 Well, this is later than I thought, but I’ve been busy (no change there)! Before I finish my US tales, a quick reminder of my fabulous Christmas EP launch coming up in Stroud this Thursday, don’t miss it! http://www.subscriptionrooms.org.uk/whats-on/christmas-hats/ The EP will be out everywhere online on Friday! Where did I pause, oh yes, Washington DC...  So Washington DC is stunning. And I’ve never seen so many ginormous and beautiful monuments in such a (relatively) small area! After walking around for 2 half days, I still have so much to see next time I visit! I played 2 gigs in Washington, one of which was one of the stand out gigs of the tour - David’s house gig. This was a relatively last minute affair as David was hoping to come to another gig of mine in Washington, but happened to have tickets for Elvis Costello the same night, oh dear, priorities! Anyway, it worked out so much for the better as David (who happens to be from Cheltenham, UK) decided that since I was only in Washington for 2 days, he’d better seize the day and put on a house show himself! Having worried about the size of his flat and the number of people he could fit, we ended up with 23 people including the British Ambassador (!) and his lovely wife, who works at the same school as David, all sitting on the floor in the living room (except the Ambassador and a couple of others, who got chairs :-)). This is why I love music so much! It brings all sorts of people together who wouldn’t necessarily meet/mingle in any other situation, and levels everyone out, breaks down social barriers and creates amazing memories and stories! Since David’s a Brit, there were also lots of guests speaking the Queen’s English, which was actually quite a relief so many weeks into the tour and deluged in election madness! What a delightful audience this bunch was :-) Thank you David for hosting such a wonderful gig! The other highlights of the Washington stop included catching up with an old friend and having a private tour of the Capitol Building, not too shabby!   We then caught the train to Raleigh, North Carolina, but were shocked and saddened when our train hit and killed somebody walking on the tracks. We were held up for about 3 hours and got chatting to the guy opposite us. Turned out he also works in the Capitol building and knows the guy who gave us the tour! His wife was picking him up from where we’d stopped as they didn’t know how long the delay would be. They kindly offered us a lift to Raleigh as they were heading there themselves Thus we ended up in beautiful Raleigh. The gig I played in Raleigh at Sola Coffee House was another favourite of the tour. Such warm people and such chatty people! I hope I relieved a little of the election stress!  We also checked out Durham while we were in the area and then drove to Asheville for a couple of days. Yes, Asheville, not Nashville - saving that for next time. Really cool place Asheville, if you ever get the chance to visit. Lots of regeneration going on and a fantastic music scene. I didn’t have a gig booked in there but couldn’t resist an open mic night at Ben’s Tune Up. It was actually the first open mic they’d done there and it was just the host and I who signed up so I think I played for around an hour in the end. Before leaving Asheville we had to check out Biltmore Estate as we’d heard rave reviews from so many people. It was well worth the visit! Built by George Washington Vanderbilt ll from 1889 to 1896, this French Chateau style palace set in the breathtaking scenery of North Carolina was unforgettable, especially around Christmas time - I have never seen so many Christmas trees in one room, let alone one home!      We headed back to Raleigh for a bit more exploring and to hear the results of the election. Our poor hosts were distraught by the result. Then it was back on the train south to Charleston, South Carolina. To go South, we first had to head North to Wilson, stop over for 3 hours and then change trains. It was Veterans day that day and the place was like a ghost town - nothing much open on a national holiday and it’s a struggling town as it is. We wandered about and then headed into one of the only restaurants in town that was open. We were the only souls in there and got chatting to the hostess who was extremely friendly. Somehow we got onto talking about how on our way down our train was delayed when we hit someone on the track. It turned out that it was her first cousin who got hit by our train and the burial was the next day. I didn’t even realise that Wilson was the town where we’d stopped - small world, sad world. The man (her cousin) had been out drinking with a lady friend and both were drunk as they were crossing the tracks. They didn’t hear the train. He managed to push her to safety but was killed himself. On to happier subjects! Charleston was one of my favourite city’s of the tour, probably because it feels very English. Cobbled streets in places, multicoloured Georgian houses, courtyards, a high street, pedestrian market place, need I say more? We were just passing through, but checked out a couple of potential venues for next year, yes please!   