Gig preview: Heather Coulton at 360 Club, The Library, Leeds

Every so often a singer songwriter comes along that oozes originality and honesty. Heather Coulton is one of those artists, managing to craft songs that are both poignant and beautiful. We caught up with her ahead of the release of her single Playdough.
Heather CoultonHeather Coulton
Heather Coulton

It’s always intriguing how musicians start out, what pushes those early buttons and compels someone to play and write. I asked Coulton about the start of her musical journey.

“It’s kind of in the blood really, my mum is a singer, a musician, all my family are from Ireland, and they’re musicians, it’s not really like you have a choice, it’s just something that you do. I suppose I was the one that just stuck with it.”

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Coulton moved to Leeds to study at Leeds College Of Music and liked the city so much she ended up staying. She is ingrained in the community here, teaching and inspiring people across the city to sing.

The video for her single ‘Playdough’ is a mix of stop-motion animation and fly-on-the-wall footage of Coulton and her band in the studio. It all has a very natural feel, a refreshing change from over-polished contrived music videos. Her lyrics are fresh and honest.

“Lyrics are the pinnacle for me,” explains Coulton. “I’ll listen to a song, and really listen to every single word they say, I’ll sit there and think ‘How did they think of that?’ It’s just amazing to me that people can come up with these cute, poignant lyrics, I think lyrics and having something to say is really important, to me anyway.”

Coulton’s music is reminiscent of Joni Mitchell and Carole King, both melancholy and uplifting. Her ethos is grass-roots, building her fan base from the ground up, no bells and whistles, just honest.

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I wondered if she had a musical bucket list, what does she want to achieve in the future?

“I’d love to do a boutique tour, maybe release my music on vinyl too, that’d be cool. I tend to climb one mountain and then look for the next one. I’m always looking for a new challenges.”

Heather Coulton’s single, Playdough, is released on Friday September 15 at a special release party at the 360 Club at The Library, Leeds. It will also be available for download online at https://heathercoulton.bandcamp.com

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