Hey! Manchester @ St Philip’s Church
Hey! Manchester was established in February 2006 to promote alternative gigs in Manchester, starting up because Jens Lekman wasn’t going to play in Manchester and they didnt want that to happen. The subsequent show sold out and everybody was very happy.
Since then they’ve promoted shows big and small, and everywhere in between, striving to offer something different: favourite venues include The Deaf Institute, The Castle Hotel and The Kings Arms, and some of the more unusual include Godlee Observatory, the Presidential Suite of the Lowry Hotel and St Ann’s Church.
We’re not completely sure but we reckon they’ve debuted the likes of Jens Lekman, Final Fantasy, Espers, Edith Frost, Vetiver, Band of Horses, The Twilight Sad, Frightened Rabbit, Menomena, Mark Kozelek/Sun Kil Moon, Efterklang, Akron/Family, Johann Johannsson, Murcof, Horse Feathers, Telekinesis, Alaska in Winter, Bowerbirds, Grouper, William Fitzsimmons, Fruit Bats, Choir of Young Believers, Emanuel & The Fear and Mountain Man, as well as countless others no doubt.
We’re chuffed to have them back to SFTOC for the 4th time this year and their selections have yet to let us down. Subtle, thoughtful and always with a sense of occasion , we can’t wait to see what they have in store for 2012.
+ L O N E Y D E A R
Multi-instrumentalist and home-recording phenom Emil Svanängen lives in Sweden, making records and playing shows under the somewhat inscrutable name of Loney Dear. In either his tiny Stockholm studio apartment or the basement of his parents’ house, and with a dedication bordering upon manic, Emil discreetly builds Loney Dear songs using a modest home studio set-up. In this way he has recorded and then released himself on CD-R four albums in the last two or three years. He has managed to sell several thousand of these, pretty much on his own.
+ P A U L T H O M A S S A U N D E R S
Paul Thomas Saunders is a rarity. His voice is both powerfully emotive and heartbreakingly delicate. Evoking Elvis Perkin’s on his biographical debut album, there’s a depth and introspective feel to the lyrics coupled with a distinguished, breathtaking vocal. The reverb-soaked guitars and softly stroked drums a perfect backdrop to Paul Thomas Saunders shy, elusive stage presence, both of which create an ambience that’s captivating during and a long time afterwards. It explains the wave of excitement and subsequent flurry of reviews across blogs and music press after seeing Paul Thomas Saunders and The Fever Dreams various small support slots – Blue Roses, Low, Villagers, Joan As Police Woman, Patrick Watson and Forest Fire – and the interest in his self-released debut EP Four Songs in Twilight, which culminated in tracks being included on the compilation releases of influential indie labels Dance to the Radio and Dead Young Records.
+ S T R A N D E D H O R S E
Stranded Horse is the unique kora/guitar/vocal songwriting idiom explored by Yann Tambour, (formerly Thee, Stranded Horse and Encre).
Hailing from Normandy, France, Yann’s music creates a musical formula that melts disparate musical modes and cultures – shades of the mandinka tradition of West Africa, medieval folksong, Fahey-esque fingerpicking, French chanson and more. His playing and compositional style on what is a daunting musical tool to master for a western musician is now entirely his own, a development Yann himself attributes in no small part to his ongoing work with one of the modern greats of the kora, Mali’s Ballaké Sissoko (best known to UK ears for “New Ancient Strings” the seminal duo album with Toumani Diabaté), “Sharing the stage with Ballaké on many occasions has taught me a lot. I started off as playing the kora like a guitarist, but by further exploring the kora, my approach to the guitar has changed as well … I basically learnt to get rid of a few rigid western rhythmic constraints, pay attention to the surroundings and play accordingly.”
+ W I T H E R E D H A N D
Fence Collective’s enfant terrible Withered Hand is the stage name for the musical output of Edinburgh-based songwriter Dan Willson. He has garnered endorsements from the likes of Malcolm Middleton, King Creosote, Jarvis Cocker, The Dodos and Frightened Rabbit, leading to festival invitations, a successful 2010 solo European tour and regular sold out shows in London and Scotland. In October 2011, Withered Hand was tagged ‘Artist to Watch’ by Rolling Stone magazine.
+ L A U R A J M A R T I N
Laura J Martin hails from the suburbs of Liverpool with influences that ricochet between Serge Gainsbourg, Wu Tang Clan, David Bowie and Herbie Mann. Armed with a flute ready for wrangling, mandolin and a loop station, she sings over her loops and beats, songs inspired by subject matter as disparate as Japanese folklore to real life sentiments and characters.
As well as performing live on Rob da Bank’s Campfire Special (Radio 1), Laura has been invited on live sessions with Marc Riley (Radio 6) and Cerys Matthews, and enjoyed airplay from Gideon Coe and Nick Luscombe (Late Junction radio 3). . She has a host of solo gigs around the country supporting names such as Scout Niblett, Bonobo, Little Dragon, Singing Adams, Hannah Peel and The Simonsound (with whom she also performs on their live set).Laura has just finished an improvised album with Euros Childs and Sweet Baboo under the moniker ‘Short and Curlies’, and is now working on an EP with Richard James (Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci).
+ J O S E P H & D A V I D
For two years now David Henshaw & Joseph Lawrenson have been performing live and releasing records under the moniker Joseph & David. However after performing together as a full band for over a year, they have decided to take on a new name, one that they feel represents all the people now involved. Thus they will now be known as Dancing Years. The musical direction remains the same, as does the band you have come to know live and on record.”
Their first live dates as Dancing Years will be accompanying Dry the River on their sold out UK tour later this month
“Stirring, melancholic campfire singalongs. Piano-driven folk with delicate but powerful vocals, moving between stillness and euphoria.” – Q Magazine.
“The EP is a beautiful piece of piano driven folk, which demonstrates how they have mastered the dynamic between calming stillness and explosive euphoria, through the use of rich instrumentation and a strong voice.” – DrownedinSound.
+ S T U A R T M C C A L L U M
From jazz beginnings to DJ culture, Stuart McCallum’s music is ‘alternative jazz’ - a distillation of influences, creating a sound that is concentrated and distinctive. Not wanting to hide behind over complicated harmonic and rhythmical structures, angular and forgettable melodies, Stuart’s music is a new hybrid of composition, production and performance. It embraces simple, memorable melodies, bass lines and drum beats, with electronica and improvisation enriched by elegant orchestral writing.
Stuart has a wealth of experience in many different musical environments and genres. After being invited to join the Cinematic Orchestra in 2004, Stuart has performed on and contributed to the writing of the band’s critically acclaimed albums, ‘Ma Fleur’ and ‘Live At The Royal Albert Hall’. In addition he has contributed to the award winning Disney nature documentary soundtrack, ‘The Crimson Wing’, and the remix of Radiohead‘s ‘Exit Music For A Film’ for Radiohead’s remix compilation album, ‘Exit Music: Songs For Radio Heads’. Memorable performances with the band from several worldwide tours include The Royal Albert Hall with the Heritage Orchestra and The London Metropolitan Orchestra, headlining The Big Chill and playing at Montreal Jazz Festival and Coachella festival in Palm Springs.
“The music suggests the feel of the Cinematic Orchestra, Brian Eno and In a Silent Way-era Miles Davis” – The Guardian.
“Simple, understated and hypnotic he had the audience locked in and silent…Living proof that less is more.” - Jez Nelson, Jazz on 3, BBC Radio 3.