A CHANCE meeting at a showcase event in Canada has resulted in a UK tour for an award-winning Americana musician and a singer-songwriter from Australia.
Yorkshire’s Lauren Housley, who picked up the Bob Harris Emerging Artist award at this year’s UK Americana Awards, and Nigel Wearne, from South Australia, will bring their acoustic tour to The Witham, Barnard Castle, on Tuesday, January 17.
Ms Housley chose a career in music after “discovering” her singing voice while studying theatre and performance in Newcastle.
“One of the modules at university was singing and I sang a traditional song and I did not realise my voice sounded a certain way and that gave me the confidence to sing in public,” she said.
After leaving university and working with husband and fellow musician Tom, she released two albums – Sweet Surrender in 2015 and The Beauty of This Life two years later – before coming to wider attention with last year’s Girl From The North, which received widespread airplay nationally and led to the Americana award.
Ms Housley said she was looking forward to heading out on tour again and bring the show to Barney.
She said it had come about after meeting Nigel Wearne in Canada.
“It was at a Folk Alliance event. As well as the official showcase, there were after-hours events where hotel rooms were turned into impromptu gigs,” she said.
“It’s an amazing experience and you meet people from all over the world from all walks of life.
“Nigel and I just clicked straight away. Musically we are not massively similar but we are both into storytelling through song.
“Our worlds collided again through a mutual friend who said he was coming to the UK and did I want to collaborate.”
The answer was yes and the duo have released a single To the Edge before hitting the road in the new year.
As well as playing individual sets as part of the tour show, they will also perform together on a number of songs, including the single.
Following the tour, Ms Housley said she plans to release a series of new singles ahead of a new album later in 2023.
Tickets for Lauren Housley and Nigel Wearne are £12 available from www.the witham.org.uk or from the box office on 01833 631107.
