Pizza Express Maidstone, Thursday 15th April 2010

One time solo singer/songwriter Charlie Rivers has witnessed a truly organic growth in his music which has slowly but surely taken on a full band sound, spurred on by Steve McCormack (guitar), Steve Bassett (bass) and Ash Rushman (drums). In the space of only 16 months, The Charlie Rivers Band has morphed from the 'hear-a-pin-drop' sounds of one man and his guitar, to an uncompromising full band musical experience. 2009 saw the guys play at the "Busking Cancer" launch event alongside "Madness," and attained duo slots at Hyde Park and Wireless festival. Last year the band launched their much anticipated debut album 'Tender Chaos,' playing a host of sell out shows both in the UK and abroad including a storming headline set at the the Local & Live Music festival. Their single "Crazy" received a great deal of local radio play and recent support sets have included Newton Faulkner, Matt Berry and Toploader. The band are currently working on their follow up album, having previewed some of their new material throughout the course of 2011, set for a release in early 2012.

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Sarah Sheldrake & Oli Scheuregger are one of the leading acts at the show, with divine vocals and outstanding piano.

Having learned to play the piano at the age of 5, Oli has been teaching himself for the last 5 years. Though classically trained, he draws inspiration from jazz, ambient and electronica artists such as Little Feat, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Athlete, E.S.T, Richard J. Lewis, Aphex Twin, Trio Elf, M83, MoodBungalo and Yoav. Oli has just finished secondary school and hopes to study sound recording at the University of Surrey.

Fusing his creativity and musicianship with talented singer/songwriter Sarah Sheldrake, the duo actively write and perform together offering a distinct live sound which encompass soul, pop, folk, jazz, electronic and blues influences. Sarah is studying music in her first year at Southampton University and comes back to Kent to collaborate with Oli between their studies. Some of Sarah's influences include Jeff Buckley, Bon Iver, The Cinematic Orchestra, Catherine Feeny, Madeline Peyroux, John Martyn and Sufjan Stevens. Paul recently awarded the duo free studio time at Audio Sorcery Studio's in Wadhurst providing the opportunity for Oli & Sarah to record their debut CD with local producer Paul Midcalfe in August of this year.

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Singer-songwriter, Paul Dunton leads his own unique cross-over orchestra providing an atmospheric fusion of alternative and pop with a classical twist. Paul & his Orchestra take influences from varying modern day artists such as Pink Floyd, Elbow, ELO, Turin Brakes, Massive Attack, Damien Rice and contemporary composers such as Samuel Barber, Ludovico Einaudi, John Barry and Hans Zimmerman. The Orchestra performs Paul's own compositions and a varied selection of uniquely arranged standards from a wide range of artists. The line-up of 8 violins, 4 cellos, guitar, flute, bass and percussion accompanies Paul on vocals and piano, joined by his lead vocalists, Charlotte Andrew and Poppy Raine. Paul and his Orchestra regularly perform at concerts, festivals and private events throughout the UK and internationally, including headlining the Theatrium Wilhelmstraße Festival in Wiesbaden, Germany and an 8 state tour of the USA which culminated in a spectacular roof-top performance on top of the New York Strand Hotel. Increased attention and success led to the orchestra being featured on BBC Radio 2 by Joan Armatrading with interviews and airplay of one of Paul's songs, 'Don't Forget'. This led to Paul supporting Joan Armatrading on five occasions during her recent UK tours.

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Sorrel Nation is a singer/songwriter from the UK who has been writing and performing since the age of 13, and at 15 recorded and released her first EP.

Sorrel made a name for herself performing at live music venues across London, but recently moved to Australia where she released her latest EP ‘Kids On The Run’. Sorrel’s passion for music shows in her heartfelt performances and powerful songs, and according to Ditto Music is “someone you need to put on your radar”.

She has been working with acclaimed British producer Ian Barter (Amy Winehouse, Paloma Faith, Guy Sebastian) and have created what they believe to be Sorrel’s best work so far.

“When she opens up with her angst-ridden upper register… the result is stunning.”
Tim Kroenert, themusic.com.au

“See her now before she becomes a huge star”
The Troubadour Club, London

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