Soul Sessions
SOUL SESSIONS presents LAUREN HOUSLEY EP LAUNCH PARTY
Come down to Matt & Phred's and celebrate the Launch of Lauren Housley's Brand new EP "One Step Closer"
Happy Hour offers as always 7-9
Buy 2 drinks get a free pizza
Buy One Get One Free on selected cocktails
Welcome to the warm, organic soundscape of Lauren Housley – a fresh, big voice with the full, rounded flavour and maturity of a retro-classic panorama, dove-tailing the tender tones of Dusty Springfield, the grandeur of Marlena Shaw with the virility of Ray Charles – as delivered by a strutting young lass from Yorkshire. Make yourself comfortable. You’re going to like it here…
It’s time to redefine Northern Soul.
A busy run of clubs and festivals across the country, with regular shows at Kendal Calling, Matt&Phreds jazz club and her own Soul:Sessions nights, has honed a golden-toned sound. This, alongside on-stage action with the 11-piece Riot Jazz Brass Band and a seminal show at last year’s Soundwave Festival in Croatia, has established Lauren as a new dominant force in Manchester’s live music scene.
Her eagerly awaited debut EP ‘One Step Closer’ is a ladle of carefully crafted soul-food, taped over three days at Cotton Mouth Studios with locally sourced, heavyweight ingredients in the shape of some of Manchester’s most sought-after musicians.
Each of the independently produced EP’s five tracks is a clarion call to the classic craft of music making á la Stax. Vocals, guitars, drums, keys, horns and string section were all laid down live in analogue – on genuine vintage equipment (including a purpose-bought 45-year old vocal mic) - turning the saying “they don’t make ‘em like they used to” on its head.
In an age of pre-fab music, Lauren offers the full package: she’s got the lyrics, the lungs, the looks, mellifluous melody-making – and a better snarl than Cher Lloyd.
Don’t miss her this summer as she brings her very own band of Motown-dance stepping “Dap Kings” to venues from Northumberland (supporting Ocean Colour Scene), to Bulgaria (we’re she rejoins Riot Jazz to headline Meadows in the Mountains Festival) and many in between.
Someone once said that good music makes you homesick for something you’ll never have… But Lauren Housley brings you ‘One Step Closer’, and the journey’s just begun.