Canadian Allison Crowe, Mancunian Nadia Lowe Join Liverpool's Beatles Week Music Celebration

Allison Crowe - Canadian musician

Canada's amazing Allison Crowe visits Liverpool next week for a trio of musical performances. First, she teams up with Manchester singer-songwriter Nadia Lowe for a concert bill at View Two Gallery, 23 Mathew Street (on Saturday, August 23 starting at 8 p.m.) Next, she celebrates Beatles Week with shorter sets to highlight her interpretations of Fab Four tunes: at Hard Days Night Hotel, 39/41 North John Street (on Sunday, August 24 - 11 p.m. slot), plus a guest spot at the Royal Court Theatre   (Monday, August 25 - 7:30 p.m.).

Crowe hails from a port city akin to Liverpool - Nanaimo, British Columbia. "Allison Crowe has a voice to fall in love with. She's exactly the sort of artist who can make serious headway on her own label and that's just what she's doing," says London's 'Record of the Day'. As well as having a pair of nationally broadcast tv specials in her homeland, Crowe writes, performs, engineers and produces her own music. Since 2003 she's released six critically and commercially successful CDs - albums that stir together original songs with much-loved interpretations from the popular songbook in an organic blend of rock, jazz, pop, folk and soul. It's a joyous sound that one music critic describes as 'Elton John meets Edith Piaf'.

Grassroots touring across Canada and Europe has earned the singer-songwriter a reputation for thrilling live shows. "The most honest, heartfelt, and directly intimate concert in my entire life," is how Ross Hocker, of America's NPR Radio, describes the experience. Cavern City Tours Director Julia Baird spotted Allison Crowe performing at Hal Bruce's '1st Annual Maritime Beatle Event' in Halifax, Canada and is instrumental in bringing her Merseyside.

Online, her songs and music videos online enjoy an ever-growing worldwide audience. Over two million people have viewed Crowe's cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" on YouTube, and her other videos, including such Beatles favourites as "In My Life" and "Let It Be", alongside John Lennon's "Imagine" have, together, been watched over one million times.

Known to "take a sad song and make it better" she proved a sensation at last year's 'John Lennon Northern Lights Festival' in Durness, Scotland: "Canadian angel Alison Crowe gave one of the weekend's most magical moments," says The Scotsman. Festival Director Mike Merritt describes Crowe as "awesome" and "spine-tingling", noting her Highlands appearance "put hairs on the back of your neck! She brought the house down."

To date in 2008, Allison Crowe has received standing ovations in Paris, Prague, Vienna, Frankfurt, New York City and other cities on her tour map. She's delighted to be part of Beatles Week festivities in this, Liverpool's year to shine as European Capital of Culture.

Nadia Lowe - Manchester-born singer-songwriter

Joining Crowe for the launch of the weekend series is Mancunian Nadia Lowe. After early years spent in Jamaica, Lowe returned to her birthplace where she picked up guitar at age 15 and began to fuse the musical influences of her roots. Jamaica gave her reggae, ska, blues & country. Manchester gave her rock & indie. A spell at Durham University gave her acoustic & folk. Lowe is also known to deviate into electro and dance as well.

Eclectic and prolific, when her repertoire reached two hundred songs, Lowe decided to commit some tracks to record. In February - March 2007 she commenced work on a reggae album in Jamaica with Delroy Walker, drums (Manchester, UK) and Brutus Richards, lead guitar (Port Antonio, Jamaica). This project will be completed when she returns to Jamaica near year's end.

In 2007 she provided guest vocals to 'Hurricane' by San San (dance/electro) - all the proceeds from the sale of this single went to the victims of Hurricane Dean in Jamaica. Nadia Lowe has just released in the UK a four song EP called 'ONE'. A full length studio album is planned for the near future. As well, she's helping build and promote an acoustic music community in the Northwest, where, following her View Two performance, she'll join the lineups for the UK's first "Dylan Acousticfest" (August 29 - 31 in Levenshulme) and a "Bob Marley Tribute Reggae Festival" (August 30 in Fallowfield).

Now, here's the word on Liverpool dates:

View Two Gallery - Saturday, August 23 - 23 Mathew Street +44 (0) 151 236 9444  8 p.m. start. Extraordinary music, leaps and somersets. First Nadia Lowe chooses from over two-hundred songs of roots, rock, reggae+ Next Allison Crowe in full concert. In this way the singer-songwriter challenges the world!

Hard Days Night Hotel - Sunday, August 24 - Zygmant Suite (moved from Bar Four), 39/41 North John Street  +44 (0) 151 236 1964  Will make you feel alright! At 8 pm Two of Us; 9 pm Hal Bruce; 10 pm Gary Quinn; and 11 pm Allison Crowe.

Royal Court Theatre - Monday, August 25 - 1 Roe Street 0870 787 1866
Imagine 7:30 pm Allison Crowe + 8:30pm Back From The USSR + 9:15 pm Fab Four Las Vegas.

Having been some days in preparation, a splendid time is guaranteed for all!

Beatles Week 2008 concert poster