The Grey Lady Music Lounge, Sunday 18th July 2010

Twilight folktronica tinged artist Dan Clews draws his sonic structure from a diverse spectrum of styles, places and people. Hailing from one of the last remaining traditional strawberry farms in Kent the, ‘Garden of England’ is the foundation for his songwriting landscape.

After spending a couple of years honing his craft on the UK’s live circuit Dan moved to Sweden and threw himself into the indie/folk scene, collaborating with some of the most interesting talent around. These collaborations resulted in two now sold-out releases with, ‘The Stars Above’.

It was these recordings that helped Dan to secure a publishing deal with George Martin Music. Sir George said, “I was introduced to Dan Clews by a friend. I have always tried to support young musicians and Dan's music impressed from the first listen. He is too great a talent to ignore and it's a great pleasure to be his publisher.”

The album has received support from national and regional radio; most notably in the form of numerous spot plays on the Bob Harris Radio 2 show who concluded his new years day drive time show with a track from the album kicking 2010 off to a thundering start. In the mean time Dan has played some 20 regional live sessions and received some great national press.

"Too great a talent to ignore" Sir George Martin

“Absolutely lovely album” Bob Harris (BBC2)

"This may well be one of the best debuts of the past 12 months" **** Record Collector

“A hugely talented singer-songwriter plying his trade at the very top of his game” ****Maverick

"Potent Folktronica" ***Uncut

"Has Real Charm" *** Mojo

"A debut of sweetness and promise" The Observer

"Has a melodic, Beatles-esque quality" The Guardian

"A star in the making" Maverick

“Well worth a listen”**** Mizz

"Leaves the listener reaching for the repeat button the moment it finishes" **** R2

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Paul’s music is best described as a captivating fusion of alternative/pop and classical. He composes and performs both instrumental pieces and songs. With influences such as modern day artists; Ben Folds, Elbow, Turin Brakes and composers such as John Barry, Samuel Barber and Rachmaninov, Paul is an artist that offers something different. Following his 3 previous album releases; ‘Ordinary Guy’, ‘Train of Thought’ and live album ‘Escapism’, Paul recently released his first EP entitled ‘The Sirens ‘which is available for purchase at live performances and downloads are available at Itunes and all good online retailers. The EP features Paul’s larger ensemble known as The Paul Dunton Orchestra, which comprises a line-up of up to 12 violins & 6 Cellos, guitar, double-bass and flute.

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Only 18 months into her career and with a voice and performance that belie her tender years, local girl Sorrel Nation, is a girl on a mission. Born to sing into a household of eclectic musical influences, Sorrel was first onstage at the age of 8 with a Beatles tribute band in France, and has now opened for the likes of folk legends Martin Simpson, Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick as well as John Otway, Canadian Vocal Group of the Year Madison Violet, folk-punksters 3 Daft Monkeys and the incomparable Jackie Leven. The release of her debut EP, First Sight launched to a packed house at The Grey Lady, has made a clear statement of intent and will undoubtedly ensure that the next 12 months brings very good times, combining as it does a subtle layering of sound from acclaimed producer Nigel Lowis (Dina Carroll, Eternal, and collaborations with Carole King, Burt Bacharach amongst many others) to match her exquisite and versatile vocal range. Writing songs of her time Sorrel's beguiling voice is very much her own but with influences ranging from Norah Jones, Laura Marling and Priscilla Ahn, with a splash of Shelby Lynne and Dusty thrown in for good measure. Coming off the back of months of hard work gigging at venues such as The Bedford Arms and legendary Troubadour Club in London, as well as headlining The Grey Lady and a spine tingling performance at The Pizza Express show in Maidstone, not to mention fantastic debut performances at the Create Festival and the recent Local & Live festival held on the Pantiles. "See her now before she becomes a huge star" - The Troubadour Club, London

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My name is Henry Boddy aged 14yrs and I live in Crowborough, East Sussex.

I got my first guitar for £5 in a boot fair when I was 9 years old and taught myself how to play some basic chords.

My very first influence was hearing the riff from Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple and my interest grew from there. At 10yrs old I became the lead singer and guitarist in a scout band called The Allies, we mainly did rock covers but I also began writing my own songs and experimenting with new sounds. When I was 11yrs old, along with some members of The Allies, we started another band called The Flare, again I was the lead singer and guitarist and started to write songs more seriously and we played them at our gigs. We began doing gigs in and around local pubs, events, festivals and held our own christmas party at The Forum in Tunbridge Wells.

Even though I have performed with the bands, I also often perform as a solo artist with my acoustic guitar, playing my own songs in pubs, clubs etc. I did a course of guitar lessons and passed my grade 5 last year.

My song writing is improving all the time and I have so many different songs and tunes in my head, my aim is to write songs with catchy melodies and choruses as I want people to enjoy joining in. I am now in band of three

called Habit and I have written all the songs we play and perform. I still have the same drummer from The Flare and The Allies and we have recently recorded an EP of 4 songs.

I just love playing gigs whether on my own, or with the band. My latest songs have a real summery sound and one of my songs called 'Missing' has been chosen for the Forever Searching charity album, which is being released this summer.

My influences are Arctic Monkeys, The Kooks, Kate Nash, The Metros, Klaus and many more. I would love my future to be in music, performing big gigs and for people to sing along to my songs and have a good time!

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