From a tiny top floor flat in Glasgow, Belfast born, Chicago-raised Jill O’Sullivan, Welshman Nick Packer and Scottish drummer Gregor Donaldson have carved themselves a unique niche in contemporary music with their band Sparrow and the Workshop that somehow manages to traverse any number of geographic and musical boundaries with stunning effect. Newsquest Northwest has joined forces with Momentum PR to promote this competition. Our lucky readers have the chance to win a pair of tickets to the band’s Manchester gig, which takes place at the Night & Day Café on October 5, 2010, plus a copy of their EP on CD and on vinyl. There’s also runner-up prizes of a pair of tickets and a copy of the EP on CD for four lucky winners.

After acquiring their name (“I came up with the workshop name so I could get a deal with Drum Workshop,” says Gregor wryly) and playing a show as a duo at Glasgow's Rio Cafe, Jill and Gregor brought in Nick on bass and electric guitar. It was then that the trio began writing and practicing the songs that have gone on to make up Sparrow's core set, which include the likes of The Gun, with it’s sparse, violent folk and the powerful but tender You Got It All.

Sparrow and the Workshop also sample all manner of bizarre instrumentation – these aren't your standard folk-influenced songs. Gregor's drum kit has slowly been augmented with all kinds of strange percussion, including a piece of sprung steel he's dubbed a 'crash box', which pumps out gunshot and whip sounds whilst Nick has hacked up his Burns guitar to include a bass string, enabling him to play bass and electric guitar simultaneously.

They have begun developing their beguiling stage presence while touring the country in Gregor's dad's camper van – unfortunately for the drummer, he is the only member of the band who can drive – and were recently snapped up by Distiller Records, one of many to pick up on their unique talents.

Since being signed to Distiller Records, Sparrow and the Workshop have released two EPs and their debut album Crystals Fall. They have received much critical acclaim from the UK media, including The Guardian, The Sunday Times, Word and Uncut magazine. They have also received considerable radio play and have performed various radio sessions for Marc Riley (6Music), and Vic Galloway (Radio One). They were also Radcliffe and Maconie’s ‘Pick of the Week’ on Radio 2 and recently recorded a Maida Vale session for Rob Da Bank (Radio One).

Their highly acclaimed debut album Crystals Fall has been receiving glowing references since its release on April 19.

www.myspace.com/sparrowandtheworkshop

HOW TO WIN!

To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer the following question and email your answer, together with your name, address and daytime contact telephone number (please mark SPARROW in your subject line). Closing date is 9.00am on September 28, 2010. Usual Newsquest Northwest rules apply. See competition rules section for details. No purchase necessary.

Question: Which member of Sparrow and the Workshop is the only one that can drive?

email

Terms and Conditions:

The editor's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Employees of Newsquest Northwest, their families and anyone connected with this competition are not eligible to enter. Usual Newsquest Northwest rules apply. Winners will be notified by email wherever possible and Newsquest Northwest take no responsibility for unread emails which leads to prizes being untaken.