THEA GILMORE plus special guest Joan Coffey
Thea Gilmore’s rise to success, slow and steady as it was, sounds almost antiquated when measured against the sharp rise and fall that many bands now experience. And in many ways, the quality of an artist is far easier to judge when they’ve found success without the all-too-familiar hype machine.
Thea Gilmore released her first album at the age of 19, subsequently releasing four albums that won her more and more critical success but, crucially, few sales. At the age of 23 though, she broke through with her Avalanche album, which proved a minor hit and spawned a couple of well-exposed singles. Finally, she scored a deal with major label, Sanctuary, and had a hit with her last album, Harpo’s Ghost. The album won her the following accolade from Uncut magazine: “The best British singer-songwriter of the last 10 years…and then some.” Not bad eh?
She returns to The Point on the back of her latest album, Liejacker, the back-story of which is quite something. Prior to making the record, Thea was diagnosed with depression, split with her manager of 10 years, as well as her new major label and gave birth to her first child. Barricading herself in the studio with a host of newly-acquired acoustic instruments such as banjos, harmoniums and dobro guitars, Gilmore recorded some of her most personal work yet. From the harrowing to the redemptive, Liejacker is a thrilling listen that The Independent called “beautiful…loveable”.
Monday 24th November 2008, The Point, Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff Bay
£10 in advance/£12 on the door 7:30pm
Tickets are available through Spillers Records (02920 224905/www.spillersrecords.co.uk), Ticketline (02920 230130/www.ticketline.co.uk) and The Point (02920 460873/www.thepointcardiffbay.com) and are £10 in advance and £12 on the door.
