FESTIVAL OF CHICHESTER: Multi-instrumentalist brings her talents to city

With her, and just itching to get at those instruments, will be two-year-old son Cosmo; and then on the Sunday, her father will be offering anarchic comedy with the Bonzos.

“My last album was Festivus which came out in 2014,” says Charlotte, “and I am trying to get something else recorded in time for these next couple of gigs that we have got, but I have had a little boy since the last album! Well, he’s not such a little boy anymore. He is two now.

“I don’t think it really changes you as a musician, but it makes you focus even more intensely, and maybe it brings out the playful side of me more, which is there any way! But it makes you realise even more how precious time is. But Cosmo will be there in Chichester, and I am sure he is going to be wanting to come on the stage. He’s a total natural. He just loves it. He will be wanting to butter up the drummer to have a go!

“I will also be performing on the Sunday in Chichester with the Hounds of Love Orchestra. A friend of mine Lisa Abbott has put together a show just doing Kate Bush’s tunes. There are about 12 of us. It started last summer. We have only played a handful of gigs. We played at the Old Market in Brighton a couple of times, and we also played at the Lewes Con Club. Lisa is the singer, and she really sounds like Kate Bush… without doing the dramatic side of it, the sort of tableau side of what Kate Bush does. So it should be a really nice feeling to the whole weekend.”

It will be a chance for Charlotte to show her multi-instrumentalist talents. Charlotte started playing violin at the age of five, got a guitar when she was seven, taught herself how to play Beatles tunes, got a saxophone for Christmas when she was 12 and has never looked back.

Equally at home playing jazz, classical music, blues, soul, funk, Latin, country and everything in between, she’s kept busy on the music scene.

As a session musician, Charlotte has worked with a remarkable array of people including Oasis, The Divine Comedy, Nerina Pallot, James Blackshaw, John Martyn and Nick Cave. As for her own band, Charlotte admits they haven’t played together so much recently– though in her view this is definitely an advantage.

“I am sure we will slip straight back in. I quite like doing things on a bit of an ad hoc basis. Sometimes if rehearsals go really well, then the performance itself isn’t so good. I really like the idea of going into something really fresh so that you don’t start sounding all predictable!”

Tickets on www.chichesterlive.co.uk.

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