Kelly Oliver
20th June 2015
Lawns Hotel, Chellaston
We are delighted to support and welcome Kelly to Village Folk. Kelly has enjoyed a whirlwind since May 2013 when she decided to put her all into becoming a self penned singer songwriter. Having originally been inspired by the folk tradition, she returned from travelling determined to give her own material a chance to be heard and put all her energy into realising her dream of becoming a professional musician.
She decided to add Harmonica to her guitar accompaniment and has since won endorsement from HOHNER. She was delighted to win a financial Emerging Excellence Award from Help Musicians UK to fund her album and thrilled that Diamond Girl, the first single from the album which features the vocals of Luke Jackson was played on BBC Radio Two’s Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe on 1st October and Bob Harris Sunday show mid October.
Kelly’s debut album, This Land, has just received a 4**** review from The Telegraph and has joined their ‘Best Folk Albums of 2014’. This Land also received 4**** from R2 Magazine. It has won Album of the Year – from a female singer – from FolkWords and was shortlisted for FATEA Magazine’s Debut Album of the Year.Kelly has performed at Cambridge Folk Festival in both 2013 and 2014 for Hitchin Folk Club, has supported Cara Dillon, The Young ‘Uns, Chris and Kellie While, Miranda Sykes and Rex Preston, The Urban Folk Quartet, as well as headlining her own gigs. Kelly has performed live with Dave Swarbrick, Sunjay, Luke Jackson, and released a single with Will Pound as well as the current one with Luke Jackson, a radio edit of the second track on the album, Diamond Girl.
Kelly has been invited to session for Whispering Bob Harris for his ‘Under The Apple Tree’ show twice, to record at Jon Earl’s famed Songs from the Shed, interview and session with Ruth Barnes on Amazing Radio, perform live on BBC Stations – Three Counties Radio, Cambridgeshire, London, Kent, Gloucestershire, York, Berkshire, Hereford and Worcester. 2015 is looking busy with new recordings being planned and a range of headline gigs and interesting festivals as well as a feature in Folk Radio UK and a recent live performance on London Live TV.