Aussie Barker arrived on these shores more than ten years ago, back in 2002, where she set up camp in Cambridge. Initially she formed band The Low Country with guitarist Rob Jackson, and they released two albums in the early Noughties, 2003’s Welcome To The Low Country and its follow up a year later, The Dark Road. It was after this though that Barker’s career itself would take a turn in the road.
Barker started work in 2005 on her debut solo album, Photos. Fires. Fables, which would not only announce her arrival as a solo performer, but would unite her with her then all-female backing trio to form Emily Barker and The Red Clay Halo. Since this career-changing moment, Barker and her Halos have released three further albums, 2008’s Despite The Snow and 2011’s Almanac, steadily building on their fanbase with each passing release. The sales kept getting stronger, the shows bigger, and with this year’s Dear River this ascendancy has continued unabated.
The album saw Barker casting her eye and thoughts homeward, considering the nature of family and home and what constitutes it, especially for one who has now set up camp on the other side of the world. It is, simply, her masterpiece making this show an extra special treat. Don’t miss.
Where: Shepherd’s Bush Empire, W12 8TT
When: Weds, Oct 16, 7pm
Tube: Shepherd’s Bush
WEb: o2shepherdsbushempire.co.uk
