‘FIVE STARS *****’ Rock’n’Reel / R2
‘FIVE STARS *****’ Maverick
- 2013 BBC Radio Folk Awards ‘Best Duo’ – Nomination
- 2012 UK Songwriting Contest, Acoustic/Folk category – WINNER (‘Doctor James’)
- 2012 Fatea Awards ‘Song of The Year’ – WINNER (‘Doctor James’)
- 2012 fRoots Critics Poll, Album of the Year – Runner Up
BBC Radio 2 ‘Best Duo’ 2013 nominees Katriona Gilmore & Jamie Roberts combine astounding lap-tapping guitar, fiery fiddle and their trademark harmonies with considerable songwriting talent to make a truly distinctive sound.
Since releasing their début album Shadows & Half Light in 2008 (proclaimed ‘one of the finest contemporary folk albums in recent memory’ by FishRecords), Gilmore and Roberts have been wowing audiences across the country with their unassumingly confident displays of instrumental technique.
2010 saw the duo release their hotly-anticipated second album, Up From The Deep, which scored them a Hancock Award for ‘Best Original Song’ (Fleetwood Fair). In 2011 Katriona and Jamie spent five weeks touring with folk-rock legends Fairport Convention, completed a 30-date nationwide tour in their own right and performed at two of Britain’s largest acoustic music festivals – Cambridge Folk Festival and Fairport’s Cropredy Convention.
In September 2012 Gilmore & Roberts released their finest album to date The Innocent Left. Recorded in London with Guillemots and Albert Lee producer Julian Simmons this record demonstrates a huge leap forward and showcases the duo’s remarkable scope – folk, bluegrass, country, pop and rock – while maintaining their own distinctive roots in the storytelling tradition. The CD features Tom Chapman and Ben Nicholls on drums and bass plus a guest appearance from Rebecca and Megan Lovell of American hip country band Larkin Poe.
Aside from their work together, both Katriona and Jamie are in high demand as session musicians and have played on several acclaimed albums. Katriona has previously toured as part of Tiny Tin Lady and with Rosie Doonan’s Snapdragons and recently joined the newly reformed Albion Band, while Jamie has played with young English traditionalists Kerfuffle since 2007.
Quotes & Reviews
“Katriona and Jamie are at the heart of everything with increasingly impressive singing and playing.”
R2 5* Review
“It’s turning out to be a good year for Katriona Gilmore (fiddle, vocals) and Jamie Roberts (guitar, vocals). A nomination for the BBC Radio 2 Horizon Award will have enhanced their growing reputation, and this second full-length album will surely cement it.” R2
“Dramatic variation – from ‘All I’ve Known’s’ depressing account of modern mores, to Gilmore’s take on the supernatural ballad Fleetwood Fair – makes them refreshingly different.” Mojo 4* Review
“Having finally emerged ‘up from the deep’, out of the shadows of other bands, Katriona and Jamie should now be able to keep out of the half-light and move into the dazzle of full limelight.” fRoots
“Gilmore and Roberts just keep getting better, with their second album they have proved every good omen from their debut ‘Shadows and Half Light’ true. Neil Pearson of Fish Records and Shrewsbury Folk Festival proclaimed that debut ‘one of the finest contemporary folk albums in recent memory’, and he was right, this one is even better.” Spiral Earth
“Once again this duo refuse to rest on their laurels, never go for the easy option and always strive for something challenging, smart or at least different. They have once again produced a mature album of startling quality.” Maverick 5* Review