Events

THE BASEMENT BAR

Thu 14th November 7:30pm
Book Tickets
£ 10.00

PHILIPPA ZAWE: Philippa Zawe is a Yorkshire based singer-songwriter. She is of Ugandan heritage and her songwriting is inspired by the rich stories that are told around her and that lie within her.

“Philippa has a fantastically controlled vocal style which conveys an enormous amount of feeling and meaning in every single word.” (Ryan’s Gig Guide, 2018) Her songs are rooted in the genre of Folk with an infusion of Soul. Her inspirations vary from the likes of Terry Callier to Joan Armatrading, Nick Drake to Laura Marling. Her music has been described as “audio self-care at its finest” (Two Story Melody, 2018).

In September 2017 Philippa Zawe released her debut EP Road of Hope; a tale of loss, grief and hope found along the way. Shortly after that in May 2018 Zawe then released a full band EP titled Disadvantaged. 2020, a year of ups and downs, Philippa Zawe took us on an introspective journey full of hope and contradictions through her releases Dark Am I, Yet Lovely and Lay It All Down.

The vocals are earnest and soulful, the guitars are gentle and romantic, the strings are lilting and hypnotic.” (Two Story Melody, 2018)

She has performed across Birmingham (UK) whilst making a few appearances in Sheffield and London. In 2019, she made her first appearance at Moseley Folk Festival. In 2021 she performed at the 3rd Edition of Musika Na Kipaji in Goma DRC. In 2022 she graced the performance spaces of Hadisi Urban Festival and co-produced and performed in ‘Les Narratrices’ at Goma’s L’institut Francais.

Would You Lean is the most recent single by Philippa Zawe from her upcoming EP – Shudder Pt. I. “‘Zawe’s expressive and eloquent vocals are backed up by a who’s who roster of Birmingham musicians for a result that wows the listener from the first note.” (Glide Magazine, 2022)

On 23 and 24 March 2023 Zawe produced two EP launch events at Doncaster’s The Point and Birmingham’s MAC on the respective dates. One audience member from the Doncaster event said “Great night, very impressed with all performers and was better than other concerts I’ve paid up to £20 for”

Following on from this she performed in Birmingham’s prestigious Town Hall, the largest audience she’s performed for. Not only that, it was opening for one of Zawe’s biggest inspirations, Grammy Award winning and Pulitzer Award Winner Rhiannon Giddens.

Doors open 7.30pm. Music starts 8pm. The venue is mixed seated and standing. Tables are limited, and available on a first come first served basis, so if you’d like a seat, we recommend arriving early!