City gig for Quiet Giant of the Irish music scene

The Groove Tube  by Jimi McDonnell – tribunegroove@live.ie

Emma Langford plays a solo show in The Black Gate, Francis St on Wednesday June 13, as part of a European tour that is taking her through Europe, the UK and Ireland. The Limerick native, whose music is influenced by the likes of Joni Mitchell, Billie Holiday and Eva Cassidy, released her debut album, Quiet Giant, last year.

When Emma takes the call from the Tribune, she has just arrived in Leeds to play in The Grove Inn. How does an emerging artist like her go about getting shows for the tour?

“A lot of it was contacting people who I’m friends with in the UK, asking for the guidance, cold-calling venues – just putting the word out, and using Twitter and Facebook,” she says.

“I’d be online just letting people know I want to get out on the road and share the songs with people in their country. The tour is going well, it’s been a really nice chance to meet people and hone my craft a bit more as well.”

Her debut album sees her flesh out her folk-inflected songs with cello, keys, violin and double bass. Where did she go to record Quiet Giant?

“I went to Laois to work with a brilliant duo called The Production Suite,” she says. “They’re based in Dublin, but they said they’d meet myself and the band halfway in Golden Egg Studios.

“So I went there with the band, and then went to the guys in Dublin and laid down my vocals last. The guys in the band are coming from all over the country, so it’s a nationwide endeavour.”

Emma’s band are Tadhg Murphy (violin, backing vocals), Hannah Nic Gearailt (keys, backing vocals) Peter Hanagan (double bass), Ray Yrure (percussion), and Alec Brown (cello, backing vocals). How did she go about assembling this cast of players?

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.