Sonar Sessions - Josh Doughty + The Sweet Trees

Sonar Sessions is a monthly Sunday evening event, showcasing artists in the genres of world, jazz, soul, acoustic & folk. Each Sonar Session will present a carefully curated lineup of live acts showcasing established artists alongside emerging local talent.

Josh Doughty began playing the kora (a west African 21-stringed harp) when he was eight years old. First learning from his father, Adam Doughty, Josh soon developed a fascination for the instrument and would practice for hours on end, rewinding and replaying cassette tapes of kora masters and figuring out how to play along.

As a teenager, his exceptional talent was spotted by Malian kora legend Toumani Diabate, who invited Josh to visit him in Mali to deepen his learning. Josh made his first trip to Mali in 2007, aged 17, and since then he has made countless extended visits to Mali and the neighbouring regions, embedding himself in the culture and traditions of West Africa. In this time, Toumani has become Josh’s teacher, mentor and friend.

Over the past decade, Josh has collaborated with a number of leading musicians from Africa and Europe, including Sampha on his Mercury Prize winning album, Process. He has played at prestigious venues including the Royal Albert Hall, St James’ Palace, the renowned Le Diplomate club in Mali and several UK festivals including WOMAD, Tribe of Doris, Tropical Pressure and Shambala. Winner of the World music category at the Welsh International Harp Festival in 2018, Josh also has been featured in Songlines Magazine and has delivered a TEDx talk on his life and his music.

The Sweet Trees are a West Yorkshire acoustic collective featuring the honeyed vocal blend of Lizzey Ross, Katie Colbrook and Lloyd Degler, cultivating their own sensitive brand of alt folk rock whilst welcoming some more well-known tunes into their boughs. Lizzey's dizzying lead vocal, at once punchy and ethereal, is the emotive force around which Katie's pristine instrumental flutter and Lloyd's calming strum and hum converge with a warm and earthy vibrance. The Sweet Trees are: Lizzey Ross (lead vocals, piano), Katie Colbrook (harmonies, piano, guitar, violin) and Lloyd Degler (harmonies, guitar, piano, cajon, bass).