Wednesday 11 January 2017, 7.30pm
A double-bill of music by pop composer Tom O.C Wilson, featuring his four-piece band and the duo project Beetles.
Tom O.C Wilson is a London-based Anglo-American with an insatiable appetite for musical discovery. His music straddles the line between the classic English pop songwriting tradition (Ray Davies, Andy Partridge, Damon Albarn) and the sophistication of current US acts such as Dirty Projectors and Deerhoof. Yet his musical canvas also draws upon wider influences, be that the exuberance of contemporary jazz (Denys Baptiste, John Hollenbeck), the raw emotional impact of twentieth century classical composition (Olivier Messiaen, György Ligeti), or the irresistible rhythmic pull of Sardinian guitarists such as Paolo Angeli and Marino De Rosas.
Tom began making music as a solo act working under the name Freeze Puppy. In this guise he supported the likes of Devendra Banhart, Micachu and the Shapes and Field Music, and released two albums on Pickled Egg Records, both of which gained airplay on BBC Radio 3 and BBC 6 Music. Now operating under his own name, his current group features the dynamic and musically sensitive trio of James Ashdown (drums), Steve Haynes (bass) and Steve Troughton (keyboard).
"Audaciously complex and eminently digestible....pop created in limits, existing in joyous disregard of them. The best kind." - John Stevens, Qu Junktions.
"Brilliantly conceived and executed, full of great songs, amazing detail, intriguing lyrics. Not once does the quality drop....very fine work!" - Iain Chambers, The Guardian.
"Elegant and gorgeous combination of chamber music and pop" - Maarten Schiethart, Penny Black Music.
"Blew my mind" - Devendra Banhart.
Beetles comprise two London based musicians, Laila Woozeer and Tom O.C Wilson. They use the minimum of means - two voices and a single electric guitar - to get the maximum emotional impact from a musical language based around surprising harmonies, pointilist textures and infectious skittering melodies. Important musical influences include Regina Spektor, Kurt Cobain and Lennon and McCartney.
https://soundcloud.com/beetlesmusic
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