The Grey Lady Music Lounge, Wednesday 12th May 2010

Liverpool born songwriter Mark Chase was the leader of the notorious 90's band World of Leather, who released 2 albums and 7 EPs through Sony. They toured extensively in the UK and Europe and sold respectably in Japan & Scandinavia, whilst skilfully avoiding the UK charts.

Prior to this, Mark had been a successful session musician & session singer, working with numerous artists including Belinda Carlisle, T'Pau, Taylor Dayne and Julian Lennon. He also worked as a commercial session vocalist, recording ‘sound-alike' tracks for TV shows and adverts.

After seeing Beck perform a solo gig a few years ago, Mark altered his approach to music, favouring the ‘stripped down' acoustic style of Neil Young, Damien Rice and Rickie Lee Jones. He continues to perform live regularly, both with his band and as a solo performer. Four of his songs have been used in movie soundtracks.

In tandem with his music career, Mark has also been a TV Presenter on a variety of shows, including; The Survivors Guide, Sextalk (both C4), Breakfast Time, Going Live! (BBC1), Wideangle, Country File (ITV) and Toyah & Chase (VH-1).

Show full profile »

Beckie, 19, grew up watching her dad and uncle playing the guitar and says of her music “ I wrote my first song at the age of 15 in a music lesson at Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School. My teacher, having heard it, encouraged and supported me and gave me the determination to continue writing and developing my songwriting which is something that I feel comes more naturally than anything else I had known.” Her influences range from rock to country, jazz, and mostly acoustic. Beckie admits to admiring lots of artists, such as Kt Tunstall and Kate Rusby, because they are true to their own style and music which is an ethos that she also believes in very strongly. Beckie won the best ‘song and performance’ award at the schools 2008 songwriting contest, which led to her joining the impressive roster of acts at the Grey Lady.

Show full profile »

21 year old Henry Willard is a lyric-driven, multi-instrumentalist based in South-East England.

Having first picked up a guitar at the age of 7, Henry has since progressed considerably to become one of only a handful of artists who focus purely on writing & recording slow, acoustic based melodies, entwined with deep, personal, heartwarming, clever, & often metaphorical lyrics with the pure intention to touch the hearts of his listeners, & within the comfort of his songs offer a safe place for his audience to relate to personal experiences.

14 years on from discovering The Beatles, which in turn led to the desire to idolize his new heroes at a very young age & learn to play the guitar, Henry has recorded 4 albums in total, with his first recording studio experience coming at the age of 11.

Having been 2 years since the release of the last solo album, ‘This One's for Elliott...' in June 2006, Henry has refused to rush back into the studio & record sub-standard material, allowing his lyrics to develop naturally over time & undoubtedly pave the way for the hugely anticipated new album, ‘Old Hadlow Road', released late October 2008, containing his very best work yet!

With influence taken from the likes of Counting Crows, Elliott Smith, Kevin Hearn, Brothers Creeggan, Everclear, Sara Evans & Barenaked Ladies, Henry has been back in the studio during the Summer of 2008 with a whole host of brand new songs to record, & a final result that was well worth waiting for!

‘Old Hadlow Road' consists of 10 original heartwarming, slow, acoustic tracks built around beautifully personal & deep lyrics that ultimately once again offer Henry's listeners the chance to truly open up & feel safe in the comfort & knowledge that they are not alone, & that his songs shall always be there to relate to when in times of need.

The new album 'Old Hadlow Road' is currently available directly from CD Baby, iTunes, Amazon, Lala, & many more!

Show full profile »

Nick has featured in numerous bands over the years and is focusing now on his solo reputation as a producer and artist in his own right. Although Nick gigs sparsely, he is very active within the industry writing and producing for other local and global artists. His own record label and studio ‘Nooley Written Music’ has been setup to provide a platform for all genres of music to be recognised. Nick enjoys his one man shows as they allow him to express his true self. His melodic contemporary folk/rock vocals support his unique acoustic guitar playing style. With his very expressive and interestingly diverse nimble finger work, Nick delivers a distinct pure tone that effortlessly draws the listener in.

Show full profile »