brought himself back to the UK, he had written and recorded his debut album. A combination of carefully crafted acoustic and electronic production alongside thought-provoking, introspective lyrics create an atmosphere that has been likened to Elliott Smith, Bon Iver and The Microphones.
Cumbrian-born singer-songwriter Laura James is possessed of a beautiful, crystal clear voice and a set of wonderfully composed, heart-stoppingly delicate contemporary folk-pop songs. With her band Laura James & The Lyres, she has played Liverpool Sound City, The Great Escape Festival, Radio 1’s Big Weekend Kendal Calling, A Carefully Planned Festival, Solfest and Irebyas well as international festivals such as DBMC in Delaware. She has had extensive radio support from Bob Harris on BBC Radio 2, BBC 6 Music’s Tom Robinson, BBC Radio Cumbria, BBC Radio Lancashire and BBC Radio Merseyside.
“This Is gorgeous” Bob Harris, BBC Radio 2
Sat 2 Oct: Hannah Nicholson with support from Nicholas Dudek
The Harrison,
28 Harrison Street, Kings Cross, WC1H 8JF.
Ph: 020 7278 3966
8.50 advBUY NOW / 10.00 door
Nearest tube Kings Cross, 5 mins walkDIRECTIONS
Doors open 7.30 pm. Music from 8.00 pm sharp.
Blending soulful melancholia with the controlled artistry of a classically trained singer, 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. Her Saturday 2 Nov Harrison show marks the launch of her beautiful new EP ‘Object’.
Hannah’s sophomore offering is unshakably stubborn in its pursuit of harmonic beauty; ethereal melodies wind around a marriage of piano and synthesisers, supplemented with unconventional sounds, found sounds, layered ostinatos and samples, creating a sonic palimpsest to entice the ear and entrance the soul. The percussive voice of an African Kora entwines itself with her angelic vocals in ‘Clay Bird’; in ‘How’s the Weather?’, the delicateness of a German music box punctuates the upper registers, echoing behind the emotional poignancy of her lyrics. 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.
Sun 3 Nov: Mesadorm with support from Genevieve Dawson (full band show)
The Lexington
96-98 Pentonville Rd, Islington, N1 9JB 8.50 advBUY NOW / 10.00 door
Nearest tube Angel, 5 mins walkDIRECTIONS
Doors open 7.30 pm. Music from 8.00 pm sharp.
“[Mesadorm’s] Heterogaster is the best album of [the year] so far….quite remarkable” – Rich Pitt, BBC Introducing
5-piece Bristol band Mesadorm is the collaborative project between Blythe Pepino (Vaults), Aaron Zahl, Daisy Palmer (Paloma Faith, Goldfrapp, MIKA), Jo Silverston (The Unthanks, Red Clay Halo, Frank Turner) and David Johnston (ZunZun Egui, Phil King, Chairfight!).
After a period testing the mainstream stage with a major record deal as part of London Art Pop trio Vaults, Blythe Pepino has moved back to her roots as a leftfield rock and electronica songwriter. Pulling on wide strands of influence, from the contemporary electronic sounds of Caribou, Grizzly Bear and Sylvan Esso, to the late 60s and early 70s folk and pop giants Carole King, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, the songs on Mesadorm’s brilliant debut album ‘Heterogaster’ are based around ideas of family, sex, trust and disconnection, and come drenched in rich vocal harmonies and beautifully layered textures.
With critical acclaim from key tastemakers Lauren Laverne (BBC 6 Music), Huw Stephens (BBC Radio 1) and Jon Kennedy (X FM), and the combined talents of superb musicians married to startlingly original songwriting, all delivered through Pepino’s stunningly emotive voice, Mesadorm are set to deliver on the biggest stages in 2019/ 2020.
“I’m absolutely addicted….really affecting and beautiful. One of my favourite tracks at the moment – I’m very excited to to hear more of them”– Lauren Laverne BBC 6 Music
“I love [it]… a beautiful record” – Huw Stephens, BBC Radio 1
“Absolutely fantastic!” – John Kennedy, Radio X
“The best we’ve played on the show..” Sam Bonham, BBC Introducing
“Melodies that originate in the left field… soothing, genuine, and perplexing… a real jewel.” – Clash Magazine
“Sublime… we’re enthralled by Blythe’s words and Mesadorm’s intense sounds.” – Get In Her Ears
“Mesadorm have that uncanny ability to find that perfect line between pop and experimentation. They achieve a rare and colourful psychedelic minimalism that is strikingly engaging.” – Folk Radio UK
Tues 5 Nov: The Rail Abandon & Isaac Birituro
The Green Note
106 Parkway, Camden Town, NW1 7AN
Ph 020 7485 9899
10.00 advBUY NOW/ 12.00 Door
Nearest tube Camden, 2 mins walk DIRECTIONS
Doors open 7.00 pm, music from 8.15 pm sharp.
