Matthew C. Whitaker and Ellen Smith to headline In The Round at The Grand in Clitheroe

The unique, acoustic setting of In The Round at The Grand in Clitheroe will see Manchester-based musician Matthew C. Whitaker and Leeds-born artist Ellen Smith perform on Saturday, October 24th, with tickets available now.

Following a successful pilot earlier this year, In The Round is back at The Grand in Clitheroe, allowing audiences the opportunity to watch artists perform in an intimate, acoustic setting.

The Grand, York Street, Clitheroe, is a contemporary 1870s-era auditorium holding 400 people with a full-size cinema screen and a cafe. It is a creative hub presenting a wide range of events for the community.

placeholder image — The Grand, York Street, Clitheroe, is a contemporary 1870s-era auditorium holding 400 people with a full-size cinema screen and a cafe. It is a creative hub presenting a wide range of events for the community.

The show, which takes place on Saturday, October 24th, will see artists perform a set on a small riser in the middle of the auditorium floor and will have the crowd seated all around them. The venue set-up creates a level of vulnerability, which helps create a unique atmosphere inside The Grand.

Saturday’s performance will see Manchester-based musician and composer Matthew C. Whitaker and Leeds-born artist Ellen Smith headline the stage.

Whitaker, who is best known for his work with cosmic prog-rave outfit HENGE, released four acclaimed albums with the outfit and has toured extensively across Europe and the United Kingdom. Alongside his work with HENGE, Whitaker has also pursued more introspective solo works, releasing the rich solo debut album, ‘Man With the Anvil Hat’ in 2016, showcasing his love for intricate harmonies and arrangements.

His forthcoming release, ‘Songs for the Weary’ continues Whitaker’s exploration with intricate arrangements, creating eight gentle compositions that utilise a classical guitar, lush string arrangements, and subtle electronics.

As for Smith, she is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and composer, who won Q Magazine’s Glastonbury Emerging Talent competition with her band Ellen & the Escapades in 2010. Since Smith’s victory in the competition, she has gone from strength to strength as an artist, making a further two appearances at the iconic festival and she also secured a publishing deal with 13 Artists / Warner Chappell UK in 2018.

Smith’s publishing deal came following a period which saw her release music with the dark-electro pop band Shadowlark, who were produced by Dan Austin, who has worked with Biffy Clyro and Massive Attack. And following Leeds United’s promotion to the Premier League, Smith was commissioned to write and release her first solo material, providing the eponymous soundtrack to ‘Take Us Home’, an Amazon Prime docu-series which followed Marcelo Bielsa’s team ending their 16-year absence from the top flight, thanks to promotion in the 2019-20 season. Tickets to see the pair in Clitheroe are available here.