FEATURELISTINGNEWS

John Smith * Sold Out!
+ Guests

JOHN SMITH

ST PANCRAS OLD CHURCH

Thursday 19th October

Doors 7.30pm
Curfew 11.00pm

SOLD OUT

JOHN SMITH – THE FRAY

Against the backdrop of a universally difficult 2020, songwriter and guitarist John Smith
found himself facing personal and unrelenting change. In the spring of 2020, Smith and
his wife lost a pregnancy, and his mother was diagnosed with cancer. With his touring
schedule of two hundred days a year on the road suddenly on indefinite hiatus, for the
first time in over a decade, John was home.

“With newfound pain coming from so many directions, dealing with the uncertainty it
brings, I closed the curtains and picked up the pen, turning to songwriting as a lifeline.”
It’s unsurprising that the new songs reflect a shift in priorities. On his new album ‘The
Fray’, Smith gives us an uplifting perspective on the path forward, but pays beautiful
homage to the difficulties along the way.

‘The Fray’ is Smith’s sixth studio album, and his vulnerability throughout is offered to his
listeners, unadorned. “It’s been a hell of a year, but I feel I’ve created my most honest
work as a result, and as a necessity. A lot of these songs are about accepting that life
is hard, but just holding on and trying to enjoy it anyway.”

Smith’s stubborn optimism in tough circumstances shines through on the title track, in
which he sings “Holding onto hope / I don’t need a decent reason / Yes and though it
disappears sometimes / It returns with every season”.

On the upbeat opening track “Friends”, he gives a nod to old friendships, and the
importance of maintaining connections in troubled times, singing “When the weight of
the world gets heavy / You don’t have to bear it alone /I know that burden and I’ll be
ready / To stop what I’m doing /I’ll be there to help with the load”

Despite his hopefulness, the emotional turmoil that Smith has faced this year is visceral
throughout the album, as is his observance of the pain of those around him. On “She’s
Doing Fine”, a delicate guitar underpins the lines “Walking slowly / The pain of the
memory / Fades in the eyes”. A melancholy flugelhorn seems to cry out for hope in the
darkness as it plays out the song.

Smith co-wrote a couple of songs for the album whilst on tour before the pandemic.
Driving a rental car from Asheville to Nashville, John stopped to write the standout track
‘Eye to Eye’ with North Carolina-based Sarah Siskind. The Americana influence is a
red thread throughout the album which beautifully compliments Smith’s unmistakeable
British Folk roots.

Smith co-produced ‘The Fray’ with long-time friend and producer Sam Lakeman. They
recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studio, with pianist Jason Rebello (Sting, John
Mayer), bass player Ben Nicholls (Seth Lakeman, Nadine Shah), Drummer Jay Sikora
(Paolo Nutini) and Jessica Staveley-Taylor of The Staves. The album is a true
reflection of the times, with American collaborators Sarah Jarosz, Courtney Hartman,
The Milk Carton Kids and Bill Frisell recording remotely and sending contributions over
international borders. John’s frequent touring partner Lisa Hannigan contributed via a
virtual studio session in Dublin.

Smith was born in Essex and raised on the Devon seaside. Known for his intimate
songwriting, his honey-on-gravel voice and pioneering guitar playing, he has spent the
last fifteen years touring internationally and has amassed over 40 million streams on
Spotify. As a session musician he has played guitar with artists as diverse as Joan
Baez, David Gray, Joe Henry, Lianne La Havas and Tom Jones.