Roman Candle is thrilled to welcome John Smith back to St Mary's Creative Space, Chester, on Friday, 1st May. Special guest Blair Dunlop.

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Tickets are £22 in advance from Grey n Pink Records or See Tickets.

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JOHN SMITH

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Pioneering singer, songwriter and guitarist John Smith has been at the forefront of British folk and roots music for twenty years. He has amassed over 125 million Spotify streams and played his songs all over the world. He cut his teeth opening for the late, great John Martyn, and has since worked with a host of artists including Sarah Jarosz, the Milk Carton Kids, Patty Griffin, Joan Baez, David Gray, Tom Jones and Jackson Browne. 

As he marks his 20th anniversary in music this October, John’s new release Gatherings celebrates, revisits, and reimagines songs from his first three albums, with brand new interpretations of his own and audience favourites from over 2,000 live shows. 

Reflecting on these treasured compositions, John said: “I’ve learnt as time goes on that the songwriter isn’t necessarily in charge of the songs. Sometimes it feels as if it’s the other way round, that a song will reveal itself fully when it’s ready to be sung.”

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Gatherings features guest appearances from Lisa Hannigan, The Staves, Siobhan Miller, Dan Mangan (all vocals) and Adam Levy (guitar). It was produced by John and mixed by Ryan Freeland (Bonnie Raitt, Aimee Mann, Joe Henry, Ray LaMontagne). 

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BLAIR DUNLOP

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Blair Dunlop is an award-winning British singer-songwriter and guitarist, who has released 5 albums, 2 EPs and toured around the globe.

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Blair burst onto the scene with his debut album ‘Blight & Blossom’ in 2012, showcasing virtuosic musicianship and lyrical maturity, and was awarded a prestigious BBC Folk Award in the wake of its release. A string of critically acclaimed albums followed, along with headline tours and festival appearances in the UK, Europe, North America and Australia. ‘Gilded’ and ‘Notes from an Island’ were released on his own label and singles ‘The Egoist’ and ‘356’ received national playlist status on BBC Radio 2. Following this, ‘Trails: Queensland’ (2021), Blair’s first live album, documented a tour of rural Australia, playing for isolated communities. From Glastonbury to Tuscany, Queensland to Palestine, Blair has brought his musicality and storytelling to audiences young and old.