Scott Matthews + Maz O'Connor + The Magic Lantern
Scott Matthews + The Magic Lantern + Maz O'Connor
Entry Requirements: 16+ under 16s must be accompanied by an adult 18+
*A special concert as part of Leigh Folk Festival *
Ivor-Novello winning singer/songwriter Scott Matthews headlines the first of Leigh Folk Festival’s exciting series of events.
Fresh from touring with Robert Plant opening for his project Saving Grace, Scott has long been established as one of the world’s foremost purveyors of song. Championed by Janice Long on BBC Radio and previously supported the Foo Fighters on their acoustic Skin and Bones concerts around the country in June 2006, he’s now released his seventh studio album, ‘New Skin’. Known for his acoustic folk jams, guitar in hand and a voice that conveys raw emotion, this release sees an experimentation with new sounds and instruments. Electronic and ambient tones are matched with big, chiming electric guitars, while percussion, strings and woodwind are replaced by emotive synthesisers and pulsing drum grooves. “(Scott) has created a stunning, soulful sound, merging electro-synth, acoustics and haunting vocals, and combining hints of past genres, updated and reshaped with an innovative 2021 vibe” – The Upcoming. Witness Scott’s remarkable musical evolution along with revisiting favourites from an extraordinary body of work.
“(Scott) has created a stunning, soulful sound, merging electro-synth, acoustics and haunting vocals, and combining hints of past genres, updated and reshaped with an innovative 2021 vibe” – The Upcoming.
Witness Scott’s remarkable musical evolution along with revisiting favourites from an extraordinary body of work.
Support comes from Maz O’Connor and The Magic Lantern. O’Connor’s short stories wrapped in a unique soundscape are often inspired by literature, folklore and mythology. Combining acoustic instruments, folk imagery, electronic soundscapes and ethereal vocals, she is a millennial meeting of Joni Mitchell and Kate Bush, heartbreak, longing, and a taste for irony. She’s received BBC Radio airplay, including live sessions on Radio 2 and 3, and is due to release her third album. The Observer describes her as ‘the perfect mix of youthfulness and gravitas.’
“’Maz O’Connor’s ace, apart from her remarkable songwriting talent, is her captivating voice ****’’ Q
Joining O’Connor is British Australian singer/songwriter Jamie Doe, aka The Magic Lantern. Drawing on a wide range of influences from folk, jazz and contemporary music, he brings you beautiful songwriting, groove and lush orchestration. Part of a thriving scene of genre-bending contemporary musicians in London, he has sung with Jamie Cullum at the BBC Proms and performed for the Queen and Commonwealth Heads of State. The latest and fourth album ‘A Reckoning Bell’ is an unashamedly emotional piece written and recorded while helping to care for his father with Alzheimers disease.
Line Up
The Magic Lantern
Singer-songwriter based in London. 'Maz O'Connor's ace, apart from her remarkable songwriting talent, is her captivating voice ****' Q Mag
Her songs are always beautifully crafted, and range from intimate love stories, to epic creation stories, with the occasional tragedy told beyond the grave thrown in. She accompanies her uniquely pure voice with guitar, tenor guitar, piano and sometimes shruti box.
Still only 25, she has been touring around the U.K. And abroad for almost 3 years now, and her relaxed and easy charm with her audience makes for a gig that's both moving and uplifting. It's this reputation as a brilliant live performer that has led to support spots with David Grey and Thea Gilmore.
Her latest album 'The Longing Kind' was released in February and is her most accomplished yet. Compared to Joni Mitchell by The Guardian and given 5 stars by Songlines, 'The Longing Kind' is O'Connor's work maturing into something brave and beautiful.
“BBC Performing Arts Fellowship graduate Maz O’Connor is a real find, fusing influences from the past (Joni Mitchell) with those of the present (Bon Iver) to concoct a dazzling array of part electric, part-acoustically crafted folk that occasionally borders on the experimental.” (Drowned in Sound)
‘A perfect blend of youthfulness and gravitas ****’ The Observer
