Vijay Kishore & Al Britten

Born and raised in the Handsworth district of Birmingham, of Indian parentage, singer songwriter Vijay Kishore has quietly been causing something of a stir musically with his ambiguous folk-tinged fusion of his anglo-asian heritage.

Bringing favourable comparisons from listeners to everything from the sufi infused tones of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan to Thom Yorke, Jeff Buckley or even Nina Simone and PJ Harvey.

Vijay has gone on to support the likes of Ray Davies, Nizlopi, Lou Rhodes and Mr Hudson and The Library as well as sharing billing with Jamie T, Tiny Dancers, Scott Matthews, Eugene Mcguiness, Fink, Laura Izibor, Newton Faulkner and Karima Francis, winning over new supporters wherever he goes.

“Brilliant, brilliant songs. Like a brummie Jeff Buckley singing the words of Nina Simone. Vijay’s luscious acoustic folk is as divine as Simon Cowell in a motorway pile-up.” NME on Vijay Kishore

Since wandering into an open mic night in the summer of 2004, Coventry’s own Al Britten has built a substantial following due to his regular, live, one man performances. Armed only with an acoustic guitar and harmonica, Al’s sound has been compared to Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, Neil Young and Beck and he has shared the bill with acts such as The Enemy and Nerina Pallot.

Al is currently playing solo gigs to an ever increasing audience, winning them over with his contemporary take on folk music with an attitude, his vision proving that songs you want to hum along to can also carry a message.