‘Courting the
Squall’
The Debut
Album, 30th October 2015
Europe and
UK Live Dates Announced
After nearly twenty five years
and counting as a member of elbow and one of the UK’s most recognised and
celebrated musicians and lyricists, Guy Garvey is setting off alone for the
first time. On October 30th he releases his debut solo album,
‘Courting the Squall’.
Recorded initially at Real
World Studios near Bath and completed at Blueprint Studios in Salford,
‘Courting the Squall’ features a band created by Guy from his ‘favourite
musicians outside elbow’ and was driven by spontaneity and
experimentation amongst the assembled players with Guy firmly and exclusively
in the driving seat. The band ‘moved fast and drank a lot’,
focusing on live recording with minimal overdubs to create the songs. Unlike elbow,
where democracy has always ruled, this is an album where Guy embraced the
freedom to do exactly what he felt throughout.
The album features Pete
Jobson, long time friend and bass player from I Am Kloot, as lead guitarist and
Nathan Sudders from The Whip on bass, bringing an indie sensibility that was at
the heart of Guy’s thinking for certain songs. Keyboards are marshalled by old
V2 labelmate Ben Christophers and drums are filled by Alex Reeves. elbow’s
brass section add to selected tracks whilst Rachael Gladwin, a steadying
contrast to the party vibe of the team due her being pregnant, plays the harp
and kora.
‘Courting the Squall’ is
powered by influences and ideas that ‘don’t fit the elbow template’. Some
tracks, notably ‘Angela’s Eyes’, ‘Harder Edges’ and ‘Belly of the Whale’, come
completely from groove, finding a sweet spot between Manchester’s baggy past,
long term love Tom Waits and Bowie’s mid-70’s albums, particularly ‘Sound and
Vision’. This change of type engendered a change of vocal approach, a clipped and
more direct Garvey voice coming across, a hark back to his early days writing
lyrics influenced by his listening to hip-hop where short delivery carries rhythm
alongside meaning.
Lyrical concerns encompass
those familiar to Guy’s past work at times, the big themes of love and
friendship, the lure of his Northern homeland but tracks and lyrics were not
always pre-planned. On one occasion a bird observed from the window of the recording
studio became the catalyst for the music, at other times a loose jam approach
crystallized both lyrically and musically into a finished composition. There
were no rules.
Having guested on various
artist’s albums as a vocalist, ‘Courting the Squall’ sees Guy duet on his own
music again with the sumptuous ‘Electricity’ featuring Jolie Holland conjuring
up images of illicit jazz dives in fin de siècle Paris or prohibition era New
York in the distinctly non urban studio setting outside Bath. Alongside Jolie’s
credit, another, less familiar set of co-writers appear on the album but we’ll
leave that to you to discover.
Yet not all of ‘Courting the
Squall’ is a move away from the familiar. The album title track, a trip hop
rhythm propelled ballad and ‘Juggernaut’, a hymnal clothed in sedate populist
clothing, may feel more immediately recognizable to long term followers of
Guy’s music whilst ‘Broken Bottles and
Chandeliers’, with its warmth , once again showcases his unerring ability to
translate the sense of overwhelming joy into understated musical form.
It is, as with all solo
albums, a glimpse into its creator’s soul. Shot through with warmth and
emotional intelligence, content and comfortable in its own skin, ‘Courting the
Squall’ is that most unique thing; a record made without preconditions, an
album of songs made purely for the joy of its making.
Guy has also announced a
short run of dates in Europe and the UK throughout November and December on
which he will be accompanied by the musicians who recorded the album, including
Pete Jobson of I Am Kloot on guitar, Nathan Sudders of The Whip on bass and
Alex Reeves on drums. Elbow’s brass section complete the live line-up.
A
special fan presale will commence at 9am on 16th September – simply
follow the link at Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/GuyGarveyofficial.
Tickets
go on general sale at 10am on Friday 18th September.
Dates are as follows
November
Thursday 26th Brussels, Ancienne Belgique
Saturday 28th Berlin, Postbahnhof
Sunday 29th Amsterdam, Paradiso
December
Tuesday 1st London, o2 Shepherds Bush Empire
Wednesday 2nd London, o2 Shepherds Bush Empire
Friday 4th Manchester, Albert Hall
Saturday 5th Manchester, Albert Hall
Monday 7th Dublin, Olympia
Tuesday 8th Glasgow, o2 ABC
‘Courting the Squall’ is
released on Vinyl, CD and Download on 30th October 2015. Limited
quantities of vinyl and CD feature a lenticular sleeve.
FOR MORE INFORMATION - LOUDHAILER PRESS
07718
652582 / 020 8714 0139
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