The Honeybees
The Gallery Cafe, Bethnal Green E2 9PL
Wednesday 15th January
Doors 7:30pm, Live Music 8:00pm
Advance tickets £9, £10 on the night
Formed after an impromptu session backstage, the Honeybees gave their first public performance on Stage 2 at the Cambridge Folk Festival. Fatea described the trio as “Stunning! Three superb voices that worked so well together and hopefully it won’t be a one-off.” All experienced artists in their own right, Odette Michell, Zoё Wren and Amy Goddard are delighted to play together again at their first London gig. The format will be a songwriters circle with some solo performances but many opportunities to collaborate.
Odette Michell is a British folk singer-songwriter, guitarist and bouzouki player with a bold new take on the acoustic tradition and a voice capable of demonstrating the finer points of both folk and traditional song with genuine craftsmanship. Odette released her widely acclaimed debut album ‘The Wildest Rose’ in April 2019. Says fRoots: “Beautifully written, beautifully sung, beautifully played and beautifully produced, The Wildest Rose deserves acclaim as one of the stand-out debuts of 2019”. FATEA Magazine described it as “An inspiration”. Odette has also just completed a 60 date UK album tour which included supports to the likes of Martin Carthy and Sam Carter and is now continuing to tour both solo and with her new trio throughout 2019/20.
Since her beginnings as a Camden busker, Zoё Wren has gone on to perform on stages from the Cambridge Corn Exchange to Glasgow Celtic Connections. She is a winner of the PRS Lynsey de Paul Award and the Alan Surtees Trust grant, and has had airplay on BBC Radio 2, as well as appearing on London Live and the BBC One Show. Named Laurel Canyon UK’s Favourite New Artist of 2018, Zoё has opened for acts such as Chris Leslie of Fairport Convention and Ralph McTell, but can still be spotted busking, as she now holds a coveted London Underground license. Drawing on influences from the unorthodox harmonies of Joni Mitchell to the honest storytelling of Tracy Chapman, and mixing these with atmospheric pedal effects, Zoё is creating a sound that Fatea magazine has called ‘refreshingly bold.’
Amy Goddard is a well-regarded name on the folk and acoustic scene around Portsmouth, although she grew up in South Wales, in the Merthyr Valley; her status as singer-songwriter is complemented by her expertise as music teacher and luthier. Down in The Mine is her third release, coming after two very fine full-length albums (Burn And Glow and Secret Garden); it takes the form of a themed EP presenting six songs with a mining connection, three of which are Amy’s own compositions. The haunting Remembering Aberfan was released as a charity single commemorating the 50th anniversary of the disaster and named Fatea magazine’s song of the year in 2016; it’s notable for its intensity and unsentimentality, and sports a beautifully restrained choral arrangement.