Local singer-songwriter Betsy Beard will join Jack Bessant, founding member of legendary 90s alternative rock band ‘Reef’ at The George in May.
Picking up the guitar during lockdown, Betsy is self-taught and quickly progressed to writing her own material. With a background in theatre, performance has played a key part in her life, and for the last four years creating original music has taken centre stage.
A native of Newnham, Betsy is looking forward to connecting with a local audience in the George gallery – an intimate space which lends itself to acoustic music.
Although hesitant about categorising her style, she describes her unique sound as ‘folky’, drawing inspiration from bands like US alt-rock outfit Mazzy Star and English singer-songwriter Nick Drake.
So far, travelling has provided a muse for Betsy (illustrated by a piece she wrote about the iconic Joshua Tree in the Mojave Desert) and she plans to harvest some new material when she travels around South America later this year.
Her musical partnership with Jack developed after he asked her to do backing vocals on a track. At The George their set list is likely to contain a blend of collaborations and solo pieces.
Over three decades, Jack’s career has reached the highest altitudes, from stadium tours to industry awards and platinum selling albums.
In 2015 Jack launched his solo career with a vision to nourish his soul and others around him, capturing his passion for the natural environment and his rooted connection to the West Country. His music fuses Americana, folk and blues into heavy rock and trip-hop.
Jack has performed at a wide array of UK festivals from Glastonbury, Isle of White and Reading to Elements (Sidetracked Magazine) and Bear Grylls, Gone Wild Festival. Global festivals include Fuji Rock (Japan), Rock AM Ring (Germany) and the Big Day Out (Australia). He’s collaborated with creative brands including YMC, Story MFG, SlackJaw, Shona Heath, The Wave and KUDVHA.
Tickets are available here