TESS
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TESS

London, England, United Kingdom | INDIE

London, England, United Kingdom | INDIE
Band Folk Acoustic

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This band has not uploaded any videos

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Press


"PEOPLE'S MUSIC AWARDS 2010"

"In "Magpie", raw fragile emotion gets polished by musical production perfectionism like we haven't heard in years! Outstanding, moving and so intimate. Highly recommended!" {TESS - GRAND NATIONAL FINALIST - BEST MALE} - PEOPLE'S MUSIC AWARDS 2010


"Music-news.com"

"Tess is a fine songwriter, his music is melodious... loaded with emotion" (4 stars * * * *) - Music-news.com


"Q Radio"

“The vocals offer emotion and confession with equal tenderness and the songwriting proves a great deal of musical education and talent. A joy to listen to, and one that I would return to again and again” - Q radio (Caroline Beavon)


"FolkRadio.co.uk"

“A wonderfully atmospheric album. Magpie has the making of a classic, and it grows on you still further after each listen. A beautiful and lovingly crafted album from a humble soul. Fans of Alexi Murdoch and Ray Lamontagne will love it!” - FolkRadio.co.uk


"MOJO"

"If he'd come along earlier, he'd probably have headlined at Soho's {1960's} Les Cousins on a regular basis. Not to be ignored" - MOJO


"ACOUSTIC magazine"

“Tess writes intriguing complex songs that creep under the skin with each listen. He draws the listener into a subtly shaded, pastoral English landscape. These are deep waters well worth exploring" - ACOUSTIC magazine


"The Independent and Independent on Sunday"

“Rich string arrangements. Tess is a soul in flight from the horrors of the peopled world” {Indy choice: Best of the new music feature}. - The Independent and Independent on Sunday


"HMV"

Chosen for the “essential albums you should have heard in 2010” campaign by HMV - HMV stores


"See my bio"

Please see my bio for all the press reviews. - biography page


Discography

TESS' debut album "MAGPIE" is out now ! Purchase the CD in the UK at PLAY.COM, HMV online, AMAZON or order it at your local HMV store. For worldwide digital search TESS MAGPIE at iTunes and all the other usual stores.

Press reviews:

The Independent and Independent on Sunday “Rich string arrangements. Tess is a soul in flight from the horrors of the peopled world” {Indy choice: Best of the new music feature}.

ACCOUSTIC Magazine “Tess writes intriguing complex songs that creep under the skin with each listen. He draws the listener into a subtly shaded, pastoral English landscape. These are deep waters well worth exploring"

MOJO "If he'd come along earlier, he'd probably have headlined at Soho's {1960's} Les Cousins on a regular basis. Not to be ignored"

Music-news.com "Tess is a fine songwriter, his music is melodious... loaded with emotion" (4 stars * * * *)

Suite101.com "A musical delight often dreamed of but never found...emotionally engaging songcraft. An excellent debut from a gifted songwriter". (9 out of 10)

Classic Rock Society “A gentle set of songs... with a sense of polished sensitivity. A pleasant listen of the rootsy type”

THE PEOPLE'S MUSIC AWARDS 2010 "In "Magpie", raw fragile emotion gets polished by musical production perfectionism like we haven't heard in years! Outstanding, moving and so intimate... Highly recommended!" {TESS - GRAND NATIONAL FINALIST - BEST MALE}

Folkradio.co.uk "A wonderfully atmospheric album. Magpie has the making of a classic, and it grows on you still further after each listen. A beautiful and lovingly crafted album from a humble soul. Fans of Alexi Murdoch and Ray lamontagne will love it!"

Q RADIO (Caroline Beavon) “The vocals offer emotion and confession with equal tenderness and the songwriting proves a great deal of musical education and talent. A joy to listen to, and one that I would return to again and again”

Birmingham Mail “Echoes of Nick Drake, Ray Lamontagne & Scott Matthews. An album of any era”

Blackpool Gazette “There’s a major talent dwelling in this seemingly self effacing singer, guitarist and songwriter. The reflective tone… will hook you and haunt you”

Scarborough Evening News “Raw emotion for the entire world to see. One for you if you like original music played with passion and real feeling”

GetReadyToRock "A gentle dreamy affair... something of a throwback to early Bowie, Donavon and Bolan days. Enthralling."

ACOUSTIC Magazine (Interview) – “A player who ploughs his own furrow”

Burton Mail (“Elliott” album track) “Tess is an exciting discovery in the acoustic/folk genre, offering a powerful mix of strong vocals and guitar skill. An exciting release, which hopefully points to great things to come.” (4 stars* * * *)

Burton Mail {“Magpie album”} “Tess is a musician with a considerable gift…. very good indeed” (4 stars * * * *)

EK1 (East Kent One) Magazine – “Magpie, a beautiful haunting album from local Kent artist TESS, set to please fans of Damien Rice, Nick Drake and Ray Lamontagne”

Photos

Bio

Update * TESS will be playing performances at Joan Armtrading support 2012, Maddy Prior support 2012 Glastonbury 2011, radio 2 airplays, radio 6. ,absolute radio emerging icon.

TESS was born in 1972. In the following years, there could have not been a better education into music and songcraft! Bowie, The Doors, John Lennon -it all left a calibre of musical structure and melody that strongly imprinted on the mind of a growing child. As each newly released song was recorded to tape on a Sunday "chart show" afternoon, it taught him how to express what he, a quiet child, found hard to do through words alone, yet more importantly it gave him something to aspire to.

For most of his adult life, he didn't fully embrace a music career. To him, his songs were more like intimate diary entries, recording the major passages of his life. But songs eventually lead to performances; and those gigs led to a chance meeting with a cellist in a café, Through her, TESS was introduced to producer and strings arranger Howard Gott. Howard recognized the strength of the vocals, guitar structure and they began work. Howard bought an air of patience to the recording with his string parts offering sensitivity and texture. The album took well over a year to develop, often with long periods of necessary rest in between tracks. Moments of loss of self confidence made him write and rewrite, he was determined to give it "his all". Every song has to be based on the truth of his life; some of the lyrics so intimate that he still finds it hard to directly address their meaning.

And so we have Magpie, 11 songs of darkness and hope in equal measure. At times haunting and deeply personal - yet always unmistakable.