Blair Dunlop with Special Guest Mia Kelly: Live at Abbey Hill URC

Two of the finest songwriters on the contemporary singer songwriter scene join forces for reciprocal tours. Five special nights of UK touring. February 2025

Having met in Kansas City back in 2023 Blair and Mia found an instant connection through their songwriting.  This led to them co-writing Mia’s single release – Meaning Well (June 2024).  Blair has now invited Mia as special guest for five intimate shows in the UK for February 2025.  Mia returns the favour as they tour Canada (Eastern) in March 2025.
 
Blair Dunlop 
Blair Dunlop is an award-winning British singer-songwriter and guitarist, who has released 5 albums, 2 EPs and toured around the globe. Blair burst onto the scene with his debut album ‘Blight & Blossom’ in 2012, showcasing virtuosic musicianship and lyrical maturity, and was awarded a prestigious BBC Folk Award in the wake of its release.

A string of critically acclaimed albums followed, along with headline tours and festival appearances in the UK, Europe, North America and Australia. ‘Gilded’ and ‘Notes from an Island’ were released on his own label and singles ‘The Egoist’ and ‘356’ received national playlist status on BBC Radio 2. Following this, ‘Trails: Queensland’ (2021), Blair’s first live album, documented a tour of rural Australia, playing for isolated communities.

From Glastonbury to Tuscany, Queensland to Palestine, Blair has brought his musicality and storytelling to audiences young and old. Album five, Out of the Rain, released on 24th May 2024 and consolidated Blairs place in the UK Singer Songwriter sector.

Mia Kelly
Through the lush folk and earthy Americana of her sophomore record, singer-songwriter Mia Kelly, from Gatineau, Quebec establishes herself as a spellbinding voice, blurring the lines between intimate memoir and compelling, semi-fictional narratives.  Performing in both French and English, Kelly enthrals listeners with a distinctive blend of Folk, Rock, and Blues and is making her mark in the Canadian folk music scene. Recently awarded Young Performer of the Year and Emerging Artist of the Year at the 2024 Canadian Folk Music Awards, Kelly is swiftly gaining recognition as a poetic lyricist with a powerful and versatile voice.

With her knack for adapting the stories of the people she has connected with in her life, Mia is an imaginative storyteller who channels her raw and vulnerable emotions through her expertly crafted songs.  Her 2022 debut album, Garden Through the War, explored themes of resilience and growth that follow hardship. The album received recognition from the SOCAN Foundation.

Kelly was awarded the Emerging Artist of the Year by Culture Outaouais, and represented Canada as a finalist at the 2023 Jeux De La Francophonie in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She’s been covered by La Presse, Ottawa Citizen, Radio Canada, Roots Music Canada, Châtelaine, and many more. 

She’s shared the stage with Aysanabee, The Franklin Electric, Daniel Champagne, Jeremie Albino, Julian Taylor, Lloyd Spiegel and performed at numerous Canadian festivals including Ottawa Bluesfest, Summerfolk, Festival d'été de Québec, Mission Folk Festival, Ontario Festival of Small Halls, Festival des Montgolfières, Live from the Rock, and the Winnipeg Folk Festival.

Doors 7pm, music starts at 7.30pm

There will be a bar.

Supported by Kenilworth Arts Festival

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