Category — The Folkroom

EDIT: We have lyrics! Over the past few months you lot have been swarming to this page. Yes, you personally, who if past results are anything to go by have come here after Googling ‘Emily and the Woods Steal His Heart lyrics’. Up until now, your search has been a fruitless one – this is just a news page. BUT. We emailed Emily, and she’s sent us the lyrics, which you can now find for yourselves here.

A week ahead of her headline appearance at our Folkroom, Emily and the Woods today release a brand-spanking new video for her lovely track ‘Steal His Heart’. It’s about as nice a video starring a stalky postman as you’ll ever see. Given that a) we think Emily and the Woods is one of the most exciting acts knocking about London these days, b) the video is genuinely pretty great and c) she’s playing our gig next week, we thought she deserved a spot on WWL today! And that is literally all the reason we need.

The song features Emily Wood, of course, as well as the rest of the Woods (her lovely father and brother, Patrick and Benedict) and Mumford and Sons’ very own Ted Dwane. You’ll be able to hear more of Emily when her new EP, ‘Eye to Eye’ is released in May, or by coming along to next Wednesday’s Folkroom gig at The Queens Head on Acton Street!

Check out the video here, and learn more about the next Folkroom here, or, you know, forever miss out. Your choice, man.

Four days. That’s how long you’ve got to prepare yourselves. Next Wednesday the Folkroom brings one of the most innovative nights we’ve yet presented. We’re bringing to London the first showcase from Buckinghamshire collective The Clockwork Club – a group of artists working out of the Milton Keynes area, making free music and now, courtest of the Folkroom, playing free gigs!

Opening our Clockwork Folkroom is Hugo Williams -a folk-punk artist who has been writing with other members of The Club since his teens. Following him is Moses Melkonian, who plays a rare breed of folk-step. And to headline, Charlie B. Costello – owner of perhaps the most surprisingly soulful voice you’ll ever hear at the Folkroom. Together The Clockwork Club invade the Folkroom for one night only, an unmissable chunk of experimental (and thoroughly excellent) folk-tinged music.

So yeah. The Folkroom at The Queen’s Head (that’s 66 Acton Street for all you address-fiends), this Wednesday, from 8pm. BAM. See you there.

It’s odd to think that tonight’s gig marks only the 6th edition of The Folkroom – over the past three months WWL has had the pleasure of hosting some of the best folk acts in London, three at a time. To this end, tonight’s gig is set to mix things up a little: firstly, the Folkroom will now play host to four acts every fortnight and secondly, tonight we introduce our first non-South Eastern act. Camille Delean, in fact, is not even English. She’ll be bringing Canadian folk over, by way of Paris. Elsewhere, our headliner tonight is possibly our most accomplished yet – Josienne Clarke’s debut album is out and mixing a more traditional sound with a very modern one to great acclaim. This is a rare chance to catch Clarke in a free gig, so pop down to The Queens Head on Acton Street tonight, from eight, for a real treat. As we do each gig, we asked Josienne…

What do you love about live music?

“The connection, the adrenalin of potential disaster and the mutual recognition of conveying a song effectively. Ultimately, to me, the ideal outcome of any gig is the entire audience in tears. As a listener I have always been most drawn towards the saddest song in any songwriter’s collection, and the catharsis the live music experience grants you. The recording process is in its nature impersonal and really you are simply aiming to produce an accurate representation of a song, the song itself only lives in live performance. Personally I view recording as a means to and end, my reasons for singing and writing are the living, breathing song in all its imperfections. The thrill of a performer is to watch the impact of each line on your audience and as the audience it is the gradual emergence of a picture before you in music and words.”

Josienne Clarke headlines tonights Folkroom, and finds support from Andrew Butler, Kate Stapley and Camille Delean. For more detials, take a gander here.

Tomorrow night will mark the fifth fortnightly Folkroom, hosted by We Write Lists. We’re terribly excited about the line-up this week, and you should be too, seeing as entry is free! In a new feature, WWL is going to bring each Folkroom’s headliner to the site and ask them ‘What do you love about live music?’

This week’s headliner is Emily and the Woods, who have been haunting our ears with their music in the past few months, and who thoroughly deserve your attention. We’re predicting that before long you won’t be able to catch them in free gigs like ours, and recommend you all make your way down to Acton Street in London tomorrow for their set! So, Emily…

What do you love about live music?

“I have grown up going to gigs. My teenage years were spent in London listening to music. Devotion to certain artists came, in part I think, from early years spent watching my dad play and I still find a certain, unique solace at the back of a venue. The strength of sound and the unpredictability of playing live, both watching and performing, is valuable for reaching people of all ages. It’s uniting and collaborative, requiring something from audience and performer and can result in something unforgettable!”

Emily and the Woods headline tomorrow night’s Folkroom, and finds support from the likes of Joe Innes, The Owen Miller Band and Gibson Bull. For more details check here.

For those amongst us who didn’t know, We Write Lists hosts a folk gig every two weeks  at The Queens Head in London. It’s a growing enterprise that currently involves a lot of locals coming in warily, imagining beardy men in thick jumpers playing banjos. It also usually ends with said locals approaching WWL at the end and saying, with a pleasantly surprised smile on their faces, that the music was much, much better than expected.

You know why? Because The Folkroom is about contemporary folk. The folk that you hear Laura Marling playing, that you hear Mumford & Sons playing. Modern folk that is about capturing the nation’s hearts as much as it is about capturing melody. WWL is painfully strict regarding who plays The Folkroom – we pick only the acts we genuinely enjoy and want others to hear. This week we’ve a top notch selection of acts playing:

Rosered & The Butterflies – This Wednesday’s opening act is an unusual mix of twee folk, pop sensibilities and punk-rock attitude. The band usually play with a full line-up of musicians that bring a rounded sound to their often angry and empowered songs, but tomorrow The Folkroom brings a stripped back set that should draw out the raw songwriting ability that the so-called RoseRed has wrapped her fingers around.

Matt Collins of Tiny Birds – Tiny Birds are somewhat of a staple in London’s folk scene, having gathered a loyal fanbase over the time they’ve been performing together. There are hints of Darren Hayman about lead singer Matt Collins’ voice and the gentle instrumentation of their songs belies an intelligent grasp of the world and its ways. Their lead singer’s set tomorrow will see (at last) the first appearance of a ukelele at The Folkroom, and we couldn’t be more excited about it!

XIII and the Brave – Our headline act at this week’s Folkroom are a duo who started as two separate acts. Benji XIII and Saffy le Bon have come now together with a timely collection of songs based around their haunting vocal harmonies and beautifully intricate guitar playing. Tomorrow’s set, in the cosy surroundings of The Queens Head will be a rare chance to catch them in a venue befitting their warm sound.

So come down tomorrow to The Queens Head on Acton Street – there’s great music, great drinks and (I can vouch for this) the best Ploughman’s in London! Music starts at 8:30, but you’re welcome whenever! Look out for WWL, who will be introducing each act, and quite possibly tripping over the stage again if you’re all lucky…