Syd Arthur - Live
Syd Arthur are a psychedelic prog-folk quartet from Canterbury, South East England, which is composed of the creativity and musical vision of Joel, Raven, Liam and Fred, who have been together for six years. Their album On An On was released last year to huge critical acclaim. Their creative curriculum vitae is saturated with compliments from Q, MOJO, UNCUT, and The Guardian, among others. Paul Weller cited On An On as his new favorite album and on boxing day he and Bradley Wiggins presented a Radio 2 show of their favorite songs and Weller threw Ode to the Summer into his selections. Weller asked them to join him in a live show in Amsterdam last December, and Syd Arthur naturally obliged. They have also been invited to play with him this coming summer. The lads played a gig in Whelan's, Dublin, Friday 15 February 2013, and I caught up with them upstairs in the venue prior to their 10 O'clock slot. The paper that sported the walls surrounding us was retro in design, a brilliant psychedelic throwback from the 70's and an extremely apt coincidence, as the band somehow blended perfectly into the decor.
We chatted, over beers, mainly about music and their personal preferences and influences. They, as a group, are greatly inspired by the sonic founders of the late 60's and early 70's and their musical inclinations also lean nicely towards that of world music. We discussed the virtues of jazz, psychedelica and world music, from the genius of Ravi Shankar to that of Grizzly Bear. There was a lot of musical love in the room. I inquired about their name and asked it was in reference to the book of the same name, concerned with the journey to spiritual enlightenment. The responce was that it was but the band choice of name was also a quirky play on the name, Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd and The Kink's album Arthur. Perfect. These boys are quirky..kings of quirk, in fact. The difficultly in defining the creative process as an exact science, and the process of getting ideas down on paper was also discussed amongst us. Joel explained how he and brother Liam were brought many times as youngsters by their father to see Paul Weller , and how surreal it was to meet him and how nerve wracking and thrilling an experience it was to share a stage with him. Raven, singer, violin and mandolin player, also happens to be the nephew of Kate Bush. I asked if she had any creative or business imput, to which he replied no, she was his aunt, just like anyones and merely listened to their music as an interested family member. It is a very admirable fact about Syd Arthur is that they are doing it all themselves, the album is self- released, engineered, produced and mixed, therefore they are incorporating many aspects of the industry into their creation of music. Then the conversation progressed to future plans for Syd Arthur.... and they are plenty.
They are booked for SXSW in March, Mand' Stock festival in Italy, Hop Farm Festival in Kent, a ten day visit to Texas and a second album is in the works, to name but a few of these plans. The lads then gifted me a copy of their album On An On, the artwork for which is done by Liam, and it has clocked up a few miles at this stage. The music is psychedelic in it essence and backbone, echoing the very ethos of the Canterbury scene, but with a fresh improvisational approach derived from a jazz infusion and a bold flirtation with the avant- garde, laced with funky folk and the sweet mandolin does nothing but compliment their sound overall. The live performace in Whelan's kicked off with the infectiously good Ode to the Summer and a vibrant gig with great stage presence by Syd Arthur was delivered. The next day the boys had a midday appointment with Balcony T.V and then on to Dublin to enjoy a few guinness with a plan soak up and enjoy the city. Syd Arthur are very worthy musical descendents to the musical empire constructed by Canterbury's acclaimed sonic predecessors, who did inspiring and inventive things with psychedelic and progressive rock. They, dare I say it, have created the prog album of the year with On An On, and a very cool bunch of lads they are too...Syd Arthur are a resounding " one to watch" in 2013.
Words: Miriam Doona
We chatted, over beers, mainly about music and their personal preferences and influences. They, as a group, are greatly inspired by the sonic founders of the late 60's and early 70's and their musical inclinations also lean nicely towards that of world music. We discussed the virtues of jazz, psychedelica and world music, from the genius of Ravi Shankar to that of Grizzly Bear. There was a lot of musical love in the room. I inquired about their name and asked it was in reference to the book of the same name, concerned with the journey to spiritual enlightenment. The responce was that it was but the band choice of name was also a quirky play on the name, Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd and The Kink's album Arthur. Perfect. These boys are quirky..kings of quirk, in fact. The difficultly in defining the creative process as an exact science, and the process of getting ideas down on paper was also discussed amongst us. Joel explained how he and brother Liam were brought many times as youngsters by their father to see Paul Weller , and how surreal it was to meet him and how nerve wracking and thrilling an experience it was to share a stage with him. Raven, singer, violin and mandolin player, also happens to be the nephew of Kate Bush. I asked if she had any creative or business imput, to which he replied no, she was his aunt, just like anyones and merely listened to their music as an interested family member. It is a very admirable fact about Syd Arthur is that they are doing it all themselves, the album is self- released, engineered, produced and mixed, therefore they are incorporating many aspects of the industry into their creation of music. Then the conversation progressed to future plans for Syd Arthur.... and they are plenty.
