Thea Gilmore

Born in Oxford to Irish parents, Thea Gilmore established herself from the late 1990s in a register between folk rock, indie pop and acoustic singer‑songwriting, with narrative lyrics and arrangements that mix electric guitars, pop melodies and an alternative tone. She began writing very young, later worked in studios and formed a long‑standing collaboration with producer Nigel Stonier, who has been present at key moments in her career. Her discography starts with Burning Dorothy (1998) and quickly expanded with The Lipstick Conspiracies (2000), Rules for Jokers (2001), Songs from the Gutter (2002) and Avalanche (2003). Alongside her solo work, she took part in the 2002 Reel and Soul Association project, blending American soul and British folk, and maintained a steady live presence across the UK, both solo and with a band. Invited by Joan Baez to join her 2004 tour, she went on to release Harpo’s Ghost (2006), Liejacker (2008), Murphy’s Heart (2010) and John Wesley Harding (2011), a complete reinterpretation of Bob Dylan’s album. Gilmore also issued Don’t Stop Singing in 2011, built around previously unpublished lyrics by Sandy Denny, followed by Regardless (2013), Ghosts and Graffiti (2015), The Counterweight (2017) and Small World Turning (2019).