14th October 2011

BRIDPORT: Emily Barker and The Red Clay Halo Band come to Bridport

Almanac is the third album by Emily Barker and The Red Clay Halo Band.

The album is soon to be given a full nationwide release on October 17th on Emily's own label, Everyone Sang. All 11 songs are self-penned and the album was produced by Emily and Ted Barnes (Beth Orton/ Clayhill). Before the release however, Emily Barker and The Red Clay Halo Band will play a special concert at Bridport Arts Centre on October 13th from 8pm.

Almanac is the second of Emily's albums to yield the theme for a major television drama. First, the track 'Nostalgia' from 2008's Despite The Snow, was selected as the theme to the BBC one series of Wallander and went on to win BAFTA and Television Awards. This was followed by the mesmerising 'Pause', which was used for the BBC 2 series The Shadow Line, broadcast in May and June 2011 (and starring Christopher Eccleston, Stephen Rea and Rafe Spall among an extraordinary cast).

Hailing from Bridgetown, Western Australia, Emily Barker is proving herself to be a compelling songwriter with a gift for weaving melody and words. Her talent is perfectly complemented by the magnificent arrangements of her band The Red Clay Halo, whose rootsy ensemble playing underpins Barker’s agile vocal blend of strength and fragility. The Red Clay Halo band consists of Gill Sandell (accordion, flute, piano), Jo Silverston (cello, banjo,musical saw) and Anna Jenkins (violin).

Together, these women have not only toured the UK and internationally but have also recorded three distinctive albums. The first was Photos.Fires.Fables. (2007) - an eclectic tapestry of old-time narratives weaving gothic stories of fire, tragedy, love and hard lessons…

February 2011 saw the intial release of Almanac to radio, immediately attracting strong support from the BBC with sessions for Cerys Matthews on 6 Music and Radio 4’s Loose Ends. The single Little Deaths, was picked as record of the week on Nemone’s 6 Music show. A stream of sold-out UK tour dates followed, culminating in a rapturously received show at London’s St Giles-In-The-Fields church at which Almanac was performed in its entirety.

The band's albums are released in the same independent and imaginative spirit with which Emily and her band approach their song making. They are entirely self-financed and released on Emily’s own imprint Everyone Sang, with Almanac being jointly funded by spareroom.co.uk and a pledgemusic.com fan-funded campaign.

Tickets are available from Bridport Arts Centre box office £10/£9 members/£8 concessions. Super £3 tickets available.