Singer-songwriting duo set for must-see Mull gig
A special double- bill of British singer- songwriters Me For Queen (aka Mary Erskine) and Emily Maguire are touring Scotland in August. And Mull is on the itinerary. Growing up in rural Fife in a big old house near the sea, Mary started writing songs when she was 13.
Years of classical training, together with a blues guitarist for a father, makes for an interesting mix of soul and folk.
Me For Queen’s piano-based songs draw obvious comparisons to Regina Spektor and Carol King but manage to fuse hints of Kate Bush and Laura J Martin.
Mary cites Judee Sill and This is the Kit as a few of her favourites and says Me For Queen is ‘a sort of sketchpad for whatever’s happening in my head. I just try to write songs that talk to people’.
Me For Queen have had airplay on BBC 6 Music and on BBC Radio around the UK.
Mary’s song Slow Train was Single of the Week on Janice Forsyth’s BBC Scotland
Culture Show and included in Tom Robinson’s personal top five Fresh Faves.
A classically-trained multi-instrumentalist with five albums and two books to her name, Londoner Emily Maguire is truly ‘a talent to be reckoned with’ (R2 Magazine).
Her strong, thought-provoking lyrics, supremely expressive vocals and stunning
live performances winning her a legion of fans across the globe.
After living in a shack in the Australian bush where she made goats cheese to finance her first two albums, Emily returned to the UK to tour with American legend Don McLean and make her third album Believer, a ‘masterpiece’ according to
Maverick Magazine, with two singles playlisted on BBC Radio Two.
As an advocate for mental health, Emily has been featured several times on Radio Four, including Woman’s Hour, Loose Ends and Midweek, where she was interviewed by Libby Purves talking about her book, Start Over Again.
After two years out of action, Emily is now back with a new book Notes From The
North Pole, and an acclaimed new album, A Bit of Blue, produced by Nigel Butler, which follows a dark time in her life and is a hauntingly beautiful testament to the human spirit.
With its release funded entirely by her fans, A Bit
Of Blue retains all the underlying trademarks of her emotive, lyric-rich songs.
Having opened for Don McLean and The Blue Nile at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, this will be Emily’s first tour of Scotland.
Monday August 21, Town Hall, Crail; Tuesday August 22, An Tobar, Mull; Wednesday August 23, Glad Café, Glasgow.