The Rail Abandon is the musical (dis)guise of Sonny Johns, Grammy, MOBOand Mercury nominated producer, engineer, musician. Grounded in the 1960s folk revival of John Martyn, Nick Drake and Fairport Convention, The Rail Abandon’s “Afrolktronica” incorporates influences of electronic music as well as the sound of West Africa – inspired by the musicians Sonny has worked with, including Ali Farke Toure, Fatoumata Diawara, Orchestra Baobab and Tony Allen.
In 2016 Sonny went to Ghana and met master xylophone player Isaac Birituro. After an instant music connection, they spent 3 days in a church making the basis of the album Kalba. Sonny then called upon musician friends, such as Polar Bear’s Seb Rochford, Leafcutter John and Mark Lockheart as well as Laura Jurd, Elliot Galvin and Samantha Whates, to produce “one of the most exciting things I’ve worked on in the 20 years of the label,” – Dom Servini, Wah Wah 45s.
The album is a collaboration between Ghanaian and UK songwriters, recorded by 28 musicians from around the world, a mixture of traditional Ghanaian xylophone music, British folk, Afrobeat, Highlife, electronica and a whole lot more.
Incorporating new members on trombone/synth (Raph Clarkson), drums (Yuval Wetzler), vocalist Yolanda Eyama and master balaphone player Moussa Dembele, The Rail Abandon will be touring the music from Kalba as a five-piece recreating the sound of 28 musicians on the album.
Sat 9 Nov: Robin Elliott ‘There Is A Land’ Album Launch with support from Men Daimler / Dilettante
The Slaughtered Lamb
34-35 Great Sutton St, Clerkenwell, EC1V 0DX.
Ph: 020 7253 1516 8.50 advBUY NOW/ 10.00 door
Nearest tube Farringdon, 8 mins walk Doors open 7.30 pm. Music from 8.00 pm sharp.
Robin Elliott’s full-length debut album, There is a Land, will be released across digital platforms and 12” vinyl, and launched with a full band show at The Slaughtered Lamb on Saturday 9th November. Co-produced by longtime collaborator and Radio 2 Folk Award Winner Ben Walker (Folkroom Records), the album weaves diverse strands of influence into a compelling, coherent whole. Its 10 songs are each utterly different but are united by Robin’s compelling bespoke arrangements for the same small palette of instruments each time. At the centre is Elliott’s voice: beautiful, strange and distinctive, equally adept at the high and plaintive as the declamatory or the dry. And there are jokes, odd references, intricate vocal harmonies, jazz players, weird skips beyond the fourth wall.
There are hints of all this across Robin’s three previous releases, the EPs At Sunset and Green Ginger Wine (Textbook Records), and Weapons Antique & Modern (Folkroom Records). Live shows have taken him around the UK several times with contemporaries Jack Harris, Samantha Whates andCameron Niven, and further afield into France, Italy and Brazil. T.
Support on the evening comes from alt-folk provocateur Men Diamler and solo artist Dilettante.
LATER IN NOVEMBER…..
Monday 18 Nov: Beg Friend with support from Faultress at The Harrison, Kings Cross
Electronica & alt-folk blend with hints of Elliot Smith, Bon Ever and Thom Yorke. TICKETS & DETAILS HERE
Sat 23 Nov: Ned Roberts with support from Martha St Arthur at The Harrison, Kings Cross
Superb UK singer-songwriter signed to the Green Note affiliated Aveline label, home to Ruth Theodore and Ani Di Franco. ‘Absolutely gorgeous stuff…one to really get excited about’ – Lauren Laverne, BBC 6 Music / ‘An understated gem’ – The Independent on Sunday TICKETS & DETAILS HERE
Weds 27 Nov: Samantha Whates/ Fiona Bevan/ Piney Gir at The Green Note, Camden
New Roots presents a killer singer-songwriter all-female triple bill featuring Fiona Bevan (Ed Sheeran co-writer), Indie legend Piney Gir, and Rough Trade recording artist Samantha Whates (PicaPica). TICKETS & DETAILS HERE
That’s all from New Roots for now– if there’s anything more you’d like to know please drop me an email to newrootsevents@gmail.com. Cheers! Rory.
New Roots 