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The Great Unheard

Nancy Elizabeth Cunliffe

in her own words...
Nancy is a 21 year-old singer and songwriter from Lancashire who has been writing and performing her music for several years now, often stunning audiences into silence with her unique voice and original songs.

Nancy Elizabeth Cunliffe
Description:	"It's mysterious, magical and full of beauty but also danger. Thankfully we have Cunliffe's soaring avian voice to guide us through." – manchestermusic.co.uk
Address:	Manchester
Website:	http://www.nancycunliffe.co.uk/ The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites

What We Think:

"There’s a major discrepancy between what Nancy Cunliffe believes she sounds like and what she actually does. Bracketing herself with Sandy Denny and Vashti Bunyan is beyond ambitious and into the realms of cheeky. Her multi-instrumentation, while being evidence of a great ability to turn her hand to anything, overcrowd and smother songs that are lyrically naïve. A disappointingly banal addition to Manchester’s folked-up singer-songwriters."
Chris Long

Think classic British folk - Sandy Denny, Jacqui McShee or Vashti Bunyan if you need a vocal reference - her range encompasses swooping melodies to pure piercing highs.

Having already spent time living in Wales, Thailand and Liverpool, Nancy has used her experiences to shape her music, lyrics and choice of instrumentation. She not only writes and sings her beautiful mesmerising music, but is also a talented multi-instrumentalist playing anything from guitar to Celtic harp to Thai kim to recorder and anything else a little bit different on the way. Her many gigs during the last six months have included supports for Josephine Foster and Regina Spektor.

The six tracks included on her forthcoming EP, The Wheel Turning King, were all recorded in an old Corinthian style church over two all night sessions and take influences from sources as diverse as European gypsy songs, choral music and North African music all performed in the warmest natural space imaginable. If you listen closely you can hear the sound of passing night traffic and birdsong that only enhance the untouched musical ambience.

last updated: 11/11/05

Have Your Say

Gareth Armstrong
I saw Nancy Cunliffe play songs from her new EP at a pub in Salford and it blew me away. I have to ask in the light of Mr.Long's comments whether he listened to the music before writing this scathing and wholly unjustified opinion of Nancy's work. Comment on her music, not the description of her music. Keep up the fantastic work Nancy.

ruth tonge
Nancy is my cousin so I think her music is brilliant.

Charlie Lingus
Vocally I found Nancy very like a folky Louise Rhodes. I found it more lyrically engaging in it's simplicity than worthy of the 'naive' tag labelled elsewhere. Track 2 on the ep has an astoundingly beautiful string section that kicks in half way through. In the saturated (and increasingly stagnant) uk 'new-folk' market you certainly could do a lot worse!

nick georgiou
Having a pop at a young ambitious and yes talented folk singer who never claimed to be any of the reference points you think she claims for herself is abit mean don't you think?

Rich Spencer
Conversely to Mr. Long's opinion, there is nothing disappointing about Nancy's performing ability, and watching her play (as I did in Wales a few years ago with no prior knowledge) is the single most captivating muscial experience I have ever had. Her voice is sweet and personal, and her melodies intricate and deftly executed. Compared to her first bedroom recorded CD, her latest recording want for nothing. I hope she continues to keep all her audiences so enthralled as she did that first night.

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