THEE, STRANDED HORSE + LAURA GIBSON + STUART ANTHONY + HARVEY LORD

Event information

THEE, STRANDED HORSE (FRANCE)

"dark songs demanding, and getting, hushed respect"
The Guardian

We have been after booking Thee, Stranded Horse ever since catching him live last summer at The Green Man Festival. Thee, Stranded Horse is the work of Yann Encre, a native of Normandy whose previous recorded output was under the name of Encre. More of a group project, Encre used acoustic instruments and samplers and quickened pulses in France with their first two albums. Thee, Stranded Horse is at the same time more stripped-down, more simple, yet also more complex, more subtle, beguiling and shaded, in the way that only the most potent traditional folk music can be. Playing kora (African harp!) and nylon-strung acoustic guitar - sometimes simultaneously - Thee, Stranded Horse is a loom on which Yann weaves together the modes of French chanson, African polyrhythms, Delta blues, pastoral psychedelia and traditional folk song shapes. You will not have heard anything like this before.

LAURA GIBSON (USA)

"..a short, quiet, tantalizing debut" The New York Times

With themes related to the pacific northwest, Laura Gibson writes songs on a nylon-stringed guitar. In November 2004, she self-released an EP, “Amends”, produced and engineered by Drew Grow, on a laptop, in a house in Newberg, Oregon. Following this initial release, Laura released her debut full-length in November, 2006 titled “If You Come to Greet Me” on Hush Records. Engineered by Adam Selzer (Norfolk and Western, M Ward, Decemberists) and recorded completely on analog tape, songs on “If You Come to Greet Me” vary from pieces composed with bare-bones guitar and voice, to an orchestra of trumpets, piano, vibraphone, saw, violin, cello, banjo and found sounds. Songs have been described as, “haunting portraits of nostalgia and intimacy, of loneliness and wide-eyed hope”. She has just been touring the States with Colin Meloy of The Decemberists.

STUART ANTHONY

Stuart Anthony writes and performs amazing songs that lead you into his honest perceptions & emotions and of love and life. His debut album "The Colourful Truth" is a tour de force of original songwriting, emotional vocal delivery and beautiful guitars. Stuart recently headlined a tribute to Tim Buckley in London, and is a regular performer at the annual Nick Drake gatherings at Tanworth in Arden.

"Really fine album. Heart-touching songs, sensitively sung; emotional lyrics, presented melodically, without bombast; an overall feeling that reminds me of some of Nick Drake’s moods, or early Neil Young....It’s a pleasure"
Lee Underwood, lead guitarist with Tim Buckley

HARVEY LORD

Kicking off the night is Harvey Lord who has recently been gigging around the North West adding to his reputation with intricate guitar playing and raw vocals. Harvey is also a guitarist for one of the best local bands - Electric Free Time Machine.

Links:
http://www.myspace.com/theestrandedhorse
http://www.myspace.com/lauragibson
http://www.myspace.com/stuartanthony
http://www.myspace.com/harveylord