MANCHESTER: Night People

Wednesday 26th June, 2019

7:30pm

Event information

Red Balloon Music is proud to present the sensational New York singer-singwriter LAURA STEVENSON for the Manchester date of her UK tour, promoting her long-awaited new album 'The Big Freeze'.

The night is completed by a triple-bill of amazing support acts - Natalie McCool, El Morgan ft. Katie Gatt, and Helen Chambers!

Arrive early as you do not want to miss a second of this!

LAURA STEVENSON:
https://www.laurastevenson.net/

Recorded in her childhood home during the dead of winter, 'The Big Freeze' represents a pivotal step for New York songwriter Laura Stevenson.

Easily the darkest and most emotionally-devastating album of Stevenson’s career, it is also without a doubt her most powerful.

Stevenson builds on her own private worlds with choruses of multi-tracked voices, swarms of cellos, French horns and violins; orchestration that blooms and swells throughout each intimate performance. Exploring thematic ideas of distance and misconnection; worlds pulling apart, aching loneliness, and attempts to drive out hibernating dormant demons.

At times you will be reminded of classic American songwriters from both the mainstream and the fringe, whether it’s Jason Molina, Judee Sill, Harry Nilsson or Dolly Parton. But always you will be reminded of the power of the human voice (and a single guitar) to invoke the universe. Or in this case, it’s end.

NATALIE MCCOOL:
https://www.nataliemccool.co.uk/

Natalie McCool is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and visceral front woman.

She has picked up a fast growing support base of fans and critics alike with her truly innovative and beautiful take on pop music. Latest album 'The Great Unknown' was self-written and is without doubt McCool’s finest and most accomplished set of songs to date with first single 'Dig It Out' described as “a mesmerising lilt pop gem” in The Sunday Times, and second single 'Cardiac Arrest' being immediately playlisted on BBC Radio 1.

A vibrant, contemporary artist with quick-witted lyrics not only has she performed extensively across the UK with two headline album tours under her belt and appearances at Isle of Wight, Festival No. 6 & Kendal Calling, she has also played shows and festivals worldwide counting Europe (France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Estonia, Croatia, Holland).

Natalie recently completed work on her follow up. A brand new collection of songs that capture and crystallise her memories from both childhood and adulthood, weaving deeply intimate stories that channel life’s most vital thoughts and feelings like love, jealousy and loss into a skewed mixture of lilting yet gloriously catchy pop songs.

Her new album is a new beginning, having brought on board a label (Modern Sky UK) for the first time in her career, it sets an ambitious tone for this exciting artist.

EL MORGAN ft. KATIE GATT:
https://elmorgan.bandcamp.com/

El Morgan is a singer armed with an edgily soulful voice, one that conveys unwavering passion and a gritty determination. She loves the darker side of pop, post punk and punk rock, but her early musical life was immersed in country and folk.

Raised to perform from an early age, she was often brought out to sing and play at parties by her country musician father. After initially rejecting this influence, following her father’s death, she embraced her early musical education creating the hybrid sound we hear today.

Loved and respected by fans and peers alike, El Morgan has drawn comparisons to the likes of PJ Harvey, Neko Case and Laura Marling. In 2017 she was the sole UK support for Lagwagon frontman Joey Cape and has previously performed alongside Lucero, William Elliott Whitmore, Austin Lucas and Ben Marwood; to name but a few.

Away from her solo work with The Divers, El plays in indie-punk band Personal Best (whose members make up her backing band alongside Gabriel MacKenzie of Haters on bass, Rosalind Asprey of Matagot on cello). She's also one third of Dear Everyone and one half of the team behind recording studio Southsea Sound (where her upcoming album, soon to be released on Specialist Subject Records, was recorded with producer Tim Greaves).

Somberly melancholic, achingly beautiful and delivered with steely sincerity, her songs are dark and meditative, but still tinged with a vital glimmer of hope.

HELEN CHAMBERS:
http://www.helenchambersmusic.com/

Yorkshire-based singer/songwriter Helen Chambers has earned many a plaudit for her beautiful, down to earth, country-infused songs. Her talents have been recognised by press and peers alike; being described as “one of the best singer songwriters the UK has to offer” by, music blog, The Ruckus and sharing the stage with the likes of Brian Fallon (of The Gaslight Anthem), Chuck Ragan, Dave Hause and Emily Barker.

A mix of classic easy listening and contemporary acoustic music, Helen’s sound fits well within the boundaries of ‘country’ and ‘folk’. Driven by her soft, yet powerful, voice and simple acoustic melodies, her music has mass appeal and, despite being ‘too country for folk punk and too folk punk for country’, has seen her embraced by punk rock and folk fans alike. This ability to transcend genre made Helen an ideal inclusion on The Revival Tour and, tour founder, Chuck Ragan invited her along in 2011. Performing on a variety of dates – including a sold out show at Shepherd’s Bush Empire – Helen announced herself to fans around the UK and, having impressed so much, was asked back the following year.

Helen’s inclusion on the tour coincided with the release of a split record with Ragan, for which she recorded three tracks and he covered one of hers (‘Steven Patrick’). This collaboration would not be the last, as the pair duet on ‘Banners’ – a track taken from Helen’s debut album, ‘Penny Arcade’. Long time collaborators El Morgan and Kelly Kemp also join Helen on the record as do, double pass player, Joe Ginsberg and Morgan Brown (Down And Outs). ‘Penny Arcade’ fleshes out Helen’s songs with the addition some additional instrumentation, but remains very true to their simple, folksy, nature.