Emma Johnson’s Gravy Boat are a cinematic, melodic instrumental band based in Leeds, led by saxophonist and composer Emma Johnson.

The group won the Peter Whittingham Award to record their debut album, Worry Not, which was released to great acclaim in 2021 and described as ‘an exciting prospect indeed’ by Jazzwise Magazine. Since then, they’ve completed a national tour, welcoming audiences returning to live music with stories, warmth and melodic, spacious compositions that allow each band member to shine.

As a recipient of Lancaster Jazz Festival’s Evolve Commission for 2022, Johnson premiered a stand out set of new work as the culmination of a joyous weekend of live music at the festival in September 2022.

Johnson has since developed this music into the band's second full length release, Northern Flame, which was recorded at Giant Wafer Studio in Wales and produced by Ivor Novello nominated James Hamilton. Released on November 3 2023, the quintet explores dynamic and interplay further in this new album, which marks a more open and exploratory way of writing and recording for Johnson and Gravy Boat.

The release was supported by a tour of festival dates including London, Marsden and Hull, and venues such as NQ Jazz and Howard Assembly Room, with Gravy Boat sharing their 'characteristic Northern warmth and charm' with audiences, through both the music and the tales that inspire it.