Appeared on Fri 26 Sep 08 @ The Black Box | Belfast (Plus 'One Day International')
Lisa Hannigan started her singing career at the age of 6 as the fairy on top of the Christmas tree in the school play. On the long car journeys down to west cork for summer holidays she sang the backing vocals to her mothers’ front seat Joni Mitchell and Nina Simone and to this day knows all of the words to Paul Simon's "Graceland" and the Queen back catalogue. The first record that Lisa ever bought was Michael Jackson's "Bad". Although in those days it was called a tape.
Despite a desire to sing like Maria Callas she realised that her chances of playing a consumptive operatic heroine were severely hampered by both her naturally quiet voice and her insatiable love of cake. The former could be helped by a microphone; the latter could not be helped at all.
A chance meeting with singer songwriter Damien Rice led to a long period of collaboration and development. Lisa spent the next few years touring the world, meeting wonderful musicians and friends, writing songs, forgetting then remembering how to ride a bike, contributing backing vocals on many friends records, including the Frames and Mic Christopher, and singing with the legendary Herbie Hancock.
When this collaboration came to an end after seven years, Lisa was left with a notebook of songs and the desire and confidence to put them onto a record. Gathering a talented band of friends together in Cauldron studios in Dublin she put the songs to tape and from there they went t0 Strongroom in London’s east end for completion.
Lisa’s mother Frances began knitting in preparation for the cover artwork. After spending a happy month stitching the lyrics onto rough cotton, and picking out the many references to the sea in the lyrics, Lisa decided to call the album “Sea Sew”.
Lille is the first single to be taken from the album. It’s a story set to guitar, harmonium, glockenspiel, double bass and pizzicato strings and features beautiful backing vocals from Cathy Davey.
Plus 'One Day International'
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