The tour came to an end in Florida where I ended on a high of two fabulous gigs! Arlene’s house gig in Coral Springs and then Sofar Sounds in Miami. I think the audience at Arlene’s clicked with my music the most of any gig of the tour, and that’s saying something as I was blown away by the reaction at all the gigs. The hospitality was incredible and I feel extremely lucky to have met such kind, open hearted people. Arlene even hooked me up to play on Michael Stock’s well known acoustic/roots radio show in Miami the next day, which was an added bonus! The Sofar Miami gig was also brilliant. Set in a Yoga studio near the beach and with a pro sound engineer sorting the sound/recording on the night, it was the best quality sound I’ve ever had at a Sofar gig and the audience was lush, totally into the whole thing. What a fabulous gig to end with!      The next day was our final day before flying home, so the obvious thing to do was to go and hang out with the alligators in the Everglades - alligelfie?   And then it was time to say goodbye. Alfie looked pretty upset about it. Hard to believe I played 21 gigs, visited 11 States in 9 weeks, took 5 flights, 5 cars, 4 trains, 2 buses, 2 bikes, 1 boat and 1 hitch!! I had the most epic and amazing time, did some crazy things, made wonderful memories, spent time with family and old friends, made new friends, lost faith in humanity, got it back again, and witnessed history in the making. A truly unforgettable two months that I fully intend to repeat next year. I'd like to thank anybody and everybody who had any involvement in the tour, from suggesting good venues, to hosting a living room gig, to housing and feeding complete strangers, to advising me where the best fish tacos are in town. Your generosity and kindness blew me away and it is you, the people, that I will remember most about the trip. Keep safe, keep smiling and keep in touch.
H xxx No, I wasn't pulling your leg, I'm actually going to be playing at The O2 London on December 3rd! Not in the main bit, but in the 800 capacity Brooklyn Bowl supporting country duo Ward Thomas alongside CC Smugglers. This is huge for me and will be my biggest London gig to date by far. The bad/good news is, it's already sold out, so I'm afraid if you missed my posts on Facebook and Twitter, you're too late, but nice one if you got in there early!!  So Trump is going to be president...but the good news is that the world hasn't actually ended (yet) and I'll be back in the UK long before he takes over. I've seen some pretty stony faces here in North Carolina and most people we've come across seem to be in a state of utter disbelief, followed by anger, followed by deep sadness. The opinion of our hosts is that their country will be set back 50 years at least, and that many policies that have taken decades of work and negotiation to implement will be torn up and go to waste. I really hope that they're wrong and that America can thrive against all odds as I've loved being here and fully intend to come back next year.  On a positive note, tickets sales for my Christmas EP launch at Stroud Subscription Rooms are going really well! Thanks to all those who have already decided to come and celebrate with The Black Feathers, Natalie Holmes, Asha McCarthy and I (and my band)! Grab your tickets here if you haven't already, and don't forget to tell your friends - http://www.subscriptionrooms.org.uk/whats-on/christmas-hats/ The EP itself is also selling like hot cakes! There are only about 30 limited edition CDs left out of 100. Thanks for your support on preordering this as usual. It's amazing to know that I can make new music and you're there to help bring the project to life! Here are the details and PayPal link in case you've missed them til now - http://www.hattiebriggs.co.uk/christmas-ep along with the option of having Christmas cover of your choice recorded just for you in December :-) January is looking pretty busy for gigs already, including a return to Harpenden Tennis Club on January 15th, this time as a trio! Ticket link at the very top of my gigs page - http://www.hattiebriggs.co.uk/current-gigs  US adventures continued... ...so having reached LA we were lucky enough to stay with a lovely relative of ours in Thousand Oaks just outside the city and go backwards and forwards to various places over the next 2 and a half weeks. Gigs included Soho House on Malibu Beach, Sofar Sounds LA, Big Red Sun in