The Purple Shoes to play entire new album at Worthing gig

The evening will also feature support from folk artists the Hickory Signals and sea shanty ensemble, the Wellington Wailers. Doors 7pm; tickets £10 from www.thefactorylive.co.uk or www.thepurpleshoes.com.

Marie Dance, from the band, said: “The Purple Shoes are set to take you on a musical journey with the release of their second studio Album January Sun.”

Making the most of being locked down together, Marie and Michael Bickers composed 12 brand-new songs that “reflect the zeitgeist of uncertain times.”

“Sticking to our roots, steeped in the singer/songwriter era of the late 60s and early 70s, January Sun employs the Purple Shoes signature sound of strong vocal harmony and expressive guitar work to tell stories of love, loss, deception and the search for good times.

“Set for release on September 29, January Sun captures a time that you might not want to revisit but also don't want to forget.”

“We had collaborated on various musical projects during the 00s and decided to join forces in 2016 when we both found ourselves in Shoreham looking to join the vibrant music scene that the town is famous for. Sharing a passion for vocal harmonies and the singer/songwriter era of the 60s and 70s taking inspiration from artists such as Fleetwood Mac, Paul Simon and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, we put the four-piece band together and started playing our own material at the various pubs and music venues across the south coast of England.

“In 2017 we embarked on a nationwide tour returning to play a sell-out show at Shoreham’s Ropetackle Arts Centre.

“We released our first studio album Small Town Fairy Tales in 2020. Due to the limitations of lockdown, we launched the album via live stream. During this period we also presented a weekly interactive musical broadcast entitled The Isolation Chambers which ran for 18 weeks during the pandemic, showcasing our songs and ridiculously silly banter to audiences around the world.

“We are really excited to release our second album January Sun and to launch it to a live audience. The album was written during lockdown and tells stories of love, loss, deception and the search for good times in an uncertain world. We will be performing the album in its entirety.”

Doors 7pm and tickets available from www.factorylive.co.uk.

Marie released her solo album Things Have Changed in April 2017. After a successful launch and a string of local promotional performances, Marie and Purple Shoes guitarist Michael Bickers embarked on a nationwide tour as the Purple Shoes to promote Marie’s album and to showcase new material written by the band.

After six weeks of playing to sold out venues across the UK and Ireland, the band returned to the studio in early 2018 to begin work on a new album. The Purple Shoes released a three-track EP in the summer of 2018.

Following the release of the EP, Marie and Michael were invited to perform as part of the 2018 line-up of the touring Canadian folk festival where they opened for the Americana band Gordie Mackeeman and his Rhythm Boys.

Tickets from the venue.