The Flown Tour : Part The Third

Ey Up 🙂

Well how’s it going? I am having a great week,  things are going good and I am feeling very productive. In fact, I would go as far to say that I’m on a roll! My ability to get work done however, is directly linked my spring tour coming to an end…booo 😦

But hey, what an awesome two months it’s been; it has been proper cathartic to get back out on the road and just play! I’ve had a chance to play loads of songs from the new record (more news on that soon!), I’ve done a couple of gigs with my lovely band and I’ve also frequented some right lush venues. So all in all, a very special send off for Adelphi, so here it is,   Part 1 of the final round up from The Flown Tour:

This is gonna be well pic heavy cos…well just cos 🙂

Well I headed off to Seaton, Devon for a return visit to the lovely Jurassic Folk. A cracking event hosted in a night club…the most exciting thing about it being in a night club is that there is a pole dancing podium in the middle of the room! Not many folk clubs can boast that now can they! I was tempted to have a go, but I decided that I really couldn’t afford to break any limbs so that was the end of that :p

I’ve gotta show you these…they belong to Hilary, the lovely hostess from jurassic folk. The pink laces just make them, don’t you agree?

Woo Dr Martens!

After that gig I was up at the crack of dawn and on the road for 6am to get myself over to cambridge for a day in the studio with Stu and Sam laying the bass down. I was cream crackered, mornings are not my cup of tea! On route we did pass Stone Henge, however from the road it looks distinctly less impressive and strikingly more like the ickle spinal tap version which did make me smile at early o’clock 😀

The day in the studio was great, although I will admit I was a little sleepy at times and had to eat A LOT of malted milks to maintain focus! Sam played amazingly, I’ve known him for 19 years and the dude is just a bass master! Much like the guys in the video below!

…Sam is also a moog whisperer

Moog getting involved 🙂

Next on the touring schedule was Bothy Folk Club in Southport. My first time at this proper club full of fantastic resident singers and a very friendly audience! It’s completely acoustic and so given the opportunity to not be stuck to a microphone I was having a right boogie on stage…I made a joke about being like beyonce…worrying, I know :p however it seem to fly over the heads of the most traddie in attendance

Hehe, I wish I could move like that…my standard dance moves are much more akin to an octopus trying to put on a jumper 😀 Anyways, Fatea Magazine came and reviewed the evening…you can find it by heading to their website and clicking on ‘live’ 🙂

A few days past and I was flung back into the studio, working with the beautiful soul that is Joy Gravestock. Oh man, it was such an awesome day, it was the beginning of all the grand plans falling into place. I just sat and listened 🙂

Joy

Busy day alert! 2 festivals in a day! although I have been known to do 3 😉

First up the utterly scrumptious and brand-spanking-new Derbyshire festival ‘Hairpin Hullabaloo‘. I was playing there  with Mills and Chimneys, but the main reason I just have to give this a mention is because this festival was run by my very good friend David Gibb of David Gibb and Elly Lucas with help from ‘Mills…’ compadre Julian Butt and they did a smashing job! 2 days of great folk music including Jez Lowe and The Bad Pennies, Pilgrims Way, Greg Russell and more. Here’s to the brilliant hullabaloo long may it reign! 🙂

How gorgeous is this stage?!

BEAUTIFUL VENUE ALERT!!! Pot Belly Folk Festival at Kettering Arts Centre is a relatively new venture too, this was their 5th folk festival and what a special day it was (I was there for the evening only but I was told the day was just as mighty!). Held in a church this place had a real magic atmosphere to it…proper spinetingling stuff! And I was headlining…headlining…a festival…totally cool 🙂 we did have a few technical hitches but once we got going  all was well. I managed to catch the lovely Hadrian’s Union and Jez Hellard, whom I had never seen before but was totally ace!

Jez Hellard rocking out!

Just three more stops on the solo dates then I shall leave you in peace for today 🙂

Record Store Day was on the 20th of April and I headed down to ‘David’s‘ in Letchworth for a cheeky stint in their beautiful shop which sells not only records but books/instruments/cake and everything else that is good in the world! I spent lots! Or Rob did, I wasn’t carrying cash 😉

The 1963 production for Radio 4 of The Hobbit = GEEK HAPPINESS!!!!

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.

The lushly (yes I did make that word up) Dunton Folk is pretty brand new, they started at the back end of 2012 and are really passionate about supporting acoustic music and putting on a fantastic programme of gigs. Also in a church, the venue is just gorgeous, in fact as we drove into the village we could see the church, sun blazing down, flower beds all in bloom it just looked like something out of a water colour ya know 🙂 My old friend Kate Denny (formerly of The Kittiwakes) did a beautiful support set. Awesome arrangements, accompanied by Charlie Skelton…ah it was just so up my street, lots of death, misery and crunchy harmony!

