Celebrating the life & work of Nell Smith

Event information

An evening to celebrate the life and achievements of Leeds-born Nell Smith.

Join us to enjoy a full video presentation of Anxious, Nell’s album release from April 2025 with live renditions of a selection of the songs by Penelope Isles.

Nell was born in Leeds General Infirmary on 17 July 2007. At the age of thirteen she had recorded a full length album of Nick Cave cover versions with The Flaming Lips, at 14 she had performed on The Stephen Colbert Show on Prime Time US TV and toured the UK and USA with The Flaming Lips. At age 16 she had completed an album of original material lovingly crafted with Penelope Isles and Canadian band, Shred Kelly.

But on October 6 2024, at the tender age of 17, just six months before her album was due to be released she tragically died in a car accident.

This special evening will feature a short documentary about Nell’s journey leading up to her first live performance with The Flaming Lips in Leeds, stories of her adventures with Wayne Coyne and The Lips, videos and stories that lift the lid on the songwriting and recording process with an intimate performance by two of Nell’s mentors, Jack and Lily Wolter of Penelope Isles.

Expect love, joy, laughs and tears.

All proceeds from the event will go directly to the Nell Smith Memorial Fund which aims to raise 100k to give away 10k per year for the next ten years to young musicians.