- This event has passed.
Adam Beattie
June 4, 2017 @ 7:30 pm - 11:00 pm
£10.00With Eilidh Morrison, Ross Mitchell and Kimona.
Superb! A great ear for melody and a natural talent for lyric writing
Bruce MacGregor, BBC RADIO SCOTLAND
Incredibly beautiful – Mary Anne Hobbs, BBC RADIO 6 MUSIC
Very beautiful – Alan Raw, BBC RADIO LEEDS
Really Special – Sue Marchant, BBC RADIO THREE COUNTIES
Expansive folk outpourings are astonishingly beautiful – freshbeats365.com
Scottish singer songwriter Adam Beattie released his fourth studio album ‘The Road Not Taken’ in May this year with a sell-out show at Hoxton Hall in London and a UK-wide tour. The album has received critical acclaim, describing the songs as “gently affecting”, “intoxicating” and “carefully crafted”, but always picking up on the album’s “dark twist”. The minor ballads and moody blues are a distinct element of Adam’s sound, and separate the music from the current folk trends.
Adam himself describes his influences as Celtic folk, American blues, country and early jazz balladry. Emotional but laced with wry humour, gentle but gutsy at the core, Adam’s beautiful melodies combine with thoughtful lyrics to tackle themes of life, love, death and hope. His exquisite voice and intricate guitar work fuse envelop you like a warm hug.
From the Celtic waltz of ‘Welcome Home’ to the blues-tones of ‘The Man Who Loves Too Much’, and from the melancholy jazz ballad ‘Catch the Biggest Fish and Let it Go’ to the Turkish infused 5/4 groove ‘I’m On Your Side’, Adam has created a breathtakingly beautiful sound that is all his own, and a show that has earned him support slots with the likes of Bert Jansch and Jolie Holland.
His band ‘The Consultants’ is a shifting line up of musicians featuring piano, violin, double bass and drums. He is often joined by long-term collaborator and singer-songwriter Brooke Sharkey.
Adam has been playing and recording since 2003 and has released three previous studio albums; ‘Songs Of One Hundred Years’ (2012), ‘We’ll Wave From The Shore’ (2009) and ‘Abu Bozy’ (2006).
Adam has spent the summer touring in the UK to promote the album and has previously toured in Germany, Ukraine, France, Italy, Cyprus, Holland and Belgium. He has graced the stages of The Union Chapel, Bush Hall and Wilton’s Music Hall in London, appeared at Broadstairs, Sidmouth and Cambridge Folk Festivals, and is part of musicians collectives; The Jamboree, Woodburner and 14 Bacon Street in London.
Review of the ‘The Road Not Taken’
Carefully crafted, gently affecting songwriting with a dark twist – Roddy Hart, BBC RADIO SCOTLAND
Really effective … Blown away by that man’s voice – Frank Hennessy, Celtic Heartbeat, BBC RADIO WALES
Not a single word is wasted, unnecessary or throwaway … On all levels, this is a very impressive album and I enjoyed it greatly. Thoughtful, subtly arranged songs, distinctively sung, finely played by all involved and stunningly recorded and produced. Between them, Adam Beattie and Fred Thomas have created something rather lovely here – Paul Jackson, FATEA
The Road Not Taken is an album saturated in melody and a remarkably deft example of where contemporary folk music resides in 2016 … warmth and sincerity – Hackney Citizen/East End Review
Warmly Intoxicating – FRoots
Stands out as one of the rare few whose music has the depth to match the bohemian image – Evening Express, Aberdeenshire
His distinctive mellow voice and finger-picking folk-blues guitar work mesmerize … both humorous and moving at the same time … beautiful melodies and intelligent, thoughtful lyrics – The Morning Star
Masterful songwriting … beautiful melodies combine with inventive lyrics – Louder Than War