They are booked for SXSW in March, Mand' Stock festival in Italy, Hop Farm Festival in Kent, a ten day visit to Texas and a second album is in the works, to name but a few of these plans. The lads then gifted me a copy of their album On An On, the artwork for which is done by Liam, and it has clocked up a few miles at this stage. The music is psychedelic in it essence and backbone, echoing the very ethos of the Canterbury scene, but with a fresh improvisational approach derived from a jazz infusion and a bold flirtation with the avant- garde, laced with funky folk and the sweet mandolin does nothing but compliment their sound overall. The live performace in Whelan's kicked off with the infectiously good Ode to the Summer and a vibrant gig with great stage presence by Syd Arthur was delivered. The next day the boys had a midday appointment with Balcony T.V and then on to Dublin to enjoy a few guinness with a plan soak up and enjoy the city. Syd Arthur are very worthy musical descendents to the musical empire constructed by Canterbury's acclaimed sonic predecessors, who did inspiring and inventive things with psychedelic and progressive rock. They, dare I say it, have created the prog album of the year with On An On, and a very cool bunch of lads they are too...Syd Arthur are a resounding " one to watch" in 2013.
Words: Miriam Doona
Syd Arthur
We were recently sent through details of Canterbury based band Syd Arthur, to let us know about their debut album On An On, due out in July. Having already been featured as a New Band Of The Day in the Guardian, this four piece are out to get some attention and convert the world to their take on music. Seeing as we were sent through a link to a private stream of the new album, who was I to turn down the chance to hear something new and exciting?!
First Difference begins to show of what these guys are capable of, a feeling of funky folk music taking the lead and transporting you to a chilled out and relaxed place, it’s a soothing and soft opening to things. The combination of deftly playing guitars and soaring violin melodies combine to form something which is going to pull you in and make you want to hear more. What’s most striking here is that the band haven’t crafted a single type of sound, instead roving between moments which verge on rock, moments which verge on pop and moments which adopt an almost jazz style beat to things, it’s a cleverly crafted mix of sounds which quite simply, works. Edge Of The Earth is further testament to this, opening soft once again and demonstrating that there’s more to this band than meets the eye. Once again soft yet incorporating different elements into the mix, there’s a serious dose of differentiated genres going on, the whole mix forming something which is sublime, relaxed and yet somehow, urgent and deep.
Ode To The Summer is just that, a track which is crafted for a sunny day and time with friends. As the track grows you can imagine yourself chilling out with friends, sitting back and relaxing whilst the melodic, and at times, syncopated, mix simply flows over you to keep you engaged in what’s going on. The catchy qualities of this track are sure to make this a prime candidate for a single, it’s the sort of thing which people are going to embrace and want to get out to see live. Dorothy slows everything down as it comes around to take the lead, stopping everything for a moment and allowing you time to reflect on what you’ve heard so far. Once again adding in the elements of jazz to the mix, this is cool and slow music designed for moments of relaxation and calm – and I for one am loving the sound these guys seem to have achieved. Truth Seeker seems almost a shock then after the relaxed notes, coming in with far more urgency and throwing us into an indie style melee of funky guitar lines combined with more of that incredible violin. Adding in a sense of distortion to the mix, this is a track which stands out as a serious highpoint on the album, purely for the different elements which they have once again managed to incorporate into the track, a clever mix which has once again, been done with aplomb.
Night Shaped Light is another serious high on the album, and a moment which stands out as one of my personal favourites. Opening with a funky approach before adding in the violin to keep the sense of calm melody running through things, there’s a real sense of calm reflection combined with orchestral depth running through the track, it’s a mix which is impossible to describe in words but rest assured it’s quite simply phenomenal. Opting for an orchestral approach throughout the track, relying on instrumentation rather than vocals to do the talking, it’s striking how powerful a track can be when there’s just music and spoken words faded into the background. Promise Me is a different track to the ones before, this time showing off a darker side to the music and roving back towards the realms of rock music, not going over the top or too heavy but instead crafting a track which holds the power of a rock track and the melodic symphony of an orchestral arrangement. To really understand the ideas of this band though you only need listen to Black Wave, a track which demonstrates just how able a unit this band really is. Acoustic yet incredibly powerful and deep throughout, this is another moment on the album which demonstrates exactly why you need to check these guys out.
