Please Please You & Brudenell Presents
Willie J Healey
Clara Mann
Friday 10th May, 7.30pm
Tickets are £15 (+ b/f) in advance (more on the door) and available from See Tickets.
*This is a standing show*
Is Willie J Healey your favourite artists’ favourite artist? You better believe it. Alex Turner, Joe Talbot of IDLES, Jamie T and Orlando Weeks are among those who believe, most having come onboard following the Neil Young-meets-The Beatles-meets Elvis Costello charms of his 2020 album ‘Twin Heavy’. And while Willie has largely been the preserve of those in the know, that’s all about to change. When Florence Welch heard his upcoming album ‘Bunny’ via its producer, her friend Loren Humphrey, as well as through YALA! Records co-founder Felix White, she was sufficiently impressed to invite Willie and his band on this autumn’s Florence + The Machine arena tour.
If you’ve already discovered the album’s introductory track, ‘Tiger Woods’, you’ll have had a first taste of why Florence was so won over. It sees Willie dive headfirst into a style of music he has always loved, but that never previously found its way into his own songs. It’s a low-slung, sensual ‘70s-style jam which simultaneously calls to mind Sly and The Family Stone, Philly soul, ‘Midnite Vultures’-era Beck and a little OutKast.
Press:
‘I’ve completely fallen in love with his music, it’s very bright, clever, excellent soul-y funk music with a keen sense of humour… my new favourite artist”.’
Guy Garvey, BBC 6 Music
‘The word is starting to spread about our boy WJH, not gonna lie, we really love to see that.’
Jack Saunders, BBC Radio 1
‘I’ve always liked the way Willie has followed his own path away from the music scenes, he seems to have wandered through the past few years, oblivious to where the zeitgeist might be, and he’s done it again here.’
Steve Lamacq, BBC 6 Music
‘[Bunny] perfectly captures the essence of those mellow summer afternoons.’
Clash ★★★★
‘A record to stick on, and bliss out to. Willie’s never had more style.’
Dork ★★★★
‘He’s hurtling toward Next Big Thing status.’
Mojo ★★★★
‘The hype is justified on new album Bunny, a record that keeps the essence of his laid-back, slacker songwriting while inviting in new elements of R&B and pop and expanding his world.’
Rolling Stone UK
Clara Mann
Clara Mann’s latest EP, Stay Open, is a collection of alt-folk ballads born from a feeling of being in perpetual transition. Clara writes songs about the restlessness of life in your early twenties and the immense power of optimism in dark times. She feels things very acutely and cries often- when she’s happy, sad, or simply moved (by things like: the evening light over the city, a dog on the street in a nice jacket, or choral music on the radio). She finds all of these things very poignant.
Her music usually begins in her drawings, or in short fragments of written text, in which she finds the first lines of songs. Inspired by the likes of Edith Piaf, Tom Waits, and Judee Sill, Clara likes to tell stories and paint pictures, without ever giving too much away. She loves to lean into the strange and the mysterious – but never compromises on tenderness.
After a busy year of shows including support tours with Daniel Rossen (Grizzly Bear) and Skullcrusher, Clara has spent the last few months working on her debut record, with which she hopes to throw herself into her music more than ever before.
Please Please You & Brudenell Presents
Willie J Healey
Clara Mann
Friday 10th May, 7.30pm
Tickets are £15 (+ b/f) in advance (more on the door) and available from See Tickets.