Well, did you have a good Tuesday? Ready to go again into the AmericanaFest Showcases? It’s the same deal as last night – the Americana Music Association UK (AMA-UK) have total control over Moth Club, Paper Dress Vintage, Oslo and two stages at Night Tales, four venues within easy walking distance of each other in downtown Hackney. The running times are the same as yesterday, and there are 29 artists to try and catch – one less than last night because Margo Cilker is giving a special double length showcase at Paper Dress Vintage, that’s surely bound to be a popular one.
Elsewhere you’ll be able to find the intimate folk song of Birmingham’s Aayushi over at Oslo. Her profile’s been rising since her first tour last year, and Tom Robinson has said that she exhibits “a fiercely DIY approach to music making.”
Over at Moth Club you’ll find another night of Canada House, and amongst the six performers is Aysanabee an Oji-Cree singer-songwriter from Canada, who is a member of the Sandy Lake First Nation. Whilst he’d played in a number of bands it was during the pandemic that he wrote and recorded his first album, which is full of stories you can’t ignore.
At Night Tales 1 you can find what we could call a major new voice of Americana in the form of Hannah White as well as a link to the past who are still producing fresh albums at a steady rate in the form of Slim Chance.
And what of Night Tales 2? Don’t worry – like any of the venues’ offering you could just pick one place and stick to it for the whole night and not feel like you’ve missed anything, in particular, though, you could catch Oklahoma’s Carter Sampson.
Whatever you do choose – have a great time. And tomorrow night – it’s the Awards Show at Hackney Church. Cool.
It’s a bit irritating they scheduled Margo Cilker for PDV when she could have easily filled out the larger room at Oslo. They did the same last year with The Sadies.
Oslo seems to be under-supported all round – rarely more than a couple of dozen in there but great sound and lighting and space for a couple of hundred… curious🤔
I have no idea why but it seems to be that way for Oslo every year, rarely anywhere near half-full and was noticeably quiet the couple of times I was in there last night. It’s a shame as there were some great artists on there.