THE GREAT ESCAPE SHOWCASE PREVIEW – JAKE HOULSBY

Jake Houlsby’s accelerating ascent to success has drawn critical acclaim from industry giants BBC 6 Music and celebrated music blogs including The Line Of Best Fit, The 405 and Crack In The Road.

The Newcastle-based singer-songwriter’s debut EP ‘Yannina’, released in 2015, initiated a tidal wave of attention and kicked off a series of breathtaking performances. The product of various sessions and guises over a 2-year period, ‘Yannina’ began a domino effect for Houlsby’s success following its first BBC 6 music airplay.

Described by 6 Music’s Lauren Laverne as ‘sublime’, Houlsby’s sweet melodic vocals sail through undulating waves of rich acoustic guitar on his arresting and ethereal single ‘Howl’.

Since receiving the Alan Hull Award for Songwriting, Jake has gone on to perform in venues such as The Roundhouse in London and The Sage Gateshead, supporting Gaz Coombes, The Lone Bellow and Paper Aeroplanes among others. Houlsby appears to be leaving his street busking roots fondly behind him on a quest for bigger and better things, bringing his fiercely loyal fans, old and new, along for the ride.

His new EP ‘Vondelpark’, released last week, is set to impress the contemporary folk scene along the same vein. Audiences were captivated by these songs at Live at Leeds, as well as an intimate EP launch gig at the Mining Institute in Newcastle.

Festival-goers: expect to be lulled into a meditative state by his nostalgic concepts and autobiographical songwriting.

Words by Rebecca Gregson