Julie July Band performing original music inspired by the folk, rock and blues movement of the 60s & 70s but with a contemporary 21st Century twist. With over a decade of gigging and recording experience, they are celebrating a new album, 'Flight of Fancy', together with songs from their critically acclaimed albums ‘Lady of the First Light’ and ‘Wonderland’ plus a selection of Sandy Denny favourites.
The line-up features musicians with strong Folk-Rock roots including Dik Cadbury, who played with Decameron and Steve Hackett, on bass, acoustic guitar and vocals and Mick Candler of Decameron and The Roll Movement on drums & percussion. Julie July brings powerful, emotional and crystal-clear lead vocals with a voice that really echoes the late Sandy Denny. The Rock element of the band is provided by Steve Rezillo on lead guitar who has supported the likes of Thin Lizzy and Aztec Camera: Steve’s unbelievable talents on the guitar and in studio are essential to creating the band’s authentic Folk-Rock sound. The newest member of the band, Australian Caley Groves, brings fairy dust and magic to the mix with his acoustic guitar and offers a Latin, gypsy-jazz twist to the band’s live performances. Last, but not least, one of the band’s songwriters, Carol Lee Sampson, contributes soulful and heartfelt performances on keyboards and vocals.
GIG REVIEW: “Any day is a good day to see the Julie July Band play live. They have bags of experience under their belts now, and it shows. Grins are exchanged on stage – clear evidence of musicians enjoying each other’s playing. It’s a joy to behold!
That difficult trick of playing tight but sounding loose is evident on every song. Quick to warm up, they have that rare fluidity borne of rehearsal time put to good use and a healthy gig schedule. From a dialed-in rhythm section to creamy tasteful guitars, well-judged keys and 5-part harmonies with Julie’s voice up front and in a class of its own…these guys are the real deal.
Of course, Julie and her band are not the only artists interpreting Sandy’s matchless legacy, but on this showing, they are clearly leaders in the field. However, rather than bedding down in that much loved niche and resting on those hard-won laurels, this group of musicians are reaching for more. This is evidenced by the solid body of recorded work behind them in the form of finely crafted albums which are available at gigs and elsewhere.
Catch them now because they sound like a band on the brink of a significant breakthrough. Grab those front row gig tickets while you can because I suspect that as their popularity grows those tickets might soon become harder to come by!” (Marcus -Melbourne July ‘23)
"Superb band of great musician, one of the best Folk-Rock bands around at the moment!”
“The songs are finely honed gems of observation, worked into diamond-sharp performances that demand attention. The development and growth of Julie July and her band have been both heartening and momentous as ‘Wonderland’ displayed conclusively. This is contemporary British Progressive Folk-Rock delivered with style and conviction” John O’Regan – Journalist & Broadcaster – fRoots, LCCR.