Page 18 - Isolation Guide: LEP Special E-mag Edition v2

YOURTIME
LANCASHIRE POST
wvm.lep.co.uk
Spring 2020
The country star making most of
lockdown woes
/t’s been quite a lock- down so far for coun­ try and blues artist Elies Bailey.
“I’m not going to lie,” she said. “The
first few days were pretty tough, especially as on my birthday I had to officially an­ nounce the postponement of my tour”
But since then, she’s made the most ofthe opportunities available to her-and charted her own unique path through these times.
Elies was determined not to let the unprecedented circumstances delay the releaseofhersingleWoman Like Me.
And she has also been keen to keep performing - whether to her neighbours or to the world.
Elies said: “I'm not one to sit on my laurels so have been doing live streams with a donation link. All the money raised is going to my band and tour family, who have lost all their work with my n tour being postponed.”
To further support her band and tour family, Elies has also made her music available to download from her website. During this time, all the monev raised
from sales will go towards her touring band and on-
t he-road team. For the same reason, she’s also added a ‘do­ nation’ link to all heronline streams.
And her talents have liv­ ened up her neighbourhood, too.
Elies said: “I also played a show in the street. I set up in the front garden, in the sun­ shine and everyone hung out oftheirwindowsorsaton their wralls. It wTas wonderful to spread a little bit oflove at this time. The silver lining in all ofthis is the community spirit that has come about, and after seven years of liv­ ing at my house, it was nice to finally meet all my neigh­ bours!”
house!”
Elles’s hit song Medicine
Man - the lead single from her second album Road I Call Home - was picked for inclu­ sion on the Earache Records New Wave of Rock and Ro11 Compilation vinyl LP that reached number 10 in the vinyl charts. Classic Rock Magazine called Elies’track, WTitten with her friend Will Edmunds, one ofthe high­ lightsofthealbum. Elies’ acoustic version of Medicine Man wras also featured on The Blues Show with Cerys Matthews on BBC Radio 2 last month.
Elies' Little Piece ofHeav­ en - which she co-wrrote with Bobby Wood and Dan Auer­ bach or The Black Keys - won
Eliesalsogotinvolved UKSongoftheYearattheUK
in the very first Lockdowm Music Festival, alongside an array ofinternational artists streaming 15-minute per­ formances from their living rooms.
“For a few hours, we for­ got why we were all in lock- down ” said Elies after the gig. “As well as playing my own 15-minute set, I watched every artist from around the world, chatted with folks tuning in, drank my red wine and danced around the
Americana Awards 2020, run by the Americana Music As­ sociation.
Elies’ monthly listening numbers on Spotify keep rising, too, while Road I Call Home debuted at number 1 in Amazon Blues Bestsell­ ers, 13 in the Official Country Charts and 24 in the Official Americana charts.
Visit distrokid.com/hy- perfollow/ellesbailey/wom- an-like-me to listen to the new single.