Easter, Rural Touring and Snow!

Spring is finally here! Although you wouldn't have believed it last week. We had to drive through snowy rural landscapes to get to our gigs at the end of March. Thanks so much to all those people who turned out to see us in such unseasonable weather. We had a great time!

Very happy that we also had some sold out gigs even given the Easter period and horrible snow. Such warm and appreciative audiences too. Can't wait to go back. hopefully I'll have some more dates at the end of this year.

Snowy Leics

And my next London date at the Royal Albert Hall is also already sold out! If you managed to get tickets, look forward to seeing you then. 

Looking forward to performing in Minsk, Belarus at the end of next month. Please - pretty please with a cherry on top - no snow!

Before then, I'm off to the Jazzahead conference in Bremen at the end of April to mix and mingle with the international jazz glitterati. It was great last year so hoping for more of the same.

Happy Spring!

Two Firsts - BBC London Radio and Jazzahead Music Conference

Having lived in London all my life and being a proud Londoner I was very pleased to be invited on to the Robert Elms show a couple of weeks ago!  I've listened to the show many times and it's one of the best and most varied shows on the airwaves both in terms of the music he plays and the topics he covers.  I'm honoured to have been featured.  Listen to me singing my new song Surrender with Kate Williams on piano below:

Then I was off to my very first music conference.  What an exhausting weekend!  I helped man the Jazz Services UK Jazz stand for both days (10am-8pm)  and never realised how tiring just talking to people for 2 full days could be.  In the evenings we listened to showcases including those by the wonderful British bands that were taking part - Sara Colman, Kit Downes Trio, Just East, Lighthouse Trio and Dennis Rollins.  I also got the chance to do some international networking and while I'm not really keen on "networking" as such, I realise it's an important part of a DIY musician's life.  When I got back to the UK I had totally lost my voice!  I couldn't speak a word, never mind sing.  The voice is slowly coming back now but it's just as well that I don't have any gigs in the next couple of week...

May is going to be all about songwriting for me.  I've slacked off since my spurt around Christmas and must get back on the songwriting wagon again.  Even if it means a bout of self-imposed purdah!