Venice, a house gig in Thousand Oaks and Hotel Normandie in Korea Town. Soho house happens to be the private members club of various celebrities (I didn't know this before going there), including Gerrard Butler, who gave me a $50 tip! What made my night though, was meeting Peter Asher, formerly of Peter and Gordon, who had a number 1 with "World Without Love" in the 60s. Peter was the man who discovered, produced and managed my hero, James Taylor for many years. He came to my gig out of curiosity, stayed til the end and asked our friend to introduce us after. He is the warmest, loveliest guy, and we chatted for a while about James and then who he is working with at the moment, including Elton John and Hans Zimmer. I had a crazy epiphany moment after he'd gone, when I realised that if it wasn't for him discovering, believing in and working with JT, I probably wouldn't be here right now. I will remember that moment for the rest of my life. The Sofar gig was in the garden (yard) of a beautiful house in Santa Monica. There were lights in the trees, rugs and cushions on the grass and an extremely friendly audience to make the evening a special one.   The other interesting gig tale is of the house gig in Thousand Oaks. This was a very last minute affair. I was on a run at the weekend when I suddenly thought it would be really cool to do a living room gig for our host, Claus, my first cousin twice removed, as a thank you and to celebrate our time together as we were leaving at the end of that week. I stopped and asked a friendly looking neighbour across the road whether he'd be up for attending a house gig of a random English girl he'd never met/heard of, and he said he would be - I decided I'd like to make it a street party! After convincing Claus that this was a good idea and that we'd do all the work (furniture moving etc), all we needed were some guests to come along on the night in question, Friday. Claus invited some local friends but this wasn't going to be nearly enough to fill his living room. Flyering neighbours never works as people get so much junk mail anyway, therefore I decided inviting people face to face was a much better idea, especially as I was a complete stranger to them, and the nearer the gig the better so that they didn't have time to forget about it. I had never done any cold-calling in the UK before, let alone in another country, let alone during an election campaign, let alone 4 days before Halloween so that everyone's houses were decorated with creepy pretend dead things. But hey, you gotta start somewhere! The night before the gig I set out on foot at around 6:30pm with a flash light and some paper invitations/flyers to try and gather an audience. I walked up and down the street for an hour and a half in the dark knocking on strangers doors and telling them who I was and what I was planning to do. When somebody came to answer the door (often with suspicion), I started my spiel with a promise that I wasn't selling anything, and that this had nothing to do with politics or religion - not a single door was closed on me. It's amazing what you can do with a big smile, a British accent and a little charm. After I'd got round the whole street I had a few definite "yes"s, a few "we'll think about it"s, a couple of "sorry we have plans"s, and one "try the house next door, they like music". Pretty positive I thought, but still no guarantee that anyone would actually turn up. I'm proud to say that after a slightly nervous wait the following evening, we had 17 people in Claus' home, (many of whom didn't know Claus, or the other guests) to see me perform. It was one of the best nights of my tour. Everyone made new friends, and some discovered old ones - two people who used to run a business together 20 years ago live two doors down from each other and had no idea until the gig that they now live on the same street). They were an attentive and enthusiastic audience, were intrigued by my story and what we were doing - some think I'm mad (they may be right). Most of all they were amazed and inspired by the fact that music had brought this little community together. There was laughter, there were tears. It's nights like that that I'll remember for the rest of my life, that make me love my job and make all the hard work so worth it. Here's to cold-calling! Other highlights of the LA part of the tour were trips to Las Vegas (I've never seen so much excess), The Grand Canyon ("grand" doesn't cover it), and San Diego (insert Anchorman quote here), where we made some new friends including George the Bernese Mountain Dog. We also visited the Getty Museum and various other LA tourist spots. Next was Washington D.C.     I shall pause my tale here as I didn't anticipate how long this blog would be. More to come in the next few days!
