Hilltop Sessions Presents: Michele Stodart & David Ford
A very special double-bill waits for our May Hilltop Session. Michele Stodart, known for her outstanding solo work and for her work with multi-platinum selling The Magic Numbers, will be joined at the Con Club with troubadour, master-songwriter, and compelling performer David Ford.
Bar from 5:00pm. Doors 8:00pm to 11:00pm.
Tickets and more info: www.hilltopsessions.co.uk
Michele Stodart is an award-winning solo artist, singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist based in London. Best known as bassist, vocalist and co-songwriter of Mercury-nominated, double-platinum selling band, The Magic Numbers, who have released five critically acclaimed studio albums with top ten singles, and supported the likes of Neil Young, Radiohead, Brian Wilson, U2, Flaming Lips and Bright Eyes. She continues to play with the band and tour world-wide with them.
Alongside this, Michele has always pursued her own writing, nurturing a love for Folk, Country and Americana music, and has released three solo albums of her own songs. Her most recent release, ‘Invitation’ (September 2023) – a confessional, melodic album with an orchestral, cinematic feel – received outstanding critical acclaim and has been nominated as ‘UK Album of the Year’ at the UK Americana Awards 2024. Michele also received a second nomination for ‘UK Artist of the Year’.
In recent years, Michele divides her time between her work with The Magic Numbers and her solo projects. In between recording and touring, she has also been building a name for herself as musical director, collaborator and producer. She has been invited to curate stages at a number of festivals and events, and curates, hosts and directs and annual multi-artist show celebrating International Women’s Day. In 2022, she received public recognition for her talent, when she was awarded the AMA-UK ‘Instrumentalist Of The Year’ Award. In January 2023 she was invited back as musical director at the UK Americana Awards, where she put together the house band and played with the likes of Mike Scott (of The Waterboys), Allison Russell, and Lifetime Achievement award-winner Judy Collins, who took a moment on stage to complement Michele on her “incredible” talent.
David Ford’s journey through the many worlds of the modern music industry has not always been an easy one to navigate. A succession of record labels seduced by his talents have in turn, attempted to sell him as a pop star, a protest singer, an indie hipster, a balladeer and a bluesman.
In reality he might be all of these things. And none of the above. It’s complicated.
As an artist Ford still defies classification or comparison. Singer-songwriter doesn’t begin to cover it. He writes and performs with fluency across multiple genres, plays every instrument on the stage and even invents new ones to create truly unique recordings and performances. Every live show is different. Ford’s trademark one-man loop machine circus grows more complex and audacious every year, but then he is just as likely to show up with a six-piece band, a string quartet, jazz drummer or a choir and a recent UK tour proved he can be equally compelling sat in an armchair, playing acoustic guitar and telling stories. The result is a live spectacle described by The Guardian as “unmissable”.
It is perhaps as a songwriter that David Ford is held in the highest regard. Often praised for his lyrical dexterity and willingness to tackle matters of politics and current affairs, Rolling Stone commended his “Genuine depth and striking authority”, while The Telegraph described his work as “Smart, angry, witty, emotional songs, delivered with raw-throated passion.” His debut album, I Sincerely Apologise for All the Trouble I’ve Caused, was included in both The Times and Word Magazine‘s top ten albums of the year. His records have achieved number one slots on iTunes and in 2014, he received the French Grammy award for best original song.
