Pic by Charles Waldorf
Ani DiFranco returns to The Glee Club (Birmingham) on Wednesday 17th September. Tickets are priced at £22.50, standing room only – doors open at 7:30pm.
The self dubbed ‘Little Folksinger’ is widely known for her acoustic staccato guitar, poetry & visceral lyrics; songs including ‘Both Hands’, ‘Untouchable Face’, ‘Napoleon’ and ‘32 Flavours’ stand as inimitable definitions of a rich (and vast) portfolio. As powerful alone as she is with accompaniment, Ani DiFranco has crossed Folk with Funk, Jazz, Soul and Hip Hop – whilst never losing her distinction, in a recorded career spanning just shy of a quarter century.
Since her eponymous debut album in 1990 Ani DiFranco has carved an arguably solitary stance in the spectrum of modern Folk, a genre often tainted and diluted for arena tours or radio edits (see Mumford & Sons) – with as much power, if not more, coming from the crafting of her messages alongside the melodies that deliver them.
Quick witted and erudite, DiFranco’s explorations of gender, race, class, fami
ly, friendship and love are conducted with an intelligent aplomb that can be both beautiful and hard to hear. From the ambivalence in ‘Sorry I am’ and ‘So What’ to the apologies and pleas in ‘Tis of thee’ and ‘Hello Birmingham’, DiFranco’s stories jump from the deeply personal to the widespread and pertinent.
But whilst ‘they chalk it up to my anger and never to their own fear’, keeping the marketing machines of a soulless buck at bay (…see Mumford & Sons), both DiFranco’s unrelenting honesty and touring schedule have built an army of autonomous support across the globe.
And with every release coming through her own imprint, Righteous Babe Records, there is nothing to compromise; to dust off a one word summary from the contemporary music lexicon, legitimate.
Back in Birmingham for one of five UK dates, Ani DiFranco arrives in the UK on the final leg of an eleven date European tour – performing material from her 18th studio album, Allergic to Water – set for release in October.
Appearing first at The Glee Club in Birmingham, DiFranco continues to Edinburgh and Manchester, before playing her final two UK dates at The Union Chapel in London on 22nd & 23rd September.
Ani Difranco last played at The Glee Club (Birmingham) in Jan 2011, supported by Jim Moray. Ed King will be there, this time, for a Birmingham Review.
Ani Di Franco plays The Glee Club (Birmingham) on Weds 17th Sept. For further info an online bookings, visit http://www.glee.co.uk/performers/ani-difranco.htm
For more on Ani DiFranco & Righteous Babe Records, visit http://www.righteousbabe.com/
For further listings from all The Glee Club venues, visit http://www.glee.co.uk/