Suzy Bogguss  returns to delight audiences in the U.K. from 23rd May to 2nd June, 2012. One show has already sold out in advance and now we have one last date that remains open- 25th May -any last minute offers?

Amy Wadge and Pete Riley are performing at the Bristol Folk Festival on Monday 7th May. They’re also playing the FolkEast Festival, Lowestoft on August 26^th. We’re currently finalizing tour dates for late summer 1st September to 23^rd and on this they’ll be promoting their new cd which they’re currently ensconced in their studio recording.

The Nightingales (www.thenightingales.org.uk) tour from 29^th May to 10^th June to promote their new album No Love Lost on the Cooking Vinyl label. We are actively searching for UK and International festivals bookings as well as taking dates for an autumn tour from 9^th to 21^st October 2012.

Maika Makovski (www.myspace.com/maikamakovski) is confirmed to play the Great Escape Festival in Brighton Friday 11^th May. Dates 10^th and 12^th of May are open and available for bookings. We are looking for more festival dates for this summer and fall.

Bruce Cockburn (www.brucecockburn.com) returns to the U.K. to headline Greenbelt Festival in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire on Friday 24^th August. He then begins a full-scale tour of the U.K. and possibly (fingers crossed!) selected European dates. The tour period for him August 24^th to September 10^th inclusive and he will be performing solo on all these dates.

The legendary singer-songwriter Charlie Dore (www.charliedore.com) hits the road again this winter with her band. Tour dates are November 20^th through December 9^th . We look forward to experiencing her voice and hearing her new CD Cheapskate Lullabies first hand!

Following her highly imaginative Living Room Tour earlier this year (which included a unique performance in the office mess aboard a nuclear submarine moored in Portsmouth, and a brilliant opening slot for half of the Gretchen Peters tour, Lisbee Stainton (www.lisbeestainton.com) continues to be one hard working singer-songwriter and we are booking dates for her in October 17^th through 28^th. Prior to that she is also opening act for Seth Lakeman on his May tour in mainland Europe!

Lynne Hanson, (www.lynnehanson.com) Canadian singer-songwriter, is returning to the U.K. in September. She was wonderfully entertaining as the opener for half of Gretchen Peters’ Hello Cruel World tour. Her dates for the upcoming tour are 27^th September through 14^th October. If you like “porch music with a little red dirt”, then she’s the artist for you!

Matraca Berg (www.matracaberg.com ) arrives for her debut solo tour of the U.K. in November 2012 which runs between 4^th – 17^th; expect some amazing singing and perhaps a few surprises as well! She was here formerly as one-third of the highly successful Wine, Women and Song tour June 2011. Open dates are disappearing quickly!

We still have 1 or 2 openings on the Steve Forbert (www.steveforbert.com) tour starting up in October 2012. Tour dates are 4^th through 21^st and we’re booking these dates with our friends over at Adastra Agency. Steve is one of the exciting headline acts at the Glasgow Americana Festival on Friday 5 October and his time here includes dates in Ireland.

If guitar virtuosity is your thing, then take a look at a date for 3 Boxes, featuring the brilliant talents of Clive Gregson, Mark Griffiths and Andy Roberts. These guys have toured and played with all the greats. Touring 23rd October to 11^th November to promote a debut album produced by legendary sonic boffin John Wood (Nick Drake, John Martyn, etc.); this CD is aptly called Strings Attached and is well worth a listen!

Legendary Irish group Altan (www.altan.ie) headlines the Ireby Festival 2 June 2012 (www.irebyfestival.co.uk), then returns to tour their new Compass Records CD The Poison Glen 26^th September to October 15^th . The Irish Times states that “Altan has never sounded better or tighter.” The Times is right!

She’s number one!!!  Yes folks, it has happened….Gretchen Peters is number one on the Official UK Charts-Country genre category with the album “Hello Cruel World”.  Check it out at:  .  She is above established artists Lyle Lovett, Nanci Griffith, Tim McGraw, Glenn Campbell, Alison Krauss &Union Station and Todd Snider—go Gretchen!  In addition to this great news, shows on her UK and European Tour are selling out, including Norwich, Exeter, Limavady, Belfast and The Hague to name a few.  Tickets for some shows are becoming as rare as hen’s teeth.

Gretchen has also now announced for the following UK festivals:

June 22,2012     Isle of Wight     Garden Stage

June 29, 2012    Cornbury Festival     River Stage

June 30, 2012   Maverick Festival     Peacock Stage

July 27, 2012    Cambridge Festival     Stage Two

July 28, 2012     Cambridge Festival     Stage One

We are expecting more festivals and dates to be added over the next few days.  Watch this space!

