New Single: ‘Severed Dreams’ - April 18
UK Tour Announced & Festival Dates
Album: ‘Shoulder To The Wheel’ – out now
"The honesty of Joseph's songwriting, the gospel/blues boldness augmenting his vintage sound and the poetry of his lyrics make this record special" – Metro
"His voice is personable, his words affecting, and his melodies easy on the ear" - Q Magazine
"Smoky confessional intimacy" – Uncut
Ruarri Joseph has announced details of a new single and UK tour this spring. The 10-date tour will begin in Manchester’s Jabez Clegg on April 6 and conclude at the Corn Exchange in Ipswich on May 21. Joseph is also confirmed to play Bristol’s Folk Festival in Colston Hall on April 29 and Cornwall’s Carnclave Caverns Folk Festival on June 5. The dates will coincide with the release of a new single, ‘Severed Dreams’, on April 18, which follows the Radio-2-playlisted ‘An Orchard For An Apple’. Both songs are taken from Joseph’s acclaimed new album, ‘Shoulder To The Wheel’ (ACP Recordings).
Ruarri Joseph is a singer and songwriter born in Cornwall, but raised in New Zealand. His childhood was spent living on a farm in the middle of nowhere, swimming in rivers, docking lambs, shooting possums and going on road trips to lake Taupo for weeks on end. Idyllic maybe, but lacking in any musical outlet, Ruarri left school at 16 and began his search. At 17 the search took Ruarri back to England (via a strange experience in Indonesia), where he met his wife-to-be at his first UK gig, and soon found himself a Teenage Dad, working as a nurse for the elderly and the mentally ill and playing music in any spare time he could find.
‘Shoulder To The Wheel’ is Joseph’s third album, and was completed after an eventful few years. First, Joseph quit his Major Label recording contract after just one record. His wife then helped him found his own label, and still effectively acts as his A&R. Just as his second album began to gather steam, their son, Alfie, had to undergo emergency brain surgery, while his wife gave birth to their third-born, Harper, so Joseph bowed out of music momentarily. ‘Shoulder To The Wheel’, then, was written following the eventual (and full) recovery of Alfie. As such, there is a maturity on this record – and a sense of determination, hope and optimism as signalled by the title - that reflects Ruarri’s twenty seven years.
Live Dates:
April 6 / Manchester / Jabez Clegg
April 7 / Birmingham / Glee Club
April 8 / Leeds / Cockpit
April 9 / Liverpool / Shipping F’cast
April 10 / Swindon / Vic
April 14 / St Agnes / Taphouse
April 15 / Totnes / Barrelhouse
April 16 / Nottingham / Glee Club
April 29 / Bristol Folk Festival / Colston Hall
May 8 / Dartmouth / River Dent
May 13 / Stevenage / Arts Centre
May 21 / Ipswich / Corn Exchange
June 5 / Cornwall / Carnclave Caverns Folk Festival
Sept 11 / Devon / Ivylive Fesitval
Sept 11 / Devon / Ivylive Fesitval
Sept 29 / Exeter / Phoenix
Oct 6 / London / Dingwalls