Monday 16 December 2024, 7.30pm
Puce Mary is the solo moniker of Danish-born experimental musician, composer and sound artist Frederikke Hoffmeier.
With a long career in experimental electronic music – Puce Mary has a reputation for intense live performances that span from gripping renditions of cinematic composition to the full-on fury of off-the-cuff harsh noise.
Oft-identified with the now-generation of industrial noise, the project’s recent endeavours explores the field of sound more broadly than before, unfurling a complex sonic and literary narrative of tension and release, amidst disquieting dynamics and surreal cinematics.
With countless releases (most recently on PAN), performances and collaborations with artists such as Drew McDowall (ex-Coil), Varg2TM (Northern Electronics), Kali Malone and Stephen O’Malley, Puce Mary has reached wide acclaim for her powerful and unique blend of modern experimental electronic and noise music.
Annelies Monseré has been playing music solo since 2000. Initially the music was piano-based and mostly instrumental. Once she ‘discovered’ her voice, vocals became a main focus. Since then, she has released 5 albums and several EP's.
Her debut album ‘Helder’ (released by BlueSanct) was described as “a delicate album, complete with beautiful cracks and loads of tape-hiss. […] an intensely intimate album”. On later albums and EP’s (on labels such as Morc, Stroom and ThreeFour), new routes were explored, such as: inviting other musicians to make contributions (including friends such as Jessica Bailiff, Michael Anderson, Ellen Evers, Justin & Nathan Vollmar and Steve Marreyt); using new instruments, timbres and recording techniques; interpreting traditional ballads; and introducing drum beats. Lyrically also, the records gained more focus. On ‘Happiness is within Sight’, released by the Belgian Stroom label in 2018, she tried to exhibit multiple perspectives on a parting between lovers. The new record ‘Mares’, that will be released by Horn of Plenty, explores personal memories and metaphorical meanings of the sea, how these memories and meanings interact and how childhood memories are distorted or enhanced by future events and thoughts.
Besides her solo work, Annelies is also collaborating with various other musicians. With Jessica Bailiff, an EP has been released by Morc Records, and their debut album – under the moniker Hydromedusae – will be released on Trome Records early 2023. Her full band, Luster, has released its first 10″ (a split with Hellvete) in 2016 and their very well-received debut album has been released in June 2022 on Morc Records. A collaboration with Steve Marreyt, Distels, was released in 2021 on Almost Halloween Time and Feeding Tube Records.
