Since opening it’s doors in 1996 in the former Liverpool Institute for Boys the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts counts many notable figures amongst it’s alumni. In addition to actors and presenters former students include members of The Staves, The Wombats, Clean Cut Kid and “United States Of Whatever” singer Liam Lynch. This list also includes the now London based country/folk/americana duo of The Worry Dolls.
Zoe Nicol and Rosie Jones met at an open mic night during freshers week in the Lipa canteen, although they later discovered that they had sat around the same bonfire at a festival when they were children and where born fifty miles and sixteen hours apart. Perhaps it was destined that they would end up playing music together.
“Had we met before we would have definitely been best of friends” Rosie tells me via email. “The amazing thing about LIPA is that it binds you for life. We are constantly bumping into people in the industry who went there or know someone who did.”
Rosie and Zoe formed The Worry Dolls after graduating and moving back to the south of England. In 2013 they released their self titled debut EP. This was followed in 2015 by their second EP “Burden.”
Their first full length album was recorded in Nashville with producer Neilson Hubbard and was released in late January on Bread And Butter Music after a very successful campaign on Kickstarter.
“Go Get Gone” has received numerous glowing reviews. Birmingham Review called it “an endearing debut” adding that it was “brimming with the ingredients that any self respecting heart needs to break and recover.” Whilst Three Chords And The Truth wrote “A delightful compendium of roots orientated tracks packed full of tender country sensibilities.” BBC Radio 2 stalwart “Wispering” Bob Harris is also a fan.
In support of the album Zoe and Rosie are due to play a show at The Zanzibar on February 19th as part of an extensive twenty-five date UK tour.
This will be their first date in the city for over a year and they are looking forward to it. “It’s always great to go back, being the place where we first met and where we spent our uni years studying together” Rosie says.
You can get tickets for their Zanzibar show on 19th February here.
Go Get Gone is available via iTunes & Spotify.
Their first two ep’s are still available via their Bandcamp page here.
Andy Sunley
