Thekla, 25th March 2022
Psychedelic soul singer-songwriter Curtis Harding is heading our way people.Curtis will playing at Thekla, Bristol on March 25th as part of his headline European tour.
The upcoming series of dates follow the recent release of Curtis’ third studio album ‘If Words Were Flowers’ released in November of last year. A moving, pointed and timely collection of songs all about love, resilience, and reconciliation from an artist who values the beauty and the power of human connection above all else.
Featuring the singles ‘Hopeful’, ‘Can’t Hide It’ and ‘I Won’t Let You Down’, ‘If Words Were Flowers’ is a raw and gritty body of work. Drawing cues sonically from folk, soul, blues, hip-hop, garage rock, and gospel. Further accented with airtight grooves, punchy horns, and adventurous production from Harding himself and frequent collaborator Sam Cohen (Norah Jones, Shakira, Karen O, Danger Mouse, Benjamin Booker).
Upon its release, the album earned rapturous praise from titles such as The Observer, The Times, Uncut, MOJO, Rolling Stone and The Skinny. While also going a long way in contributing to Harding’s 75 million global streams.
Born in Saginaw, Michigan to a mechanical engineer and a gospel singer, Harding spent much of his formative years on the move, bouncing between north and south until his family ultimately landed in Atlanta.
He learned to sing and play drums in church with his mother, who introduced him to the likes of Mahalia Jackson and Mavis Staples, but it was his sister’s collection of hip-hop tapes that would push him towards a career in music and inspire him to begin writing and rapping.
With the Atlanta scene exploding onto the national stage at the time, Harding picked up work promoting luminary artists like Outkast and Cee-Lo Green on the legendary LaFace label and he soon found himself in the studio and on the road as a backup vocalist with Lauryn Hill, The Roots and Cypress Hill.
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