31 August 2015
Andy Snipper
Chantel McGregor has announced the release of her second album ‘Lose Control’ and a 27 date UK tour starting on Sept 11th.
In 2014 she won the award for Best Guitarist in the British Blues Awards and has been nominated again this year.
The new album is a major change from her last, 4 years ago. “The last album was a collection of songs that I had been playing live but this time I wanted an album with a theme. I had 10 weeks to make the album and that came out to 1 song per week and these songs are all meaningful to me.
"I’ve always been interested in the dark side of Southern Gothic literature, artwork and media," says Chantel. "I wanted to create an album that reflected the imagery and themes of that genre. I drew inspiration from the TV shows True Detective and True Blood and studied the literary works of Tennessee Williams, Carson Mullers and Mark Twain.
I also surrounded myself with imagery from artists and photographers such as Walker Evans and Clarence John Laughlin, all to immerse myself in the sinister, dark world of depravation, magic and voodoo, writing most of the songs from the perspective of the disturbed flawed characters.
"My interpretation of Southern Gothic is the loss of control, either spiritually, physically (through other people or substances), or emotionally," reflects Chantel. "I drew on this theme a lot throughout the album, hence the title 'Lose Control'. I wanted the sound and emotion of the album to reflect the concept, so I juxtaposed heavy, guitar riff-based, dark tracks with haunting, emotive acoustic tracks, whilst tying them together with the lyrical themes of desperation and loss so often seen in Southern Gothic fiction."
Chantel has maintained her control of the recording process and was heavily involved in the packaging and the imagery.
The album is released on October 9th.
Tour dates:
Friday 11th September
Leamington Spa, The Assembly, Zephyr Lounge
Saturday 12th September
Newark, Blues Festival
Thursday 17th September
London, 100 Club
Sunday 20th September
Whitby, Pavilion Theatre
Thursday 24th September
Stockton, The Arc
Friday 25th September
Louth, Riverhead Theatre
Saturday 26th September
Wrexham, Central Station
Thursday 1st October
Birmingham, The Institute, The Temple
Friday 2nd October
Ruislip, The Tropic
Friday 9th October
Halifax, Playhouse
Saturday 10th October
Southport, The Atkinson Blues Festival
Friday 16th October
Doncaster, The Dome
Saturday 17th October
Retford, The Elms
Wednesday 21st October
Sheffield, Greystones
Thursday 22nd October
Edinburgh, The Caves
Friday 23rd October
Glasgow, Nice N Sleazy
Saturday 24th October
Carlisle, The Venue
Monday 26th October
Salisbury, Arts Centre
Tuesday 27th October
Exeter, Phoenix
Wednesday 28th October
Bridport, Arts Centre
Thursday 29th October
Brighton, Komedia
Saturday 31st October
Lincoln, Engine Shed
Saturday 12th December
Ripley, Town Hall
Sunday 13th December
Newcastle, The Cluny
Monday 14th December
Morecambe, The Platform
Tuesday 15th December
Leeds, The Brudenell
Wednesday 16th December
Bristol, The Tunnels
Thursday 17th December
Derby, The Flowerpot
Picture by Steve Howdle