The very last date on the tour was at a launch event for Beverley Festival and I was sandwiched in between 2 lovely gents. T.E Morris who was new to me, but boy has he got passion! And headlining that evening was Steve Tilston. Supporting Steve was my first ever paid gig and it always feels great to play on a bill with him. The man is just such a beautiful songwriter!

Also at this gig there was caravan in the backstage area! Awesomesauce!

Indoor caravanning for the win!

Right then, that really is enough for today 🙂 But check back tomozipan for the part 2 of this blog where I will be rambling about

• The recent Lucy Ward Band gigs
• Top 5 Tour Stats
• FESTIVAL SEASON!!!
• The forthcoming new album

Ciao peeps, hope you are enjoying the sunshine!

Luce xx

The Flown Tour : Part Uno!

Eh Up 🙂

How’s it going you lovely lot? I am well thanks, I have been working hard since we last spoke and catching up with the tv brilliance that is ‘Nashville‘! Have you seen it?! The music is flipping ace! It’s got me feeling all inspired to write a country album :p hehe or to at least crack out my Patsy Cline vinyls!

So then, the tour has officially kicked off, I have done 4 gigs, and it has been a blast, I am loving being out on the road again, gigging, meeting loads of new folk, catching up with old friends – to cut a long story short – I’m having a ball! 😀 And thankfully there is plenty of touring still to be had 🙂 I’ll be in Staffordshire, Kent (Just 8 tickets left!), Sheffield (Limited availability), Lincolnshire (Just 8 tickets left!) , Devon, Southport, Kettering, Bedfordshire and Hull before the spring is out!

As part of this tour I will also be doing two rare gigs with The Lucy Ward Band 😀 Members of the band include the gorgeous, uber talented, BBC Radio 2 Folk Award nominees O’Hooley and Tidow, Sam Pegg on bass guitar and Joy Gravestock on strings. Catch us…

18th April – Derby Guildhall  (Limited Availability – Can’t wait to play my home town!)

19th April – Abingdon Guildhall

————————

Anyways, shameless plug over, here is a little round up on what has happened so far on this here spring tour 🙂

The tour kicked off in Croydon with a night hosted in super indie, super lovely Matthews Yard. The first thing that told me that this was gonna be a great gig was cos people were allowed to bring cups of tea into the gig…how brilliant is that! But hot beverages aside, two great support acts, 1 young duo just starting out (in fact it was their first gig) and comedy songstress Jenny Lockyer kicked off the night in style

Another reason I was proper chuffed was because we reached ’emergency chairs’ capacity, which is always a good sign 🙂

The gig went well and the audience were lovely. Afterwards I asked a lady if she knew of anywhere good to get some grub (cos I have always have the major munchies after playing) and it turned out she was the land lady of  fantastic local pub, The Green Dragon, and though the kitchens were closed she went and personally cooked me and Rob chip butties 🙂 GET IN!

Bit dark but YAY for chip butties!

The next day the tour took a turn further south with a stop at Burgess Hill Fairtrade Festival supporting the mighty Martin Simpson. I was bricking it, naturally, but Martin was really lovely and I can now say I have sat down to lasagne with the great man himself (pretty cool eh?!). This was the only support spot in the tour, but (in addition to supporting Martin Simpson) to be part of this festival which works so hard to highlight the core issues surrounding Fairtrade and to educate us on how we can all make a conscious effort to support justice and equality in our day to day lives, was just too important a thing to miss.

Back up in the midlands, a gig at Tump Folk Club, where not only tea was served but you could get it in whacking, great, massive 6 cup teapots HAPPY DAYS 😀 hehe! A cracking club with a lovely audience, I was supported by the americana influenced outfit Borderline Crossing, they’ve got a real groove to their music those guys and a fun night was had. I also got gifted some proper fancy macaroons…which were amazing! 

