Rose Kemp

Rose Kemp
Kemp performing at the Supersonic Festival, 2009.
Kemp performing at the Supersonic Festival, 2009.
Background information
Born (1984-12-11) 11 December 1984 (age 40)
Carlisle, Cumbria, England, United Kingdom
Genres
Occupation(s)Musician, singer
Instrument(s)Vocals, bass, guitars, drums, keyboards

Rose Kemp (born 11 December 1984) is an English singer and guitarist who performs in a variety of musical genres. She is the daughter of Maddy Prior and Rick Kemp of the folk-rock band Steeleye Span.[1]

Singing career

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Kemp began her singing career performing live with Steeleye Span while still in her teenage years. This led to her being invited to contribute vocals to several albums by various folk artists. In 1996 she sang with The Carnival Band on their Carols at Christmas CD. In 2002 Park Records released the a cappella folk album Bib and Tuck by 'Maddy Prior And The Girls', a trio composed of Maddy Prior, Rose Kemp and Abbie Lathe.[2] Kemp wrote, and sang lead vocals on, several of the album's tracks.

Kemp's first solo album Glance, an acoustic pop record, was released on Park Records in 2003.[3] She subsequently toured with The Oyster Band as part of The Big Session, appearing with them across the UK and Europe.

2004 saw a considerable change in the direction of Rose's musical output. She recorded a mini-album, originally entitled The Free To Be Me EP, but later renamed simply Mini-Album, at Warehouse Studios in Oxford with members of The Fourers. The new recording was very much a rock record, with Kemp playing electric guitar and taking charge of the arrangements and production for the first time in her career.

Kemp signed an album deal with One Little Indian Records in July 2005, and recorded her second full-length album, A Hand Full of Hurricanes,[4] at studios in Bristol and Cardiff with producer Charlie Francis. This album was released in February 2007. After a large amount of time spent touring the UK and Europe in support of the record, including the BBC Introducing stage at the Glastonbury Festival,[5] she began recording in summer 2007 at State of Art studios, Bristol. Her third studio album, Unholy Majesty was produced by Chris Sheldon and was released on 1 September 2007.[6] The following two years saw Rose making appearances at the acclaimed Roadburn Festival (Tilburg, Netherlands) and Supersonic Festival (Birmingham, UK), as well as a headline tour and appearances supporting Porcupine Tree. She released a fourth album, Golden Shroud, in 2010,[7] and promoted it on a tour with Mono and Grails.

In December 2010, a Rose Kemp cover version of the Cardiacs song "Wind and Rains is Cold" - recorded in collaboration with electronic musician Rarg - appeared on Leader Of The Starry Skies: A Tribute To Tim Smith, Songbook 1, a fundraising compilation album to benefit the hospitalised Cardiacs leader Tim Smith. Kemp has also been known to cover another Cardiacs song, "Fairy Mary Mag," in concert as an a capella version.

In 2024, she re-released Unholy Majesty.[2]

Other projects

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Jeremy Smoking Jacket

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Kemp also performs with SJ Esau as part of the experimental, often improvisational pop trio Jeremy Smoking Jacket. The group recorded an EP entitled "Now We Are Dead (and Other Stories)" which was released jointly by Enormous Corpse and Fact Fans in August 2005; Max Milton left the group in October 2006, but Kemp and Sam continued as a duo, recording a live session for Huw Stephens' show on BBC Radio 1 in November 2006. They have performed at the Glastonbury Festival and at Tate Britain. The pair are currently working on their first full-length album.

VILNA

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In February 2006 Kemp joined an instrumental Post-rock band called Snakes on a Plane as their lead guitarist. Originally a five piece, second guitarist Matt Williams aka Team Brick left and the band changed their name to VILNA, after a piece of music by the French band Weidorje. The four piece, whose other members are Joe Garcia, James King and Alex Bertram-Powell, gradually moved into more progressive/doom metal territory. Although VILNA ceased to be in 2007, Joe Garcia and James King would subsequently play in Rose's band and played on the 2008 album "Unholy Majesty." In 2009, King, Garcia and Bertram-Powell reunited to form the progressive psych band ANTA.

Stones Barn

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Kemp, with Maddy Prior and Abbie Lathe, co-facilitates singing workshops at Stones Barn in Cumbria.

Discography

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Name ID Credits Notes
Carols at Christmas LP/1996/Park Records PRKCD45 as 'Rosie Kemp' singing with The Carnival Band
Bib and Tuck LP/2002/Park Records as 'Maddy Prior And The Girls' with Maddy Prior and Abbie Lathe
Glance LP/2003/Park Records) as 'Rose Kemp' [3]
Mini-Album EP/2004/Self Release as 'Rose Kemp'
Now We Are Dead (and Other Stories) EP/2005/Enormous Corpse-Fact Fans as 'Jeremy Smoking Jacket' with SJ Esau and Max Milton [8]
Violence 7"vinyl single/2006/One Little Indian Records as 'Rose Kemp' [9]
A Hand Full of Hurricanes LP/2007/One Little Indian Records as 'Rose Kemp' [1][4]
Ammonia track on Idolum by Ufomammut (Supernatural Cat Records) Ufomammut feat. Rose Kemp [10]
Heavy Black Snow Brew Records BRW013 collaboration track with Humanfly [11]
Unholy Majesty LP/2008/One Little Indian Records;
VINYL LP/Aurora Borealis Records
as 'Rose Kemp' [2][6]
Golden Shroud LP/2010 as 'Rose Kemp' [7]

References

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  1. ^ a b Sullivan, Caroline (12 January 2007). "Review: Rose Kemp, A Hand Full of Hurricanes". The Guardian.
  2. ^ a b c Thomas, Chloé (20 July 2024). "Album review: Rose Kemp – Unholy Majesty". DIY Mag. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  3. ^ a b Fyfe, Pete (2003). "Living Tradition CD review of Rose Kemp – Glance". The Living Tradition. No. 52. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  4. ^ a b Haydock, Mike (1 May 2007). "Single Review: Rose Kemp - Little One". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  5. ^ "BBC - Glastonbury 2007 - Rose Kemp". BBC.
  6. ^ a b Rowland, Sarah (10 August 2008). "Rose Kemp - Unholy Majesty". Penny Black Music. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  7. ^ a b Caspian (30 November 2020). "Rose Kemp – Golden Shroud". The Metal Archives. Retrieved 9 December 2024. Semi interesting bit of arty curio - 55%
  8. ^ D., Paul (25 August 2006). "Album reviews: Jeremy Smoking Jacket – Now We Are Dead… and Other Stories LP". Phonotonal. Retrieved 9 December 2024. A lot of people I played this to were unimpressed and daunted by the abstractness of the music, which lead me to conclude that JSJ are an acquired taste – but if [your] taste buds suit, you are most certainly in for a treat!
  9. ^ Cummings, Bill (14 September 2006). "Singles: Rose Kemp – Violence". The GIITTV reviews database 2003-2011. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  10. ^ "Interview: Ufomammut with Urlo (vocals/bass)". MetalBite. 15 June 2009. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  11. ^ Itakyla, Riitta (6 April 2011). "Reshaping What Came Before: An Interview With Humanfly". The Quietus. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
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