Kentish Express Ashford & District
Baboo brings his ballads of experience and imagination
Singer Sweet Baboo is set to charm Ashford at a gig next month.
Welshman Stephen Black will perform at Revelation St Mary’s after the launch of his fifth album, The Boombox Ballads, released in August on Moshi Moshi records.
His appearance on Friday, October 2, will not be his first at the town centre venue, having previously collaborated with Cate le Bon and Gruff Rhys.
Black, or Sweet Baboo as he is known, possesses an ear for a sparkling melody and has a gift for a deft lyrical turn – from darkly funny, to tender, to deliciously self-deprecating.
His earliest musical influences were fellow Welsh musicians such as Super Furry Animals and Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci.
Later influences have included the Beach Boys and Jonathan Richman. His third album, I’m A Dancer/Songs about Sleepin’, was nominated for the first Welsh Music Prize in 2011.
His next album, Ships, was released in April 2013 and was followed by his first headlining tour in the UK.
Sweet Baboo toured again in 2014, and the record was nominated for the Welsh Music Prize in 2013.
He has also performed at festivals such as Glastonbury, Green Man and Latitude.
The Boombox Ballads is a sophisticated pop album, influenced by the likes of Harry Nilsson and Dennis Wilson.
It is rich with string-laden arrangements and lyrics culled from personal experience and resonating with domesticity, imagination and wit.
Charlotte Burke, general manager at Revelation St Mary’s, said: “This promises to be a delightful evening of inspiring music-making from this creative and original artist.
“St Mary’s church, in the centre of Ashford, is the perfect acoustic to hear him and, with a reasonably-priced bar in the venue and advance tickets at just £10, we can promise you a great night out.”
The gig on Friday, October 2 will start at 7.45pm.
Doors will open at 7pm, and tickets cost £12 for adults, or £8 for under 16s. Advanced tickets can be purchased at www. revelationstmarys.co.uk at £10 and £6.
For more ‘What’s On’ stories see pages 30 and 31.