Leith – once that den of iniquity and trainspotters – has become cool; these days a saunter down the Walk is more likely to reveal macchiato-sipping hipsters than hooligans and hard drinkers, and the bars that banned a thousand brawlers are increasingly hard to find. One such transformed establishment is Leith Depot – once the notorious Meridian Bar, now a celebrated eaterie and venue for many a musical evening – and on Sunday 29th May the Depot will host Lucy Mae, an acclaimed soul and jazz singer from Manchester.
https://soundcloud.com/lucymaemanchester/minds-eye
Lucy has been singing all her life but when, at the age of 13, she discovered jazz and soul, she felt as though all the pieces to a puzzle had found one another; her voice, the sounds of that music and her immediate passion for it all came together. Now she is delving into the original roots of modern music and creating sounds that show that the old and new go hand in hand. Atmospheric, ambient and soulful, she fuses together jazz, soul and R’n’B with some modern twists.
Lucy’s new EP is launched on 27th May; meanwhile she is touring Europe with her musical partner, French multi instrumentalist (sax, guitar, loop pedal) Luc Phan – and Edinburgh is their first stop.
‘Her style is filled to the brim with cool soul and jazz, her voice is deep and enticing. I think that if it were possible I would listen to her all day. Stunning to watch and stunning to listen too.’ (The ALT Student Guide, Manchester).
‘Lucy-Mae’s archaic amalgam of soul, jazz and r’n’b is as timeless as her influences, despite her bringing a certain degree of the contemporary in to the mix. Her voice, a delicate tour de force of pitch shifts and dynamics that has listeners on tenterhooks. She also brings a charismatic level of humour to her music (see the fantastic cover of The Jungle Book’s King of the Swingers) ‘ (Dave Beech).
Lucy Mae will be at Leith Depot, 138-140 Leith Walk, from 7pm on Sunday 29th May. Admission is free.