R.I.P Leonard Cohen Until next time. H xxx Howdy! Hope y'all are well :-) Apologies for the radio silence. I am half way through my 2 month US tour and having the most amazing time so the moment has come for an update and some travel tales. Before I regale you with my adventures, I have a couple of important announcements regarding my plans on return to the UK... ...I have just had the mixes through for my Limited Edition Christmas EP, "A Winter's Day", which I'll be launching at Stroud Subscription Rooms on December 8th: http://www.subscriptionrooms.org.uk/whats-on/christmas-hats! It's a 4 track EP including 2 completely new songs, my cover of Autumn Leaves and a remixed version of Turn On The Lights! All copies of the CD will be numbered and signed and we're only printing 100 so get in there quick before they're gone! I can't wait to share it with you guys. Here's the link to preorder http://www.hattiebriggs.co.uk/christmas-ep With regard to the launch gig itself, I'll be hosting the evening and sharing the stage/collaborating with some wonderful local artists including The Black Feathers (https://theblackfeathers.com/), Natalie Holmes (https://www.facebook.com/natalieholmesmusic/) and Asha McCarthy. The vibe will be Christmassy to say the least and there'll be lots of surprises, laughter and tears as well as mince pies and mulled wine. Tickets and more details here - http://www.subscriptionrooms.org.uk/whats-on/christmas-hats For dates and details of my US gigs which are being added to the website as they are confirmed (more to go up tomorrow) - http://www.hattiebriggs.co.uk/current-gigs, feel free to email me with questions. Now, we'd be here all night if I went into detail about everything I've done on this US tour so I'll try to be brief and let the pictures tell a thousand words each (try being the operative word).      We started in Florida, where it was 90 degrees so we spent a lot of time on the beach or in air conditioned rooms. Some very generous friends leant us a soft top VW Beetle with eyelashes to drive around in so we explored a bit of the area including Corkscrew sanctuary where we could hear the alligators calling but couldn't see them, eeek. The same friends organised a beautiful gig for me in their local chapel, which had the best acoustics and sound system ever (check out my Facebook or Instagram feed for some little videos we recorded there). I caught a tan and then it was time to fly to Boston!        Highlights in Boston included discovering how brilliant Uber is, catching up with friends from my days teaching at summer camp in Maine, walking round the city, visiting the aquarium, taking various boat and bus tours, playing a wonderful house concert and making new musical friends, and seeing/getting to know relatives who I hardly ever get to see. I also learned a fair bit about the history surrounding the 4th July, the Patriots and the Minute Men. From Boston we took a train to Connecticut.         In Connecticut we stayed with some lovely friends who happen to also have the surname Briggs though we're not related. Even more coincidentally one of our hosts is called Peter and his middle initial is S - my dad is also Peter S Briggs. While there I played a gig in a cute little cafe called "The Kitchen Table" in Pound Ridge (they also made the best latte of the tour) and wandered around the beautiful countryside. Also drove past a lot of incredibly huge houses including Ryan Reynolds'. Popped into New York for a couple of days on the train to explore and play a Sofar Sounds gig. Highlights included going up the Rockefeller building, visiting The Met, The Harvard Club, 9/11 memorial, Central Park, walking The Highline and all round Manhattan and topping it off by seeing The Lion King musical on Broadway. Shame there's not more to do there.        From New York we jumped on another plane to Oakland near San Francisco where I played two house gigs in San Rafael and Los Altos and then busked at a farmer's market in Stonestown. Also celebrated Oktoberfest while in the area and went to see a Helio Sequence gig with our wonderful hostess, Nancy. We couldn't leave without going into San Francisco itself, so we stayed in a hostel downtown for a couple of nights and walked around Union Square, up to the top of Lombard Street, round Fisherman's Wharf and Embarcadero, round Golden Gate Park where we visited the flower conservatory and the Japanese Tea Garden and anywhere else our feet would carry us. Walking is the only way to get to know a city!         From San Fran we got a shuttle bus south to Monterey where we went for a glorious walk along the coast to Lover's Point and beyond to watch the sunset. The next day we visited our second aquarium of the tour, and this one was even better than Boston's! Having realised after we arrived in Monterey that Pacific Coast Highway buses only go south at weekends apart from during the summer (and it was midweek so we were stranded), we were extremely lucky to get into conversation with a German family who happened to have not only space in their car, but also the exact same plan as we had for the next few days, and the generosity to give us a lift. It was a bit of a tight squeeze, but after seeing all the fish, sharks, sea otters etc we piled into their back seats and headed off toward Big Sur national park, where we stopped for Coffee at Cafe Nepenthe and the views were spectacular. The sun was going down as we wiggled along the highway with the sea stretching out into the distance to our right. I've never seen so many Ford Mustangs in my life - next time I'll have to drive it in a swanky car. Just as we came