Gwyneth Herbert is an artist who continues to redefine (and defy) our expectations. A singer-songwriter with one foot in the jazz world and one somewhere in the future, with pierrot-dotted eyes, polka-spotted shoes and swanny whistle in hand she may appear as whimsical as a Bonzo Dog, but writes beautiful melodies and has a poet’s grasp of the world around her.
On Saturday, June 2 Gwyneth performs with British jazz pianist Kit Downes at The Pheasantry at Pizza Express.
We spoke to Gwyneth ahead of their performance...
Tell us about your gig coming up at The Pheasantry
I'm really excited to be collaborating with wonder-pianist Kit Downes for our Pheasantry gig. As a musician, Kit's that perfect combination of intuitive, sensitive and just downright clever. We've performed together a few times before but this will be our first full set, exploring some of our favourite songs from Elliot Smith, Tom Waits, Joni Mitchell to standards, alongside re-inventing some of my originals.
What is your relationship with King's Road?
Being an East Londonite I haven't explored the King's Road as much as I'd like, but I still have some great memories of the Chelsea area – of course the 606 Club on Lots Road is one of my regular haunts; I've indulged in a few heady nights playing and glugging at the character-filled Chelsea Arts Club alongside people like beat-poet Michael Horowitz and potty-mouthed legend Molly Parkin; and a superfun “Girl Talk” run at The Pheasantry itself singing songs of female empowerment with chansonniere Barb Jungr and pop icon Mari Wilson.
What for you is special about performing at The Pheasantry?
I love The Pheasantry for the intimacy – you're practically sitting in the audience's lap, which allows a certain intensity missing from larger venues... I also love the feeling of the building itself – one-time home to sculptors, writers, dancers and musicians, it's a place where stories live, and the walls seem to echo with those ghosts.
What's coming up next?
I have ten fingers in more pies at the moment, which is totally exhausting and I love it. A selection of pies: I've just recorded an album about the sea at the beautiful Snape Maltings down on the Suffolk coast – I wrote it in a little cottage on the seafront there, and it's due for release next year. In July I have a run of dates at The Tricycle Theatre of Alex Webb's project “Cafe Society”, a musical and narrative exploration of the legendary 1940s New York jazz club. I'm also working on three new musicals at the moment, including “The A – Z of Mrs P” with playwright Diane Samuels, which tells the story of bohemian artist and eccentric Phyllis Pearsall who invented the iconic street map.
Which five artists have you been most inspired by?
These change all the time, but here are today's...
Kansas hip-kid Krystle Warren blows my mind – she's got a voice brimming with late nights and Jameson's and Lucky Strikes, a wit to slay you and songs to break your heart.
Poet and lyricist Fran Landesman was a huge inspiration, combining brutal wit with a real, human fragility both in her performance and her writing. I was lucky to share a stage with her many times, and she was a real firecracker.
I love Jarvis Cocker for his invention. His songs make huge points told through a tiny lens, and I love the way he's always searching for new ways to explore creatively - through art happenings and new collaborations and also his radio show is ACE.
Janis Ian is an amazing narrative songwriter who also really inspired me with her essays on how to keep a hold on your creative voice within an industry that's driven more by marketing than music.
I went to see Camille at the Barbican recently and it was one of the most awe-inspiring things I've ever seen – imaginative, theatrical, full of sadness and surprises and sometimes just plain silly.
Tickets for Gwyneth Herbert and Kit Downes are available to book online at Pizza Express Live or by calling 0845 6027 017.
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