Supporting Local Talent

We are delighted to announce that we are providing marketing support to local artist Jess Kemp to help with her first European tour.

At just 21 years of age, Jess – an extremely talented acoustic singer-songwriter from Irlam has embarked on a solo career but is currently unsigned and self-managed.

With gigs and festivals planned across the nation, the young artist reached out to us to help with her mission of promoting her music to a wider audience.

The support will help Jess to move forward with her tour, which will take place in Amsterdam during August. It also means that Jess’s supporting band members Sam Butterworth, Matt Royle and Luke Finch will be able to join her for the performances, a key factor in securing gigs.

Neil McArthur, HDT Chairman, said: “In the main we support local community groups and regeneration initiatives across the area and not this type of project. However, on this occasion we decided to make an exception to support Jess after listening to her song ‘Star’ – appreciating her super voice and talented lyrics. We are hoping that as well as giving her a helpful step in the right direction for her career, that Jess can help us raise awareness of what HDT does in the community so that we can attract even more partners to work with us and thus to achieve even more for the area. We wish Jess and her band the best of luck”

Jess and her band are set to perform live in the heart of Amsterdam – playing shows at Newmarket and Café De Graal on Sunday 7th August, The Water Hole and Vondelpark on Monday 8th of August and finishing off with an acoustic performance on the famous Amsterdam bridges on Tuesday 9th August.

Jess Kemp said: “I’ve played in different venues across the country but when the opportunity came up to perform across Europe I had to take it.

“At first, they told me I couldn’t perform without a band – so I got in touch with some great local talent who were happy to join me, however I then began to worry about the cost.

“I got in touch with HDT and once they agreed to help us we were overjoyed, they do a lot for my local area and it’s great that they are helping us to succeed.”

Jess has already gained huge exposure, with the release of her debut single and music video ‘Stars’ being well received by critics and audiences alike, followed by her first EP ‘Camden’ in April 2016.

This led to Jess being invited to perform a live session with ‘BBC Introducing’ leading quickly to regional and national radio play.

More information will be posted on our Facebook page soon…. Watch this space!

Posted on: 12th July 2016