down from the mountains we stumbled upon a beach absolutely crammed full of elephant seals, so we stopped there to watch the sun set. What hilarious creatures they are, honking, bonking, and sleeping all piled on top of each other ("there's a song in that" - I know you're thinking it). Anyway after it got cold and dark and the smell was no longer bearable we continued on to San Luis Obispo. Once again the luck was with us and that night happened to be the night of the weekly evening farmers market, which was amazing, so we ate there and listened to some live music on the streets before heading back to the hostel and collapsing into bed. The next day we wandered around the Mission then got back in the car with our new German friends for another day of adventure. This included a picnic on the beach at Santa Barbara, then a wander round the pier and downtown area. From there we drove the final couple of hours to LA where I currently reside.  I shall pause my tale at this point and return to it in a week or so's time as I realise that your lives only partially revolve around me and that you may have other things to do with your day. In case you don't, here are several very well recorded live sessions that have come out in the past few weeks and that you may have missed if you don't follow me on Facebook or Twitter. Enjoy! xxx Well hello there, I hope you’re enjoying the rollercoaster that is the Rio Olympics! I particularly like watching the diving and the hockey, but the whole thing is amazing and making me feel extra summery… …not that I wasn’t feeling summery already with the run of festivals I’ve just played! Cambridge Folk Festival was particularly special - both performing as a 6 piece band to a full Club Tent, and watching a whole load of brilliant artists including KT Tunstall, Christy Moore, Imelda May, Sam Lee and my personal favourites Sam Kelly and a ridiculously tight French band called Le Vent Du Nord, over the three days I was there. If you scroll down my Facebook page you’ll see loads of posts from the festival including a full live stream of our performance. If you don’t have Facebook then you can watch the video via my website - http://www.hattiebriggs.co.uk/videos. Here I am with the band about to go on stage :-)  After a couple of days off, it was down to Sidmouth Fringe Sessions for a duo gig with Jack Cookson. An enthusiastic audience, an eight man tent, a Mr Whippy and a trip to the donkey sanctuary - what more could a girl ask for?    My next festival is Stroud Fringe on August 28th! It’s a free festival and I’m playing as a 4 piece band on the main stage at 3pm. Here’s the Facebook event, website for more details: https://www.facebook.com/events/326153584390700/ http://www.stroudfringe.co.uk. I hope you can make it!! My next London gig is at The Groucho Club on September 12th, when I’ll be supporting Lauren Aquilina! Pop me an email if you’re interested in coming along: [email protected].  I hope you’re enjoying singing along to “Young Runaway”! If there are any lyrics you’ve been wondering about, you can now look up all of them on my website: http://www.hattiebriggs.co.uk/lyrics. Also on the horizon is a pledge campaign for pressing vinyl copies of “Young Runaway”, so keep a look out for that if you have a record player! There’s been some fantastic press coverage in the last couple of weeks including 3 page spreads in both Maverick and Cotswold Life - glossy or what?!   I hope the tanning is going well so far.
H xxx  It's been a crazy few weeks! The album is out and the festivals are plentiful! This weekend was a blast with Smoked and Uncut Festival, followed by a headline gig in Bath on Saturday, then up to Huntingdon for Secret Garden Party Festival on Sunday. It's such a joy to play with the band, especially at Chapel Arts Centre, Bath where the sound is so good - thanks to everyone who came along and made it such a brilliant evening - the "Digging to Australia" singalong was particularly impressive! Here are some pics from the weekend :-) Thanks to Ian Wallman for the above pic.  These fluffy babes are pets, but even so there was no pork eating for me after seeing them on arrival at Smoked and Uncut Festival.  Having a cheeky rehearsal of Summertime Man here - serious doowaps needed :-)  Jas and I had a ball at Secret Garden Party and the Living Room Stage audience was very welcoming indeed. It's probably the most chilled out festival I've experienced in my time as a festival goer. There were a few people wandering round with one boob on show - yes, only one, who knows why...well why not I guess? That's the great thing about festivals - no-one cares! This weekend I'll be playing at Cambridge Folk Festival! I'm doing a showcase with the band (6 piece!) in the Club Tent on Saturday at 5pm, yeeeeeeeehaaaaaaa!  After Cambridge it's off to Devon to play Sidmouth Fringe Sessions as a duo with Jack Cookson! Catch us opening the evening on August 3rd :-) and it's FREE! http://www.sidmouthfringe.co.uk/#!wednesday-3rd-august-16/sh5vs Here's a new video for you. Jack and I co-wrote "Have We Met Before" for my new album "Young Runaway" and this is a live recording of it we did in the Shepherd's Hut in my garden. If you're yet to purchase/listen to the album here are some links for you to check it out: iTunes - goo.gl/NOhnSh Spotify - goo.gl/eR8asl Amazon - goo.gl/tB6xVE Googleplay - goo.gl/7TrZIc 7digital - goo.gl/I1vh5v Deezer - http://www.deezer.com/album/12995256 Tidal - https://listen.tidal.com/album/59960417 HMV - goo.gl/mMeiko - available in all UK stores! My online shop - https://www.musicglue.com/hattie-briggs/shop/ And in case you missed my documentary videos. Here is the full version explaining all the stories behind the songs and showing them in their original form. The final thing to mention is that I've updated my Spotify playlists for your enjoyment. Do let me know if there's a particular artist you'd like to see on there:
