Gemma Schito — TAM Artist Universe

Press Release · Issued jointly by TAM and Gemma Schito

London, UK — 26 May 2026

An Endangered London Venue Hands a 1966 Song to the Artists of 2026

At TAM – Temple of Art and Music, one of London's endangered grassroots music venues, a song Dana Gillespie wrote sixty years ago will be performed live for the first time — by 15-year-old Gemma Schito

Grassroots music venues are where artists begin. They are also disappearing — across the UK, the small rooms that give young musicians their first stage are closing at a rate the sector has called a crisis. TAM – Temple of Art and Music, in Elephant & Castle, is one of London's endangered grassroots venues. It is also, right now, doing exactly what these venues exist to do.

This month, TAM is putting a song written in 1966 into the hands of a fifteen-year-old. Legendary British singer-songwriter and actress Dana Gillespie has been paired with Gemma Schito to bring Foolish Seasons to the live stage for the very first time — a song Gillespie wrote sixty years ago and never performed live.

Originally written by Dana Gillespie in 1966 and released only in the United States in 1968, Foolish Seasons remained an album that is a highly sought-after collector's item, notable for featuring a young Jimmy Page on guitar. It is now being revisited in a softer rock-ballad direction, naturally bringing it closer to Gemma's own contemporary sound while preserving the spirit of the original.

The debut performance takes place during TAM – Transmission on 31 May 2026 — the second of TAM's journeys to Everywhere At Once Festival. The arc runs Ignition (3 May), Transmission (31 May) and Convergence (28 June).

The programme is part of the wider Everywhere At Once Festival, the UK's largest distributed music festival, taking place from 26 to 28 June 2026 — featuring more than 1,200 gigs across over 500 venues throughout the UK, with support from the National Lottery.

"Places like TAM are where artists like me actually get to start. If these venues disappear, young musicians lose the one room that will give them a stage before anyone knows their name. That's why it matters so much that this is happening here."

— Gemma Schito

"I wrote Foolish Seasons in 1966 and somehow it never reached a stage — sixty years is long enough to keep a song waiting. Handing it to Gemma at TAM feels exactly right. That's what this place is for: the music doesn't stop, it just finds the next pair of hands."

— Dana Gillespie

"Working with Dana has honestly been incredible — she lived through such an iconic era of music and knew artists like David Bowie. I feel really honoured to be part of something with so much history behind it."

— Gemma Schito

TAM – Temple of Art and Music
Sieng Van Tran · sieng@tam.tv · 07879 108004 · www.tam.tv

Gemma Schito
info@gemmaschito.com · +44 777 8674672 · @gemmas_official

The Transmission

Dana Gillespie &
Foolish Seasons

1966

2026

Dana Gillespie wrote Foolish Seasons in 1966 at age 17. It was released only in the USA in 1968, never as a UK single, and only 3,000 albums came out in the UK for Record Store Day in 2022. The album featured a young Jimmy Page on guitar. The song has never been performed live. Not once — until 31 May 2026, when Gemma Schito sings it at TAM.

6 November 1964

Marquee Club · London

Dana Gillespie meets David Bowie. She is 17. The ignition year for British music.

1966 · Fire Horse Year

Foolish Seasons · Written

Dana writes the song at 17. Recorded 1967. Released USA 1968. Jimmy Page on guitar. Never performed live.

November 2020

TAM · Named

Dana Gillespie names Temple of Art and Music at Elephant & Castle. Becomes Mentor in Residence.

31 May 2026

World Premiere

Gemma Schito, 15, sings Foolish Seasons live for the first time in sixty years. To Dana. At TAM. Fire Horse year returns.

The Origin

How She Got Here

2009

Born in Palermo

Sicily. Connected to the sea, to mythology, to an island with stories in every rock on the seabed.

Palermo · Sicily

2020

Lockdown · First Song

Italy. COVID. Early morning. The news on — deaths, war. She sat at the piano. The melody came like a lullaby. That song became My Eyes. Her first.

My Eyes · Unreleased

2020

Moved to London · Age 11

ArtsEd, Chiswick. First day. "I'm Italian. I don't speak English. I didn't understand, can you repeat?" The whole class laughed. And she started laughing too.

ArtsEd · Chiswick → Sylvia Young

2025

Mask · ISC Semi-Finalist

International Songwriting Competition 2025. Semi-Finalist. A global competition. A song written at 14 about the mask we wear to be accepted.

ISC 2025 · Global Top

2026

TAM Fellow · Dana

Temple of Art and Music, Elephant and Castle. Dana Gillespie — 60-year career, Marquee Club 1964 — became her mentor.

TAM · TOM Academy

2026

Everywhere At Once

28 June. The UK's biggest grassroots festival. 1200+ gigs, 500+ venues. Gemma performs at TAM. 16 songs written. This is the beginning.

Debut · 28 June 2026