Coming to Shrewsbury this winter, the dynamic duo of Jonathan Scott Watson (Smoove) and singer/songwriter John Turrell will be bringing what they describe as “Northern Funk” – a contemporary fusion of funk, northern soul and electronica.
The story of Smoove & Turrell began in the post millennium North East of England with a group of working class lads and a shared passion for soul.
Initially starting as a trio – they performed several gigs together along with various other guest musicians. It was agreed they would create some new material and so they started to write and arrange a clutch of tracks that Smoove would record and produce.
The first few tracks were received with a rapturous response and their newfound northern soul style demanded that a Smoove & Turrell live band was formed. So they swiftly filled out their ranks with a crack team of like-minded Geordie musicians.
It was in fellow soul head Craig Charles that they found their first radio champion as he supported them heavily on ‘The Craig Charles Funk & Soul Show’ which was a kick-starter for their assault on national radio eventually landing Radio 2 record of the week twice and a playlist on 6 Music.
They’ll be making their Shrewsbury debut off the back of their 7th album “Red Ellen” (named after a female labour politician who was instrumental in shaping post war attitudes to social justice) which was released in October 2023.
This is one for all your Northern Soul lovers out there!
