A week on Saturday I'll be supporting the wonderful Stylusboy at their album launch in Coventry. I can't wait to see them live after being Twitter friends with Steve Jones for quite a while now and am very honoured to be joining the bill on such a special occasion. There might even be a little on stage collaboration!
The gig is at The Tin Music and Arts, doors are at 7.45 and Charlotte Carpenter will open proceedings. See you there, Midlands friends?
Stylusboy have kindly given me an exclusive stream of their beautiful song "Be The First" - enjoy and scroll down for more about the band.
Amid a flurry of internet activity and excitement, including radio play on the growing network of folk and acoustic radio stations, Coventry-based Stylusboy are poised to take the acoustic scene hostage with a dazzling debut album, ‘Hospitality For Hope’.
Although this is their debut, Stylusboy (Steve Jones and Rachel Grisedale) are by no means green behind the ears; they’ve been cutting their chops on the folk scene since 2009 with a steady stream of EP releases, each one bolder and more confident than the last. They utilise the pleasing combo of male and female voice – and on this album they blend particularly well their unique folk-styled harmonies with interesting guitar lines, the double bass talents of Nizlopi’s John Parker and production assistance from One Little Indian folk songstress Polly Paulusma.
Stylusboy have already proved their mastery in merging the timeless vibe of acoustica with modern tools of internet witchery, giving away free downloads on Record Store Day, performing online gigs from kitchens, handcrafting their EPs and tying them up with string, championing Twitter but largely to engage their growing live audience. This hybrid approach pillages the best from both worlds, and they have been lauded by BBC 6Music’s Tom Robinson for it: “A leading light among today’s new generation of DIY digital troubadours, Stylusboy’s music reflects their open, yet fiercely independent nature. Whether playing solo house concerts or theatre shows with a full band, everything they do is connected, committed and community-oriented. These are songwriters whose developing career I’ve been keenly following, and which many musicians twice their age would do well to emulate”.
Folk commentators have taken Stylusboy to their hearts, calling their summer EP Lantern “a lesson in what contemporary folk should be” (ears-on.co.uk) and noting how, “tucked away inside a Zen approach to recording and lyric writing lie some sweet musical gems with layers of poetic beauty that need to be savoured slowly and taken on their own terms”(drunkenwerewolf.com). One blogger observes, “my favourite thing about the record is listening to the pair work their vocals separately and then carefully weaving them together. It works incredibly well” (venturemag.co.uk).
FATEA and UK Folk Radio have also been playing Stylusboy tracks, along with BBC Introducing Coventry and Warwickshire, recognising a grass-roots following and helping to nurture it. Radio Warwickshire’s Folk Show noted Stylusboy’s “lyrical loveliness; uncluttered and sweetly honest”.
Hospitality for Hope will be released on 18 November 2013 on Wild Sound Recordings.