Lastly for this update, it was off Macclesfield way to Bollington Arts Centre, a gorgeous venue in a converted Methodist church. And it turned out to be a really special gig, as loads of you folks that I have met over the years came down to say hello and the energy in the room was buzzing. Plus it was sold out which was a right cheeky bonus! 😀

Right then folks, you take care and I’ll hopefully see you somewhere soon

Luce xx

My face on the telly :)

Ey Up

How’s it going? Hope that you are well 🙂

I am pretty jet lagged to be honest! I got back from Toronto early monday morning and although Folk Alliance International was totally amazing, I am utterly cream crackered!! I’ll get a blog up about it all asap but in the mean time…

MY FACE WERE ON THE TELLY BOX 😀

After following me around last summer, the folks at BBC East Midlands’ Inside Out programme, have a made a really lovely 10 min film not only about me, but also about how vital the folk scene is and there is even the great John Tams having a natter 🙂

Check it out, my segment starts 19 mins, 40secs in

http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b01qzfpl/

Make sure you spot the bit where Rob is desperately trying to rub blue hair dye off my face while I am arranging where we r off to next…it had been verrrry hot on stage, the dye had run and I was heading straight off to do some tv for sky :p doh!

Anyway, hope Wednesday is treating you well

TTFN

Luce xx

Belated 2012 round up, the future and so on :)

I am sure you have all seen the terrible news this week about the tragic accident at a Fisherman’s Friends show that killed Paul McMullen and Trevor Grills. I have written this blog today with a sadness in my heart as it was over 2012 that I met, worked with and became friends with both of these kind and talented men. My love and thoughts go out to their families in this time of great tragedy. Both Paul and Trevor made an impact on many peoples lives and they will not be forgotten.

Ey Up 🙂

Well here we are, 2013.

What with having the lurgy and starting to record the new album, January kinda flew by and before i knew it…it had gone. But even though we have now rolled on into February this IS the first blog post of the new year, so it seems appropriate to do a quick round up on all the mentalness that 2012 held…so here we go, a whistle stop tour of the year that was! Bestest highlights only to keep this blog to novella length hehe! 🙂

January:

• I started the year with a lovely writing holiday on the Devon/Cornwall border, in an attempt to kick start my mind into second album gear 🙂 I think I succeeded more in scaring myself half to death with the thought of ‘the difficult second album’ but a year later it’s all written and I am finally in the studio laying it all down 🙂
• My first Derbyshire Volounteers gig – This was veryyyyyy special, I had been inducted into the ranks of ‘official’ Derbyshire Folkies, playing in a scratch band with the likes of John Tams, Barry Coope, Fi Fraser, Kendrick:Needham, Cupola, Mick Peat and more…there are nearly 20 of us in total! It’s just an amazing opportunity to play with a myriad of ridiculously brilliant and giving musicians, plus I think I am the honorary baby of the group which is quite a nice experience hehe
• For The Dead Men was released…

February:

• THE FOLK AWARDS! what an amazing experience that was, and looking back nearly a year on; what an array of amazing opportunities that award has brought my way…a really special evening that I certainly won’t be forgetting in a hurry. Click here for full blog on the folk awards!

March:

• I went on tour with the lovely Phil Beer, the man is truly a ledge! Beautiful music, beautiful venues and a particularly beautiful sandwich in Torrington I seem to recall, cheese and pickle, mmmm
• I moved house, and painted it every colour you can imagine…BUT NOT MAGNOLIA! 😀 I also put a tardis in the kitchen, you know, just in case the doctor wants to come for tea 🙂

Polyfilla Poser

April:

• I visited the hallowed halls of Cecil Sharp House for the very first time. I guess for all folkies the place has a strange majesty to it (sounds daft but it certainly evokes that feeling in me); perhaps because you know it holds the roots of  the tradition, or perhaps it’s the gorgeous little bijou cafe, either way, it’s worth a visit. I was supporting my self pronouced ‘surrogate lesbian parents’ O’Hooley and Tidow (btw, have you listened to their 2nd album yet? It’s beautiful!) Find more about their music here.
• We got kittens! And they are well cool! Totally make the house, I named mine Ziggy Stardust, for this reason: ‘Screwed up eyes and screwed down hair-do, like some CAT from Japan’…’Well hung with a SNOW WHITE tan’…there really is no better name for a white cat wouldn’t you agree? 🙂

Ziggy

May:

