Brooke Sharkey / Isak's Island

Event information

Brooke Sharkey grew up in London before moving to France at the age of 9, which naturally draws her songwriting to be both in English and French.
Her musical journey started the pubs in Norfolk before heading further afield to perform in the streets of London, Paris, Bristol and beyond.

Her street performing and open stage slots at festivals all around Uk lead her to start touring venues and in 2010 she released her first EP A Taste Of Truth, and in 2012, she collaborated with a whole network of folk, jazz and pop musicians in east London and recorded her debut in the UK entitled One Dress at Livingston studios – the same studio where Bjork recorded her debut album.
She then opened shows for Thomas Dybdahl (in The Netherlands and Belgium), Rozi Plain, Blick Bassy, Frànçois & the Atlas Mountains and played festivals such as Cambridge Folk festival and Glastonbury, as well as headlining venues such as The Jazz Cafe Camden and London's Union Chapel ( Winning ex aequo “Concert of the year” award in 2017)

All together, she has released 3 EPs and 2 full length albums One Dress (2012) and Wandering Heart (V2 records, 2016). The latter received praise from The Guardian, who ranked Brooke as one of the top 50 independent artists in the world in 2016.

Brooke Sharkey's music has been played extensively on BBC radio 2, Radio 3, Radio 6, BBC Scotland, FIP Radio (France) and Radio 1 (Belgium) with live sessions on NPO Radio 1 and 2 in The Netherlands. She has also captured the attention of The Guardian, Loud And Quiet Magazine, Acoustic Magazine and Maverick Magazine.

Her songwriting has been compared to the likes of Kate Bush, Mariee Sioux, Ane Brun, Pomme, Lhasa de Sela, Christine and the Queens and Sufjan Stevens with influences from Indie bands Mesadorm and Rozi Plain. Her unique, ethereal and distinctive vocals and poetic lyrics explore the vast yet intricate themes of love, loss, hope, beauty, nature, seduction and wonder.

Having relocated to Oslo, Norway, in 2020, she has been recording a collection of new songs entitled Under Stones released on 4 September this year. Her first singles ‘A place we go to’ and ‘Le long d’une rose’ have been played multiple times on BB3, BB6 music, BBC Ulster and more. Her latest single released on 18th August ‘Guardian’ is gaining interest.

brookesharkey.co.uk
brookesharkey.substack.com/
instagram.com/brookesharkeymusic
brookesharkey.bandcamp.com/

Recent music videos:
A place we go to: https://youtu.be/6WvOsh3p1vg
Guardian: https://youtu.be/6eOpOfSNLFU
Le long d'une rose: https://youtu.be/SxxspDTu41U

Isak’s Island is the artist-project of Norwegian songwriter and guitarist Aksel Undset. Undset was born in Oslo and grew up in a forest area just outside the city. As a 19 year old he moved to the UK to study music, where he stayed for eight years working as a musician. During lockdown, Undset recorded his first full-length album, Songs for Winter, which he released in 2021 on the Norwegian label daWorks after having just moved to Oslo the year before. He has been residing in Oslo since then.
The music of Isak’s Island can be described as intimate and nourishing soundscapes that frame evocative and poetic songs, which both hint at 60s and 70s songwriters such as Nick Drake and Leonard Cohen, but still reaches for the new and unexplored.
Isak’s Island has performed across the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, and Norway, and has released two albums, Songs for Winter and Fallen Anchors on the Sea Bed. A third album is set for release in autumn 2025.

Listen here on Bandcamp to the album Fallen Anchors on the Sea Bed

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