On a grassroots journey to tell her story through music

Country and blues musician Elles Bailey wants to take fans on an emotional journey when she performs at Farnsfield Village Centre on Saturday.

The 30-year-old, from Bristol, is touring the UK on the back of her debut album, Wildfire, which is full of rootsy blues, country, and soulful rock

Her show is packed with songs written at different times of her life, some developed from her first days as a songwriter many years ago.

Elles will bring a distinct smoky vocal sound to her performance that stems from early childhood, when a bout of bacterial and viral pneumonia changed her voice forever.

Following the success of her debut album, which charted at number two in the iTunes blues charts, Elles said she was riding the crest of a wave.

“This past year has been amazing,” she said.

“Everything has grown from last year and it has been what every musician wants to achieve.

“I am building on the success of the album. I have started to tour the UK and I have been around Europe as well, which has helped me gain momentum.

“It’s a varied show with a lot of influences. You can expect the rocky stuff with slide guitars, but we like to bring it down as well.

“I am a bit of a storyteller, so we get out the acoustic guitars and strip it back.

“I show quite a few sides and it becomes the Elles Bailey story, where I can take you on a journey.

“I love performing live, meeting fans and leaving a little piece of my soul on the stage every time.”

Elles recently returned from the iconic Nashville in the US ahead of her second album release later this year.

She is playing than 100 shows on the tour, including many festivals, and said it could take her to weird and wonderful places.

“I had never heard of Farnsfield but someone saw me play at a festival and invited me to play there, which is nice,” she said

“The thing with my music is that although it does cross into mainstream, country and blues is very niche in the UK.

“However, there are smaller areas that are hubs for this kind of music. When you are first getting it out there it is important to build these fan bases.

“I am very proud of my grassroots journey and it means I get to perform in different corners of the country.”

The show at Farnsfield starts at 8pm. Tickets, priced £12, are available from Bruce McDowall, call 01623 883096 or email banddmcdowall@btinternet.com