Special guests appearences by friends of Mostly Autumn:
Rachel Jones has become renowned as one of the finest female vocalists of her time. In both the spirit of her captivatingly sensual live performance and her spell weaving vocal delivery, Rachel’s presence on the stage has been sorely missed since the sad demise of her former band Karnataka.
Together with Heather she also present at the ProgAID single "All around the World".
Ben Matthews – Thunder
Serendipitous indeed as Mostly Autumn loved working with Ben who made a splendid job of engineering the rest of the album and brought with him some quintessentially excellent vibes and a lot of humour!
Troy Donockley
Here’s to music, magic and laughter!
And!
Olivia "Livvy" Sparnenn
Biography:
From a very early age Livvy knew that she wanted to be a singer. She has been lucky enough to be surrounded by music for as long as she can remember - her father being an accomplished drummer being in various bands over the years one of which in the 70’s gathered much acclaim from the likes of Noel Edmonds and David Lee Travis.
Livvy’s uncle is also a vocalist - music and even more music...
Her first live performances began when she was the tender age of just thirteen and has since continued to captivate audiences with her stunning voice.
The age of thirteen also opened the door to Livvy’s debut studio performances.
At fifteen Livvy went on to join an already established well-respected pop/rock band from York singing both original material and an array of vocally demanding tracks from the likes of Heart and Guns and Roses.
Currently fronting a soul band playing 60’s and 70’s classics, Livvy also performs as part of an acoustic duo throughout Britain – Some performances with which have been charity shows with ‘Fame Academy’s’ Alistair Griffin.
Livvy also makes guest appearances with her father’s band where you’re likely to hear her powering out the likes of Led Zeppelins ‘Rock and Roll’ in a style not too dissimilar from Anne Wilson’s own tribute.
In amongst all of this Livvy is has developed an impressive portfolio as accomplished session vocalist working for various Producers and BBC Radio stations nationwide.
After a period of intense French and German studies at college Livvy decided to dedicate even more time to her voice, song writing and playing the guitar and so began working with various new musicians and songwriters in broadening her own skills therein.
On an international scale, Livvy last year worked with Danish songsmith, Soeren Itenov whose group successfully charted in Denmark.
On returning to the UK last year, she then based herself in the south of England for some months collaborating and refining songs with a writer who has worked with artists such as Bonnie Rait and the Eagles.
Livvy has an on going passion for music and singing and has recently accepted the offer to work with Mostly Autumn’s Iain Jennings on his forthcoming solo project which is due for release in the late summer of this year.
All this at the still tender age of just twenty, Olivia Sparnenn’s future as a singer looks very bright indeed!
‘’I love everything about being a singer – the live work and being in a studio.
If you were to ask me why I get a kick out of singing, it is because my voice seems to give people real pleasure - it is as simple as that’’.
Olivia Sparnenn
‘’Livvy is an incredibly dynamic vocalist. She has a very powerful voice with a lot of emotive warmth and delicacy. She also has an incredible range to boot that stops nothing short of a cross between say, Robert Plant and Eva Cassidy! I can’t wait to work with her…’’
Heather Findlay
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Date: Venue: Address: Time: Price: Phone: Description: |
MOSTLY AUTUMN Saturday 4th June 2005 London Astoria 157 Charing Cross Road, London 18.00 £20.00, fee: £4.60. 0870 060 3777 Folk, Progressive & Symphonic |
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Here are two reviews taken from A fan site of Ed, please give it a try, he has a great interview with Heather and Bryan (May 2005). |
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Astoria Review I'm usually singing one of the gig highlights to myself as I walk home from. This time it's Broken Glass. Interesting... Despite my misgivings about the new album, I expected the new songs would be great live. And they were. This was the best concert I've ever been to. The show started with Out of the Green Sky, then straight into Broken Glass. I thought they might be going to play the whole of the Storms over Still Water album straight through, as they did with Passengers last year. But no, they mixed a lot material throughout the show. In the end they played eight songs from Storms; everything except The End of the World (shame!) and the two instrumentals. And the old songs? Of course, not everything I wanted to hear, but in a set that includes Shrinking Violet, The Dark Before the Dawn (yay!!!), The Spirit of Autumn Past part one (yes!!!) and We Come and We Go (!!!!!), as well as all the usual suspects, it seems petty to complain about things being missed out. I loved this set. It was far better than I could have expected. And did I mention Shrinking Violet? They played for about two hours without a break, then came back for an encore that must have lasted about 40 minutes. What else? I don’t need to tell you that the performances were flawless, the band seemed proud and happy, and that the crowd atmosphere was fantastic. Mostly Autumn always surpass themselves on a big stage. Yes the intimacy of a tiny pub gig is nice, but the band make up for it by making the big shows... different. This time it was multi-screen projections (interesting but not too obtrusive) and a bunch