NEWS: Luke James Williams @ Claypath Deli/The Engine Room

Returning to the region for a couple of gigs in September at Durham’s Claypath Deli and The Engine Room in North Shields, Luke James Williams showcases his beautifully constructed debut album, Our Blood Is Red. A self-described indie folk party pooper, Williams’ distinctly English vocals actually blend raw, heart breaking tones with gentle sensitivity – think Sufjan Stephens or Nick Drake singing PJ Harvey, and you’ve got some idea.

He has a knack for picking phrases and melodies that stay in the mind and fix in the psyche like snapshot memories you’d swear you share too. That gift for latching into a collective experience adds further poignancy to a rich vein of material. Mixing light and dark perfectly, the ugly rubs up against the beautiful but also sweeps in with a grand, soaring pop sensibility at times too, definitely a voice to hear live.

Support for both gigs comes in the form of local artists, Durham’s own harmony laden duo FAWNS and Hartlepool hailing Jasmine Weatherill with her lushly melodic folk both feature at Claypath Deli on Saturday 17^th, with Jasmine playing another support stint along with North Shields singer/songwriter Aaron Duff’s full band project Hector Gannet adding their atmospheric North East life via Manchester Orchestra’s musical tinged tones at The Engine Room on Sunday 18^th September.

Luke James Williams plays Claypath Deli, Durham on Saturday 17^th and The Engine Room, North Shields on Sunday 18^th September.