• Rob got Laser eyes! I was kind of hoping that this would mean he would be like Cyclops from X-Men and be able shoot lasers out of his eyes…apparently, that not how it works 😦 boooo! but none the less this got a mention because science is amazing, a 7 miunte procedure followed by perfect vision, it’s just unbelieveable! 🙂
• I somehow managed to land myself a gig at the famous Ronnies’ Bar, yep, i do mean the famous jazz club Ronnies Bar, but what a spectacular evening it was. I’ll be honest, I was pretty apprehensive as to whether he audience would go for my brand of daft banter but they were well up for it. It was transformed into a folk club in minutes and I am very proud to say that I even had the suited and booted business men singing ‘Maids When You’re Young’ hehe 😀
• May also saw me headline a festival for the first time ever. The small but perfectly formed Doncaster Folk Festival! You know what, I spent my childhood going to music and new age festivals, I spend my working life at Folk Festivals, and this festival, despite being a very simple and small set up, has an amazing vibe. The crowd are always up for a laugh, they are warm and giving and it’s all indoors so no mud (I am not put off by a bit of mud but it is a pain when you’re carting stuff about) Plus there are hot homemade stews on a dolly trolly…whats not to like!
• It’s very rare that musicians get to go to gigs cos they are always gigging themselves;  and in all honesty, when I aint gigging, the novelty of a night in is sometimes just too much to resist. But back in May me and Rob went to see Coldplay for the 2nd time, and I tell you, big arena concerts aren’t my fave (if you are at the back you sometimes can feel so disjointed from the gig that you feel you might as well be watching it on the telly) but this gig was amazing! An inclusive, emotional and communal experience from start to finish. Cracking night!

I love you Chris Martin!!!

June:

• Festival season was well underway by this point, and the  true beginning of my summer under canvas…i am definitely the queen of camp! Palatial tent for the win!
• Cupola:Ward had it’s first gig. Tis proper exciting to be part of band, especially cos I almost always play solo! And even more especially because Cupola are all so flipping talented, I just get to prance around pretending I’m Mick Jagger or Iggy Pop :p

• Mills and Chimneys combined with mighty Sinphonia Viva to undertake a mammoth project involving schools from all over Derbyshire in composing music and songs inspired by their own county’s history. It was the first time I’ve worked with an orchestra, and my they are a clever bunch of clogs! And the kids were amazing; singing songs we had written for and with them – not a dry eye in the house!
• A true rarity! I went to a festival purely as a punter! Isle Of Wight Festival is a blast. It’s got a really chilled communal vibe and when it wasn’t raining, the sun was so glorious that my nose was not dissimilar to Rudolph’s. Best acts we saw were probably Biffy Clyro and Joan Armatrading (I cried at her gig, I love her music so much and she is such a beautiful performer)…ooo and it was a bit muddy to say the least:

MUD 😀

• And then we went to Sark. Sark is amazing. No cars, No pavements (cos there are no cars to run you over), No streetlamps (The sky was bursting with stars!) and a cracking little festival! You must go! Because Sark is awesome!

Playing in a vineyard 🙂

Ah man I’ve rambled on loads, congratulations if you have made it this far, I am just rubbish at being succinct! Right, time to step it on up a gear WARP SPEED AHEAD!

July:

• Supported Seth Lakeman again…I love him!
•  I was invited back to my old school to judge their music festival. I was in it 7 times, very weird to be the one making the decisions hehe
•  I met oddsocks and the journey of becoming a composer for theatre began…yay 😛
• I played for the first time at Cambridge Folk Festival, and somehow managed to pull a full capacity crowd…MENTAL! Whilst I was there I also did a stint for Sky Arts (for both tv and an exclusive web interview)…MENTAL! watch the exclusive video here.

August:

• Rebellion punk festival! Oh man, it was so good! And I had the most boring hair out of anyone there which made a refreshing change hehe :p It was great to be included! Folk and Punk are very similar in my mind, songs of the people, by the people…plus I can now say I have supported BOW WOW WOW…’GO WILD IN THE COUNTRY’
•  More dashing up and down the country for festivals 🙂

September:

• The recording of the soundtrack for Folie a Deux!  And working with the amazing Barna, a Hungarian gypsy fiddle player who’s music was out of this world…more about that project here

October:

• My beautiful new nephew was born, he is my 9th little one and a right little man!
• Netherlands tour and european jaunt…which was brill…so much cheese…more info here

November

• Premiere of Folie in Amsterdam! My name on the big screen, utterly mad, but an amazing moment that I will treasure.

December:

• After working through out the year on writing new material for the album I was back in the studio beginning to lay down the bare bones of the tracks 😀
• Took part in an amazing collaborative project with the Hullaballoo Community Quire down in Brighton. They had set some of my songs to music and we performed them together in a beautiful chapel, ah man, twas just lovely!

Then it was xmas, and xmas is always super special in our house, what with 5 brothers and sisters and 9 nieces and nephews you can imagine it’s a pretty hectic one 🙂

I played 28 festivals, 86 Folk Clubs, traveled 16,00 miles, and (soppy moment brewing)  I want to thank each and every promoter, committee, techy, audience member, pie maker and pizza seller that I have met along the way…you continue to make my job a pleasure 🙂

So there you have it, 2012 in a nut shell!

