Selma French has just announced news of her UK live return. Releasing the understated, multi-chaptered beauty of ‘Cold Coffee On The Shelf’, drawn from her new second album, French also commits to eight dates in support of Teenage Fanclub, opening at the intimate Bedford Esquires on Wed 6th August. Today we are sharing an exclusive live session version of the track, watch it below.
Deepening connections with audiences established over repeated visits to venues across the UK, most recently in late-2024 with Euros Childs, French’s commitment to untethering her vigorous, alt-folk-garage-indie sounds from the studio, and casting spells of curiosity, adventure and wonder from stage, is undiminished. It will be the first opportunity for audiences to hear songs from her second album, No Sign Of Rotten Leaves, set for release on Oslo’s rising Hype City label on Fri 25 April 2025.
Blowing a fresh breeze of non-compromise and melody through rewarding songs of light and shade, French chose the robust, full band track,‘ I Think I Knew’ as her first single since her, 2022 debut album, Changes Like The Weather In The Mountain. Left turns into the dappled drama of ‘Little Sisters and Friends’ and the brave, avant-sparseness of ‘Pine Tree‘ to follow have shown French’s hand as a wandering musical spirit, creating wild and wonderful scenes of elaborate wonder.
With the release of ‘Cold Coffee On The Shelf‘, listeners are shown through a new door of possibility with French’s beguiling vocal performance leading the way for the cyclical, splindling guitars and minimal percussion that rocks like a chair on a porch. Refreshing and captivating, it encapsulates the literal and metaphorical, the cooling cup in the artist’s room speaks for the simple things in life.
French says of the song: “I never seem to drink a cup of coffee before it gets cold. If it’s because of my short attention span, that I’m easily distracted, or that one full cup of coffee is simply too much, I don’t know… I made this song about welcoming the rainy, grey, pink and cloudy days and embracing the unextraordinary. The everyday life, growing older together and valuing the, sometimes static, commitment.”
Enjoying multiple creative kinships far from her own base in the picturesque, rural outskirts of Oslo, Selma’s invitation to support Teenage Fanclub this summer finds her playing the following venues:
Wed 6 Aug: Bedford, Esquires
Thu 7 Aug: Bedford, Esquires
Fri 9 Aug: Frome, Cheese and Grain
Sun 10 Aug: Chester, The Live Rooms – SOLD OUT
Thu 28 Aug: Sunderland, Fire Station
Fri 29 Aug: Castleton, Devil’s Arse
Sat 30 Aug: Holmfirth, Picturedrome
Sun 31 Aug: Carlisle, Old Fire Station
All remaining tickets are available now via booking links hosted at https://www.teenagefanclub.com/live
Helping French to create music that crosses divides from traditional Norwegian folk to lo-fi, melodic indie, her studio band includes friends and collaborators from a close-knit, connected Norwegian creative community. As well as leading with her evocative vocals, French plays guitar and fiddle.
For pre-order information, upcoming releases and to be the first to know about any live dates, connect with Selma French and Hype City online via:
https://x.com/selmafrench_
https://www.instagram.com/selmafrench/
https://www.facebook.com/people/Selma-French/100072127520037
