We are delighted to welcome the talented Andrew Roachford and his incredible band to perform a special concert at the festival this year at Blackmore Gardens.
Roachford has become one of the most compelling and consistent rock and soul artists the UK has produced, since Cuddly Toy (a mainstay of radio airplay for over three decades) reached number four in the charts back in 1988. He has released 10 studio albums and several greatest hits collections, been sought-after as a songwriter by the likes of Michael Jackson, Joss Stone and Chaka Khan, and consistently toured on his own and with contemporaries including Terence Trent D’Arby and The Christians.
For the past nine years, he has been part of Mike + the Mechanics, recording with Mike Rutherford’s post-Genesis band and playing live with them across the world. In 2019, Roachford received an MBE for Services to Music. When the Princess Royal asked him what he does, Roachford replied “I try to evoke emotions from people through music.”
And so, in 2020, Andrew Roachford found himself writing and recording new music for his album “Twice in a Lifetime”. The single “High on Love ” reached an impressive 5 weeks of Radio 2 A-list airplay, the track echoes Womack and Womack in both its celebration of the purity of love and the acknowledgement that love can often come from a dark place. To coincide with the album release, Roachford embarked on a run of UK & European dates throughout 2021 and 2022.
Throbbing with musicality and soul, ‘Twice in a Lifetime’ is the sound of someone at the top of their game, of one who knows his craft inside and out. Produced by Jimmy Hogarth, who has previously worked with Paolo Nutini, Duffy and Amy Winehouse, and featuring several members of Winehouse’s band as well as a duet with Beverley Knight, the album is full of grit and the most tremendous sonic energy.
Roachford is someone who channels the energy of James Brown before going on stage each night, and who, on record, summons up the spirit of everyone from Al Green to Joe Cocker. When he sings, you listen.
“The much loved, respected and acclaimed British Soul singer, songwriter and composer that has stood the test of time with music credibility that has endured”
