Chris Cleverley was born under a solstice moon, in the honeysuckle mysticism of a late 80s Midsummer. As his fledgling days unfurled, the symbolic sounds of ‘Hunky Dory’, ‘Graceland’ and ‘Ladies of The Canyon’ echoed from the woodchip walls of the South Birmingham terrace where he was raised; quiet and curious, saturnine and shy.
Here, the soul of a young artist was shaped.
Fast-forward three decades; Four nationally acclaimed albums under his belt, and ringing endorsements from The Times, Telegraph and BBC6 Music. Cleverley’s boundary-shattering ‘Dream-Folk’ songwriting sits on the cutting edge of modern folk, exploring challenging contemporary themes from displaced people to the fragile beauty of our natural world.
A true guitar-man, his elaborate alternate tunings, percussive rhythms and ambient sound design flow beneath a visceral lyrical style inspired by the Lo-fi American Greats, Elliott Smith & Sufjan Stevens; a curious tapestry weaved from the hazy psychedelia of the 60s folk revival and the soulful oblivion of the 90s Pacific Northwest.
This winter sees Cleverley release his brand new EP of Christmas songs 'In the Shadow of John the Divine', his first new music in two years. Bringing his new material to The Stables for a special seasonal performance, audiences have the chance to hear these songs for the first time before the official release on Friday 6th December.
With replenishing calm and warm humour, his one-man live show occupies the space between a concert performance and a yoga nidra meditation; Jarringly raw, hauntingly serene and effortlessly 21st Century.
"Rather Lovely Electro-Folk" - Radcliffe & Maconie - BBC 6 MUSIC
"The feel of Elliott Smith and Sufjan Stevens" ★★★★ - Scottish Daily Express
"Frighteningly brilliant works" - The Daily Star ('50 artists to watch in 2023')
"One of the best albums of 2022 - 9/10" Americana UK
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Awake Mother is the brand new collaboration of award-winning Alt-Folk songwriter Minnie Birch and multi-instrumentalist Kathy Pilkinton.
Having had the pleasure of creating music together in both The Company of Players and Said The Maiden, they have now joined forces to explore the traditional folk songs and tales that have shaped their musical journeys.
Combining intricate guitar, banjo and ukulele arrangements with complex dual vocal harmonies, the duo present a vibrant new take on traditional music from America and the British Isles, as well as Minnie's own unique songwriting as heard on BBC Radio 1 and 6 Music.