of guest musicians. The guests all performed well, and while Mostly Autumn's songs are perfectly capable of standing alone, without the gimmick of extra guitar players and singers, it does allow some interesting new arrangements and helps make the gig a bit special. I can't think of a single negative thing to say, I really can't. Well, ok, I'll say that I still hate the Astoria as a venue and the show would have been much better if held in somewhere like... oh, Newcastle, to pick a random example. But I got a great position, right at the front and to the right, exactly as I was aiming for. (Just slightly too far right, but nothing's perfect...) Actually, yes, tonight's gig was perfect. Or, at least, was impossible to criticise. The technical perfection was there, but so too was the emotion I've come to expect – even in the new songs, which I honestly wasn't expecting as I initially thought that "Storms" was lacking that quality. My faith is restored. (Not that it had ever really wavered.) I have to see this again. I think I'll go to Middlewich. Where the heck is Middlewich??? --- "Nothing is too wonderful to be true." -- Michael Faraday |
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| 6/5/2005, 2:46 pm | Send Email to David Meadows Send PM to David Meadows |
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Re: Astoria Review Good review Dave. Sorry I didn't manage to catch up with you much, so I'm afraid you'll just have to come to Middlewich - which I regard as "oop north" but will "daan sarf" for you. Anyway, re last night, here' my two-pennyworth. "Wow! What a simply incredible night! Firstly, apologies for the length of this review. If you were there you of course saw it but really this is for those fans who couldn’t be there. The evening started with a huge queue round the Astoria and, get this folks, tickets touts. At an MA gig! But to the gig itself. MA hit the stage after some atmospheric sound effects and launched into “Out of the Green Sky”. It has to be said the Heather looked absolutely breathtaking in a red outfit that had to be seen to be believed. Fortunately for the health of the male audience members she later changed into a kind of rock chick look before finally donning an elegant black dress for the final part of the show. More importantly though she pulled off the demanding vocals of the opening track with consummate ease, even exceeding the studio version. “Broken Glass” followed and I wondered if they were going to play the whole album in sequence. As it happened they wisely chose to mix and match the Storms material with older songs. The incredible thing was that the new material welded in so perfectly with the older - a really natural fit. Highlights were too numerous to mention but I shall name a few. The unusual sound of a Gibson Les Paul in the band as Ben Matthews joined them for Black Rain. Ben stayed on for “Never The Rainbow” in which Heather shared vocals with Olivia Sparnenn, who sounded great (which bodes well for Iain’s solo album, on which she will be doing vocals). Bryan’s permanent grin throughout the whole gig. He was having a wail of a time! Troy’s evocative solo piece, backed by Iain and Angela. The amazing sequence of “Candle to the Sky”, “Carpe Diem” and “Storms Over Still Water”. “Carpe Diem” was as stunning live as on record, and enhanced by great lighting and back projections.. For the title track Heather shared vocal with Rachel Jones, who was also on good form. After what seems only minutes (but was in fact well over two and a half hours without a break) the band finished with the customary Mother Nature and a great event drew to a close. Afterwards the whole band were grinning like Cheshire cats. They knew they had put in an outstanding performance (although were all far too modest to admit it) and pulled off something truly magnificent. The night drew on and at one stage I found myself in the surreal situation of drinking Troy’s beer for him while he performed some of the most impressive card and conjuring tricks I have ever seen – even DT was lost for words! It was good too to meet so many forum members, some who I’d met before and others who I hadn’t. The only regret I had was not having chance to spend more time with some of them. Still there’s Blakey yet to come! Great too to see so many Dutch fans who had made the trip – a really dedicated bunch! The whole thing finished at about 1 am with Bryan finding out that a band leader’s work is never done as he tried to round up the band and entourage to get on the coach to go back to York! All in all, an evening that I will remember for a very long time. Magical!" Roger |
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| 6/5/2005, 2:58 pm | Send Email to Roger N Send PM to Roger N |
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For this moment I only got a few remarks, think that RogerN and Dave M. have done a wonderful review.
Thanks for their contribution at the forum at www.mostlyautumn.co.uk (a fan site). All together we left to the Astoria, but first we hopped in at King Georges. All the Mostlies where there (not the band). Was good to meet my friend Troy Donockley before the show. ( A promise is promise Troy ;-).
The Gig. "Mother Nature" was again great, I loved it when a line of "Evergreen" was passing by and a real Floydish cq Meddlish end.... suberp! King Georges again... had a lot of fun with Rachel and my, no her, dear friend Matthew Cohen (the bass player of Magenta). Phil Baker (bass in Iona), Troy the magician indeed, I love that guy, wish they, Iona, were more on the road. The band .. some guys from the forum, sorry I missed some. The time was too short... so many familiar faces... yeah we should plan a Mostly Day.
