When you get recommended to check out an artist 3 times in as many weeks by 3 well respected pairs of ears you really should pay attention. We did, which is why we are excited to introduce to you the amazing music of Ellie Gowers for the December edition of the Sunday Social.
Warwickshire songwriter, Ellie Gowers, has been quietly brewing her self-penned songs for a while. A regular performer, her music embeds a fierce energy that echoes the 60’s folk revival scene and although she may be small, Ellie manages to hold pride of place on stage with her strong vocals. Her songs are built through an early love of literature and traditional folk song as well as the notable observations she makes on the zeitgeist narrative of today’s society. She has just graduated with a first in music and has garnered support slots with critically acclaimed artists up and down the UK, enticing watchers with her poetic lyrics and rhythmic guitar playing.
Support from the brilliant Canute’s Plastic Army, a mainly acoustic duo consisting of the vocals of Anish Harrison (previously of the well-known Teddy White Band) and Neil Mercer on acoustic guitar and backing vocals (previously of Rumour Shed and the Dacoits). The band started as the solo project of Neil who started playing and writing on his own due to running out of band mates. In spring 2016 Anish and Neil played around with a few covers and found a shared love of dark, twisted songs by artists as disparate as Odetta, Cate Le Bon and Pulp. They also found that Anish’s soaring, passionate vocals and Neil’s intricate, dynamic acoustic guitar was a potent mix. They quickly started writing dark and twisted songs of their own. Their first EP, Building Walls, was released in summer 2017 on Secret Chord records. They have gone on to expand their sound, constantly writing new songs and sometimes using a loop pedal to layer their guitar and vocals and add dynamics and power. In November 2018 Canute’s recorded some vocals and acoustic guitar in a cold rehearsal space and since then they have been adding overdubs and drip releasing them.