Daylight Music at The Union Chapel – Winter Season 2016
DAYLIGHT MUSIC AT THE UNION CHAPEL:
A lazy Saturday afternoon with music, tea and cake
The Winter season runs most Saturdays, from September 17 to December 17, at the Union Chapel from midday.
Entrance is free (£5 donation suggested)
Shake off a hard week and ease yourself into Saturday with a cup of tea, a slice of cake and some astonishing live music. The much-loved Daylight Music returns for a brand new season, with four outstanding artists each time.
If you love indie music, then you’ll want to catch its heroes — and their new projects — this season, including Michele Stodart (of The Magic Numbers), The Clientele’s Alasdair Maclean, Oly Ralfe and Stereolab’s Lætitia Sadier. Other highlights include North Sea Radio Orchestra — whose new album just got four stars from Mojo (‘dreamy’)— and Woolly Mammoth, who are just returning to touring after a four-year hibernation; their huge sound will shine in the Union Chapel’s fabulous acoustics.
Daylight Music is masterminded by Arctic Circle, which was the first to present Nils Frahm and Hauschka in London, so it’s no surprise that Daylight’s always championed neo-classical music. This season they even have a neo-classical showcase in October; new 130701 signing Resina is coming from Warsaw to appear in it, alongside Emily Hall (Bedroom Community) and Ryan Teague (Village Green).
Daylight Music’s theme weeks are exceptionally popular; this season also they include an organ spectacular, and their delightful Christmas shows, which get bigger and more dazzling each year.
It’s all bought together by Ben Eshmade, who searches worldwide for the most exciting musicians: “I love bringing new music to the Union Chapel, and this is going to be an incredible season. We’ve got some weird and wonderful instruments being played, including the hang — which is basically a spaceship version of a steel drum — plus something that can only be described as a sonic bonnet. And for the first time ever, I’ve handed over the reins to an artist; I’m delighted that Laura Cannell is curating a special week for us.”
Start your Saturday at London’s most magical gig; Daylight Music returns on September 17th.
OVERVIEW OF THIS SEASON:
September 17 – Michele Stodart, Alright Gandhi, Alev Lenz + Joli Blon
September 24 – Laura J Martin, Oly Ralfe + Duotone
October 1 – Independent Country, She Makes War + Zoot Lynam
October 8 – ORGAN REFRAMED: including Lætitia Sadier, Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch, Ed Dowie, Angèle David-Guillou + others
October 15 – ARCTIC CIRCLE AT TEN: Emily Hall, Ryan Teague + Resina
November 5 – REVERE, Alasdair Maclean + Colm Mac Con Iomaire
November 12 – ARCTIC CIRCLE AT TEN: North Sea Radio Orchestra, Snowapple + Ed Dowie
November 19 – Woolly Mammoth, Woodpigeon + Cevanne
November 26 – ARCTIC CIRCLE AT TEN: Laura Cannell presents “Memory Mapping”: Charles Hayward, Mythos of Violins, Hoofus + Jennifer Lucy Allan
December 3 – That Fuzzy Feeling part 1 – Christmas Special
December 17 – That Fuzzy Feeling part 2 – Christmas Special
FULL LISTINGS:
September 17
Michele Stodart, Alright Gandhi, Alev Lenz + Joli Blon
Michele Stodart, Alright Ghandi, Alev Lenz
Michele Stodart has taken temporary leave of The Magic Numbers to release her second solo album. Brushed with country and blues, her beautiful, intimate music will hold you close while breaking your heart. Alright Gandhi came together in 2014, meeting and meshing during chaotic underground jam sessions in Berlin; rather than making experimental music, they claim they’re making music that likes to experiment.
Alev Lenz is a remarkable songwriter, composer and singer, whose music fuses filmic, world and classical influences. Her bittersweet voice and utterly personal lyrics combine with inspiring hooks that take you by surprise. Joli Blon are a British Cajun band, who’ll have you tapping your toes with traditional Louisiana dance tunes.