Have You Heard? https://open.spotify.com/user/hattiebriggs/playlist/0rZBKPIKaICzN6yxM1OjKV My Summer Playlist - https://open.spotify.com/user/hattiebriggs/playlist/53BNwa7ApTCKyzmiJHXspx Until next time! H xxx Happy Tuesday Vrienden (“friends” in Dutch), I’ve just got back from a week’s tour in the Netherlands with singer-songwriter and band member Jack Cookson. I shall regale you with my adventures in a moment. Before I do I’d like to notify you of my next UK gig: CHELTENHAM @ The Frog and Fiddle on June 24th - 7:30 doors. I’ll be playing as a trio and support comes from Demi Marriner, The Hawthornes and Lila J. Tickets are £8 and can be found here - http://www.wegottickets.com/event/349817 Full details on the Facebook Event - https://www.facebook.com/events/1606314759695974/  Pic by Ian Wallman, Hair by Natasha Quigley, Make up by Louise Buxton. This week’s tour has been a raging success with three well attended gigs, a radio session, a very good busking spell and some enjoyable sight-seeing in between. Our first gig was at a beautiful country house/wedding venue in Oentsjerk, North Holland called Stania State. Lots of enthusiastic punters and a standing ovation was a great way to start the tour!  Then it was back down South to Rotterdam for a session on Live Uit Lloyd for Radio Rijnmond. The presenter, Ronald, was a legend and we had a brilliant time in the massive and incredibly well-equipped studio, complete with a baby electric grand piano and two sound engineers.   A few more hours driving later and we were back up North in beautiful Steendam, not too far from Groningen. We were hosted for two nights by the lovely Peter and Leni of Podium Cafe, who have put on 260 gigs in the past 3 years including artists like Lucy Ward and Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker. We really enjoyed the gig as well as the food and the company. Our final gig was a house concert in Bodegraven, just outside Rotterdam. Amazing hospitality as always, a full living room and a lie-in, which was much needed. Thanks for another top sing along to “Digging to Australia”.  During our final day in Holland we had a very successful busk in Rotterdam before heading out into the countryside for our final night and performing to our B & B hosts and their kids around the fire pit while they roasted/burned some marsh mellows - a most relaxing end to the trip.  In other news, I’m super excited to have been accepted into the ITB Agency family, who are doing some great work for me already. Among other things they have got me a slot at The Living Room Stage at Secret Garden Party Festival on Sunday 24th July, whoop whoop!  I’ve also been featured in The Telegraph last week! They premiered my live session of Castle On The Sand. You can check out the full article and video here - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/hattie-briggs-performs-castle-on-the-sand-music-session/ My new album is being reviewed in the Summer edition of Guitarist Presents Acoustic Magazine. You can grab it in the shops or online :-)  Jack and I did a session/interview with Johnny Coppin on BBC Radio Gloucestershire which came out on Saturday. You can catch up here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03xk1x6
Last but not least I’m chuffed to say that “Summertime Man” has made it onto 3 Apple Music Playlists nestled between some pretty well known artists. Here they are for your perusal: Best Of The Week https://itunes.apple.com/gb/playlist/best-of-the-week/idpl.2b0e6e332fdf4b7a91164da3162127b5 The A List: Singer/Songwriter https://itunes.apple.com/gb/playlist/the-a-list-singer-songwriter/idpl.8e78f32951a4462f9f4d369c006bc97d Singer/Songwriter Radio https://itunes.apple.com/gb/station/singer-songwriter/idra.985501172 I think that's all my news for now! H xxx  Hellooooooo, I hope that your sunburn is suitably covered in aloe vera and that your ice-cream was especially special (mine was). I have various interesting and exciting titbits with which to propel you towards the weekend! Most importantly the 3rd early track from “Young Runaway” is now available online to download and stream! It’s called “Summertime Man” and is sure to get you in the mood for sunshine this weekend - it even has doowaps on it :-) If you preorder the album on iTunes, you’ll now get 3 tracks to listen to immediately, but you can also download them individually without preordering the whole album. Here it is on: iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/summertime-man/id1109003523?i=1109004667 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/4ko9BprkVKXqgETh24PnvU - enjoy!  I have also just updated my Spotify playlist with some new tunes for you to enjoy and new artists to discover - https://open.spotify.com/user/hattiebriggs/playlist/0rZBKPIKaICzN6yxM1OjKV Here is a little interview I did for “Essentially Pop” - http://essentiallypop.com/epop/2016/06/hattie-briggs-the-young-runaway-speaks-to-us-about-her-tour-and-new-album/ GLOUCESTERSHIRE FANS - I've got a gig coming up in Cheltenham! It’s on Friday June 24th at the Frog & Fiddle and I’ll be playing as a trio: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/349817 I've also got this coming up!  I'm heading off to Holland on Monday for a weeks tour so you can expect various tales of adventure - watch this space. Might do some busking on the ferry...
