The Grey Lady Music Lounge, Wednesday 20th December 2017

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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Emanuel Fanthome-Hodgson is a 17 year old singer songwriter from Maidstone. Starting at a young age, Emanuel has written songs with varying genre styles, ranging from indie rock to blues. Still in his teen years, Emanuel has been expanding his live performances, playing in local venues around the Tonbridge and Maidstone areas, as well as playing at the 2017 Hastings festival.

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George is currently studying Songwriting at music school in Manchester but has lived in Tunbridge Wells his entire life. He has been creating music for a couple of years and continues to enjoy writing and arranging songs in interesting ways. He’s currently in a band called ‘Thom and his Rifle’ with Robbie French and Callum Crooke.

With influence from artists such as Radiohead and Nothing but Thieves, his music attempts to stand in opposition to anything inauthentic, as each chosen lyric and chord progression portrays something unique and very real both about his character and his own take on what life is really about. 

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I was always fearful to start writing music, in case my ideas sounded soppy and ridiculous. Last year I began writing lyrics whilst I was travelling in Australia and slowly became more confident in adding melody. I am studying Landscape Architecture but am usually playing guitar and writing ideas for songs between deadlines! Currently my aim is to develop more of an online platform as well as get used to performing my own material.

Growing up with music, I learnt violin and piano to a high level and then began teaching myself guitar. People ask me whether I ever received singing lessons, but I learnt from singing Beatles songs with the piano! I felt very inspired to start song writing from seeing solo female artists such as Julien baker and Lucy Rose in concert. I also look up to folk artists such as Laura Marling and Mumford and Sons. 

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