I’ve babbled way too much already, but in the worlds quickest run down 2013 has much in store for me already:

2nd album release  International Folk Conference in Canada, Touring again in Holland, more touring, the release of the Penguin Companion album (more details of that coming soon) and so much more, I can’t wait to see what else 2013 has to bring 🙂

For now, you take care out there, and live everyday like it’s your last.

Luce xx

Billy Bragg, For The Dead Men and Fishermen

Ey up 🙂

Well ya know I was going to do you a big fishyfriends write up

Me and the Fisherman's Friends 🙂

…well I am still going to do that…but as per life I have turned on facebook and got distracted :s hehe

I got distracted because Billy Bragg has shared the video for my single, ‘For The Dead Men’

‘Good day for news yesterday – James Murdoch goes back to New York with his tail between his legs, the Tories are forced into a U-turn on workfare by activists putting pressure on big business and then hearing this new song on 6Music late last night “Stand up and take to the streets, they can’t ignore us if we all choose to speak”. Brilliant’

I first saw Billy Bragg when I was just ten years old at Glastonbury, he blew me away and since that time I have held such a massive respect for that fella and his music. I’ve seen him play a number of times (including a duet with Bill Bailey! which was nothing short of brilliant!), poured over his albums and just well…he is up there in my eyes as one of those people who has done so much, and written lyrics that I covet and..

What I am trying to say is that it is very surreal that Billy Bragg has heard of me, let alone likes my song.

Totally true, utterly stunned bit out of the way, someone asked me at my gig on monday why I wrote this song and why ‘dead men’; it was quite a big question and I think I could of rambled on about it for yonks (you know how I like to talk :p ).  Well I have been thinking about it more since that question and thought that for this weeks post I would have a little muse about what inspired it, how I wrote it and how I feel about it now.

Why did I write it?

I wrote it out of desperation! I guess it was a reaction to what is going on in the world, catalysed by watching the marches, riots and revolutions unfold on my tv screen. I am a total pacifist, and a veggie one at that so please know that I would never condone any violence, but there was something about watching  those who were making their voices heard (in a peaceful way) that just…i dunno…spoke to me.  

 Why dead men?

 

It started out as a reference to those who have marched before us, but as the song has developed I feel it has become more than that. I really think it refers to us all, ‘the dead men’ are those of us sticking our heads in the sand, ignorant to what is happening and our power to affect it. It’s apathy. It is also all those on the thin edge of the wedge who have been left deal with the true fall out of the cuts and reforms… while the rest of us (including myself) sit in our warm, paid up homes thinking about cutting down our broadband package.

 

The response that this song has had so far has been quite overwhelming with lots of you guys sharing it online, it has been knocked around ‘occupies’ all over the world since I recorded it, Mike Harding has shared it, it’s beginning to get airplay and today with Billy Bragg sharing it with his 90,000 + fans on facebook it really feels like something important is happening. It’s just great to know that there are people out there who feel the same.

 

please continue to share this should you feel so inclined

 Just for your info, this single is my first new release since my album last year. It is available on itunes and amazon as a download and if you would like a physical copy then they are only available from me, (just £3 + £1 for postage and packaging)…just drop me an email on info@lucywardsings.com and I’ll get back to you asap 🙂   

 

 Right then

 

I best go get ready as it is the first date of my tour Spring Horizon Tour tonight…very exciting as I am kicking off with a Derbyshire date 😀

 

For full list of tour dates click to —> http://www.lucywardsings.com/dates.php

 

Have a lovely thursday guys

 

Luce xx

 

 

FOLK AWARDS! :D Horizon award winner 2012

 

Ey Up!

How goes it? 🙂

Sorry it’s taken me til now to get to blogging. Yesterday was taken up with travelling home, radio interview, appearance on local news tv and just generally trying to catch up with emails and some of the lovely messages you lot have sent through…I think I will be doing that for most of today as well which is right lovely ! 🙂

So anyways, if you didn’t manage to catch it I was lucky enough to win the Horizon Award which is for emerging talent and the contribution they have made to our folk scene over the past year.

