Miscellaneous - Profile

  by Dominic B. Simpson

published: 21 / 1 / 2011

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Article

Pennyblackmusic presents...Anthony Reynolds, Nick Garrie, The Hall of Mirrors, Alex Monk. We return to the Half Moon, Herne Hill, South London on Saturday 26th March with four great acts. ANTHONY REYNOLDS Cardiff-born Anthony Reynolds was previously a member of the band Jack, an orchestra-minded six-piece signed to the legendary Too Pure label (Stereolab, PJ Harvey). Jack released the critically-acclaimed album 'Pioneer Soundtracks', with Reynolds also spearheading a side-project, Jacques - a much more lo-fi sounding affair whose album “How To Make Love (Part One)” was produced by the maverick Momus. Since going solo, Reynolds has collaborated with the likes of One Dove’s Dot Allison, The Cocteau Twin’s Simon Raymonde, and Vashti Bunyan; released biographies of Leonard Cohen and the Walker Brothers; participated in a musical about Sigmund Freud at, well, London’s Freud Museum; and released a slew of number of literate and compelling songs on labels such as Les Disques du Crepsecule, Hungry Hill, and Moonpalace. While he has played at such far-away places as Spain, Athens, Buenos Aires, and Glasgow, this will be his first solo headlining set in London and will include some Jack songs for the first time since they split. He will also be launching his forthcoming ‘Best-Of’ double-album 'Life’s Too long', joined by an expanded line-up which will include producer Julian Simmons (Jack, Guillemots, the High Wire) on piano and Ed Harcourt's wife Gita Harcourt-Smith (The Lacuna Sisters) on violin. www.anthonyreynolds.net www.myspace.com/anthonyreynolds NICK GARRIE Just over forty years ago, Nick Garrie produced something of a masterpiece with the album 'The Nightmare of JB Stanislas'. A cult rarity, the album has took on a life of its own, bringing to mind a British version of The Beach Boys' 'Smile' or Big Star’s 'Third/Sister Lovers'. The album masterfully sequenced together psychedelic baroque folk-pop, particularly on glorious reverb-laden songs such as ‘Can I Stay With You?’, yet was virtually impossible to get hold of until 2005, when Rev-Ola records finally did the right thing and released it on CD. Recalling British folk rock queen Vashti Bunyan, Garrie, other than briefly emerging to tour in Spain in the 1980s with Leonard Cohen, had otherwise until then disappeared almost completely from view . The last few years have also seen the release of his long-awaited comeback album, '49 Arlington Gardens', on Elefant Records. His appearance at this Pennyblackmusic night, in which he will launch the 40th year anniversary edition of 'The Nightmare…' promises to be very special indeed. www.myspace.com/nickgarrie HALL OF MIRRORS The soundtrack to a thousand stylish sepia-tinted images of the sixties, cult French films in bohemian Parisien cafes, and ‘Blow-Up’, The Hall of Mirrors bring to mind Saint Etienne and Broadcast at their retro-futurist finest. Singer Jessica Spencer’s dreamy and enchanting voice takes songs such as ‘Love Obscure’, ‘Springtime’ and ‘Lights’ to another place entirely. www.thehallofmirrors.co.uk www.myspace.com/thehallofmirrorsmusic ALEX MONK Once a member of space-rock legends Fractured Waves, London-based Alex Monk has been dubbed a “fringe psychedelicist operating in the realms of concrete ambience”. His dark experimental soundscapes incorporate mandolin, Tibetan bells, chants, found sounds, keyboards, and all manner of instrumentation, resulting in a mesmerising live set. He has just released a new double-album, “The Safety Machine”, on Smeraldina-Rima Recordings, which employs much of the hypnotic sounds of his previous material, yet incorporates austere, pastoral songs too. www.alexandermonk.com www.myspace.com/alexmonk Plus DJs First act on 8:15 £6 in advance from WeGotTickets £7 on door

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