September 24
Laura J Martin, Oly Ralfe + Duotone
Laura J Martin, Duotone, Oly Ralfe
Liverpudlian singer-songwriter Laura J Martin is a “musician of startling originality” according to The Sunday Times, while the Independent compared her to Joanna Newsom and Kate Bush. Her extraordinary, eclectic music speaks of disconnection and England’s loss of identity.
Duotone is the recording and performing alias of Barney Morse-Brown; cellist with multi-platinum artist Birdy, Chris Wood, and the Imagined Village. This is a particularly special Daylight Music, as it features the London premiere of Oly Ralfe’s (Ralfe Band) new instrumental piano project accompanied by Barney on cello. Mark Radcliffe of BBC 6 Music has been a long-time champion of Oly Ralfe’s music, saying: “There is something of the strange and beautiful in everything he does, like the mood created by the darkest of fairy tales. I’m a big fan”.
October 1
Independent Country, She Makes War + Zoot Lynam
Independent Country, She Makes War, Zoot Lynam
Independent Country are a six-piece band who play country versions of classic indie hits from the ‘80s, ‘90s and 2000s. Hear your favourite shoegazing tunes reimagined with pedal steel, lush three-part harmonies and fiddle. She Makes War is the gloom-pop solo project of multi-instrumentalist, visual artist and all-round polymath Laura Kidd.
Meanwhile, Zoot Lynam doesn’t just march to the beat of a different drum; he plays a different drum altogether. Zoot’s instrument of choice is the hang, which is essentially a sci-fi spaceship of a percussion instrument. This is the first time the hang’s been played at Daylight Music, so come and see it in action!
October 8
ORGAN REFRAMED: including Lætitia Sadier, Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch, Angèle David-Guillou, Ed Dowie + others
For this special edition of Daylight Music, we decided to take a stripped down approach focusing on the powerful combination of organ and voice, reflecting this instrument’s original role when it was first placed at the heart of the chapel. We’ll be welcoming eight sets of artists and accompanists across different genres and styles. These musicians, singers and composers — who are at various stages of their career — will explore the very physical relationship between voice and pipes in many cases for the first time. This event is part of the Union Chapel’s Organ Reframed festival.
October 15
ARCTIC CIRCLE AT TEN: Emily Hall, Ryan Teague + Resina
Emily Hall, Ryan Teague (photo credit Rebecca Cleal), Resina
Arctic Circle has been championing neo-classical music for a decade, and this special event showcases artists from three of the best labels: 130701, Iceland’s Bedroom Community and Village Green. Emily Hall is a composer whose music is formed from close creative relationships with singers and writers; she’s written from many different ensembles and orchestras including the London Sinfonietta, LSO, BBCNOW, the Brodsky Quartet, Opera North and LCO.
Ryan Teague is a composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist based in Bristol. His music combines acoustic instrumentation and arrangements with electronic and processed material, the results of which incorporate minimalism, ambient and electro-acoustic music. Resina is the alias of Karolina Rec; a cellist and composer based in Warsaw, Poland. Active in Poland’s independent music scene since the late ’00s, she was co-founder / collaborator of some of Poland’s most influential alternative band, including Kings of Caramel, Cieslak and Princess, Nathalie And The Loners, and Anthony Chorale.
November 5
REVERE, Alasdair Maclean + Colm Mac Con Iomaire
Revere, Alasdair Maclean, Colm Mac Con Iomaire
When it comes to influences, Revere has a firmly open-door policy, incorporating chamber pop, dance music, post rock and progressive elements into their trademark wall of sound. Q Magazine hail their “great live reputation, their multi-layered sound… setting them apart”, while Tom Robinson calls them “a stunning band”.
Alasdair Maclean is the singer, songwriter and guitarist for legendary Hampshire band The Clientele, who are increasingly cited as an influence by younger musicians from Panda Bear to The War on Drugs and the Fleet Foxes. Colm Mac Con Iomaire – an outstanding Irish fiddle player – creates unmistakable music. The Irish Times describes his second album “And Now The Weather” as “consistently beautiful and frequently incandescent”, while Billy Bragg hails it as “an inheritor for Astral Weeks”.
