20 July (Monday) - ROKHSAN, FRIVOLOUS LAURA, AVRIL ONEILL, ED GA

We are all the sum parts of what we see, what we feel, who we meet, where we live, who we love and how we process this crazy mother of 21st century life. Rokhsan Heydari is a remarkable embodiment of the world today. Daughter to a British/Indian mother and Persian father, she has a truly international attitude in her style and manner. She is also multi-lingual speaking French, Spanish, Persian and English.

Playing piano from the age of 6, and then picking up vocals, guitar, drums, production and now violin, Rokhsan has continued to develop her writing and live performance skills at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford, immersing herself in every opportunity made available. Over a period of 3 years Rokhsan played literally hundreds of live shows with the Huw Stephens’ recommended Worst Case Scenario label mates, Little Things, as well as showcasing her solo material.

Now at just 23, Rokhsan’s solo work has a beautifully crafted charm of folk, soul and pop with a touch of Eastern frailty in her vocal phrasing. This has created a small storm at radio and in A & R circles way ahead of her first single release on Worst Case Scenario records in October 08. In June a performance witnessed by key Radio 1 staff led to a crowd pleasing Glastonbury slot on the BBC Introducing stage. Imminent shows at Bestival and Manchester’s In The City, quite simply because they love her, are all clear signs of big things to come.
 

 

The world of Frivolous Laura is an endearingly strange one indeed. It is a world of magic and wonder, of monsters and fairies alike, of light and dark. It is a world often forgotten in the transition from childhood into adulthood, although when revisited, is often stained with the baggage of our experiences. Frivolous Laura's stories are like a child left alone in the dark, said innocently, but not so naive.
 

Avril O'Neill. I've always loved singing and November(07) I finally got round to taking up the guitar. I wrote my first song "Admit" and the rest just seemed to follow. After winning the UK songwriting competition 2008 with "Admit" I decided it was about time to make a myspace. So far I've only managed to record the songs in my kitchen so sorry about the quality of some of them! Enjoy!x