Here’s a little cover I did of Autumn Leaves last week in case you missed it - https://youtu.be/zABBFIY3zVo Have a splendiferous weekend! H xxx  Evening Peeps, You’ll be happy to hear that another of my tracks from “Young Runaway” is now available online to download and stream in advance of the full album release on July 8th! It’s called “Here’s to Hoping” and it’s the first single from the album. I really hope you like it! iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/heres-to-hoping/id1109003523?i=1109004663 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/46CvaomMzLOqLfYdlp8D8H The song is about the house where I grew up and the uncertainty of the future. You can read the full lyrics here - http://www.hattiebriggs.co.uk/lyrics. Here’s a review from my gig in Hampstead last week by Keith Ames. It includes a sneak preview of the review Keith is writing for “The Musician” magazine summer edition - http://www.hattiebriggs.co.uk/album--live-reviews. And a Q&A I did for Zap! Bang! Magazine - http://zapbangmagazine.com/music/interviews/hattie-briggs  I’ve got a fantastic gig in London this week! On Thursday night I'll be playing as a five piece band in The Ballroom at The Bedford, Balham for this year's London Folk Fest. For a cheeky 10% discount on tickets use the code BEDFORD10 :-) I'm on just after 9pm but I'm sure it'll be a great night all round so come along from 7:30 to take in a load of great artists. Here’s the Facebook Event - https://www.facebook.com/events/641013546046003/ Ticket link - http://www.musicglue.com/the-london-folkfest/tickets/ Also coming up this week is “Jazz in the Wood” on Saturday, which is SOLD OUT, but I look forward to seeing some of you there :-) Next week I’ll be in: Cambridge on June 7th at the Portland Arms - http://theportlandarms.co.uk/wp/product/hattie-briggs-jack-cookson-7th-june/ Norwich on June 8th at the Bicycle Shop - http://musicglue.com/dreams-music-promotion/events/8-jun-16-hattie-briggs-the-bicycle-shop/ Support at both gigs comes from Radio 2 Young Folk Award Nominee Jack Cookson, who will also be joining me to play my headline sets as a duo.  Photos by Ian Wallman - IW Photographic. Make up - Louise Buxton, hair - Natasha Quigley.
