David Gibb and the Pony Club return to the View Two Gallery after a fantastic show for us May last year. David has had a busy 12 months since then, and apart from touring and releasing music he was nominated for the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards this year. We're really pleased to have him back - his infectious brand of high-energy folk pop really is hard to beat!

Laura James played our event at Liverpool Sound City last year and we've been trying ever since to get her back. Laura writes sweet songs and has a voice and style of guitar playing to compliment them.Ian Dunn is a Liverpool singer songwriter with a wonderful percussive style of guitar playing, and melodies to warm the hear and melt the soul. A perfect addition to the lineup.

Tickets are £5 in advance and £6 on the door. Tickets for Liverpool Acoustic Live and eXtra shows are available from wegottickets.com/liverpoolacoustic

Doors open at 8.00pm with music starting at 8.30pm sharp. The night finishes at 11.15pm

A fast rising star of the Derbyshire music scene, at just 20, David Gibb is already impressing beyond his home turf with pure, passionate, folk-inspired singing and guitar playing.

In 2010, David set about writing and recording his second album. In an attempt to capture some of the infectious energy of his live shows, David invited his now firmly established band, The Pony Club, to join him in the studio. The Pony Club features the talents of Elly Lucas on fiddle, Julian Butt on accordion, Ben Dew on percussion and Sam Jordan on bass. The result is ‘There Are Birds in My Garden’. The album consists of traditional and self-penned material and will be released on 20th June by Hairpin Records. The 13 songs have an exuberant, contemporary edge, but they also reveal his maturity as a songwriter, as well as his developing interest in traditional songs and their arrangements.

In duo form, David was recently selected as a finalist for the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards 2011 alongside fiddle player, Elly Lucas. David was also 'Highly Commended’ at the Story Teller of the Year Awards 2011. He is co-ordinator of the Arts Council’s ‘When We Were Very Young’, a project charting the history of children’s broadcasting, involving a series of events during 2011. David will oversee workshops, exhibitions, film-making and a competition to create a new children’s character for TV, as well as musical contributions by the voice of Bagpuss herself, Sandra Kerr.

On the road, meanwhile, David is proving to be a natural. He has already shared stages with Mark Chadwick (of The Levellers), Bob Fox and Eddi Reader and the Summer of 2011 looks set to introduce him to new audiences with a raft of festival appearances, including Beverley, Glastonbury and Wessex.

With an impressive 2nd album and a gathering reputation as a highly engaging live performer, the future is surely very bright for David Gibb.

davidgibb.com

p.s. David wants to celebrate his new album by playing in your garden. If you're interested, can get a few family and friends together, can find £50 petrol money, and have a floor for the band to sleep on then drop the guys a line. The available dates are on the facebook event page here.

Laura James is a singer-songwriter from Cumbria who has been writing and performing since the tender age of 14. Originally a folk-based songwriter, her style has undergone a lot of changes over recent years and since moving to Liverpool in 2009 Laura has blossomed.

Radio 1’s Ally Mcrea writes ‘Laura possesses some really delicate vocals and is a really engaging front woman to watch in the Regina Spektor/ Joanna Newsom kind of way.

Since September last year, Laura has been putting together her band, she began working with Keys Player: Jamie Turner, Violinist: Charlotte Andrew, Harpist: Carmen de Lemos and Cellist: Léon Pearce. Together they form ‘Laura James & The Lyres’. They performed their first gig together in early march this year at Liverpool’s Illustrious St George’s Hall, described by Liverpool’s Bido Lito magazine as ‘Orch-pop, harp-wielding darlings’.

Laura's CD What I Would Say is available to buy from iTunes and Amazon

laurajamesmusic.blogspot.com

myspace.com/songsabouttheweather

Ian Dunn’s percussive acoustic music has made him a favourite among the new boys on Liverpool’s music scene. Having only been gigging since late 2009 he has notched up a whole host of gigs and accomplishments including support slots for the likes of Andy Mckee and a residency in Leaf.

Ian’s early demos have been passed around the internet by friends and work colleagues alike; enjoying what they hear anticipating what is to come next. Well the good news for them is with his debut EP, recorded in the legendary Parr St Studios, set for release in summer 2011; they won’t have long to wait. As well as Ian’s trademark heart warming melodies and soul melting guitar he is joined by a full band, making this the perfect sound track to those barbeques in the sun and long summer nights.

facebook.com/IanDunnAcoustic

myspace.com/iandunnmusic

Matt Swift is launching his Lesson Over EP in Liverpool on Wednesday 20th July at Mello Mello on Slater Street. The gig is in support of the National Autistic Society and has a terrific lineup of Rachael Dunn, Karl McCann, Anne-Marie Howard, Peter Cunningham, Barry Briercliffe, Jo Bywater, and (of course) Matt Swift. The facebook event page is here. We'll be reviewing the EP and the launch event next month. www.mattswiftmusic.co.uk

Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight #47 - June 2011

If you get the chance, please support your local artists by emailing them, joining their mailing lists, leaving them comments, going to their gigs, and buying their music direct from them where possible. The Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight is produced and presented by Graham Holland on behalf of the Liverpool Acoustic website. It is also available on the Internet courtesy of Art In Liverpool FM (Defnet Media), and is a proud member of the Association of Music Podcasting

The theme music is King of the Faeries by Andrew Ellis from his CD Midnight On The Water.