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Kathleen Edwards for February 2012 UK/ Ireland headline tour - tickets: Friday 21st Oct

Posted: 12 years ago
Bon Iver

'Alt-country' gets a funny old press. The world is seemingly now comfortable with 'folk'. We have prestigious folk awards and have rightly welcomed talents like Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes and Mumford & Son without sneering at their beards as we once might.

Country music is traditionally cast as mournful and drawling, representative of a conservative mid-western America which loves shotguns, beer, cowboys, NASCAR, not going to prison and waitresses called Jessie. The reality is that country music is, mostly, a warm and welcoming embrace, full of humour and sound traditional values.

Alt-country was seemingly borne of a desire to seek differentiation from mainstream country with its laboured, ill-deserved negative connotations. Alt-country is open to other influences; to punk, folk, rock. Of course, country is just another point on music's rich spectrum and is an equally broad and inviting church; it's just that no one believes it.

Canadian singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards has spent a decade working the alt-country groove with considerable success. Her debut LP, 2003's 'Failer', attracted a warm critical response and her third record, 2008's 'Asking for Flowers', was her most successful to date, topping the Billboard Heatseekers Chart in the US and reaching No 15 on the main Canadian countdown. A fourth LP, 'Voyageur', is due for release in the New Year.

After a 2011 slot supporting Bon Iver on his UK tour (folk and country on the same bill!), Edwards will follow the new record with a short UK headline tour in February.

Kathleen Edwards' UK tour begins in Glasgow at Oran Mor on 24th February, followed by gigs at Manchester's Ruby Lounge and the Birmingham Glee Club, before the final show of the short run at the Islington Academy in London on 28th February 2012.

We will have tickets for all dates when they go on sale at 9AM on Friday 21st October, priced £13.50 for London and £12.50 elsewhere.

Ahead of the UK dates, Kathleen Edwards plays the Dublin Academy on 23rd February, priced €13. Edwards also continues to support Bon Iver on his sold out UK and Ireland tour this month and next.

Stewart Darkin