Kim Edgar

Artist Information

Biography

“exceptional” (Tom Morton, BBC Radio Scotland)
“one of Scotland’s undiscovered gems” (Daily Record)
“an artist clearly at the top of her game - *****” (Fringe Review)

Edinburgh-based pianist and songwriter Kim Edgar’s second solo album, The Ornate Lie, has grown out of her love of stories, and in particular, fairy tales. As a child, Kim remembers her horror at the laces of Snow White’s bodice being tightened by the evil Queen in an attempted murder, before the poisoned apple was offered...

“The idea that a woman’s clothing could be used against her really captured my attention; I continue to be fascinated by the fairy tale in modern popular culture, and what fairy tales - old and new - may be subliminally teaching us.”

Playing with traditional storytelling structures, and drawing on topics including the objectification of women in magazines, child neglect, love, helplessness and mortality, in The Ornate Lie (2012), Kim has created strong melodies, well observed lyrics and an honest intimacy, building on the strengths of her critically acclaimed debut, butterflies and broken glass (2008).

Produced by Mattie Foulds, The Ornate Lie places Kim’s vocal and piano playing firmly centre stage, with support from leading musicians including Steven Polwart (guitar), Kevin McGuire (bass), Mattie Foulds (drums), Corrina Hewat (harp), string quartet Mr McFall’s Chamber, and backing vocals from Karine Polwart, Inge Thomson and Andy Tucker.

Kim is a member of the genre-hopping collective The Burns Unit, whose debut release, Side Show (2010) was warmly welcomed, with performances at Cambridge Folk Festival, a television appearance on Later With Jools Holland (BBC 2) and a UK tour which led to the band being awarded one of the top 5 gigs of 2011 in The Independent. She also performed with bandmate Karine Polwart for HRH The Queen at the opening of the Scottish Parliament's fourth session in July 2011 (broadcast live on BBC 2), and Karine performed their collaboration “1, 2, 3, 4, 5” as a duet with Paolo Nutini on BBC Scotland.

Passionate about the social and emotional benefits of singing and music making, Kim leads a children’s choir at The BIG Project - a youth and children’s charity, based in Broomhouse, Edinburgh - and was featured working with Gareth Malone on BBC Children In Need 2011. She leads singing and songwriting workshops across Scotland, and recently composed a multi-choral commission, Breakthrough, for the Usher Hall (Edinburgh) and Celtic Connections (Glasgow). Kim also enjoys arranging strings, and playing piano for other artists including Karine Polwart and Annlaug Borsheim (Norway).

Attracting five star reviews for both her recorded work and live performances, Kim's songs reflect her classical piano background, and her interest in horror, fairy tales, feminism and social history, which she studied during her degree in English Language & Literature. Her songs are beginning to make their way in the world, with live performances at a range of UK venues and festivals, a European tour in 2011, and a growing fanbase in Scotland and further afield.

"Edgar's original songs are often very moving, literate, allusive and expressively sung - and destined to travel far beyond their Scottish genesis." ***** Scotland On Sunday

For full gig details, visit www.kimedgar.com

For more information, email kim@kimedgar.com

Instrumentation

Kim Edgar Solo: piano, acoustic guitar, vocals

Kim also performs with a range of musicians including:

Mattie Foulds (drums)
Kevin McGuire/Tom Lyne/Lorna Thomas (double bass/electric bass)
Steven Polwart (electric and acoustic guitar)
Inge Thomson (backing vocals/percussion)

Discography

The Ornate Lie - Kim Edgar (2012)
1. A Poppy Blossoms
2. Not For Sharing
3. The Ornate Lie
4. Walls
5. Hands Held
6. All The Little Sunbursts
7. The Steamy Note
8. Blood, Ice & Ashes
9. Ready
10. A Favour From The Sea
11. Fragile
12. 8, 9, 10


Side Show - The Burns Unit (2010)
1. Since We've Fallen Out
2. Trouble
3. Send Them Kids To War
4. Future Pilot AKC
5. Blood, Ice & Ashes
6. Sorrys
7. You Need Me To Need This
8. Majesty Of Decay
9. What Is Life?
10. Helpless To Turn

butterflies and broken glass - Kim Edgar (2008)
1. Red
2. Just Outside Your Door
3. House On The Hill
4. Heavy Skies
5. Cinderella's Slipper
6. Do You Feel Loved?
7. The Bonnie Lad
8. Scissors, Paper, Stone
9. Climber
10. The Majesty Of Decay

wee dote EP - Kim Edgar (2004)
1. Shelf
2. She Waits For Saturday
3. Tucked In My Pocket
4. Wee Dote
5. Thaw

Official Website

http://www.kimedgar.com

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter
• MySpace

Audio

• The Ornate Lie
  Listen  
• Blood, Ice & Ashes
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• The Steamy Note
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• House On The Hill
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• Heavy Skies
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Lyrics

• House On The Hill
• Heavy Skies

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Butterflies And Broken Glass Album Five Star Review [+ Show ]
  

  Edgar’s intensity of performance and songwriting skills have long been noticed (she was one of the r...Edgar’s intensity of performance and songwriting skills have long been noticed (she was one of the recent Burnsong composers) and this polished production sets her piano and guitar skills in textures that move from delicate, quiet confessional with strings to semi-classical rock anthem underscored by resonant horns.
  
  Edgar’s original songs are often very moving, literate, allusive and expressively sung - and destined to travel far beyond their Scottish genesis. * * * * *
  Norman Chalmers, Scotland On Sunday

• Butterflies And Broken Glass Album Four Star Review [+ Show ]
  

  Winning 2006’s Burnsong competition and being chucked into a house with established songwriters was ...Winning 2006’s Burnsong competition and being chucked into a house with established songwriters was a dream come true for Scottish singer Edgar, and she’s made that experience count on this accomplished and intimate debut slice of slick folk pop. Collaborations with Emma Pollock, Future Pilot and Chris Difford appear here, as does Karine Polwart and her band, but it’s Edgar’s own unassuming style which impresses most, from the sumptuous orchestral piano pop of ‘Cinderella Slippers’ to the stripped down folk of ‘Heavy Skies’ and the wonderfully melancholic ballad ‘Climber’. This is an impressive opening salvo from an already refined new talent.
  
  

• Butterflies And Broken Glass Album Review [+ Show ]
  

  The cutting "Scissors, Paper, Stone" is a haunting tale of hurt and lost identity[...] but this raw ...The cutting "Scissors, Paper, Stone" is a haunting tale of hurt and lost identity[...] but this raw emotion is tempered by the album's debut track, "Red" [...]
  
  Kim Edgar seamlessly fuses poetry with the sound of tinkling ivories, in an album that never drifts far from a rich Scottish heritage.

Setlist

Current Set List: Full Band or Solo, two 40 minute sets

SET 1
The Bonnie Lad (Burns/Edgar)
Cinderella’s Slipper (Edgar)
Do You Feel Loved? (Difford/Edgar)
Red (Edgar)
Old Hotels (Edgar)
Heavy Skies (Edgar)
Scissors, Paper, Stone (Edgar)

SET 2

The Dowie Dens Of Yarrow (trad)
Hands Held (Edgar)
House On The Hill (Pollock/Edgar)
Climber (Edgar)
Just Outside Your Door (Edgar)
The Weary Farmers (trad)
The Majesty Of Decay (Edgar)

Encore - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (Polwart/Edgar)

Basic Requirements

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