The Beat Surrender

Fiona Renshaw started out life in Australia before moving to the UK at a young age and living in London, she eventually settled down in Manchester which is where her musical breaks happened. She started off playing at open mic nights and was spotted by Mr Scruff, eventually providing vocals for his Honeydew single. After that she was snapped up by Alan McGee and was also set to record her debut album before sony stepped in and took over Creation Records.

After a parting of the ways she delivered her debut album on Sirkus/Laws Of Motion called Love In A Bubble which met with much acclaim. 2007 see’s her returning with a new 4-track EP on Virago Records on the 18th June. Comparisons have been made with Joan Armatrading and it’s easy to see why on the track Blood, Sweat & Tears especially.

The sound overall is a little mainstream for my taste but she is a clear talent with a wonderfully soulful voice that could see her making big strides this year (and no I don’t mean she’ll be resorting to working in a swea shop stitching over sized trousers!).