FFO: Amelia Coburn

Teesside singer-songwriter and BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards nominee, Amelia Coburn will be bringing her highly evocative and narrative-driven songs to the Debating Chamber at Newcastle Civic Centre as part of NOVUM Festival on Sunday 13th August.

Here, Amelia tries to give us a flavour of her sound using three songs…

Scott Walker – Rosemary
I’ve just finished recording my debut album at Yawn Studios, produced by Bill Ryder-Jones. Both Bill and I are Scott Walker fans and I knew I wanted some of that to come across on the record. Like Walker, I am inspired by the French ‘chanson’ genre and his musical storytelling and theatrical lyrics are something I try to emulate in my own work, while my album production has hints of his shimmering, atmospheric string arrangements.

Kate Bush – Army Dreamers
It feels a bit of a cop-out choosing Kate Bush, as it seems that any female singer who releases anything slightly avant-garde gets compared to her. But when I first started out singing, Bush was my primary inspiration (there’s a few embarrassing videos lurking on Youtube of me singing Babooshka). I’ve had a few people compare my voice to hers when it hits the higher register, and my facial expressions on stage are uncannily similar to hers. I think there are a few tracks from the album that wouldn’t sound out of place on Never for Ever, sitting somewhere between folk music and baroque pop.

Paul McCartney – You Gave Me The Answer
I’d never want to try and compare myself to the king of songwriting, but those who enjoy McCartney’s more whimsical ditties  (or as John Lennon referred to them “‘granny sh*t”’) may enjoy some of my jazz-style tracks like ‘Dublin Serenade’. I love that music hall and Tin-Pan Alley sound, and most of my favourite Beatles/McCartney solo songs are in this style, like ‘Your Mother Should Know’ and ‘Honey Pie’. It’s so easy to shun these songs because the lyrics could be seen as saccharine or twee, but when you actually read into them they’re extremely witty and clever, not to mention McCartney’s melodic prowess and knack for pop sensibilities.