The Lumia Live Sessions is a series of gigs across the UK, promoting new artists in unique locations – and they’re coming to Manchester this year to showcase the talents of soul singer Kwabs. Guardian music critic Paul Lester dubbed him ‘the new Seal’, and while Kwabs’ timbre and vocal range does bring the legendary rose-kisser to mind, such a comparison ignores the limb-twisting, teeth-chattering electronica that underlies and complements that voice. Taken under the wing of Sohn, the British musician/producer currently in creative exile in Vienna, Kwabs put out his second EP – Pray for Love (listen below) – earlier this year, and it was immediately torn at by DJs, hungry to strain it through their mixing desks. With no album to promote just yet, the usual venues favoured by artists of Kwabs’ repute may have little to entice, but the Lumia tour’s taste for unusual locations have placed him in the post-war redbrick surroundings of Chadderton Baths in Oldham, a disused public space given a new lease of life – although we’re reliably informed the pool has been emptied. Supporting him on this date is London soulstress Sinead Harnett, best known for last year’s collaboration with Rudimental on the track Baby. To mark occasion, we’re giving away 10 pairs of tickets to readers. To win a pair, simply send the answer to the question below in an email to competitions at manchesterwire dot co dot uk with the subject line ‘Kwabs competition’. Be sure to include your name, age, Twitter handle and phone number. The competition closes at midnight on Friday 29 August, and we’ll contact the winners the following day via email.

Q: Event organiser Nokia is known for producing a very distinctive ringtone. But in what 1990s comedy series was this ringtone immortalised?

A) Bottom
B) Trigger Happy TV
C) Smell of Reeves and Mortimer

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED.

Mon 1 Sep, Chadderton Baths, Middleton Road, OL9 0HG, 7.30pm, 18+, FREE – apply for tickets via www.nokia.com

Mon 1 Sep
Words:
Chris Horkan
Published on:
Thu 28 Aug 2014