MIRANDA SYKES - One of UK folk´s most respected musicians.
Miranda started her career as a musician in 1996 at the age of 18, playing bass guitar in a country rock band. After 2 years touring and playing for line dancing in working mens clubs across Britain, folk-rock band Pressgang were looking for a bass player. Miranda spent the next 2 years touring internationally with them. After a few years of musical promiscuity playing with Firebrand, Little Johnny England, Robb Johnson, Bill Jones, Steafan Hannigan, Reg Meuross, Kirsty McGee, The Phil Beer Band, Martyn Joseph and The Scoville Units; Miranda depped for Pete Zorn in the 2004 Show Of Hands festival band line up. She worked with them for the next 20 years. Miranda also found time for a short tour and album with the Miranda Sykes Band in 2005, duo album tours with mandolin player Rex Preston and 2 solo albums. 2024 brings a second tour with Hannah Martin, a new Baring-Gould Centenary project with Jim Causley, summer festivals with vocal group Daphne's Flight, a tour with The Phil Beer Trio and a new solo album and tour "Out Of The Woods".
Review: Miranda Sykes at the Lichfield Guildhall
The acclaimed singer and multi-instrumental Miranda Sykes cast a musical spell over an attentive audience when she appeared at Lichfield Guildhall as part of her Borrowed Places tour.
Best known as one third of Show of Hands with Phil Beer and Steve Knightley, over the years she has carved out a niche for herself as a first call bassist and singer, and this tour showcased her songwriting with Borrowed Places being inspired by her childhood in Lincolnshire.
Playing bass, guitar and ukulele, Miranda's best sonic gift was her soaring vocal prowess, which was showcased in a number of acapella numbers. As well as her own songs, she also covered numbers from writers such as Julie Matthews, Steve Knightley and Nancy Griffiths.
Although the set concentrated mainly on folk music and songs, there was also time for some fine jazz double bass playing and a number of pieces that featured bowed double bass and fleet-fingered guitar playing.
Songs played during the first half included Isabella Gunn and the bass driven The Lily and the Rose, while a show stealing acapella version of I Am Going To The West was delivered with a high level of assurance.
The ukulele accompaniment to Forgotten Harvest showed both drive and a lot of musical dexterity.
Julie Matthews' Are We Human? was a protest song with a lot of pointed questions, while the sing-along The Big Wheel and Don't be a Stranger by Steve Knightley were both story songs that packed a punch.
An encore of Time of Inconvenience by Nancy Griffiths was a political song with a strong bass propulsion, which showed Miranda Sykes' talents of to good effect.
This is gonna be a great night
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