Ellie supporting The South in Exeter and Falmouth
Ellie has just confirmed that she will be supporting ‘The South’ (formerly ‘The Beautiful South’) in Exeter and Falmouth as part of their UK tour in February. Having been a fan of their music for a long time, Ellie is very excited to be able to open for them for their gigs in Devon and Cornwall.
For more information on ‘The South’, head over to their web site...
http://www.thesouth.co.uk
Joan’s Love And Affection for Exeter Singer’s comeback
Exeter’s Ellie Williams is celebrating her comeback to the music scene after landing a gig supporting legendary singer songwriter Joan Armatrading MBE.
The 31-
Her plans for a follow-
“It came as a bolt out of the blue,” said Ellie. “Like many people, I assumed the lumps I’d felt in my neck would be written off as benign.
“But when I received the phone call telling me I had cancer, it felt like the rug had been pulled from beneath me. Surely they must have got my results confused with someone else’s.” Ellie was told by her surgeon there was a risk the operation could damage her vocal chords – and for a while she didn’t know whether she’d be able to sing again.However, the procedure was a success and at the end of last year Ellie took the first steps to rebuilding her career by singing four songs live on John Govier’s Saturday morning show on BBC Radio Devon.
“I chose to make my first public appearance on John’s show because he’s supported me right from the start, when I was recording Unseen,” she said.“He’s become a good friend and his listeners seem to have taken me to their hearts too. The feedback to that performance gave me the courage to do more.”And so Ellie revisited plans to record her second album, aptly called Hope, and began writing and recording again.
Just before Christmas she sent a couple of tracks to Joan Armatrading’s website after
hearing about a search for local unsigned musicians to perform on the three-
“I knew it was an amazing opportunity, but I guess I didn’t really expect to hear from them again. So when I received an email this week, telling me I’d been chosen to join Joan at The Lighthouse in Poole this November, I screamed so loudly my husband thought there was something wrong.
Ellie will also be sharing the stage with BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Singer of The Year 2011 Chris Wood (who is supporting Ivor Novello winner Armatrading on all her English and Welsh dates) in front of a potential audience of 2500.
“This is the best start I could have had to the New Year – there’ll be no stopping me now,” she said.
“I’m really excited about meeting Joan Armatrading – she’s been in the business for four decades – and the whole thing adds poignancy to the title of my next album.”
Ellie expects to have ‘Hope’ recorded and available in the next few months.
Hey Everyone
Just thought I would send you a little email to let you know what's been happening here at camp Williams!
A lot of you have been in touch asking when the next tour and album will be and how come no gigs are listed at the moment. So I thought I would keep you up to date with the latest happenings.
In May, (much to my annoyance) I was given the news that I had Thyroid Cancer. Although it was a shock, for those of you in the know, I'm reliably informed that if you've gotta have one this is a good one to get. I'm going to be having an operation in the next couple of weeks and then some further treatment 6 weeks later. All things being equal, hopefully I'll be back on track by August! I'll need to rest my voice for a little while after, but at least it'll give me time to finalise some ideas for the second album!
So, if it's quiet here for a little bit, please accept my apologies and know that I have been, and continue to be humbled by all your support and good wishes.
Much love and hugs,
Els x
Hometown Gig!
Ellie is playing at Exeter Phoenix on the 12th March. Anyone who caught her album launch there in November 2009 will remember what an electrifying night it was at a really special venue. She will be supported by Plymouth band Francis and the Drakes and North Devon folk singer Jenna Witts as well as debuting her side project ‘The Alpacas’.
You can buy tickets here.
Folk Relief
Ellie will be performing on BBC Radio Devon’s Folk relief on Friday 18th February between 7 and 10pm. She will also be having a natter with DJ Jon Govier. For more info, click here.
Greenbelt blog features Ellie
Last year, Ellie played at the Greenbelt Arts Festival and loved every moment. And it seems so did the organisers as she features in today’s Greenbelt blog here.
Tour details announced
So here we are, just a few weeks away from the beginning of the first round of my
solo tour dates. I'm really so looking forward to meeting as many of you as possible
and please make sure you come up and say hello if you should come along.
All of the dates are on the website, and I should be adding more month by month, and for those of you who have been asking I am in the process of sorting out some local dates too. It's a busy time , but I'm filled with healthy mixture of fear and excitement, and I've been working on some new songs to play you too.
You may notice a few gigs dotted around as well under the name of The Alpacas. So what's that about? Well, recently I've joined forces with Steve and Dave from the fantastic Plymouth based band Francis and the Drakes. If you were at my launch gig you would remember them as the amazing band that supported me. I'm really excited about working with them, as we enjoying the combination of our styles and voices together, and it's something slightly different too. We're working on a website and we'll be sure to let you know when and where you can see us, but don't worry there will still be plenty of Ellie Williams Band and Francis and the Drakes gigs too.
All of the gigs are listed on the Gigs page.
Free mini MP3 live album
Well here it is, a free EP featuring five tracks recorded live at a number of different places including three of my own tracks as well as a couple of my favourite covers.
1. Fine (Recorded live at the Unseen album launch at the Phoenix Arts Centre, Exeter in November 2009)
2. Wintersong (By Sarah McClachlan, recorded for BBC Spotlight December 2010)
3. Glow (Recorded live for BBC Radio Devon’s Judi Spier’s show in December 2010)
4. This Woman’s Work (Recorded live at the Unseen album launch at the Phoenix Arts Centre, Exeter in November 2009)
5. Firefly (Recorded live for Exeter FM)
Sign up to the newsletter on the front page to get your hands on the album.
‘Wintersong’
Ellie performed Sarah Mclachlan’s ‘Wintersong’ for BBC Spotlight in December. You can watch it now on the media page here.
St Luke’s Hospice
I know that times are hard but without places like St Luke's hospice, times could
be and will be a lot harder for those who have loved ones that are seriously ill.
Please give whatever you can. You can donate by visiting http://www.stlukes-