Biography
Lou Hickey
Frustrated with spells in various Glasgow punk bands as the ‘token cute chick’ singing other people’s music, and with a wealth of experience promoting grass-roots level gigs at Glasgow’s 13th Note and Nice & Sleazy, Lou Hickey applied a go-it-alone DIY ethic to a background of classical training, a university degree in music, and singing with jazz and swing bands. The result of these two very different worlds colliding was the self-written, self-engineered and self-produced album ‘New Shoes’.
This debut combines the influence of her jazz background with the indie attitude of a 22-year-old punk fan resulting in a collection of “bitter-sweet piano driven songs with a dramatic edge” (The List) with subtle jazz influences which are combined with lyrics full of wit and attitude that pull no punches in chronicling the failings of friends and the darker side of relationships.
Since these songs were recorded, Lou Hickey has been playing live as a solo artist, as a duo with cellist Susan Appelbe and with a full band. and her live shows, which showcase her unaffected personality and dark velvet voice, have included Glasgow’s King Tut’s, Art School, Carling Academy, Barfly, Tron Theatre and George Square and Edinburgh’s Jam House. The burlesque revival phenomenon, ‘Club Noir’, one of the largest events of its kind in Europe with audiences of up to 2000, has featured Lou Hickey as their headline musical guest on three occasions, thus keeping such illustrious company as the Puppini Sisters. Lou Hickey has also supported the legendary Suzanne Vega at Glasgow’s Old Fruitmarket, as well as further support slots with artists such as Clem Snide and Martha Wainwright. Lou has also appeared at Glasgow’s Musicworks convention, and the Glasgow International Jazz Festival.
Her songs are played over 100 times every day on the influential MySpace website and airplay has included Talk 107, Central FM, Forth FM and Q96 radio and Lou recently appeared live in session on BBC Radio Scotland’s ‘The Jazz House’ programme.
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“Lou Hickey sounds like a female Nick Cave, creating sepia-toned vignettes of restless lives. The Glasgow singer/ songwriter is at one moment touchingly sad and broken, the next ballsy and angry. Think of a grown up Lilly Allen. A Lie is a laid-back and jazzy torch song, while the piano led Does It Get Easier? is a superb break-up song mixing smoky jazz with rock rhythms and wail of a violin. It also boasts the lyrics "I can watch the dust settle on our love". Now that’s poetry.”
Daily Record
“Lou Hickey (3 stars) - glows with minimal piano and cello”
The List
“Bittersweet piano-driven songs with a dramatic edge”
The List
“Acclaimed singer/songwriter”
Evening Times
“Her melodies ooze atmosphere and whisky-filled
melancholy - simply can’t be missed.”
smallfish-online.net
“Raw intimacy, alluring vocals and warm musical sounds
paint a picture of love’s highs and lows.”
havemousewillclick.com
“The production is superb and it sounds as though the Kronos Quartet have been roped in for backing. Her sweet vocals and sumptuous melody hark of a bygone era. In fact for just a moment I imagined myself as a spy in wartime Paris sitting in a café listening”
crookedrain.co.uk
www.louhickey.com
www.myspace.com/louhickey
Contact: Managemet - davidlaing_academy@yahoo.co.uk
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