Almost a year ago to the day, we premiered All I Dream About (Is You), the perfect entry point into Toria Wooff’s mystical repertoire. A painter, poet, songwriter and storyteller, her penchant for gothic darkness, pedal steel, Hammond organ and beautiful string sections, all 70s driven and far removed from the weathered hills of her hometown in Lancashire. Toria is on tour now (see dates below) and will also perform in a Christmas Special, presented by The Roman Candle, also featuring Sweet Giant, Tom Blackwell and DBH.
Her music has been described as standing in the crossfires of gothic literature and pained Americana, while she has likened her music to her own paintings: “My songwriting is almost an exploration of colour that I try to showcase through physical paintings”.
Talking about her upbringing and introduction to Folk Rock, she recalled how “Every corner had a guitar, and we had so many CDs and records. The incredibly dark and weird imagery of a Led Zeppelin video from the ‘70s stopped me in my tracks. I couldn’t play like Jimmy Page, but their softer melodies led me to Fairport Convention and Neil Young.”
With the sonic rabbit hole well and truly open, Toria encountered Joan Baez, Crosby Stills and Nash, Pink Floyd, and Townes Van Zandt. Her roots entwined to the windswept valleys of Lancashire, the rural setting provided a fitting backdrop to the music as she began to sense a connection with the Celtic and Gaelic folklore of her mother’s Scottish heritage. “I loved growing up on the Moors; there’s a romanticism that comes with living there… the hills are the same today as they’ve always been.” Making past times strangely present with pagan-like spirituality, Toria’s melancholic bite lies between the pages of gothic literature and historical texts. In lockdown, she undertook a course in Meteorology, inspiring her song ‘Doldrums’ where the literal and figurative arcs of misery and turbulent seas meet. “I’m inspired by the world’s natural existence and enjoy learning how to look at things and identify patterns… the terminology on the page had this ancient feeling, like an antiquated language which somehow made sense.”
Upcoming Dates
07 Nov – Prohibition Recording Studios, Liverpool – Tickets
09 Nov – The Golden Eagle, Chester
10 Nov – The Studio, Hartlepool – Tickets
11 Nov – Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds – Tickets
12 Nov – The Water Rats, London – Tickets
14 Dec – St Mary’s Creative Space, Chester (Roman Candle Christmas Special) – Tickets
