Neil Bob Herd

The Country Soul Sessions invite you to our annual 'Songwriters Special' an evening with eclectic flashes of Rock N' Roll, Folk, Blues, Pop and of course Country Soul ♩♫ ♩ ♪ ♬ ♪ NB Herd We are extremely pleased that NB Herd will be returning to the Country Soul. With his roots/Americana vibe all done with a distinct Scottish twang Mr Herd not only fronts his own NB Herd and The Dirty Little Acoustic Band but has been for almost two decades the guitarist and vocalist with the international renowned bluegrass combo The Coal Porters. Now with a brand new ‘5-Reel Feature’ EP (April 5th release date) and having just returned from a wee musical ‘stravaig' to Scotland this would be an ideal time to see Neil doing what he does. For this Session he will be accompanied by Paul Fitzgerald on “Telejo” and Jonny Bridgwood on double bass. Sarah Vista It’s our pleasure to welcome back the outlaw songstress and 2020 Ameripolitan winner Sarah Vista to the Country Soul Sessions. Strutting through a Morricone-esque Spaghetti Western landscape that even the most righteous western aficionado would approve Sarah Vista has always followed her own trail with her fully loaded, tall tales of revenge and retribution. Her latest offering “Songs From The Silver Screen” (2020) was a download only release which saw 'Gallow Romantic' artist Vista cover western themed tunes as varied as ’Streets Of Laredo’, ‘High Noon’, 'Wanderin’ Star’ and other cinematic classics. For this ‘songwriters special’ Sarah will be accompanied by Becky Bullet on trumpet and twangy guitar guru Jeff Mead. Don’t miss her.. Fran McGillivray & Mike Burke We are delighted that Fran McGillivray & Mike Burke will be making their Country Soul debut. Fran and Mike are compelling songwriters/performers and have spent many years honing their craft into a ‘wonderful unique style” (Cerys Matthews Radio 2). Playing their blues and roots vibe the duo have performed at many major festivals in Europe and the UK and have shared the bill with such musical luminaires are Bert Jansch, John Renbourn and Elvis Costello. Having recorded five long players their latest ‘Rain’ (2022) was voted in the top ten Americana albums of 2022 by the notable BluesBlues website/Blog. Don’t miss them. The True Believers We are thrilled that The True Believers will making their CSS debut at our ‘Songwriters Special’. Named after Nanci Griffith’s ‘Last of The True Believers’ the band formed in Ladywell in SE London in 2016. Influenced by classic acts such as Gram Parsons/Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Hank Williams, Joni Mitchell, Pentangle Et al. the band play their own brand of Americana/Country/Folk and have released two LP’s ‘Songs In The Key Of Heartbreak’ (2020) and ‘The Garden Sessions’ (2023) to fine acclaim. For this Session the band will be performing as a trio with Steve Gribbin vocals/acoustic guitar, Alice Renouf on vocals and Andy Kimmance on guitar.