I have recently added the full audio for “Red & Gold” to my YouTube channel for you to enjoy at your leisure (don’t say I don’t spoil you) - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5CdHuBdqw6dUI2XUkH09KLIPfYJl1z3p. I have updated my Spotify playlist “Have You Heard?” with some new gems for you to discover - https://open.spotify.com/user/hattiebriggs/playlist/0rZBKPIKaICzN6yxM1OjKV Fish fingers for tea. Until next time. H xxx  Evening Pals,
Just a quick one from me tonight! First of all I wanted to let you know that I’m going to be starting a new series of short videos on YouTube, interviewing other musicians, bands, people who might be fun to talk to. This series will be called “Hat’s Chats” and in the first episode I will be talking to my producer Peter Waterman. If you have any questions that you’d like me to ask Pete (serious or ridiculous, musical or not), please email me on [email protected]. If your question is “do you like train spotting?” then that one is already on my list and the answer is a resounding “no”. I hope you’ve all been enjoying listening to “The Lake”, which is out now online as a taster for the album. Here are the lyrics for you to peruse - http://www.hattiebriggs.co.uk/lyrics Also new to my website is a page about song commissions - http://www.hattiebriggs.co.uk/song-commissions - I completed my first one last week. Email me if you’re interested. A couple of great gigs coming up this week: Thursday 26th May, 7:30pm - The Rabbit Hole, Hampstead, London, NW3 I’ll be performing a showcase as a duo for this one and it’s another intimate venue so make sure you book in advance. Tickets - https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/date/251214 Sunday May 29th, 7:30pm - The Crofter’s Rights, Bristol I’ll be performing as a duo with Jack Cookson, BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award Nominee 2016, who will also be supporting me at the gig. Don’t miss it Folks. Tickets - https://tigmus.com/hattie-briggs/crofters-rights/228 Thanks to Ian Wallman for the pic above. Hair by Natasha Quigley, make up by Louise Buxton. That is all for now folks. H xxx  Good evening Team, I hope you’re enjoying our mini heatwave! Fingers crossed those of you who preordered “Young Runaway” have now got the CD in your grasp - if not it should reach you by early next week (unless you’re in Australia in which case I have no idea when it will reach you). Toes crossed that you are enjoying it and feeling the summer vibes like this dude is.  I’m looking forward to seeing some of you this weekend in Chesham and Harpenden. Here are the details in case you’ve missed them up to now: Saturday 14th May, 7:30pm - The Drawing Room, Chesham I’ll be duoing with Henry once more at one of my favourite venues! Tickets - http://the-drawingroom.co.uk/gigsparties-temp/ Sunday 15th May, 7:15pm - Harpenden Tennis Club, Amenbury Lane, AL5 2EF Henry and I will be playing as a duo for this casual and intimate gig. Tickets include food and the link is at the top of my gigs page: http://www.hattiebriggs.co.uk/current-gigs You can buy tickets on the door, but food will not be included in the deal. Also coming up in May: Friday 20th May, 7pm - Big Comfy Bookshop, Coventry I’ll be doing with Asha at this cosy venue that has really made a name for itself among acoustic acts. Support comes from Gareth Lee & Annie Baylis, and Paris Georgia. Tickets - http://www.wegottickets.com/event/348665 Thursday 26th May, 7:30pm - The Rabbit Hole, Hampstead, London, NW3 I’ll be performing a showcase as a trio for this one and it’s another intimate venue so make sure you book in advance. Tickets - https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/date/251214 Sunday May 29th, 7:30pm - The Crofter’s Rights, Bristol I’ll be performing as a duo with Jack Cookson, BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award Nominee 2016, who will also be supporting me at the gig. Don’t miss it Folks. Tickets - https://tigmus.com/hattie-briggs/crofters-rights/228  It’s been a busy week as always with a photo/documentary shoot with the brilliant Ian Wallman (watch this space) and track one “The Lake” from “Young Runaway”, premiering online with “The Girls Are” blog. Here it is again if you missed it http://www.thegirlsare.com/2016/05/10/exclusive-hattie-briggs/ and you can now download and stream the track via the usual sites including: iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-lake/id1109003523?i=1109004661 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/6K8O4h2eyKXe6cEgKDDrQx My team are also busy organising a tour to the U.S and Canada this September/October/November. Please get in touch if you have any advice for us or would be interested in hosting a house gig while we’re out there.  Radio coverage this weekend will include an interview/session on BBC Three Counties Radio tomorrow around 1pm with Mike Naylor, BBC introducing in the West tomorrow evening as well as Severn FM on Sunday night. Tune in to hear how “The Lake” sounds over the airwaves. I’ll be back in the Netherlands in June, whoop whoop! Doing a mini tour of the North with fellow band member Jack Cookson. We’ll be there from June 13th - 20th doing various gigs and some busking in between times. We have a date free for a potential house gig in the North on June 15th. Please get in touch if you or a friend might be interested in hosting us - [email protected]. You can find out more information about how house gigs work via this new page on my website - http://www.hattiebriggs.co.uk/house-concerts. And more about the Holland tour here - http://www.hattiebriggs.co.uk/holland-tour.  Finally, we are looking to borrow/rent a van to travel around in while we are touring in Holland. It would need to be a 3 seater, but apart from that we don’t have a spec. It would be driven by an experienced driver and treated with care (no van parties for us). We will be taking the ferry to Holland so would ideally pick the van up in England around the 11/12th of June. If anyone has a van/an idea of how me might get our hands on one then please let me know.
That’s all for now! Adios amigos, Hattie xxx |
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