Emma Tricca / Pete Astor (Loft / Weather Prophets)

Event information

Two of our favourite artists in a wonderful double bill!

Pete Astor

‘A songwriter who never falters and is maybe even getting better with age.’ All Music

‘The master of less is more’ The Guardian

Pete Astor led Creation Records’ groups The Loft and The Weather Prophets, writing songs and releasing records that helped define the sound of the label and the emerging Indie genre. He has gone on to a lengthy solo career since then; writing, recording and releasing music on a range of labels including Matador, Heavenly, Warp, EMI and Fortuna Pop. Since 2017 Astor has been signed to Tapete Records, home to Robert Forster, Lloyd Cole and Comet Gain among many reputable others.

He will be playing old and new music along with a selection from his album Unsent Letters (Home Recordings 1984-2024), all unreleased songs spanning Astor’s career from The Loft to the present day.

A lifetime of listening has led me to believe that Pete Astor’s songs would have always found a way to reach an audience. If he’d been a Californian baby boomer, he’d have ended up in the Capitol Records building in Los Angeles, laying down late-night grooves with the Wrecking Crew for a largely-neglected, slightly gloomy, pop album that’d now be worth a fortune. If he’d been born into post-War Britain, earnest girls in sweaters would’ve fallen in love with him, and his songs, in Embassy-fogged folk clubs. - Danny Kelly, NME

Emma Tricca

Championed by John Renbourn and Odetta at the start of her career, and subsequently encouraged by Jane Weaver and Andy Votel who would release her first two records (Minor White and Relic) songwriter/guitarist Emma Tricca's unique style has often been compared to a meld of Greenwich Village icons Nico and Patti Smith.
For her most recent collection Aspirin Sun, Emma teamed up again with Jason Victor (The Dream Syndicate) and Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) to conjure an alluringly psychedelic sound redolent of 70’s folk-rock yet totally distinctive.
She’s toured extensively with Jane Weaver, Nick Mason (Saucerful of Secrets band), and Robyn Hitchcock, and notably collaborated with Judy Collins, Bridget St John, Jesse Chandler (Mercury Rev, Midlake) among others. BBC6 presenters Guy Garvey and Gideon Coe have been loyal supporters alongside USA stations - WFMU and WFUV - and print media such as Mojo, Uncut, Record Collector, Shindig, The Guardian, and The Times.
Judy Collins' Quote re Collaboration with Emma Tricca
“Emma Tricca has a unique voice and vision. It was an honour for her to use Albatross in Solomon Said! We'll be hearing from this creative visionary for a long time”.

Aspirin Sun Press Quotes
“With a voice that lands somewhere between Anohni and Beth Orton, a new found kosmisce influence permeates throughout. Take ‘Rubens’ House’, which blends Mazzy Star with the propulsive power of Neu!, while ‘Autumn’s Fiery Tongue’ is a slice of dreamy psych-folk; ‘Space and Time’ is simply achingly beautiful. This is near as dammit a masterpiece.” Shindig – 5 stars *****
“A suite of songs progressing towards a climax... Aspiring Sun is a coherent