Gemma Ray is a torch-singing, guitar-taming, pop-noir maverick and she returns to London to headline The Borderline.

This is her first UK date since the release of her latest and most ambitious album, Island Fire, which is a thrilling and encyclopaedic trip through Gemma’s ever-growing, over-flowing bag of tricks. From lavish orchestral alt-pop (‘Bring Ring Ring Yeah’), to intimate stop-you-in-your-tracks tracks (‘Flood And A Fire’), to bitter-sweet girl-group-sounds (‘Put Your Brain In Gear’) to brooding psychedelia (‘Make It Happen’) and much more besides. ‘Runaway’, is Link Wray’s guitar laid over a cheap drum machine, but bottle-rocketed to a new level of posh, courtesy of vocal harmonies galore and runaway (yes, runaway) strings. It shouldn’t really make sense.  On paper it probably doesn’t. But that’s the whole point of being taken by surprise, right?
“Stylistically grand and wilfully eccentric” – WORD ****
“Fabulous. She proves she is tasteful as well as gifted” – Q ****

Gulp – new band of Guto and Daf of Super Furry Animals will be supporting.