BRIDIE JACKSON: website launch and live album recording

April 17, 2010
St. Ann’s Church
Breamish St and City Road
Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 6PY

It’s been a big year for Bridie Jackson. Having started 2009 as a singer-songwriter with a guitar, she enters 2010 as a fully fledged bandleader and arranger, and is now forging a reputation as a musician. The acoustic guitar still emerges from time to time, but her musical background is now more likely to be bassoon, harp and violin.

At St. Ann’s Church she’ll be recording her first live album. “I’ve always been more comfortable with performing than recording. Making a live album is the compromise. It will be available as a free download from my website with artwork.”

Bridie’s recent musical experiments have extended to hip-hop, arranging songs like Let’s Get it On in Public (Kelis) and Survivor (Justin Timberlake) for a five piece choir, and Destiny’s Child’s Survivor for voice and cello. “I love arranging music” she says, and her new music is a reflection of this need to branch out and explore the possibilities of sound.

SUPPORT ACTS
Bridie has now confirmed Richard Dawson, and Andy Jackson & the Braguesa Ensemble, as support acts for the launch.

ANDY JACKSON & THE BRAGUESA ENSEMBLE
Enthnomusicologist Andy Jackson, playing guitar, guitarra portuguesa and viola braguesa, in accompanied by a string quartet in music which refuses to be pigeon-holed. It bridges centuries, cultures and genres with classical fandangos, latin boleros and contemporary arrangements of traditional Portuguese songs and dances.

RICHARD DAWSON
Cross eyed and reckless, Richard Dawson is the genius-savant of the Newcastle lo-fi community. His voice and his instrument will break your heart, as they often do his. Dawson is a man who wears his insides on the outside musically, and has built a huge following amongst local (and not so local) lovers of luminescent songsmithery. In years to come they’ll talk about Richard Dawson the way they talk about Ann Briggs or Karen Dalton! Believe it!

ST. ANN’S CHURCH
St Ann’s was built in 1767-1768 in a dignified English Renaissance manner from designs by William Newton, the most successful Newcastle architect of his day.

Stones from the nearby old Newcastle town wall were used in its construction, and the Church was consecrated by Bishop Trevor on Friday 2nd September 1768.

The Church then stood much as it now exists except that the interior was furnished with the usual three-decker pulpit and ‘box’ pews, and the windows were wider than at present.

THE CONCERT
Bridie Jackson, with a supporting cast of Richard Dawson, Andy Jackson and the Braguesa Ensemble, will launch Bridie’s website and will be recorded for her live album at St. Ann’s Church on City Road, Newcastle on April 17 2010.

Tickets: £6.00