Listening to ‘I Think It Was Love’, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d stumbled upon some lost classic soul recording, rather than a young musician from Manchester. Josephine’s voice is something incredible; warm, wise, confident and able to stop even the hardest of cynics in their tracks.
We’re very excited to welcome for the first time to Cardiff this wonderful New-Tropic-folk singer possesing such jawdropping vocal quality that must be witnessed first hand to be believed.
“Josephine is unlike any singer I’ve ever worked with, her talent is in equal measure as high as the heavens and as deep as the Mariana trench. It astounds me.” - Ed Harcourt
“She’s remarkable. An old soul singer in a beautiful young girl” - Guy Garvey
A patchwork of influences from West African high life to her local heroes Morrissey & Marr… from the inspirational activist/guitarist/songwriter Odetta to modern US weird folk music.
Such a richness of influences came partly thanks to her Liberian Mother’s vast collection of vinyl albums. Stacked in the front room when she was growing up there was Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, The Isley Brothers, Johnny Cash and The Supremes. Then there were her Mum’s house parties; “she used to play a lot of high life and congo – her parties were madness really. High life to her is pop music.”
Growing up in the late 80s – ‘Manchester is a music city and it’s easy to get involved. An amazing album like ‘Hatful of Hollow’ does spur you on. In the videos they ride past a sign saying Cheetham Hill – where I grew up – and you think ‘it’s possible to be from a place like this and come out with something that brilliant’.
JOSEPHINE has been forging her sound and distinctive voice with live performances since she was 15, inspired by great storytellers - “ I put the guitar down and free write in my notebook, trying to get to the centre of the idea - I like to have strong melodies but lyrics that leave some suggestion for you to come back to on a second and third listen.’
CATCH JOSEPHINE on our BIRTHDAY WEEKENDER – SUNDAY 7th NOVEMBER 2010
support RUBY SAMBA & lOWRI EVANS
DOORS 7.30pm/£4 on door