My lovely shiny folk award and my lovely shiny shoes

Check out the link below, you can watch the folk awards there and there is a full list of nominees’ winners and links to  highlights etc 🙂

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/events/folk-awards-2012/

So then, I am quite sure that this post is going to be a completely confused ramble of excitedness but I am going to try and tell you the full story of the day leading up to it, my experience of going to the folk awards for the first time, the after party and what happened next (perferably in that order)

Wednesday am

I woke up a bundle of excitement, which was a very welcome change from the nervous adrenaline that I had previously been experiencing! And knowing that I had to nip to town to get a few last minute bits and bobs (bangles to be precise) I hopped into my scruffs, got all my 3 potential outfits for the evening ready and in the car…in fact by the time Rob finished packing the car, I think I had all but the kitchen sink  and my pink elephant totempole! But anyways, I found what I needed and we headed straight over to my folks and piled everything and ourselves into their navy blue wonder vehicle and set off for Salford. The journey was picturesque as we went through Derbyshire, up to Glossop and on to Manc from there…the snow on the hillside and the sheep in the fields…it was stuff of folk song I can tell ya 😉 . We did as we always would do on any Wardy journey, stuck the ipod on and sang like crazy people all the way, Bohemian Rhapsody, Itchycoo Park, all the classics 🙂 in fact in the ipod shuffleness we did even get Outkast’s ‘Hey Ya’…which in the law of my scrumptious mum mean we have to stop the car, get out and boogie on the side of the road, which scared a lot of passing traffic I am sure.  But we had fun 😀 (we have to do it to the B52’s ‘Love Shack’ if it ever comes on too)   

This was awaiting me on mum and dad's doorstep...dafties!

Wednesday pm – the arrival and getting ready

When we arrived at MediaCity UK, the new home of all things BBC, we were staying in an apartment there…it was very swish I can tell ya! White walls, dark wood flooring, posh bathroom, even posher kitchen and a glass coffee table that everyone but me seemed to bash their shin on at some point within the first 10 minutes :s hehe. Seeing as various family members where going to be making the journey up we thought it best just to have a base for everyone to congregate at 🙂 So we went down to ‘Booths’ which is Waitrose but even posher…it was that posh that they had nearly sold out of quails eggs lol :p . We got all things tasty, saw Steve Knightley purchasing some hot grub and headed back up to the apartment to start the long process of getting ready, freaking out, gathering the fam and stuffing our faces 😀  

This is THE dress, this was taken as i walked out of the changing room buying it at COW, Birmingham

The next bit is all a bit of a blur really cos it seemed to fly by all too fast. I did my face and despite taking 3 potential outfits settled on one straight away – a vintage 70’s maxi dress which I described in a previous blog as being Farrah Fawcett meets a mirror ball-esque :p . In the process of getting dolled up I got a phone call from Radio Derby and did a little chat live on air with them…really good to see that despite loosing Folkwaves that the main shows are still willing to give air time to folk 😀 I think the chat was mainly me rambling on like a nutter getting all excited but anyways, after that was done I mounted my mighteous Irregular Choice shoes and off to The Lowry Centre we went.

Me and Rob on the way down in the lift

 

 

on route with Rob, Mum and my lovely sis Jan

Wednesday pm – The Folk Awards

In we went and straight away I saw loads of people I knew, which put my mind at rest I can tell you, all the nerves changed to the excitement of just being there. I have said a lot over the past couple of days that just being counted amongst a load of musicians who I deeply respect and whose music I love was plenty enough…winning was an added cheeky bonus. So we took our seats, my mum and dad in the circle, my sis and one of my bro’s up in the gods, Rob’s folks stuck behind the camera crane thing. Me and Rob defo got the best seats out of all of us :p

We’d worked out I was on the end of a row so thought that could bode well for potentially having to get out and go up on stage 🙂 but on getting into the theatre most of the nominated acts were on the end so that put and end to that notion and all there was left to do was wait. Luckily  both my categories were in the first half…otherwise I think I might of exploded with the tension!

So we watched the awesome Martin Simpson + Band open the show and I cheer extra loud for Will Pound’s harmonica solo (cos he is quite frankly one of the loveliest fella’s in folk) and for a split second I kinda forgot what we were here to do and was just enjoying some cracking live music, then Mike (Harding) and Julie (Fowlis) got to introducing the show and the nominees for the first category and it all became very real again knowing that Horizon Award was up next.

So it gets to Horizon Award time, and the camera’s are rushing round trying to get shots of all the nominee’s faces…I make sure I am sitting up staright and am prepared to pull my best not too disappointed face hehe…and then Badly Drawn Boy, who was presenting this award, said something along the line’s of  ‘she has……from Derby’  and the combination of singular female combined with my home town gave the game away before he had even said my name. We were sitting behind John Tams and family, his gorgeous wife Sally turned round, wiggled her finger at me and exclaimed ‘It’s you!’ accompanied by the rallying cry of ‘C’mon Derby’ from Tam 😀

I was blown away, I honestly had no inkling as to who would win and didn’t dare entertain too many daydreams that it could be me so as not to get my hopes up.

