Tiscali Showcase - Foy Vance

Foy Vance played a special London Tiscali Showcase at the Soho Revue Bar London, on April 17th 2008.

• WATCH Foy Vance PLAY Peace And Love
• WATCH Foy Vance PLAY Be With Me
• WATCH Foy Vance PLAY Shed A Little Light
• WATCH Foy Vance INTERVIEWED

• FOY VANCE'S OFFICIAL SITE

Usual tags such as 'singer-songwriter', 'folk-soul', 'troubadour' are perceived with a considerable amount of cynicism these days, especially since the music scene has been saturated with middle of the road artists, marketed as such by traditional record label formulae. Someone with a discerning ear and trust in their own taste should be able to spot who's the real deal and who's not.

Leaving tags aside, Foy Vance operates in his own parallel universe. His music is an evolving journey, a constant search for artistic expression captured in the moment, operating well away from industry standards. Surely you'll hear echoes of Otis Redding, Richie Havens, Tom Waits and Van Morrison in Foy's music, legends he's already being compared to and definite influences. An ever so modest Foy will laugh at these comparisons, but then again that's what makes him so special. With his distinctive, cracked, soulful voice and a skill to write profound storytelling songs, Foy Vance belongs to a calibre of artists that stand the test of time, irrespective of trends or fads, delivering heartfelt songs about the human condition that everyone can relate to.

Foy Vance arrived into the public consciousness in the summer of '05 with the release of his widely acclaimed debut EP 'Live Sessions and the Birth Of The Toilet Tour'. A series of gigs that saw him support such diverse artists as KT Tunstall, Pete Townshend, Joss Stone, The Spinto Band, Tegan & Sara and Taj Mahal, led to two sell out nights at Ronnie Scott's, and these confirmed Foy's status as an outstanding emerging talent.

These shows amassed a dedicated fanbase and gained the Bangor born Foy support and admiration from his peers, including nine times Grammy Award winning Bonnie Raitt, who invited him to support her as 'special guest' on her 21 date UK/European tour in April '06

An overwhelming response from US and Canadian audiences, due to the airing of two of Foy's songs ('Homebird' and 'Gabriel And The Vagabond') on the cult networked TV drama series Grey's Anatomy and a showcase at SXSW, led to a huge demand for the release of 'Gabriel And The Vagabond' in the US, and the inclusion of 'Homebird' on the Grey's Anatomy 2 Original Soundtrack album.

In June 2006 Foy released a second limited edition EP 'Watermelon Oranges', which was supported by various live dates including Wireless, Oxegen, gigs with Dave Matthews, and an appearance with Pete Townshend and Martha Wainwright at Joe's Pub in New York as part of Pete and Rachel Fuller's 'In The Attic' sessions. Now 'Homebird', from one of those sessions, is one of the tracks on the 'Attic Jam' compilation album released in February '07 as an exclusive itunes download featuring The Magic Numbers, Razorlight, Fratellis, Zutons and Flaming Lips amongst many others.

December 2006 saw Foy's 'Indiscriminate Act Of Kindness' being chosen as the sound-bed to the Great Ormond Street Hospital TV commercial for their Christmas appeal and Foy headlining a string of UK dates.

Having spent the first half of 2007 recording his debut album in a cottage on the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland, Foy re-emerged in May for a jaw-dropping performance accompanied by Ulster's 70-piece Symphony Orchestra at BBC's Orchestral Manouevres sell-out concert in Belfast which also featured Duke Special.

Foy's debut album 'Hope' was released in August 2007 to wide critical acclaim. The album was written, performed, recorded, produced and mixed by Foy himself. Tchad Blake who is best known for his work with Pearl Jam, Tom Waits and Elvis Costello has also contributed to the mixing of some tracks.