The Grey Lady Music Lounge, Tuesday 29th October 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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"I started writing songs when I was about seven and haven’t really stopped since then. I have always been interested in music as it goes in the family and have always liked to sing. At the age of about nine, I started having piano lessons locally but I wanted to do more pop music material and so stopped taking the lessons. In primary school I started many bands with friends and was always playing around with song writing. The first time I recorded on my own was a cover I did of Invincible by Tinie Tempah and Kelly Rowland. In early 2011 I wrote my first proper song ‘I Cried’ and recorded it in my Dad’s studio. I then wrote another song called ‘This is Your Life’ and decided I wanted to carry on with song writing. I then made my own YouTube account just to see if the songs would get any views and luckily enough they did! I wrote about four more before I filmed my first music video last year. I am very influenced by Emeli Sande as her songs are mainly based on her and the piano. I also listen to music like Ellie Goulding and The Kooks- as well as the music in the charts! I have always sung with my sister as our voices are similar and we harmonise together."

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Sounding like Fleet Foxes got into a jam session with Kasabian and Paul Weller, Burning Shapes formed playing acoustic sessions at parties around their home towns in Kent. Catching the attention of electronica producers Bombay Monkey whilst playing out under the acoustic-electronica guise Sound Sanctuary, the collaborations went on to produced a series of EPs before releasing the Dust LP in 2007 racking up critical acclaim from DJs like Nick Luscombe and Lynn Parsons and airtime on Xfm, BBC Radio and SkyTV. In the process of touring as Sound Sanctuary live drums were introduced to replace some of the sampled drum loops and the bands live sound began to evolve a whole new layer of energy. When the studio beckoned again the band decided a name change was in order to fit with the new sound they were going to lay down and Burning Shapes was born. In late 2010 the band returned to the live scene supporting Mumford & Sons and The Stranglers to 10,000 people at Triumph Live and have been gigging regularly around the south east since. Early preview tracks from the album have already been finding their way onto BBC Radio's Introducing programs and internet stations with one song picked up for the soundtrack to the £2m British feature film Lucid coming out next year. Their brand new single entitled ‘Silence Amplified’ is released on Monday 24th October and will be available through all good online digital retailers. www.burningshapes.com

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It is a year now since Cyrano’s Joe Ackerley teamed up with his sister Alice to form ‘The Ackerleys’ as a side line - turned major project!  Already they have a fast-growing repertoire of folk/pop tunes, some light and uplifting, some moody and soulful, but all featuring close harmony, strong chord structure and catchy melody.  Joe employs his prodigious song writing skills and his own rich baritone to complement and showcase Alice‘s striking voice.  Joe’s roots are in rock music as is well known to many of on the TW music scene, his deep seated influences an unusual mix of Pearl Jam/ Radiohead/ Elbow/Crowded House/Jeff Buckley. His sister Alice, just turned 17, provides a more contemporary vibe – Laura Marling, The Staves, Florence and the Machine, Emmy the Great, Marina & the Diamonds. The result is delightfully different - but judge for yourself. The dynamic duo has now added lead guitar and drums in the form of Steve McCormack, and Matt Wilson.

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