Our weekly festival, every Tuesday at Dalston Eastern Curve Garden through the summertime, with Bristol heart-wrenchers Mesadorm, transportative artist The Magic Lantern and jazz singer and composer Lilli Unwin.
MESADORM
Mesadorm is a new collaborative project between Blythe Pepino, Aaron Zahl, Daisy Palmer (Paloma Faith, Goldfrapp, MIKA), Jo Silverston (The Unthanks, Red Clay Halo, Frank Turner) and David Johnston (ZunZun Egui, Phil King, Chairfight!). The relationships in the project go back many years and have a distinctly Bristol centred heritage.
What to expect: After a few years testing the mainstream stage with a major record deal Pepino has moved back to her roots as a left-field, art-rock and electronica song-writer. Here you will find her in happy harmony with Aaron Zahl who has recorded and produced the eagerly anticipated debut album fleshing out the musical world with his electronic sound scapery. Having known each other since they were teenagers and weathered various phases of life and musical outfits, Zahl, Pepino, Palmer, Johnston and Silverston have a unique connection that plays out in this project with depth and assuredness. The writing sits somewhere between the domestic observation of Suzanne Vega and the powerful, elemental other-worldliness of Bjork.
THE MAGIC LANTERN
The Magic Lantern is the musical moniker of songwriter and composer Jamie Doe. Drawing on a wide range of influences from folk, jazz and contemporary music, The Magic Lantern is an artist dedicated to confronting the anxiety and fear present in us all.
Born in Australia before moving to the UK at 12, Jamie began performing as The Magic Lantern alongside friends in the DIY Bristol music scene including This Is The Kit and Rozi Plain. Moving to London in 2007, The Magic Lantern has released three albums as part of a thriving scene of genre defying contemporary musicians who are going about things their own way. Over the three and a half years it took to make his most recent album ‘To The Islands’, The Magic Lantern has toured the UK supporting acclaimed folk artist Sam Lee, sung with Jamie Cullum at the BBC Proms and as a guest vocalist with Sikh virtuoso Manika Kaur in Trafalgar Square. He has performed for the Queen, sung in the Sussex Woods with nightingales and recorded in Abbey Road Studios as part of the Help Musicians UK ‘Music Minds Matter’ campaign.
His third album ‘To The Islands’, released in November 2018, was written during a tumultuous return to his childhood home in Australia after nearly 10 years away and explores memory and hope in a world of near constant uncertainty. Musically ‘To The Islands’ mirrors this exploration, using a wide range of sounds and textures from folk finger picking, to solo piano, string quintet lyricism to narcotic late night saxophone jams, all united by Jamie’s instantly recognisable voice and inimitable song-writing style.
The Magic Lantern is currently recording a new EP ‘The Life That I Have’ for release in Autumn 2019. ‘To The Islands’ is out now via Hectic Eclectic Records.
LILLI UNWIN
Lilli Unwin is an enchanting and soulful young singer, songwriter and arranger with an authentic sound, an evocative yet playful stage presence and a penchant for intelligent and insightful lyrics. She has been building her repertoire and performing at various venues in her adopted hometown, London, including Ronnie Scotts, Spice of Life, Brixton East and Hoxton Bar and Kitchen. Other places performed include: Manchester and Cheltenham Jazz Festivals and Wolverhampton Arena Theatre, Brainchild Festival amongst others.
In 2019 she releases her debut EP ‘it may not always be so’, touring with brilliant London musicians Shirley Tetteh, Conor Chaplin, Corrie Dick and Rupert Cox. It was engineered and mixed by Alex Kilpartrick and produced by Sam Crowe. Lilli was awarded a Career Development Bursary from Help Musicians UK where she was mentored by US artist Becca Stevens (Universal and GroundUP Music) and MOBO-nominated artist Natalie Williams. In 2017 Lilli was selected as one of 14 artists to work with Mercury-nominated artist ESKA on a composition residency at Band on the Wall, Manchester.
ABOUT THIS EVENT
Since our first season in 2013, our event at Dalston Eastern Curve Garden has always inspired audiences in a unique and thrilling way. This season of events captures the essence of a weekend rural festival in the centre of Dalston on a Tuesday evening.
The phenomenal surrounds of the garden combine with delicious pizzas from David Latto, and a supreme and ever-evolving roster of acts, to create a magical atmosphere which brings people together in a friendly and welcoming space.
It's a community of music-lovers joining to celebrate the warm months in a carefree and supportive atmosphere, with a compelling live soundtrack.
TICKETS
£7 Advance (until Friday 13th August)
£8 Last Minute
£11 Door
PLEASE NOTE that this is an outdoor concert which will go ahead regardless of the weather. Please bring appropriate clothing, including waterproofs if rain is forecast.