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John Smith

Wednesday 8th November 2017

Will Stratton + Emily Watts

At Folkestone Quarterhouse

Doors 7:00 pm

Price £12.50 / £16.50 (+ booking fee)

Acclaimed guitarist and singer-songwriter John Smith is the guitar man from Devon who has quietly become one of the most exciting voices on the new British folk scene. His new album Headlong (out through BARP records) is marked by the loss of Smith’s close friend, Pentangle’s John Renbourn, and is the striking follow up to 2013’s Great Lakes, John’s widely-applauded and Radio 2-supported release. John also tours regularly in Lisa Hannigan (Damien Rice fame) band

Touring relentlessly as headliner and support act, he has opened shows for John Martyn, Iron and Wine, Ben Howard, Richard Hawley, Davy Graham, John Renbourn, David Gray, Cara Dillon, James Yorkston, Martin Carthy, Jools Holland, Tinariwen, Martin Simpson, Gil Scott-Heron and Chris Thile. John is a regular on the UK festival circuit, having played shows at Glastonbury, Green Man, Cambridge and many others. In this way, he has found a loyal following in the UK and Ireland, Europe, Japan, Mexico, the USA and Canada. Slow but sure.

John plays the steel-string acoustic guitar. Sometimes with a slide, sometimes on his lap, sometimes de-tuning the thing mid-song. He was named Young Acoustic Guitarist Of The Year in 2003 and hasn’t stopped to look back, unless it’s to pick up a banjo. His playing combined with his honey-on-gravel vocals have brought crowds to pin-drop silence and rapturous applause.

“I believe in John Smith; his motivations are pure, his vision is straight, his music is honest and true. Were I to discover another man’s music flowing through my body and out my hands, and that music to be his, I would consider myself both lucky and blessed.” – Kelly Joe Phelps

“Fluent guitar work and stimulating songs.” – The Telegraph

“Spellbinding” – Time Out

Support comes from:
Will Stratton 
New Jersey native and new Bella Union signing Will Stratton will be joining John Smith on tour. The American’s debut release for the label ‘Rosewood Almanac’ is a work of fragile magic, a hypnotic combination of beautifully breathy voice and exquisite lyrical imagery, gorgeous melodies and similarly soft-spun instrumentation, centred on his thrumming acoustic guitar and the verdant presence of velvet strings.

“Rosewood Almanac more than transcends its influences.” – MOJO
“lost-summer beauty from a New Jersey native” – The Guardian

Emily Watts
Canterbury Singer-songwriter Influenced by female singer/songwriters such as Kate Bush, Bat for Lashes and Joni Mitchell, Emily Watts uses piano and vocals to perform her haunting self-penned songs. Following her debut EP, From the Blue, Emily released her first single, Where Are You Now, receiving radio play on BBC Radio 2 and support from BBC Introducing. Her next single, Wait for You, will be released on 3rd November, on her own label Beautiful Town Records, and takes Emily’s sound in a new direction adding synths on this upbeat track. . Emily has also ventured into writing for other artists, co-writing Signs for Alex Maxwell with Alex and Gregor Philp (Deacon Blue), released on Hollywood Records / Polydor. Emily’s next EP will be released in early 2018.

“A songwriter to be reckoned with. ****” Songwriting Magazine

“For fans of London Grammar… lovely vocals over beautiful production” Abbie McCarthy, BBC Introducing

“Echoes of early Adele mingle with classical overtones as her voice soars above her hypnotic piano.” The Musician