Hebden Bridge Web

Sunday, 21 January 2024

An Independent Venue Week gig with two of our favourite songwriters. 'Outliers' is the new self-titled album from Jenny Sturgeon and Boo Hewerdine.

"Written between our homes in Glasgow and Shetland during 2020/21, Outliers came to signify a creative outlet which we would never have had the chance to explore otherwise. Meeting up online for an hour or so every few weeks gave us an opportunity to write songs in a way we'd not done before. Recording at home and pinging melodies, sounds, ideas to each other via email gave us the space and time to experiment without a usual studio setting. The evolution and method of creating this music led us to settle on the name Outliers." Jenny & Boo

Jenny, based in Shetland writes and performs with her band Salt House, who recently released their album titled 'Riverwoods' to accompany the Channel 5 film about the journey Salmon undertake upstream. In 2020, Jenny released 'The Living Mountain' - dubbed by Folk Radio as, "a work of rare beauty". The Living Mountain was based on the writings of fellow Aberdonian, Nan Shepherd.

Boo, known for his eclectic cult classic works since the 1980s, released his tenth solo album 'Understudy' in 2022. Discussing reflections upon life, death, rebirth and history, Hewerdine remains, "second to no one" in his captivating skill to weave narratives (Folk Radio). Former Fairground Attraction singer Eddi Reader is one of the artists Hewerdine is most regularly associated with, as a songwriter, musician, and producer. Together they enjoyed international success with the hit single "Patience of Angels" in 1995. Hewerdine produced Reader's "Sings the Songs of Robert Burns" in 2003, an album now considered a folk classic.

Outliers will be joined on stage by multi-instrumentalist Grant Anderson. The first half of the gig features songs from Boo and Jenny's back catalogue. In the second half, Boo, Jenny and Grant will perform new music from the album 'Outliers', due for release on 2nd February.

See also

Cragg Vale Coiners Words and Music - also at Wadsworth Community Centre on 2 Feb.