The Toy Hearts
+ Das Fenster & the Alibis
Thursday 19 April : 8pm
£10.00 : £8.00 concessions : seated
We have sold out of seats so please contact the box office on 01603 660352 for standing availability.
The Toy Hearts have been making music together for over ten years, partly because the core trio of the band is made up of family members, and partly because they are old school when it comes to music. They have honed their skills the hard way by gigging across the UK, USA and Europe, the result being that they deliver an exciting, energetic and dynamic live show, packed with just the right amounts of sweetness, sass and style.
Sisters Hannah (lead vocal/mandolin) and Sophia (guitar/harmony vocals) front the band, and along with their father Stewart (banjo/dobro) they carry on the established tradition of the family aspect within country music. Blood harmonies, original songwriting and arrangements, instrumental virtuosity and a deep love for that high lonesome sound means that despite being geographically removed from the bluegrass state, the Johnson family have successfully created their own kind of sound that encompasses both Bill Monroe in Kentucky with a dash of hot club straight from the Continent.
In October 2010 The Toy Hearts released their third album Femme Fatale, which was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee earlier that year and produced by Grammy nominee David Mayfield. Certainly their most significant recording to date, Femme Fatale aptly demonstrates their song writing maturity and a further honing of their now identifiable sound that draws influences from bluegrass, gypsy jazz, western swing, country and blues.
Two download singles, ‘Femme Fatale’ and ‘The Captain’ have been released from the album both with accompanying music videos to the delight of an ever increasing online fanbase. The Toy Hearts continue to get great coverage in the specialist press, Guitarist, Acoustic, R2, Country Music People but have also had extensive features in the more mainstream national Press such as, The Independent, The Sunday Express and The Star on Sunday. 2011 has seen The Toy Hearts profile going from strength to strength with performances at major UK festivals, amongst them Cornbury, Bestival, Shambala and Moseley Folk as well as a live BBC session with Bob Harris and a major feature in the Daily Mail.
“As well as producing quite possibly the finest and most authentic-sounding blend of Americana of any UK act, The Toy Hearts possess a trump card in the heart-melting voice of Hannah Johnson… With ‘Femme Fatale’ as a calling card, the UK Americana crown is The Toy Hearts’ for the taking.”
- Sean McGhee, R2 Rock and Reel Magazine
“They fully deserve to be the first British act nominated for a bluegrass Grammy. We should consider ourselves lucky, Nashville didn’t confiscate their passports so they couldn’t ever leave!”
- Mike Davis, Net Rhythms
“Fronted by sisters Hannah and Sophia Johnson, these are sweet harmonies and commendable forays into hot jazz and old-time swing” – Duncan Warwick, Uncut Magazine
“Sisters Hannah (mandolin) and Sophia (guitar) were a delight, highly personable, and proved they have what it takes for some serious cross over potential without compromising their music.”
- Michael Hingston, Live Review for Country Music People
“Style and substance are admirable attributes for any band. But couple them with hard work and commitment and you’re onto something good. The Toy Hearts have all the bases covered and Femme Fatale, recorded in Nashville, is a fine document of the Johnson family’s winning formula.”
- David Kushar, Spiral Earth
“The vocals are pure and the musicianship is top-class… This group is going from strength to strength and I would recommend this album to all bluegrass fans” – David Knowles, Maverick Magazine
“The overall sound is excellent, Hannah’s vocal’s quite superb and Sophia’s guitar playing stunning. The album has a tremendous vitality about it and the elements of western swing that creep in here and there only add to the variety of a band who are as good to look at as they are to listen to.” – Venue Magazine
