Valerie June, Islington Assembly Hall

Chanteuse Valerie June will be playing songs from her critically-acclaimed debut album Pushin’ Against a Stone this November 26 at Islington Assembly Hall.

June has mastered an incredibly diverse repertoire: she plays country, folk, bluegrass, gospel, soul. It’s an eclectic mix, but one that leaves us unsurprised to hear she 'was raised one hour from Memphis and two hours from Nashville'. What does startle is this Southern belle’s voice. It’s a powerful instrument: she’s just as comfortable crooning, Erykah Badu-style, as she is honky-tonk 'bellowing' (as her mother described it).

  The girl’s got some pipes and they’re used to wonderful effect on Pushin’ Against a Stone , which was released last May. Picking away on the banjo, ukelele, or guitar, June sings raspy, brassy songs about love and hardship. She flits between the plaintive folk she perfected as an itinerant busker wandering the Deep South and the more soulful, Sixties girl group-sound she’s worked on with Dan Auerbach , who produced the album. Guitarist and vocalist for bluesy-rock duo The Black Keys , Auerbach is known for his scuzzy take on northern soul —and it seems he’s found his muse in June.

Purveyor of 'organic moonshine roots music', June is a groovier Dolly Parton, a twangier Norah Jones—and she’s on the make. The historic venue isn’t overly large, so it will be all the more easy to pick the singer out from the crowd. June is beautiful and very striking—not least because her distinctive mass of hair, contained in neatly-coiled dreadlocks, is almost Medusa-like in effect. If her looks don’t stop you dead in your tracks, though, her music will. 

Tickets are now sold out, but check Islington Assembly Hall's website for returns.