Blurry pic...probs cos my dad was few miles away and shaking with excitement :p

I then had the arduous task of making it from my seat, up the stairs and accross the stage without falling over in my beautiful but very high shoes (I took the opportunity to wear platforms as being both tall and incapable of singing unless my feet are firmly rooted, means it is very rare I get to wear such beasts!). I made it, and even managed to make a speech. I will admit to you guys that in the few daydreams I allowed myself, I did have think about who I would want to thank. The emotions I was feeling were all the obvious ones I guess, just awesome to recieve such a recognition, and a bit surreal really given I had watched the awards from my living room the year before and said to my folks, ‘well, all i’ve gotta do now is get there’ and for it to happen just a year later…well it’s cool beans! I also remeber thinking that the theatre looked very purple lol 😀

After recieving the award I was ushered off stage by Badly Drawn Boy and we headed into a room off the wings where a photographer was waiting to take our pic against a Radio 2 back drop, I can’t find it yet but I am hoping the pic will turn up online soon so I can stick it in my scrap book!

I headed back to my seat to the sound of wonderful Seth Lakeman doing his thing, and waited for the interval to see my folks. I was quite sure and content in the knowledge that I would not win Best Traditional track although it was cool to be included amongst the likes of my hero June Tabor with Oysterband, Emily Smith and Martin Simpson. On that note didn’t June and Oysterband just clean up! I’m not suprised, Ragged Kingdom is a cracking album!

Anyways, it gets to half time and me and Rob go dashing out to try and find my mum and dad…massive hugs, tears from my folks and lots of friendly faces all coming and saying congratulations which was a right lovely feeling. I tell you, I’ll be buzzing off this one for a while.

Posing for photies 🙂

 

 

Me with my folks 😀 (i'm bending down so I don't dwarf them :p )

 

 

With my sis and bro 😀

 

The rest of the ceremony was great, sprinkled with cracking performances, more wins for Derbyshire based acts…there must be something in the water it would seem. We were sandwiched bewteen Tam and Jackie Oates which meant the camera’s were hanging around us quite a bit…which meant no chance to let it all hang out but that was probably for the best :p

For a full write up from the Gaurdian check out the link below, where Colin Irwin has said: ‘Lucy Ward – a resplendent figure in blue hair and voluminous dress – took the Horizon award for best new act’…BOOM :p

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/feb/09/june-tabor-bbc-folk-awards

Wednesday pm – The after party

Well after the ceremony was over, I’d hugged lots of people and seen my family off, me and Rob headed round to the bar at the Lowry where the wrist banded after party was cracking off. I’m not a great fan of this hobnobbing schmoozing malarky but it seemed to flow really easily, meeting new people and catching up with old faces. I guess that’s folk all over though aint it, a sense of community comes easily 🙂

Right then, the true highlight of the event ladies and gentlemen…

I GOT TO MEET AND HUG JUNE TABOR!

After chickening out of professing my love for here before, I felt that this might be my only chance, so as we passed each other I just stopped and blurted out how I find her music so inspirational and how the way she sings just speaks to my very core.

ME AND JUNE TABOR!!!!!!!!

What a woman!

I don’t want to sound like a name dropper, but if I told you all the folkies I got to speak to I’ll sound like one, so in short, I got to talk to a hella lot of people I seriously respect. Just thinking about it now to write this here blog it’s…well…mental! I mean the Dubliners started up a sing song in the bar, a moment I will surely never ever forget witnessing.

Me and Mike...him green, me blue...2/3rds of earth wind and fire?

Anyway, back to the apartment we trotted home about 1:30am, I know a lot of people stayed up much later, but we were shatterd and I wanted to get chance to see my mum and dad, cos as I said in my speech (sentimental bit coming here) my mum and dad help me soooo much, I wanted to be with them to share all the excited emotions and good stuff. Below is a pic of me, Rob and mum watching my acceptance speech back on the BBC Radio 2 website :p

🙂

 

I feel I have rambled muchos and that this is possibly the longest blog post in living history ever! So for that reason, I will save all the backstage details of my trip to East Midlands Today TV Headquarters, twas very cool.

Right then, after spending all of today slaving over a hot computer, I am off to a little family gathering to celebrate, CRACK OPEN THE PIES!