November 12
ARCTIC CIRCLE AT TEN: North Sea Radio Orchestra, Snowapple + Ed Dowie
North Sea Radio Orchestra, Snowapple, Ed Dowie
A special show celebrating ten years of Arctic Circle’s various musical adventures. North Sea Radio Orchestra layer guitars, violin, cello, bassoon, clarinets, organ, synth, vibes, percussion and beautiful melodies to gorgeous effect. After a four-year break, they’re back with a new album of chiming, shifting sounds.
Dutch trio Snowapple form a remarkable ensemble, with the three central voices by turns merging into majestic harmonies and peeling off into moving solos. Their giddy leapfrogging between genres, combined with the wide range of instruments they play, creates an amazing sound. Ed Dowie started making music in the late 1990s with Beta Band label mates, Brothers in Sound; his solo music has appeared on various short films and TV and has regularly featured on BBC Radio 3 and Resonance FM.
November 19
Woolly Mammoth, Woodpigeon + Cevanne
Woolly Mammoth, Cevanne
Woolly Mammoth are one of the most “exciting and promising acts to emerge in the acoustic music scene in recent years”, according to Toast Magazine. Finally making a return to touring after a serious illness within the band, don’t miss their softly spun, atmospheric and intricate music.
Cevanne create their own extraordinary sonic world, spinning together folk and electronics using their voices, the harp and even their own invented electronic instruments; these include the concertronica and the sonic bonnet! Woodpigeon are an indie pop collective, centred around the songs of Mark Andrew Hamilton. Critics are falling over themselves to praise their new album, with Mojo calling it a masterpiece and the Sunday Times describing it as phenomenal.
26th November
ARCTIC CIRCLE AT TEN: Laura Cannell presents “Memory Mapping”: Charles Hayward, Mythos of Violins, Hoofus + Jennifer Lucy Allan
Laura Cannell, Charles Hayward, Mythos of Violins, Hoofu
Experimental fiddle and recorder player Laura Cannell brings together musicians whose work is both spontaneous and deeply inspired by their surroundings. Using real and imagined memory, ideas are mapped internally and externally and turned into atmospheric, moving and unexpected performances.
Charles Hayward gives a solo performance of his piano piece (begin anywhere); a sequence of betrayal and paranoia, opening out into hope and humanity, interweaved with sound events and spoken word. Mythos of Violins is the work of experimental violinists Laura Cannell and Angharad Davies, creating new works inspired by location and memory; they will be performing a special piece inspired by the Union Chapel.
Hoofus is an electronic musician based in coastal Suffolk, he using drifting oscillators, overlapping frequency modulation and ragged percussion to create music of wayward eerie wonder. Jennifer Lucy Allan will be weaving rural and industrial soundscapes through this very special event.
3rd December & 17th December
That Fuzzy Feeling Parts 1 & 2
Daylight Music officially ushers Christmas in with two special shows, with seasonal surprises that are guaranteed to give you a Yuletide glow.
Daylight Music invites everyone to enjoy their unique concerts — from babies through to grandparents. The venue is also accessible, so wheelchair users are also warmly welcomed. Music encourages creativity, so if you feel like creating your own artwork, there’s even a drawing area for everyone to enjoy.
Daylight Music’s a treat for all the senses; as well as hearing glorious music, you can also admire the outstanding Gothic architecture of the Union Chapel; it’s frequently voted one of London’s best music venues. You can also treat yourself to a cup of tea, a slice of quiche and homemade cake; the café’s run by the Margins Project so you’ll be supporting London’s homeless people while you enjoy your lunch.
Experience for yourself the magic of Daylight Music, combining fantastic music, a friendly atmosphere and delicious food, in one of London’s finest venues. It’s the perfect way to spend a Saturday lunchtime.
Daylight Music takes place at the Union Chapel, Islington, from Midday, on most Saturdays from September 17 to December 17.
Profile Photo: Paul Hudson
FURTHER LINKS:
http://www.facebook.com/daylightmusiclondon
http://twitter.com/Daylight_Music
Experience Daylight Music now:
Geoff Wilson made a short film about us