Moving World once again demonstrates that there’s more to these guys than meets the eye, opening with a funky riff akin almost to blues style stuff, yet keeping that sense of cool and calm running through everything. This is another track which is going to slay on the live scene, the sort of thing you can imagine seeing at a festival where you can just sit back in the sun and allow the music to flow through you. Closing with Pardaise Lost, there’s one final moment on this album to allow you to really see what a band can do when they set their minds on it. Powerful and deep throughout, I found myself completely fixated on the music throughout this track, simply listening to every element which flows out of it and allowing myself to become completely submersed in the melodic and chilled out sounds from the band. As the track comes to a close there’s only one complaint I need to make – there’s only 10 tracks.
I was a little wary when I saw the write up on Syd Arthur as I didn’t really know what I was getting into before hearing it, but now I’ve heard this album I can’t imagine a world where I hadn’t heard it. This is an album which is uplifting, powerful and melodic, yet makes you question what’s going on at every turn, thus turning it into something which really pushes the boundaries of music in general terms. My opinion, well, this album is out in July, and I for one will be wanting a copy – it’s that simple!
To find out more about Syd Arthur, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
First Difference begins to show of what these guys are capable of, a feeling of funky folk music taking the lead and transporting you to a chilled out and relaxed place, it’s a soothing and soft opening to things. The combination of deftly playing guitars and soaring violin melodies combine to form something which is going to pull you in and make you want to hear more. What’s most striking here is that the band haven’t crafted a single type of sound, instead roving between moments which verge on rock, moments which verge on pop and moments which adopt an almost jazz style beat to things, it’s a cleverly crafted mix of sounds which quite simply, works. Edge Of The Earth is further testament to this, opening soft once again and demonstrating that there’s more to this band than meets the eye. Once again soft yet incorporating different elements into the mix, there’s a serious dose of differentiated genres going on, the whole mix forming something which is sublime, relaxed and yet somehow, urgent and deep.
Ode To The Summer is just that, a track which is crafted for a sunny day and time with friends. As the track grows you can imagine yourself chilling out with friends, sitting back and relaxing whilst the melodic, and at times, syncopated, mix simply flows over you to keep you engaged in what’s going on. The catchy qualities of this track are sure to make this a prime candidate for a single, it’s the sort of thing which people are going to embrace and want to get out to see live. Dorothy slows everything down as it comes around to take the lead, stopping everything for a moment and allowing you time to reflect on what you’ve heard so far. Once again adding in the elements of jazz to the mix, this is cool and slow music designed for moments of relaxation and calm – and I for one am loving the sound these guys seem to have achieved. Truth Seeker seems almost a shock then after the relaxed notes, coming in with far more urgency and throwing us into an indie style melee of funky guitar lines combined with more of that incredible violin. Adding in a sense of distortion to the mix, this is a track which stands out as a serious highpoint on the album, purely for the different elements which they have once again managed to incorporate into the track, a clever mix which has once again, been done with aplomb.
Night Shaped Light is another serious high on the album, and a moment which stands out as one of my personal favourites. Opening with a funky approach before adding in the violin to keep the sense of calm melody running through things, there’s a real sense of calm reflection combined with orchestral depth running through the track, it’s a mix which is impossible to describe in words but rest assured it’s quite simply phenomenal. Opting for an orchestral approach throughout the track, relying on instrumentation rather than vocals to do the talking, it’s striking how powerful a track can be when there’s just music and spoken words faded into the background. Promise Me is a different track to the ones before, this time showing off a darker side to the music and roving back towards the realms of rock music, not going over the top or too heavy but instead crafting a track which holds the power of a rock track and the melodic symphony of an orchestral arrangement. To really understand the ideas of this band though you only need listen to Black Wave, a track which demonstrates just how able a unit this band really is. Acoustic yet incredibly powerful and deep throughout, this is another moment on the album which demonstrates exactly why you need to check these guys out.
Moving World once again demonstrates that there’s more to these guys than meets the eye, opening with a funky riff akin almost to blues style stuff, yet keeping that sense of cool and calm running through everything. This is another track which is going to slay on the live scene, the sort of thing you can imagine seeing at a festival where you can just sit back in the sun and allow the music to flow through you. Closing with Pardaise Lost, there’s one final moment on this album to allow you to really see what a band can do when they set their minds on it. Powerful and deep throughout, I found myself completely fixated on the music throughout this track, simply listening to every element which flows out of it and allowing myself to become completely submersed in the melodic and chilled out sounds from the band. As the track comes to a close there’s only one complaint I need to make – there’s only 10 tracks.
I was a little wary when I saw the write up on Syd Arthur as I didn’t really know what I was getting into before hearing it, but now I’ve heard this album I can’t imagine a world where I hadn’t heard it. This is an album which is uplifting, powerful and melodic, yet makes you question what’s going on at every turn, thus turning it into something which really pushes the boundaries of music in general terms. My opinion, well, this album is out in July, and I for one will be wanting a copy – it’s that simple!
To find out more about Syd Arthur, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
