Thea Gilmore on Tour

[Samantha]

Thea is currently on tour to promote her latest album "Liejacker"

Anyway, last night myself and 3 friends drove down from North Yorkshire to Nottingham to see her. Was it worth the 140+ mile round trip? You bet it was!!!

She has a wonderful voice and during the whole live set she was faultless. She played a good proportion from the latest album which unsurprisingly being her latest work, she is very close to currently. But also played some crowd faves and mixed it up with some up tempo and sing-a-long stuff too.

She was joined on stage by Nigel who played the guitar and harmonica plus provided some backing singing and also the utterly fab Fluff who played violin, chello, bass and as Thea said "plays anything with strings".

Thea herself of course played guitar as well as singing flawlessly and chatting aimiably with the audience between songs, she came across friendly and very likeable even joking about following a bit of a boogie song with 'possibly the most depressing song I have ever written'.

If you can get along to see her, I can really recommend you get to see her - the atmosphere was great and the performance superb.

I bought the album while there and Thea had come out to chat after the gig with us so she was happily signing the merchandise too. So today I had to go back into work (after a week off) but I had the new CD in my car and listening to the tracks that I first heard being played so well last night was great, brings back the great atmosphere and fun so made going back to work more bearable.

Sorry if this comes across almost like an advert, but I just had a great time and if my review reads like an ad, it is just because I think it is worth people gettig their arse to one of her gigs to also enjoy.

Here are the remaining dates, all details are on her website.

http://www.theagilmore.net/index.cfm

Jun 03, 2008 - GATESHEAD The Sage, Gateshead

Jun 05, 2008 - KENDAL Brewery Arts Centre,

Jun 06, 2008 - GLASGOW King Tuts, Glasgow G2 5RL

Jun 07, 2008 - MANCHESTER Club Academy

Jun 09, 2008 - LONDON Bloomsbury Theatre,

Jun 10, 2008 - EXETER Phoenix

Jun 13, 2008 - DELAMERE FOREST (with the Zutons),

Jun 14, 2008 - BRIGHTON Concorde 2,

Jun 18, 2008 - BRISTOL The Fleece,

Jun 19, 2008 - STRATFORD Cox's Yard, Stratford-Upon-Avon,

 

[Tel]

Glad you had a good time Samantha

I am a big fan and have seen her about 4 times now, I have tickets for the Brighton gig and am really looking forward to it.

I'll never forget seeing her rocking it out with a full band, (Her, Nigel and electric guitarist, and bass and drums) while 38 weeks pregnant although I have to say I have preferred her more intimate acoustic sets.

What I have found astonishing is that every time she goes off and does something new it is with musicians who are already in my record collection, she supported the Waterboys, and has toured with Chris Smither in the States and with Joan Baez and worked with Mary Gauthier and with Kathryn Williams. She was also guest vocalist for the Cowboy Junkies when they recreated the Trinity Sessions at the Albert Hall last year. And of course the new album has a duet with Dave McCabe of the Zutons.

I suppose she just has great taste as well as great talent!

I got Liejacker last week when it was released, if you are looking at her back catalogue try and get Rules for Jokers, an excellent album but not always available

The Lipstick Conspiracies was recorded by Naim and has been deleted, if you find a copy grab it quick, dealers are asking £80.00 for the CD.

 

[Samantha]

Hi Tel, glad to see I'm not on my own here.

I already have her back catelogue, a friend introduced me to Lipstick about a year ago and I managed to get a signed copy of it from an Amazon seller for £25 including postage, so I guess I did okay there. I love her cover of the Buzzcock's "Ever fallen in Love" on Loft Music. I have played Harpos Ghost most but now have the latest album in the car and loving it.

I will go see her again.

The only thing I would have liked to be different is rather than ending on a quiet soulful song, I would have liked to finish with a rip-roaring boogie and sing-a-long last song..... but that could just be me

 

[eye-fi]

Tel wrote:

The Lipstick Conspiracies was recorded by Naim and has been deleted, if you find a copy grab it quick, dealers are asking £80.00 for the CD.

Really

 

[eye-fi]

Tel wrote:

She was also guest vocalist for the Cowboy Junkies when they recreated the Trinity Sessions at the Albert Hall last year.

Was you there? I was.

 

[Tel]

eye-fi wrote:

Tel wrote:

She was also guest vocalist for the Cowboy Junkies when they recreated the Trinity Sessions at the Albert Hall last year.

Was you there? I was.

Unfortunately I couldn't get to that gig, I am a big fan of the CJ's too and saw them as an acoustic three piece earlier last year.

 

[Tel]

The gig last night was excellent, I really enjoyed it.

Thea supported the Zutons on Friday night and Nigel Stonier apparantly got huge applause from a section of the crowd every time he did a harmonica solo, needless to say, once this became known the piss was duly taken during last nights performance.

Great fun and recommended, although if a female is going to cover a Cohen track I have always thought 'Sisters of Mercy' a strange choice, beautifully sung nevertheless.