Local singer-songwriter, and Young Folk Award Nominee, Amelia Coburn spent most of 2017 gaining a reputation for punky ukulele playing mixed with a dreamy vocal. Back in 2018 with a new EP and new tour, her rise looks set to continue. Damian Robinson caught up with Amelia to find out more about the EP and new tour.
We came to see you in Tynemouth at the Surf Cafe back in September for the ‘By the sea’ tour and thought it was excellent. Did you enjoy the show?
Thank you! Yes, I chose to play intimate, café-style venues for the seaside tour. Surf Café is a quirky wee place and always garners a nice, receptive crowd. I enjoyed it so much I’ve decided to do another solo gig there on April 7th.
And how was the rest of your mini-tour?
It was brilliant – not to mention a good excuse to have chips every night for my tea! I’d say Weston-Super-Mare was a particular highlight because it was a whole new part of the country for me to bring my music.
You’re back on the road in late March/early April, supporting your new EP, itself your first on vinyl. The EP seems crowded in secrecy, but are there any secrets you can tell NE Volume? Perhaps the sound of the EP or it’s tracklisting?
The EP will consist of two covers and two self-penned songs. For those who have come to my recent gigs, they will have heard the songs before, but rather than my usual voice and ukulele combination, I’ve also invited a few special guests to play on some of the tracks.
Production wise, could you tell us where the EP was recorded or who was working on the production?
Though we wanted a reasonably live feel, just like my previous albums, it was a bit of a “Brian Wilson” production, with versions bounced between Andy, of Moonbase Management, who arranged each track with me and subsequently brought in musicians to add parts.
Most NE Volume readers love limited edition, interesting, vinyl. Tell us a little about the vinyl itself please, and where we could get a copy before they sell out?
We’ve decided to release a limited run of 250 copies on clear green vinyl. It’s available to order from Bandcamp, and there’s a limited number for sale in Sound It Out, as well as a few at my upcoming gigs. It’s also going to be in digital format which has a slight alteration to the track-listing, but I personally believe the vinyl version is such a lovely thing to have as an object and the sound is so much richer.
Your tour will be taking you to Ibiza, very nice, how did that show come about?
When I tell people that I’m playing in Ibiza they automatically assume I’m going to be DJing some kind of ukulele house music! Ha. I suppose it was after making my way into the folk music scene last year, being a nominee at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and playing Cambridge Folk Festival. I was thus offered the chance to play at the festival ‘Costa Del Folk’ – an offer I couldn’t refuse!
Finally, you’ve been touring and recording recently – which element of being a songwriter do you prefer? The singing or the songwriting?
Definitely the singing. Song-writing is a fairly new thing for me, and nothing quite gives me the buzz I get from performing live onstage. Having said that, it’s really encouraging to hear the positive feedback on my original work, which really drives me to release more of it.
Amelia Coburn’s new, self titled, EP is available now. Details of her tour and EP can be found on http://ameliacoburn.co.uk/about-amelia/