Soul Inspired Events and Soul Inspired CIC have announced that British soul star Gabrielle will headline Liverpool SoulFest 2015 at Constellations in Liverpool’s thriving Baltic Triangle.
In a career spanning over twenty years, Gabrielle has become one of Britain’s most successful soul singers, achieving multiple Top 40 hits – including the number 1 smashes Dreams and Rise, the latter of which features a rare sample of Bob Dylan‘s Knocking On Heaven’s Door personally approved by Dylan himself – and multi-platinum albums.
Gabrielle has also won many prestigious awards for her work, including several BRIT and MOBO Awards, and her most recent album even won her a coveted Ivor Novello Award.
Following a break from touring and recording, she re-emerged in 2013 with her hits collection Now and Always: 20 Years of Dreaming, followed by her hugely successful Now and Always Tour, her first in six years.
The Saturday night at Constellations will feature a special set by British-Zimbabwean artist Eska.
One of the most unique and absorbing soul artists to appear in many years, Eska marries soul with folk, psychedelia and electronica. Her diverse influences range from the experimental rock of Captain Beefheart, the unrivalled vocals of Ella Fitzgerald, the poetry of Joni Mitchell, the otherworldliness of Kate Bush via reggae, electronica, British progressive rock and folk. Bringing all of her influences together in an astonishingly soulful way on her self-titled debut album (released last April), Eska has emerged as an artist unlike any other.
Joining Gabrielle and Eska will be acclaimed artists Jermain Jackman, Sasha Simone, Dora Martin, Nate Williams, Mi’das, Ayanna Witter-Johnson, Judith Ude and J. Appiah.
A DJ takeover in 24 Kitchen St will feature acclaimed soul connoisseurs DJ Niceness (Neo2Soul/Stilldope Radio) and Roger Williams (Soulsorts).
Further acts, both live music and DJ’s, plus further exciting events, will be announced in the coming weeks.
Liverpool SoulFest founder Saeed Olayiwola says; “we are so delighted to have Gabrielle play Liverpool SoulFest 2015. To have an artist of her calibre play our first ever festival really puts us on the map in a very big way. To match Gabrielle with an artist as revered and exciting as Eska has ensured that Liverpool SoulFest has got off to an incredible start, and it’s only the beginning of our journey.”
Liverpool Soul Fest 2015 is Liverpool’s first ever festival dedicated to soul music and culture.
Between 23rd and 25th October 2015, the festival will host events encompassing music, dance, fashion and food in venues across the city, including exclusive live performances and DJ sets at Constellations, 24 Kitchen St and Baltic Social in the city’s thriving creative hub, The Baltic Triangle.
In addition, further events at the Epstein Theatre and Hilton Hotel will extend the cultural reach of the festival by celebrating the dance and fashion that soul culture has inspired.
Soul Inspired have been running soulful events in Liverpool since 2012. In addition to the monthly Soul4Soul concerts and annual Soul Reach charity events at Parr Street’s Studio 2, they have curated stages at festivals such as LIMF, Sound City and Pride.
Soul Inspired have also been responsible for bringing internationally acclaimed soul-inspired artists to Liverpool, including Grammy Award winners Snarky Puppy, Kirk Whalum and John Stoddart.
