Josephine Sillars

Hailing from the Scottish Highlands, but currently based in Leeds/Glasgow, Josephine Sillars is a pop musician inspired by art-pop and trip-hop, drawing comparisons to Fiona Apple and Bjork. Her 2021 single “Enemy” was selected as Track of the Week for BBC Introducing in West Yorkshire and as 71 out of 100 Top Tunes in Scotland 2021 (The Herald). She released her debut vinyl “Spend Time Wasting” via Leeds label Come Play With Me in November 2022, a 7″ split with Fuzz Lightyear. “Spend Time Wasting” was featured as a Track of the Week for God Is In the TV, and described as “dreamy and immersive” by Tenement TV with features in DORK, Lock Magazine and the UK Official Charts.

From March – June 2023, Josephine was the Artist in Residence at Vinyl Whistle, Leeds, curating nights showcasing alt-pop music from Yorkshire called POP TRASH, and released two new singles,  with single “Slow” described as “A heady mix of influences such as hyperpop and 90s pop […] with rippling synths, hazy guitars and layers of pop influence, the vibrant instrumentation contrasts its self-reflective lyrical content.” (Tenement TV).  In October 2023 Josephine released a collaborative EP with electro-folk act Loughlin, titled “Someone Else’s Break Up“, following one of their demos receiving over half a million views on TikTok.

In her only Scottish headline this year, this show will be the first look at her debut album.

Supporting Josephine Sillars are Karys and Elisabeth Elektra.

Karys is a melancholy pop singer-songwriter from Edinburgh, Scotland. Her music aims to allow people feel all their big, sad messy feelings. “When people listen to my music I want it to feel like that moment when someone opens up to you and you suddenly realise “maybe I’m not insane because this person has also experienced this!” Karys combines her love of all things pop and her passion for the Gaelic music she sang growing up. When asked to define her sound she explains, “It’s Melancholic pop — I melt together elements of ethereal avant-pop, hyper-pop, trip-hop & trance to create a sound that is equal parts haunting and euphoric. I strive to create songs that wouldn’t be out of place in an A24 remake of The Craft.”

Elisabeth Elektra is an alt pop artist who creates a singular sonic and visual world; one that you definitely want to be part of. Based in Glasgow, Elektra blends strong hypnotic vocals, analogue synths and weighty drums, to create music that is as anthemic as it is empowering. Elektra has a gift for writing memorably melodic pop songs. Always distinctively her own, while feeling universally all of ours, Elektra’s songs explore themes of femme desire, queer sexuality, personal freedom and self actualisation.

Image credit – Elle Sirs