
Foy Vance is an Irish singer-songwriter, but seems to be more at home in the musical tradition of the US. His narrative songs are drenched in workman-like soul, blues, gospel and jazz influences. At the end of 2015, the multi-instrumentalist signed with Gingerbread Man Records, the record label of Ed Sheeran. This year, he is coming to Nijmegen with a brand-new album to present.
The seventh album of Foy Vance, “The Wake”, marks the completion of a decades-long journey, characterized by his tireless self-reflection and life-changing revelations. During a show on Spanish island Lanzarote in January 1999, the singer-songwriter experienced a moment of unprecedented transcendence on stage, only to hear the next morning that his father suffered a fatal heart attack that same night. Overpowered by sadness and sudden clarity, Vance immediately set out to create seven albums, inspired by the loss of his father – who was a travelling preacher who had moved to the American South when Vance was still a baby and who put him on the right path by teaching him to play the guitar at a young age. “The Wake” is at times heart-wrenching, ecstatic and extremely illuminating, revealing an artist that is very skilled in retaining the human spirit in an often-ruthless world.
For each ticket sold, €1 will be donated to International Justice Mission.