Singer/Songwriter Night THIS IS AN OUTDOOR EVENT
FRIDAY 28th JUNE @ Funky Tent, Oakham Castle 7.00pm
Tickets 9.00 in advance, 12 on the gate
Featuring Jon Allen, Lisbee Stanton & Abi Moore
Jon Allen
“Evocative of Dylan, Cat Stevens and Nick Drake…Exemplary” Uncut
“One of the most amazing voices I’ve heard this year” Jools Holland
“Wonderfully mellow finger picking country blues…” Classic Rock
‘The new Dylan’ has been the tag line hung like a noose around the neck of many an emerging male solo artist down the years, the female equivalent being ‘the new Joni Mitchell’. More often than not the Dylan label is misleading because artists for whom it is applied bear at best a passing artistic connection to Bob Dylan and at worst no connection whatsoever.
For fear of falling into the aforementioned trap perhaps this headline of this press release should read ‘Jon Allen. Not the new Dylan’! For a start he’s a lot taller (6.1”). He’s British and has a voice more like Rod Stewert’s than Dylan’s. (That’s the credible, Faces/first few solo album’s Rod. The best white male soul singer these isles have ever produced Rod. Did I hear someone shout ‘What about Mick Hucknall?’ No, I didn’t think so). Even though Dylan the man is short, his shoes are big and hard to fill. Without loading Allen down with the heavy Dylan mantle that has crushed so many with the weight of expectation unfulfilled it can be said without hyperbole that his music shares a natural connection with Dylan’s in its lyrical and melodic approach. Also Allen’s new album ‘Sweet Defeat’ might just be his ‘Blood On The Tracks’. Like Dylan’s 1974 classic it’s a break up record. Far from being a purely melancholic offering it expresses the full range of emotions that love elicits from the heady abandon of the first flush of romance to the sadness and regret of love lost and hope obscured. Recorded with the same producer and group of musicians who contributed to his acclaimed debut album ‘Dead Man’s Suit’, ‘Sweet Defeat’ is an eleven-song collection that displays the maturity and cohesiveness of an artist growing in confidence. It builds on acoustic foundations, ranging from solo finger picked songs to the album’s title track, an upbeat number complete with a brass section that conjures up memories of Van Morrison at his soulful best.
The release of ‘Sweet Defeat’ comes exactly two years after a debut record that garnered no less than five BBC Radio 2 play-listed singles, an appearance on Later with Jools Holland and success in the rest of Europe prompting the Sunday Times to dub Allen “2009’s indie success Story”. He has certainly had very little time to sit back and take in his achievements. His popularity in The Netherlands has been aided by the support of Holland’s biggest film star Carice Van Houten. She discovered his music and began twittering his praises to her many followers helping make him a household name in the territory. British actor David Morrissey also name checked ‘Dead Man’s Suit’ as a favourite record in a recent Q interview.
Lisbee Stainton
is a 24 year-old singer-songwriter known as 'The English Rose With The 8-String Guitar', who has been writing songs for almost 15 years.
She graduated in 2009 from Goldsmiths College, University of London, with a degree in Popular Music and her first album release under her belt, 'Firefly', produced by Guildford-based producer, Rain
Lisbee originally launched her career five years ago, when she became the first unsigned singer-songwriter to play London's O2 Arena, performing two shows to 30,000 people.
However, it wasn't until BBC 6Music DJ Tom Robinson asked Lisbee for a copy of her single 'Red' after hearing it on her MySpace page that the ball really started rolling. Describing Lisbee on air as "a serious young talent", it was Robinson's support that led to her debut single 'Red' eventually being playlisted by BBC Radio 2 in January 2009.
The subsequent release of Lisbee's second album 'Girl On An Unmade Bed', which was produced by Rupert Christie (U2, Greenday, Lou Reed, Echo and the Bunnymen, Fisherman's Friends) & recorded at Abbey Road Studios, announced the arrival of a serious songwriting talent. A second single, 'Never Quite An Angel', was also playlisted by Radio 2, while the album's third single, 'Just Like Me', was voted 'Record of The Week' on BBC 6Music's Radcliffe & Maconie Show.
'Girl On An Unmade Bed' subsequently received a barrage of critical acclaim from the UK's national and music press, and its success brought Lisbee to the attention of Joan Armatrading, who personally chose Lisbee to be the main support act for her extensive 73-date tour of the UK and mainland Europe, including a sold-out home-town concert at The Royal Albert Hall.
Shortly afterwards, Lisbee was a featured artist on BBC Radio 2's prestigious 'In Concert' series, before embarking on a forty-four-date headline European tour, which was quickly followed by dates supporting Belgian star Tom Dice and The Maverick's Raul Malo, who personally invited Lisbee to join him onstage for a duet.
In the Spring of 2011, as the finishing touches were being added to Lisbee's third album, 'Go', Paul Carrack invited her to be the main support act for his tour of mainland Europe, describing Lisbee as "the new Joni Mitchell".
'Wrench', the first single taken from 'Go', was released in August 2011 and was described by The Daily Mirror's Gavin Martin as, "A tantalising glimpse of the new music Lisbee has been developing..."
Speaking about the writing process behind 'Go', Lisbee said, "At the end of spending most of 2010 on tour, when I sat down to write those songs it became apparent very quickly that a lot of my experiences within the previous eighteen-months were going to play a big part in moulding the album and they gave me a real sense of direction in terms of the songwriting, hence the title, 'Go'. It was my favourite project of my career so far."
'Go' received more praise from the UK's national press, and several of the album's tracks received yet more airplay from Radio 2, amongst others. The past twelve months have also seen Lisbee completed twenty-three intimate 'Living Room' concerts (including a date aboard the nuclear submarine HMS Vigilant), a UK tour with Gretchen Peters, European tour dates with Seth Lakeman and a live session and interview for Radio 2's The Bob Harris Show.
Lisbee rounded off 2012 with a UK tour supporting Ben Montague a series of her own headline dates and a concert hall tour with Seth Lakeman but this time as a special guest in Seth’s band.
2013 sees her playing her own headline tour of the UK in March, plus more touring with Seth Lakeman and the release of a new album.
Lisbee Stainton's star continues its rise.
"Bound for glory.an exquisite slice of traditional songwriting" - The Times
"Cultured folk pop" - The Independent on Sunday
"Impressive" - The Daily Express
"Lisbee's appeal is clear: slowly revolving rhythms, wistful English melancholy with a soul undertow, and a sweet folk-pop voice." - MOJO
"English Rose Lisbee Stainton comes of age" - Maverick magazine
Abi Moore
With her foundations rooted in acoustic music, Abi’s songs are well crafted, accessible and full of warmth, reminiscent of 70’s songwriters Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac, Bob Dylan and Simon and Garfunkel. Add in some modern- day relevance, cynical grit, a glance to Sheryl Crow and Karine Polwart and then lace it all up with thought provoking, observational, truthful and socially aware lyrics. If that doesn’t get you hooked, her astounding voice certainly will.
Staunchly independent, Abi’s music is made without major - label interference and genre barriers. She self- released both of her albums, “The Aftermath of ‘96” in 2006 and her second album “Things We Should’ve Said” along with a live DVD in 2009. She completed a massive 70- date national tour as Artist of the Month for Caffe Nero in the summer of 2009 and her albums were played in all 360 of their UK branches.
Abi is currently working on her third album.
