Thursday 22 October 2020, 7pm
Serious is very proud to present a new series of Between The Lines, joining forces with some of our favourite artists, labels and collectives to present a series of performances of boundary-pushing music.
On Thursday 22 October we are joined by legendary electronic musician and producer Leafcutter John, who has put together a night of new collaborations and projects spanning the wide range of his extensive musical output. He’ll be performing with saxophonist and composer Helen Papaioannou in a first time collaboration, and to support he’s invited his friend Ruth Goller (of Melt Yourself Down and Vula Viel fame, amongst others) who will perform with her new trio Skylla, featuring vocalists Lauren Kinsella and Alice Grant.
Exploring the intersections between electronic, experimental, jazz, and more – Leafcutter John has been a serial collaborator and left an indelible mark across the UK’s musical spectrum, and with this show in continues to push into new musical territory.
Presented in association with Border Community
SCHEDULE:
19:00 – 19:30 doors
19:30 – 20:00 Skylla
20:00 – 20:30 interval
20:30 – 21:30 Leafcutter John & Helen Papaioannou
21:30 – 22:00 close
Please note visitors will be asked to scan a QR code at the door when they arrive, using the NHS COVID-19 app. We will be providing hand sanitiser - and note that we will only be accepting card payments.
Bradford-born, Wakefield-raised, Leafcutter John has performed and collaborated widely, including as part of mercury-nominated band Polar Bear, and solo at places like Jarvis Cocker’s meltdown and Planet Mu raves. John first found recognition twenty three years ago through Mike Paradinas’s Planet Mu record label – a gold standard for the experimental fringes of electronic music. His discography ranges from the experimentalism of The Housebound Spirit, to the folk-infused Forest and the Sea – the latter containing “Seba '' which James Acaster named in his top nine essential tracks.
John moved up to Sheffield a few years ago and quickly fell in love with climbing. In this rare London performance John will explore using actual gritstone in his performance.
Ruth Goller’s ‘Skylla’ shines a long-awaited light on one of the most important musicians to have driven and revolutionised the UK jazz and improv scenes over the last 16 years. The bassist, vocalist, composer, environmentalist and now solo artist, draws inspiration from deep within to create a stunningly original and beautiful piece of work.
‘Skylla’ takes inspirations from Bulgarian folk song, via free jazz, 'Joyce', and the Italian Alps from where Ruth hails - with bewitching compositions featuring bass guitar harmonics in different tuning systems sparkling underneath other-worldly polyphonic songs.
"It's eerily compelling, fearlessly personal music, lying somewhere between O Superman-era Laurie Anderson and a crunching, boldy-retuned Derek Bailey-esque reinvention of the bass guitar." John Fordham, The Guardian
"It's kinda like a cross between Derek Bailey and Arthur Russell, and it's just really really beautiful" Zakia Sewell, BBC 6 Music
"We're gonna inhale, we're gonna exhale, and we're gonna step into the sunshine" Jamz Supernova, BBC 6 Music
“Very close, intimate sound.. so close and so tactile that you can feel the music stroking you on the shoulder” Corey Mwamba, BBC Radio 3
Helen Papaioannouis aSheffield-based composer and performer. She loves to create maximal impact from modest means, often via slowly evolving patterns and drones, eking out intensity from repetitive rhythms and a reduced sound palette.
Helen has collaborated with a range of performers and ensembles and also performs solo as Kar Pouzi on baritone sax and electronics. Garlic Hug, her duo with Alessandro Altavilla, combines a playground of instruments and approaches to performance, from improvisations with found recordings, to wonky instrumental duos, to ritualistic coding psalms. Helen improvises and performs with various collaborators, and has played as one third of the bands Beauty Pageant and HOKKETT.