Ciao for now,

Luce xx

ps: I just wanted to say, it can be really hard to talk about things like awards without sounding really diva like. I really hope I haven’t come across that way and that it truly was a pleasure to just be there 🙂

NEW RECORDINGS, Xmassy treats and glitter galore

Ey up 🙂

Hope that this find you well…this week I have been mainly working, AFO’ing, Cuppola:Ward’ing, Radio Derby’ing, eating curry and just generally getting a bit excited about xmas (perhaps a little prematurely I will admit, but still, I am just very much looking forward to some time off with my family)

MASSIVE BREAKING NEWS…So then, after last week’s very scrumptious announcement I have been getting down to some work. And I can now exclusively announce that I will be recording some material over December for an official release with Navigator records in the new year. So will keep you posted and may even do a little ‘from the studio’ blog so you can see firsthand how glamorous a job being a folk musician is 😉

In other news, I had a grand gig with Cupola:Ward on Friday…in case you’ve missed me nattering about this project before…it’s me + Cupola = Cupola:Ward 🙂 We do a mix of contemporary/trad and original material…unaccompanied (accupola…get it :p) and with instrumentation. Basically I get to dance around like a nutter while singing happy stuff…it’s like being Beyonce but with more hurdy gurdy! We were at the Brewtown Folk Club in Burton, and it was absolutely packed! We just couldn’t believe it! It was a bit like being in a can of folky sardines but we had a ball and got to unleash our xmas EP.

This is my personal xmas offering, there is a special message at the end of the video. I am going to try and get the track up for download over the next week or so… will keep you posted on that one.

I also went on my local BBC Radio Daytime show on Friday, Aleena Naylor is lovely! She’s had me in to sing live on the show lots and we’ve really struck up a friendship. A smashing Derby lass she is! You can listen to the interview here (from 1hr 40 mins) —-> http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00lh6sh/Aleena_Naylor_Does_an_age_difference_matter_in_a_relationship/

Another thing on the subject of Radio…Mike Harding mentioned me on Simon Mayo this week! MENTAL! 😀 Listen here from 20mins in…and listen to the whole thing cos Mike’s joke is hilarious! http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01724nq/Simon_Mayo_Drivetime_17_11_2011/

Ooo on the matter of glitter galore…I’ve ordered a golden glitter camel…what’s not to love!

Ciao for now, have a lovely week

Lucy xx

2 BBC Folk Award Nominations

Ey Up one and all,

As always I hope that this finds you well 🙂

Well, what can I say, last night the finalists for the 2012 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards were announced. I am blown away to be able to say that I received nominations in two categories. Firstly for the Horizon Award (which is a best newcomer type thing) and secondly for Best Traditional Track with Maids When You’re Young.

I gotta say this: AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHYYYYAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!!!

I am just so excited, and overwhelmed and, well, there just aren’t words to describe quite how this feels. I know that it sounds cheesy but it honestly is just wonderful. I couldn’t of asked for this year to go better…in fact the only way it could be improved is if I get a pink unicorn for my birthday next month! 😀

Last year, I listened to the folk awards in my car in a travelodge carpark (no radio in my room and I couldn’t get the wifi to work). I was in the middle of recording ‘Adelphi Has To Fly’, and I distinctly remember thinking: ‘I wonder if?’ and to be nominated just a year later, and in two categories…well…it’s just mental! 😀

I know I sound like I am gushing, and I guess I am…and I know this all sounds so mushy but i am just so pleased to be among so many wonderful musicians, I seriously do consider it an honour.

In the Best Traditional Track category, the other nominees are Emily Smith, Martin Simpson and June Tabor and Oysterband. As I was just saying it is quite surreal to be in a category with such legends. June is my hero, I didn’t grow up with folk music and it was listening to her (someone lent me a cd at an open mic night) that got me really interested in traditional songs and performance…and well…I’ve said it plenty of times before but I really do see June as one of my key influences. So really it is totally ridiculous, very daft and just wonderful to be in the same category as her.

Who knows I might even get a chance to say hello to her at the awards ceremony in February 🙂

You can listen to the Mike Harding’s show here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b017226g/Mike_Harding_16_11_2011/

Looking very happy at all the mess I made at the recent Cupola:Ward shoot 🙂

Just a few other notes: Congratulations to everyone who got nominated! 🙂 And did you notice the Derbyshire theme running through the folk awards? Home Service (John Tams), Bella Hardy, 2/3rds of Lady Maisery, myself, Andy Cutting (although he is really a southerner hehe) and Blair Dunlop all from this fair county. Must be something in the water hehe 🙂

Well my first ever headline tour is now slowly coming to and end (full blog to come about that in a week or so), and there’s not many gigs left until the festive season is upon us. Although I am looking forward to supporting Emily Portman (The musician, Leicester, 22/11/2011) and Uiscedwr on their last ever gig (Rugby Roots,10/12/2011). In addition to that a few charity do’s and a gig with my new collaborative project with Cupola:Ward (Brewtown Folk Club, Burton, 18/11/2011). So It’s all looking good before 2012 commences 😀

Anyways, you all take care, and I’ll hope to see you soon

Luce x