Depending on who you speak to, you will hear that Ed Harcourt was raised by wolves, he grew up in a Russian orphanage or discover that he was once part of a travelling circus – which perhaps explains his Coulrophobia. Truth is, he was born in the seventies (“the year punk broke, days before The King was dead”), and lived with his parents in East Sussex. Over the years, he has become a well-read, well-dressed, well-travelled English gent and a songwriter of some repute.

Of his six albums to date, one was Mercury nominated and the rest have picked up an array of plaudits from the music press. He’s composed film scores, toured with the likes of REM, Wilco and Snow Patrol, performed with everyone from Patti Smith to Nick Cave, and his CV is littered with co-writing credits that include the likes of Paloma Faith and Lisa-Marie Presley. Most recently he’s been working with Beth Ditto, Marianne Faithful, played piano for Lana Del Rey’s forthcoming album, as well as produced and co-written Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s new album, which was released in January 2014 and has been awarded a silver disc in the UK.

Taking a break from penning songs for pop starlets and orchestrating movie soundtracks, Ed Harcourt will return to the stage this summer to scorch hearts with his melancholic piano-pop. He will be performing a smattering of gonzo-lullabies from his charmingly weathered and trunk of songs.