Island Records are proud to announce the first of what promises to be a regular series of live Island Life gigs, when two of their most exciting new signings, George The Poet and J.P. Cooper co-headline London’s Scala on Monday October 13th. The forthcoming shows will aim to shine a light on the assembly of fresh new talent signed to the fabled label.
George The Poet is one of the most unique new artists to emerge in the UK in recent years. He has regularly popped up on the BBC, Channel 4 or Sky TV, has been broadcast on Radio 1 and put on live performances, blending poetry and rap to hypnotic effect. Over half a million people have watched him on YouTube, with some of his poems racking up twice as many hits as the nation’s Poet Laureate and he recently earned the praise of hip hop God Nas after he supported him at his Village Underground show.
J P Cooper has been honing his live skills over the last couple of years relentlessly touring the country while building a huge and loyal fanbase alongside the release of 3 self-recorded EP’s . A recent special guest slot with Angie Stone preceded his debut Island release “Keep The Quiet Out” EP which shot into the top 5 on the iTunes singer songwriter chart, gaining him some serious love from Radio 1’s Huw Stephens. Having just sold out a nationwide tour, this new EP, showcasing his particular blend of soulful songs and stunning vocals, looks set to expand his ever growing fan-base and gain more fans in the press to add to the love shown from the likes of Hunger Magazine, Soul Culture, Shortlist and SBTV.
Island has some previous in promoting their own shows. During the week that marked their 50th anniversary celebrations in 2009, the label put together a week-long series of completely sold-out gigs at Shepherd’s Bush Empire featuring the likes of U2, Grace Jones, Sly & Robbie, Toots & the Maytals, Cat Stevens and Florence & The Machine among others. The last Island Life show was US hip hop star Mac Miller’s road-blocked gig in Brixton at Plan B in 2013.
Time to get the show back on the road.
Tickets go on sale 9am, Friday 15th August HERE.