NEW ARTIST OF THE DAY: Sophie Jamieson

Stirring music of immeasurable depth and beauty...

SUBBA-CULTCHA.COM SAYS: "There's something quite haunting inhabiting every moment and finely crafted nuance of Sophie's track. Whether it be the Berkshire resident's siren-like voice, full of calm and the deathly grace of an in-tune Nico, or the sparse but emotive music she uses. The production feels like the soundtracking to a Spaghetti Western, mostly at a funeral march's pace, it's littered with expansive moments where guitars ring out, something metallic is hit, the sound of strings hold a sustained note longer than usual, creating something ever so dramatic with a spine-tingling sense of something tangible permeating through the speakers. When I read reviews for Lana Del Rey, this is what I was expecting, musically speaking. Instead we had a case of style over substance, fortunately with Sophie this isn't an issue!"
The music of young Berkshire artist Sophie Jamieson finds its roots in the rawness of folk, but is brushed thick with a fizzing layer of atmosphere and ambience. Performing both on record and live with a band, the extraordinary intimacy of these recordings are a fine reflection of the hushed reverence of Sophie’s live shows. Her band, integral to the music’s live performance, sends the songs off on altogether otherworldly direction. Growing up in a household that reverberated with the sounds of traditional Irish folk music that her mother would play, and her father’s record collection that predominantly hinged around The Beatles back catalogue and The Eagles, Sophie began playing around with the piano at 13. Her mother passed her down an old Yamaha guitar from her University days, and it was the early sounds of Laura Marling that gave Sophie the focus to write whilst at University in Cambridge. The lyrical themes, sense of strength, and atmosphere – it all opened her eyes wider to a new form of music and expression, not a million miles away from her mother’s Irish folk influence. Alongside Marling, the musical freedom of Brooklyn’s Sharon Van Etten remains a constant inspiration in Sophie’s writing and in both ‘Stain’ and ‘Other’ you can hear that similar expression of freedom and loss of inhibition to just let the words flow out, as the music creates its own sense of sparseness and drama around them. 6th May – Slaughtered Lamb, London *Solo show* (w/ Wilsen) / 7th May – The Lexington, London (w/ Red Russian) / 9th May – The Great Escape, Brighton (@ Blind Tiger) – BBC Introducing Stage / 15th May – The Finsbury, London / 18th May – The Louisiana, Bristol / 24th May – Shh Festival, London / 17th June – The Green Door Store, Brighton (w/ O.Chapman) / 21st June – Festifeel, London Fields / 8th August – Wilderness Festival
www.sophiejamieson.co.uk
www.facebook.com/sophiejamiesonmusic
www.soundcloud.com/sophie-jamieson
www.luvluvluvrecords.com

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