The Grey Lady Music Lounge, Sunday 17th February 2013

Richard Navarro’s live shows are renowned for spectacular feats of vocal and instrumental virtuosity and improvisation. Previous collaborations include the ‘Let Go Light’ UK tour with live visuals controlled by wireless shoes, the ‘Firewatching’ UK and Ireland tour with choirs and brass bands, and with The Luminants featuring extraordinary magic lantern displays.

Navarro composed and produced the music for Lemn Sissay’s critically-acclaimed ‘Warrior Poets’ and is curator of the poetry stage at the prestigious In the Woods Festival.

Along with fellow multi-instrumentalist Nicholas Thurston, Navarro has performed at many UK festivals including Latitude and Greenbelt, and toured as support for Joan Armatrading. Many of these performances and projects have included young and marginalised people in composing and performing new music.

“Finely-crafted songwriting” -- Joan Armatrading

“Richard is a genius” -- Lemn Sissay

“You were fantastic!” -- Imelda May

“Staggeringly talented” -- Charlie Andrew (BRIT Awards Producer of the Year 2016)

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“Catalyst - quite simply, is as good a pop song as you’ll hear this year”

- Backseat Mafia

Will has had a promising start to his recorded career and although still only 17, the critics and industry alike have been supremely impressed with his great talent. He’s been a regular live performer in Kent for a while now and the local BBC Introducing team have been a huge support, citing him as one to watch in the coming year. His first single Catalyst was released by respected indie label Young and Lost Club and his online presence grows by the day. He’s played a Sofar Session, and has recently made his first music video for ‘July’, in his garage at home in Tunbridge Wells. He’s recording and writing at the moment and we expect an EP out in the New Year.All information about his live dates and releases can be seen at his website.

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Will began singing seriously when he was just 6 years old and has been writing songs since he was 14. His tastes in music cover all genres but amongst his strongest influences are Jeff Buckley (to whom he has often been likened) and songwriters such as Michelle Branch and John Shanks . Now 18, Will has an impressive catalogue of original songs and has been playing gigs around Kent and in London for over 3 years. Currently in his final year of "A" Level studies he also writes regularly for Punk Globe Magazine and has recently begun working with Ground Hero Films as a composer.   London Summer Jam described his music as "smooth pop with an edge" whilst RSM's review of his single Urban Country described Will as "like John Mayer but a bit more fun and a little less world-weary". Will believes that "edge" is important, that your music should contain part of your soul and his certainly does.

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Jessica Johansson is a Swedish singer/songwriter now based in Kent. She combines heartfelt stories with haunting melodies, usually based on experiences from her own life or careful observation. Jessica might easily be pigeonholed into the box marked fair female singer songwriter but her songs are fearless and not afraid to look into the dark heart of human relationships and confront the hard truths. 

Jessica started the band with inspirational and multi-talented bass player John Brooker.  John then recruited Dutch percussionist Bart Brummer, and Andrew Cruickshank, lead guitarist from Scotland, who he had previously played with and that he knew would fit well in the band. Bart surprised with his unique sounds, with a passion to explore rhythm instruments, and Andy, with a perfect sensitive and intuitive approach to the collaborative process and a real invaluable skill of finding the right sentiment and feel for the songs. 

The music is a fusion of four different personalities, harmonies and instruments, but still maintains the integrity of Jessica’s original song ideas. These ideas are influenced by artists such as Tracy Chapman, James Morrison, Damien Rice and various Swedish musicians. 

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