Thea Gilmore
THEA GILMORE, an Oxfordshire born singer/songwriter who lives in
Nantwich, has been a significant force in UK music for almost ten
years now. Her fans include Bruce Springsteen, Oscar nominated
fantasy writer Neil Gaiman, Joan Baez (with whom she has toured and duetted) and Mike Scott (a sometime co-writer of Thea's).
She is known for her pure, crystalline voice and her dazzling lyrics.
Several of her albums have charted, including "Avalanche" "Harpo's Ghost" and her 2009 Christmas album "Strange Communion" and she has toured nationally and internationally, having this summer returned from shows in Canada to perform at The Guardian Hay On Wye literature festival, Glastonbury and Cropredy. As well as being a regular featured artiste on BBC Radio 2, Thea is in regular demand for talk shows on Radios 3 and 4 respectively, where she has appeared on 'Loose Ends", "A Good Read", "Woman's Hour" and "The Book Club" to name but a few.
Thea is known as an artiste with a fiercely independent streak, and has turned down several offers from major record labels during her career, insisting on the maintaining of artistic control in her work. Earlier this year The Times called Thea "unarguably one of the finest singer-songwriters of her generation" and the Observer opined that Thea “makes your heart catch, your skin prickle and your eyes fill with tears".
Thea returned to the album charts in 2010 with "Murphy's Heart" which included the single "You're The Radio". In summer 2011 she completed a new album "Don't Stop Singing", featuring new music she had composed to previously unpublished lyrics by the late songwriter Sandy Denny, commissioned by Sandy's estate and set for release in October 2011 by Island Records.
Thea's previous three appearances at Words And Music have been sold out well in advance, so book early ... or don't say we didn't warn you!
Fran SmithFran Smith’s idiosyncratic love-songs have been described as “lyrical works of Art”. A superb singer and pianist, she draws on a background in folk music blended with diverse influences such as Patti Smith and Kate Bush, whilst echoing the “beautiful obscurity” of Leonard Cohen’s most poetic compositions.
Fran has a growing reputation as a skilful and highly evocative young performer, with live appearances in 2011 including Truck Fest, The Sage Gateshead, Gate to Southwell Folk Festival, and the Musicport World Music Festival.
In April, she performed for a rapturous sold-out audience in support of acclaimed singer-songwriter Karine Polwart, who said “it’s really exciting to discover a songwriting talent as intelligent and insightful as Fran Smith, who knows how to sing her own stories with such conviction and grace.” Fran has since been invited to open shows for several of her other favourite musicians, including Joan As Police Woman, Boo Hewerdine, Po’ Girl … and now Thea Gilmore!
Fran has just completed a Master's degree in Songwriting from Bath Spa University. She recently recorded a live EP (available to download from her website - www.fransmith.com) and plans to release a new studio recording at the end of the year. 