Thanks everyone, hope to see you again.
Out of The Green Sky Nick from the lovely South. PS a Dutch review is placed at www.mostly-autumn.nl + more photos that Thijs was able to shoot; the security took his camera... what a shame... so this are the first try outs he shot.
Pictures by Thijs.
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New Album of
Mostly Autumn:
Storms Over Still Water. Pre-order here, still a few copies available!
A splendid rockin', dark, powerful and symphonic album, with a nice mix between the harder rockin' songs and the more symphonic epics.
Disc One |
| Disc Two |
1. Out of the Green Sky |
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1. Ghost in Dreamland promo |
Photo: Martin van Kessel.
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16 July Dutch Launch Party at Zoetermeer! Olivia "Livvy" Sparnenn and Florence Millett-Sikking! |
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Line-up Zoetermeer:
FREE TICKETS!
Sent an e-mail to win@prog-nose.org "Mostly Autumn Zoetermeer"and win
3 x 2 free tickets for Zoetermeer 16th July! Don't forget to mention your adres!
Stuur een email naar
| Date | Country | City | Venue | Info |
| May | ||||
| 29th | UK | Tonbridge Wells Kent | Festival | Details soon |
| June | ||||
| 4th | UK | London | Astoria |
The Launch of Storms Over Still Water |
| 17th | UK | Middlewich | Folk and Boat Festival |
www.middlewichfestival.org Phone 0709 239 0501 boxoffice@middlewichfestival.org |
| 24th | UK |
Walton On Trent, Derbyshire |
Bloodstock Open Air Festival | http://www.bloodstock.uk.com/ |
| 25th | UK |
Walton On Trent, Derbyshire |
Bloodstock Open Air Festival | http://www.bloodstock.uk.com/ |
| July | ||||
| 15th | Germany | Burg Herzberg Festival |
www.burgherzberg-festival.de ++49 (0)661 250 555 25 |
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| 16th | Netherlands | Zoetermeer | De Boerderij | www.boerderij.org |
| 23rd | Scotland | Solway Coast | Wickerman Festival |
http://www.thewickermanfestival.co.uk 01738 449430 |
| 28th | UK | North York Moors | Headlining the Blakey Ridge Festival | www.blakeymusic.com |
Ticket Information here
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| This will be the concert of the YEAR - BE there with us to celebrate Storms Over Still Water | ||||
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May I second that this is only made possible by the loyalty of all our listeners who have stayed with us through these recent years. The one real strength Mostly Autumn has is the solid and increasing fan base. It is largely due to this fact that we can endeavour to stride foreword with a confidence that allows us to pursue the dream that was born 15 years ago when the "Night Sky" was written; to utterly press forward, to deliver concerts with stage shows that will totally marry theatre with light shows that can absolutely describe the deep feelings and power of the music which we share with you on every scale and to record to the highest quality, music that we can all enjoy as we pass through the years on this journey. I honestly feel that we are only at the very beginning and I have an unwavering ambition to take this spirit that is Mostly Autumn to every possible level and on to more very exciting times. In part I do believe we represent a torch burning brightly; with a sense of the old golden age of music that must not be lost but, also whatever drives this music is as "now" and the "future" as any other music on planet earth.
It also must not be forgotten that without Bob Carruthers and Classic Rock's support, vision, belief and agreement, we would definitely not be in the position of strength we are in now. It would be very difficult to describe all that goes on in the background concerning our relationship with the record company and from the outside it could be easy to judge this way and that and even criticise what goes on, this is only natural.
| Then there is the gesture of passing all the rights of all our material back to us free of charge! This act should definitely go down in the Guinness book of records as it is previously unheard of!! The entire infrastructure that sends our CD's around the world etc has stayed fully in place and is still increasing. This is a movement forwards- not back, which is the reason Bob and co. agreed to let us go. Funnily enough we have already been offered two record deals from huge international record companies and have had the pleasure of turning them down, because at present we feel that independence is the right decision for both you out there and us. We are going to celebrate fully the beginning of "Mostly Autumn Records" and release "Storms Over Still Water" on the Saturday 4th June at the London Astoria with a very special show. It is the beginning of a new era and we all hope to share it with you. From the heart I thank you for all your support. Clare, Nick, Gary, Martin and all at Classic Rock - it has been a pleasure, May several pints of Hobbit Ale come your way Bob!
Cheers, |
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In London there was a friend of Thijs who was so friendly to give us a sleeping place, thanks Corne!
Ben Matthews stepped on the stage when the first tunes of "Blackrain" came in. Wonderful
soundeffects, and Ben playing as thunder, great. And what a fun on the stage, good to see.
The show got in a 7th gear with that song.
Broken Glass
Carpe Diem
Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero.
