FokAndRoots Present Liz Simcock + Dave Ellis & Boo Howard

Liz Simcock has been called one of the country’s finest female singer songwriters*.  Her songs – often autobiographical and highly personal – are immediately accessible to audiences and injected with poetry, emotion and splashes of humour.  In 1999 she featured on the Playpen  Album of New Acoustic Music alongside Eliza Carthy, Billy Bragg, Eddi Reader and Kathryn Williams.  Since then she has trodden an independent path, gaining a growing reputation as a performer and songwriter.  Liz counts Richard Thompson, Clive Gregson, Boo Hewerdine and Joni Mitchell amongst her songwriting influences. . Liz has made five albums.  Friday Night Train Home, released in 2013, featured the virtuoso backing of Dave Ellis and Boo Howard.  In 2015 and 2017 Liz toured with Clive Gregson performing songs from the Gregson & Collister back catalogue and promoting an album of brand new Gregson songs.  As always though, Liz’s main focus is on her own songwriting and live performances.  2020 brought the release of her fifth album Winter Hill, a pared down acoustic album featuring one voice, one guitar and a handful of beautifully crafted and previously unreleased  songs.  A new album is in the making, working title “Into The Light”

Dave Ellis & Boo Howard are a long established London based acoustic singer songwriter duo.

With regular appearances at festivals and folk clubs, Dave & Boo are an integral part of the British acoustic folk scene and firm favourites with audiences up and down the land.

Dave Ellis left Liverpool and headed to London with his guitar at the tender age of 18. He was soon headlining at major venues, getting rave reviews for his extraordinary guitar playing, duetting with Gordon Giltrap and touring with his hero Bert Jansch. Melody Maker listed him as “one of the 6 best guitarists in the world.”
With the release of his solo album, radio and TV beckoned and after a spot on the Old Grey Whistle Test, Dave decided to form ‘The Dave Ellis Band’. Boo joined as the bass player and soon became the main singer. The pair became a solid partnership renowned for their unusual blend of powerful songwriting, exquisite guitar playing and beautiful harmonies.