Helen Gregory

Gin is a joyous and celebratory record which crackles and sparkles with a joie de vivre which is sadly lacking from all too many of Stanley Brinks and The Wave Pictures’ contemporaries.

Despite being her 6th full-length record in a decade Marissa Nadler sounds as engaged with her music as ever on her latest offering ‘July’.

Everything Changes is a well-rounded and gorgeous-sounding record which neatly summarises Rachel Sermanni’s musical journey so far…a milestone recording paving the way for a larger audience.

Y Bardd Anfarwol is the latest offering from The Gentle Good, a record which sounds new and fresh, as delicate as a watercolour yet with the energy of a master calligrapher’s work.

Emiliana Torrini’s latest album Tookah makes a big impression on Helen with its recurring lyrical themes of change and moving on that are also reflected in the music through dynamic tension and a sense of restlessness.

The Boathouse Sessions is an accomplished record which highlights Rachel’s growing artistic maturity; its relaxed, spontaneous feel and deceptively complex arrangements mark it out as something to be played over and over.

Chris T-T & The Hoodrats latest album ‘The Bear’ shows the mark of a writer and musician who knows his art and his craft; a rare thing in this disposable age where even instant gratification isn’t quick enough.

The scenes on Emily Jane White’s Blood / Lines are worlds between worlds and the spaces between words, ghost ships passing in the night. This is the music of yesterday and tomorrow, seen through the gauzy curtain of today.

Just a week into a 28-date UK tour, Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo rolled into town and proceeded to tear the roof off a packed house at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Helen was there for FRUK.

Nordic duo Mona & Maria offer a sonic time capsule of better days tinged with the famed Nordic melancholia on their debut album My Sun. A welcome pick-me-up for the winter ahead.

Kathryn Williams’ new album Crown Electric unites disparate elements from the simple to the complex, light and dark, loud and quiet through musicianship & gorgeous singing. You need this record in your life.

Helen catches a great performance by Gill Sandell at The Green Note accompanied by Ted Barnes, Anna Jenkins, Jo Silverston with a guest appearance from Adrian Crowley.