Toria Wooff's debut steeped in gothic romanticism

Toria Wooff
The self titled debut album released 14th March 2025 on Sloe Flower Records

Watch the video for ‘Lefty’s Motel Room’: https://youtu.be/N-52YfmSgsA
https://linktr.ee/toriawooff

Finding splendour in shadows, Toria Wooff (Tor-ee-a Woo-f) sings tales of the beautifully strange. Announcing the release of her beguiling self-titled debut album, her gothic approach to the folk tradition has captured the attention of any who have caught her live over the last couple of years in the North of England and as the record takes listeners deeper into her bittersweet world, it’s only a matter of time before countless others will fall under her spell.
Containing tales of love, loss, hope, relationships and womanhood, the album is both an exorcism of torment and an invitation to feeling only what is good. Tugging at the cloaks of contemporary folk souls Katie J Pearson or This Is The Kit, it offers a contemporary twist on the Anglo folk tradition through a bloody cocktail of classic rock origins and transcends time as it nods to the lyrical narratives of Led Zeppelin, Fairport Convention and Townes Van Zandt - all the while infused with inspiration from her collection of gothic literature and historical texts. “The self-reflection in the title demonstrates a life lived,” Toria tells. “The songs are chapters to dip in and out of, moments immortalised in time, bound together by nothing more than the human experience.”
Teasing the record, lands an exclusive video for ‘Lefty’s Motel Room;’ a poignant demonstration of the reflection threaded throughout the record’s 10 tracks. Directed by Sketch Benjamin, the footage captures the ‘70s aesthetic worn on the bell-shaped sleeves of Toria’s crimson jacket as she pensively performs an Old Grey Whistle Test style rendition under hazy spotlights within the darkened space of Bury’s Met Theatre.
The song explores the depths of true friendship and time, in particular, the emotional feeling of survivor guilt when one of life’s unimaginable plot-twists decides to serve up disconnection with an all-too-premature end. “Although I didn’t notice at the time, the song revealed itself as a story I’d written to make myself feel better after becoming separated from my friend; I was writing so many songs about how I was feeling, probably through fear of eventually not having anything to write about once I’d healed.”
A painter, poet, songwriter and storyteller, music is just one facet of Toria Wooff’s wildly creative imagination which metamorphoses in many forms. Steeped in gothic romanticism, pagan and Germanic tradition, Toria’s unique view of the world is enchanting through an alchemy of sound and vision; a magical blend of her own spellbinding folk-rock concoction. “It’s mostly about making mundane things in life beautiful,” Toria says. “There’s a pragmatic reason behind all I do, and I always take the most aesthetically pleasing approach. I combine everyday language with prettier, longer, and poetic words so the surface might have one meaning but there will be many others the deeper you go. The most beautiful words are desperate, pinning and punch at the gut.”

Live dates:

23rd May: Manchester, Yes Basement
25th May: London, Green Note

Pre-order: https://toriawooff.bandcamp.com/album/toria-wooff