From: Frances Moran [F_dot_Moran_at_kent_dot_ac_dot_uk]
Sent: 10 November 2008 09:57
Subject: Amy Wadge - Gulbenkian

For Images visit http://www.kent.ac.uk/gulbenkian/pressimages.html

 

K-City Music Tuesdays

 

 

Tuesday 25 November 8pm

Gulbenkian Café Bar Canterbury

 

The last K-City Music Tuesday of the season features top female singer/ songwriter Amy Wadge, who makes a welcome return to the Gulbenkian,

with her honest, unsentimental and emotionally articulate songs.

 

 “Pint sized poetess with valley quaking voice. Her songs have a raw vibrancy that suit her earthy voice and emotionally mature lyrics” Q magazine

 

Amy Wadge has enjoyed many highlights in her career so far. She played a sell-out gig at Nashville’s Bluebird Café, supported Jeff Beck on a national tour and won ‘Top Female Vocalist’ against the likes of Charlotte Church and Cerys Matthews at the Welsh Music Awards.

 

“A new Joni Mitchell, with her distinctive voice and well-crafted songs” London Evening Standard

 

On the last Tuesday of every month, K-City introduces their own brand of live music events in the Gulbenkian Café Bar. With an emphasis on original bands and performers, Music Tuesdays aims to elevate Tuesdays beyond ‘the most dull day of the week’ and present an interesting mix of rising stars and seasoned veterans.

 

Tickets £5

 

Booking Office 01227 769075

On line bookings www.gulbenkiantheatre.co.uk

 

Tapas menu available 5.30pm – 8.30pm (additional charge)

 

Ends

 

Editors Notes

 

http://www.amywadge.com/

http://www.kcityradio.co.uk

Biography

Amy was born and brought up in Backwell, a small village just outside Bristol. Her father's passion for music influenced Amy enormously and she was exposed to the sounds of everyone from The Beatles to Elton John, Pink Floyd to Joni Mitchell, from a very tender age.

While still at school, she regularly gigged around Bristol's numerous, celebrated music venues. Amy caught the performing bug and determined that this was what she was going to do. At the age of 14, she signed her first record deal with her band 'Two Of A Mind' and released her first single at the age of 16.

Amy then moved to Wales to study acting at the RWCMD and busked on the streets of Cardiff, to pay her way through college. Amy started performing at Open Mic sessions in Cardiff's Toucan Club and soon started developing a fan base and gaining critical recognition. She was quickly spotted and received encouragement from some of the big players in the city, among them, Manics/Catatonia/Super Furry Animals producer, Greg Haver, who recorded her debut mini-album, The Famous Hour.

Amy signed with a small independent Cardiff label, 'FF Vinyl', who were also doing A&R work for the BBC, seeking out local acts for the 2001, 'Radio 2 Music Live' week in Cardiff. She got a slot on the Janice Long Late Night Session at Clwb Ifor Bach and was heralded as one of the week's highlights. The set was broadcast in its entirety that night.

'FF', released The Famous Hour. It ended up on the desk of the people launching 'BBC 6Music'. They loved it and immediately asked Amy to perform at their launch night. Also on the bill that night were The Stereophonics, Embrace, Pete Yorn and Lenny Kravitz. It seemed that the word was out.

Later that year, Amy impressed at the Cambridge Folk Festival, took Brittany's Interceltic Festival by storm and was voted Best Female Solo Act at the 2002, Welsh Music Awards, beating Charlotte Church. Offers of prestigious support slots started flooding in, including opening for Van Morrison, Bob Geldoff, Damien Rice, Eric Bibb and ultimately, the entire Jeff Beck, 2004, UK tour which saw Amy play The Royal Albert Hall on two occasions.

2003 also saw Amy take the Best Female Solo Act title at the Welsh Music Awards, for the second year running, this time ahead of Cerys Matthews.

Since graduating, Amy has stayed in Wales and has now officially, gone native, marrying a Welshman and learning Welsh. Her last single USA? We'll wait and see... was in fact released in both languages, English and Welsh.

 

Frances Moran
Marketing Manager
Gulbenkian Theatre
University of Kent
Canterbury
CT2 7NB
 
01227 827956
 
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