Best of 2014

For the last two editions of The Other Woman on Amazing Radio for 2014 it was all about our Best Songs of the year.

It’s a toughie and trust me, blood, sweat and tears have been shed over these. Part one featured some of the bands who also delivered kick ass live shows in 2014, Swedish duo Wildbirds and Peacedrums who, quite frankly, can do no wrong and the inimitable Sharon Van Etten. Both released wonderful albums in 2014 too. From those big hitters we also take in Blood of the Bull, a young Glasgow based musician releasing with tiny indie (and firm TOW favourite) Soft Power Records. It’s early days for her but Bend Over is 1:59 minutes of sheer joy.

Catch up on The Other Woman

Catch up on all the latest news and playlists from The Other Woman on Amazing Radio here. In the build up to The End Festival at the end of the month I've been playing The Drink who are sure to be a highlight of the weekend’s festivities in north London. The band are readying the release of their debut and it’s been quietly and stealthily receiving rave reviews from all corners. We’re huge fans and had them for a very loud session last year.

The End Festival: Eliza Shaddad, Caitlin Park, De'Borah

I'm curating a night at The End Festival on 21 November. This is very exciting for a number of reasons - firstly that I've been a fan of said festival in Crouch End for years, secondly it's another co-promotion with The Local who do fantastic things for new music... and thirdly, the line up: I've managed to snag Shoreditch busker turned hot new talent Eliza Shaddad, Australian folktronica songstress Caitlin Park and the equally skilled Londoner De'Borah all on the same bill at the lovely ex-British Legion social club Earl Haig Hall.

Eliza Shaddad - Waters







Some other Other Woman favourites are also performing across all four nights of the festival including Bridie Jackson and the Arbour, Evelinn Trouble, Mishaped Pearls, The Drink, Leaf Library and Malka. There's also going to be a mini-conference with guest speakers, panelists from The Local and international industry delegates. Ooh ee! Check out the website for more details, and tickets (weekend pass only £25!) here.

Curator of The End, Howard Monk says: “Crouch End is an area full of creative and media types yet only really well known for decent restaurants. However, there are a number of excellent events if you scratch the surface, and this is a fresh one for the calendar, perhaps a little more ambitious in scale. We’re keen to bring excellent touring bands out of the usual epicenters of Shoreditch, Camden, Central London up to Crouch End for a couple of nights. Not just celebrating local acts (although there are a number on the bill), but mixing those with touring acts makes a great event.”

Catch up on The Other Woman

Last week on The Other Woman on Amazing Radio (available to listen again now!) there was so much great new music we hardly knew where to start! Trash Kit are back with a brand new album out in December on brilliant indie Upset the Rhythm. We’ve got a track from Nat Johnson’s new album due out mid-November and trust us, every song we hear just gets better and better! Dear Pariah has launched her stunning EP Engulf on the world too and we’ll be playing the title track from that too.
There’s also Sharon Van Etten, Auclair, Wildbirds & Peacedrums and Hunter As A Horse.

The Other Woman at The Vortex - 16 October

 

You Are Wolf

Excellent east London live music venue The Vortex and The Other Woman have joined forces for this show, bringing together three very different but equally intriguing performers.

Roshi
Roshi featuring Pars Radio is the project created around the beautiful voice, original songs and individual interpretations of Iranian material by Roshi Nasehi. Featuring the electronic soundscapes, beats and production of Graham Dids aka Pars Radio (Gagarin, Nico, John Cale, Pere Ubu), her albums have piqued the interest of an enviable range of the music press, from The Quietus and The Wire, to Q Magazine, The Independent and DJ Magazine. And Mixmag twice voted them experimental record of the month and described Roshi as “one of the most singular voices working at the moment”.
Roshi has received commissions from BBC Radio 3, So & So Circus Theatre and a live score for Birds Eye View for the Southbank 2012 WOW festival. Her most recent commission, from the British Council, was to create and present public sound art in Kuwait in May 2014.



You Are Wolf
You Are Wolf (aka Kerry Andrew) fuses traditional English and American folk with leftfield pop, gentle touches of electronica and a hint of spoken word, all melded with an array of wild vocal techniques. Debut album ‘Hawk to the Hunting Gone’ (produced by MaJiKer) explores the folklore of British birds. She has been played on BBC6Music and has performed commissioned songs and stories for BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4.
‘English avant-folk at its finest’ The Observer
‘imagine Bjork working her magic on the English countryside’ Uncut



Amy Kohn
Amy Kohn is lauded by some of the top composer/producers in modern song: Van Dyke Parks says she’s “Brimming with such talent!” and the late, legendary producer Arif Mardin dubbed Amy a “Musical Devil in a Red Dress” and featured her on his final recording, All My Friends Are Here, along with performers such as Norah Jones, Chaka Khan, and Carly Simon. Amy always seeks sounds she’s never heard, and it comes through in the “oddly structured beauty” (Scottish Herald) of her highly arranged, effervescent music.
Her lushly orchestrated third album PlexiLusso is released on September 16.

PRS Women Make Music funding

I love this picture of Tanya Auclair rocking out. The west London singer and multi-instrumentalist, is one of the many recipients of the PRS for Music Foundation Women Make Music fund.

Are you a woman making music? Have you applied yet? No? Then WHY NOT?! The PRS have up to £5000 to award your project if it ticks their boxes. Applications are wide ranging and varying artists have been awarded money in the past, so it’s clear that the initiative is aimed at all musical styles and genres.

Electro artist Tara Busch, experimental instrumentalist You Are Wolf, alt-choir Gaggle, classical artist Ana Silvera and singer-songwriter Victoria Hume are just some of The Other Woman favourites who have been given a much needed financial boost in the past and this year it could be you!

The deadline for applications is the 29th September and you can find out how to apply here.

Session: This Is The Kit

This Is The Kit is Kate Stables band and she makes fantastic, melodic, folk music which often ends in raucous psych-rock riffing.



We have two beautiful songs from Kate’s forthcoming third album due in February 2015. Kate wrote and recorded the album, it’s produced by Aaron Dessner from The National (who HASN’T he worked with lately?) and says of the experience:

‘Aaron was great to work with. Quite a quiet character. Very thoughtful and tactful. He was great at having a vision of what sound the music should have and then somehow finding it. It’s a pleasure and such a privilege to be able to collaborate with people and share the process of making an album.’

In fact they’ve been on tour with The National so you may have already seen This Is The Kit, or perhaps when they supported Sharon Van Etten too. We think 2015 is going to be a great year for the band and it’s a privilege to have a sneak preview.