Shelleyan Orphan’s gig at Chapter’s Y Llofft has been changed from Sun 7 June to Sun 21 June. For those of you interested, check out this rather expertly written piece by Paul Martin:
SHELLEYAN ORPHAN
Y Lloft, Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff
Sun 7 June
With the news presently divided between yarns about economic apocalypse and the reptilian corruption of our elected officials, garnished with snippets of overseas war, pestilence, death and despair, wouldn’t it be nice to indulge in a little entertainment which offered a respite, however brief, from the reported avalanche of doom and depression? And those seeking such a respite might just find their desired deliverance in the diaphanous harmonics of duo Shelleyan Orphan, who play Chapter’s Y Llofft on 21 June.
Employing just about every esoteric instrument they can get their mitts on – from celeste to tamboura, cor anglais to hurdy gurdy – Shelleyan Orphan’s music speaks of a pre-Industrial Revolution British culture, where oddity and eccentricity was to be found and celebrated on every village green. Consisting of Caroline Crawley and Jemuar Tayle, the group formed in Bournemouth in the early 80s and released three albums on Rough Trade, before splitting in ’92, with both band-members subsequently diverting their professional energies into the realms of holistic healing. However, the twosome reformed last year to put out new album, {We Have Everything}, and are now very much back in the musical saddle.
Foregrounding Crawley’s gossamer vocals over delicate sonic backdrops, Shelleyan Orphan deliver a classicist strain of spiritual folk music. And, in these greyly gloomy times, perhaps such a glance to the past can provide a little relief from the tribulations of the present.
Admission: £6. Info: 029 2030 4400 (PM)