News

 

April 2010

I had a pretty busy April with shows in Stamford, Kettering, East Grinstead, London and Portsmouth. More festival confirmations as well as the Cambridge Folk Festival, Beverley Folk Festival, Secret Garden Party, Solfest, Maryport Blues Festival & Rhythm Festivals. A great summer of shows planned along with a new album

March 2010  

I had a manic March playing around 15 gigs and also finishing off the recording of my new album in Dublin. The album is in a great shape and will be released in the summer months.On the strength of a couple of tracks from the new record I have just been confirmed for the Cambridge Folk Festival. An amazing festival and one of the biggest shows I have played. So, all very exciting stuff.

February 2010

I had a good February playing shows in London and Dorset, at the lovely Barrelhouse Blues Club. I was featured in the Irish Post as a preview to a headlining gig at the Manchester Irish Festival on the 5th March. The new album looks set for the next few months – I’ve been doing filming and photos as preparation over the last couple of weeks.

January 2010

 I haven't been in contact for a while as my December & January have been spent recording my new album in Dublin. It's coming along nicely and includes contributions from legendary BJ Cole (Pedal Steel), Vyvienne Long on cello (Damien Rice), Trevor Hutchinson on bass (The Waterboys), Dave Hingerty on drums (The Frames) and Michael Buckley on saxophone (Mary Coughlan). So all good

December 2009

I have been away in Dublin recording my new album. I am working with the amazing Trevor Hutchinson of The Waterboys, Eric Bibb, Lunasa and Sharon Shannon and of bunch of others. The session went really well, recording 12 songs. I will be back in Dublin in January to finish the album off. So, all very exciting stuff.

I have had an amazing year with the release of my album ‘Calcutta Grove’. This was followed by performing on the Acoustic Stage at Glastonbury Festival to a few thousand people and selling out of cd’s. The same thing happened in Switzerland when I supported the legendary John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater. Further support slots with Southside Johnny, Curved Air, Colin Blunstone (The Zombies), Otis Grand, The Groundhogs, and Nine Below Zero. Plus headline slots all over the place and a tour of Ireland in September. 2009 has been my best and busiest year so far and the critical response to Calcutta Grove has been amazing

November 2009

November was a great and very busy month playing shows with Bap Kennedy and Nine Below Zero. I returned to the Tenby Blues Festival performing twice over the weekend. This was followed by shows in Canterbury and at the amazing Charlotte Street Blues Club in London. I was also featured on BBC Radio 3 on the fantastic Ian Mcmillan show 'The Verb', I was interviewed and played a few songs.

October 2009

October was a great month with wonderful weather and a bunch of shows in Manchester and London. I was also played on the legendary Bob Harris BBC Radio 2 show . I was featured two weeks running with 'Calcutta Grove' and my take on the Skip James classic 'Hard Time Killing Floor Blues'. Pleased as punch with this. I was also featured on the Raven N Blues Show - with an interview and performing a few songs. My tracks were also played on Digital Blues.

 September 2009

September was a brilliant  month with loads of great shows including gigs in Derby, London, Essex, and Co Wexford in Eire.

There were loads of new reviews of my album ‘Calcutta Grove’. Classic Rock gave it 8/10 saying, 'slow burning, haunting, dextrous picking ... Taylor is a find’. Acoustic Magazine, wrote 'the raw beauty of the guitar and piano ... fresh, cliche free and tugs at the soul'. The Musicians Union magazine ‘Musican’ wrote, 'stimulating, reflective and tasteful ... fragile melodies and excellent lead guitar ... mainstream stardom beckons'.
Spiral Earth described 'a great grasp of the blues ... original, varied and soulful'.
 
There were also two radio performances - on House Of Mercy, and Raven N Blues.  
These shows are broadcast in the States and across the rest of Europe as well as over here.

 

I now have a new manager Stuart Ongley from SGO Music, and a booking agent, Adastra. Stuart has worked with Eric Bibb, Lunasa and Eleanor McEvoy amongst others. Adastra work with Martin Taylor, Andy Irvine, Donal Lunny, Michael Chapman, and Aly Bain, to name a few.

 
So this is very exciting stuff!!!

August 2009

August was a great month for me with gigs in Hertfordshire, London and Brighton. I was reviewed in Rock N’ Reel which wrote ‘dark and moody ... thunderous ... one to watch’. It was also featured in Subba Cultcha which said I was ‘intoxicating'.

July 2009

I had a great July with shows in Essex, London, Brighton and Switzerland. The gig in Switzerland was a massive show supporting the legendary John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater. I played to a couple of thousand people and sold out of cds – a great evening.

 

I have had loads of reviews for ‘Calcutta Grove’ this month including Blues Matters, it described CG as 'an absolutely spellbinding piece of work - one of the finest acoustic blues albums I have heard in years'. I was given a four Star Review in Uncut; 'formidable and skilled ... pleasingly atmospheric ... recalls Chris Isaak’

June 2009
June was a truly amazing month with a little tour of the north, a few London shows, a gig in Bournemouth and a gig on Acoustic Stage at Glastonbury. The show at Glastonbury was in front of a few thousand and I sold out of cd's. I had a great festival playing a number of smaller gigs over the weekend and performing a slot on Worthy FM.

 

I’ve also had some great reviews for my album 'Calcutta Grove’; Blues Matters described 'an absolutely spellbinding piece of work - one of the finest acoustic blues albums I have heard in years'. Net Rhythms also wrote 'a consummate artist … exquisitely moulded guitar work … original and supremely distinctive. Plus, I did various Radio shows for House Of Mercy (to be aired very soon) and Oban FM in Scotland.