If you are interested in making an offer or discussing a proposal, please contact nigel.morton@moneypennymusic.co.uk.

It’s an exciting spring here at Moneypenny! Lots of excellent news and action from our talented artists. Read on….

We are pleased to say Gretchen Peters is at last getting the commercial, critical and artistic recognition she so richly deserves. The responses across the media worldwide to her lastest CD release “Hello Cruel World” have been stunning! These include outstanding reviews in a variety of publications ranging from Q, The Sun, Maverick Magazine, Uncut, Billboard, Sunday Times and Financial Times. On U.K. national radio, not only has Gretchen had a session broadcast on Bob Harris’ radio2 country music program in January, she has an upcoming appearance on radio2 Simon Mayo’s feature Drivetime. Across the whole of the U.K., local stations and press have followed the example set nationally. All this activity is helping to make her current tour of the U.K. and Europe (March 1 to April 5) her most successful to date, with sold out shows in advance at a number of venues. Finally, we are pleased to announce that Gretchen has also confirmed to perform at the legendary Isle of Wight Festival, Garden Stage on June 29. She is also playing Cornbury Festival on River Stage June 29 and Cambridge Festival Stages 2 and 1 July 27 and 28. Finally, she is appearing at Southern Fried Festival July 29. We expect to announce even more soon.

All the best for 2012!

Moneypenny’s latest signing is The Nightingales, formed by former of The Prefects following that band’s demise in 1979.

With an ever fluctuating line up, based around lyricist/singer Robert Lloyd, the Nightingales enjoyed cult status in the early ’80′s as darlings of the credible music scene and were championed by John Peel, who said of them – “Their performances will serve to confirm their excellence when we are far enough distanced from the 1980′s to look at the period rationally and other, infinitely better known, bands stand revealed as charlatans”.

The group recorded a bunch of critically acclaimed singles (Almost always ‘Single Of The Week’ in the music press) and three albums, plus many radio sessions for their great supporter Peel – more than any other band bar The Fall. They also regularly toured the UK and Northern Europe, as headliners and supporting acts as diverse as Bo Diddley and Nico.

In the late Eighties the Nightingales stopped working but, following the occasional gig between times, they re-grouped in 2004, with Lloyd being joined by original Prefects guitarist Alan Apperley to its current line up, which features Lloyd, Apperley, Andreas Schmid (from Faust Studio) on bass, ex Violet Violet drummer Fliss Kitson and guitarist Matt Wood, plus on occasion bassoonist Katherine Young &/or guitarist Christine Edwards and Emily Manzo on keyboards (Christy & Emily).

Since restarting the group have been more productive than ever – releasing five 7″ vinyl singles and three studio albums (Plus two live albums), touring England, mainland Europe and USA numerous times, recording many radio sessions along the way. They have been invited to play various festivals in Europe and the States, including Glastonbury and SXSW. Their “Let’s Think About Living” 45 was ‘Single Of The Week’ on BBC 6 Music and they have continued to receive regular rave reviews for their records and live shows.

In 2008 the band recorded “Insult to Injury” with Hans Joachim Irmler of krautrock legends Faust. This record was released in February 2009 on the Klangbad label and is largely considered the best ‘gales album yet. Another Irmler produced album – “The Lost Plot” – was recorded in August 2010 but has no planned release date. A new album is due to be recorded/released in 2011 and the group will be playing more live shows in Europe and the U.S during the next year or so.

Moneypenny are currently booking for autumn and winter shows / tours from our array of UK and international acts – Ireland , USA , Canada all being represented.

• ALTAN  – November 2011
• BRIAN KENNEDY  – New cd touring October / November 2011
• BRUCE COCKBURN  – New cd touring February / March 2012
• THE CRAYONETTES feat: Kathryn Williams & Anna Spencer. Read  Guardian Article  & Listen on Soundcloud – offers and ideas
• GRETCHEN PETERS – New cd and touring UK & Europe March 2012.
• KATHRYN WILLIAMS – New cd and touring October 2011
• RENAISSANCE – New cd and touring November 2011
• SUZY BOGGUSS – new cd and touring November / December 2011
• THE RANKIN FAMILY – New cd and DVD January / February 2012

In addition to these acts with defined periods we’re also interested in discussing dates for

• MAX GILKES
• JOANNE LOUISE PARKER
• LYNNE HANSON

Please call me on either +44(0)7977-455882 or +44(0)1377-240162 and if it goes to voice mail please leave a message with your name and contact number.  Or email me.