AIDAN CONNELL – 'GRIO: STORIES AND SONGS LIVE' at

The COURTYARD THEATRE – Friday, DEC 1 2017

Venus In Furs present an electrifying evening... Aidan Connell will play his debut 'Grio' in its

entirety and tell some of the stories that inspired the songs. He will also give a tantalising

glimpse of tracks from the next album, which is due late 2018.

'Grio' was co-produced by Dave Roback (Rain Parade/Mazzy Star/Opal) and is released in CD and

vinyl format on Pleasant Valley via Republic Of Music/Universal , Feb 16th next year. The collection is

already garnering rave reviews.

Connell may have grown up in small-town Home Counties England, but his story and music have a certain mythos of its own. As a young black kid – and something of an outsider in the suburban south – he imbibed Britpop and Hendrix and honed his ferocious guitar-playing skills in relative isolation.

He relocated to London from the Thames Delta in his teens, and eked out a living doing odd jobs and modelling (with Kate Moss one occasion), as he served his musical apprenticeship – sessioning with Mazzy Star and playing relentlessly with a fistful of bands, including power-pop trio Melody Nelson who gained a cult following. Finally, his indefatigable work ethic got him his own East End studio 'Goldmine' under a Bethnal Green railway arch,coincidentally a few streets from his hero Peter Green's birthplace. Here he could make a living and record his own material.

His energy, his sense of history and his skill in forging rock traditions anew have garnered accolades from the likes of Gary Clark Jr – another musical magpie – who invited Aidan to support him on several shows. Seasick Steve, who described him as “the only rock 'n' roller in town” and Jeff Beck who enthused that he was a “natural successor to the British blues-rock crown.

Aidan will be joined on the evening by a crack team of some of London's most gifted musicians including drummer Przemysław Pietrzak (The Feds) and Kelpie Mckenzie (Lil' Jimmy Reed) on bass. Scintillating support comes fromKent-based rock 'n' rollers Maker and blues-rock prodigies Southbound.

The Courtyard Theatre, 40 Pitfield St, Hoxton, London, N! 6EU

Doors 7pm – Tickets £10 from billeto.co.uk and ticketmaster.co.uk

'Grio has a grungy, alt.rock twist that breaks down genre boundaries. Connell’s voice is wonderful –

warm but dark, and often sounding remarkably like Mark Lanegan. Paired with his timeless songwriting,

this record suggests that he’s in it for the long haul, neatly side-stepping current trends and making a

unique space for himself.' Classic Rock Magazine

'Connell's voice is smooth and soulful, his melodies are as effortless as his guitar solos are face-

shredding. He is at his best in finding novel combinations of older genres, that's when the truly new and

unique arises.' AfroPunk.com

'

'Connell’s mastery of nuances makes him a very impressive blues-rocker.' The Blues Magazine