Last year we launched The Levels Collective – a music night ran in partnership with Bridgwater Arts Centre in Somerset. We have another special evening coming up on Friday 25th September 2015 featuring legendary British folk singer-songwriter Steve Ashley supported by London based Dutch-English singer, songwriter Gitta de Ridder. It promises to be unforgettable evening so book your tickets here.
Steve Ashley is one of British folk’s finest singer-songwriters, we interviewed him back in 2012 which marked his 50th Anniversary of playing in folk clubs (read it here).
His songs have been covered by a folk legends such as Fairport Convention and Anne Briggs and his music has influenced many of the more contemporary bands today such as The Owl Service and Sproatly Smith.
His album career began in 1974 with an award-winning debut, the ground-breaking ‘Stroll On’, which to this day, is still regarded as a folk-rock classic. In total, Steve’s released ten albums of original songs – consistently melding tradition with innovation and delivering intelligent and inspired English poetry amid beautifully distinctive original melodies.
A former lead singer with The Albion Country Band and his own Ragged Robin, Steve has also been backed by Fairport Convention and led orchestral settings of his songs conducted by Nick Drake’s arranger, the late Robert Kirby. In 2013 his long career was celebrated in Dave Thompson’s acclaimed musical biography: Fire and Wine – An Armchair Guide to Steve Ashley – updated this year to include his latest album, ‘This Little Game’. If you like songs that are edgy, challenging and compassionate – and sometimes very funny – then don’t miss this performance.
Dutch-English singer and songwriter Gitta de Ridder draws the listener into a world full of atmosphere and feeling. Feelings of joy, sadness and wonder. Stories, thoughts, dreams, hopes, and all that lies between wrapped up in a blanket of indie folk acoustic guitar sounds and beautiful melodies.
She grew up in The Netherlands leaving the family home to go study music at age 18. A journey that took her from the Netherlands to Germany, to Italy, Greece, Ireland and the UK, settling in London in 2008 where she has lived ever since. Her first single ‘Mr Yesterday’ released in September 2014 gathered attention from BBC introducing, Amazing Radio and several Dutch Radio stations and with her self-produced debut EP ‘Come Find Me’ released in January 2015 and received with shining reviews she is starting to be a name to remember.
Join us for this fantastic evening on Friday, 25 September 2015 20:00
Bridgwater Art Centre
11-13 Castle Street, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 3DD
Ticket Link