Colorama (band)
Encyclopedia
Colorama is a psych folk
/ dream pop
group formed by multi-instrumentalist
/ singer-songwriter Carwyn Ellis
. Other members currently include Luca Guernieri on drums and David Page on Bass. The line-up varies frequently, both in the studio and on stage.
where he worked with numerous bands through a myriad of genres. Among the artists that Ellis has collaborated or performed with are Edwyn Collins
, Oasis
, Shane MacGowan
, UNKLE
, North Mississippi Allstars
, James Hunter
, Lay Low
, The 2 Bears (Joe Goddard from Hot Chip
& Raf Rundell), Romeo Stodart (The Magic Numbers
), Alex Kapranos
and Nicholas McCarthy
(Franz Ferdinand
).
In 2008, after a brief tenure in Liverpool
, Ellis moved to Cardiff
, emerging as a frontman in his own right and calling his band Colorama. They released their Japan only, debut album, Cookie Zoo on Noise McCartney / Bad News Records (Victor Entertainment
) in April 2008, and released their debut single, Sound via Redbricks Recordings in July 2008.
The band started playing together in early July 2008 and have since played Glastonbury Festival
, Latitude Festival
, Home Game
, The Sŵn Festival
, Port Eliot Festival, Truck Festival
, National Eisteddfodau, the Green Man Festival
and many more.
In 2009, Colorama announced the tragic news that their double bass player David Fletcher
had died at the age of 37 on 29 June, from a heart attack
suffered in his sleep, just days after Colorama’s appearance at Glastonbury Festival
.
September 2009 saw the UK release of Colorama's album, Magic Lantern Show on Redbricks Recordings, featuring songs in Welsh
and English
. Included was the song 'Dere Mewn' which has since become a modern classic in Wales. Described as 'incredible' by Huw Stephens
and hailed a 'Soft Psych Classic' by Sean Rowley
, Magic Lantern Show was enthusiastically received with extensive radio play on XFM
, BBC 6 Music
, BBC Radio 1
, BBC Radio Wales
, C2
and BBC Radio Cymru
.
In the autumn of 2010, Colorama released their third album BOX on Noise McCartney / Bad News Records (Victor Entertainment
) in Japan and via See Monkey Do Monkey Recordings in UK. Shortly afterwards, they released a Christmas single, 'Cerdyn Nadolig' ('Christmas Card') which garnered them the Welsh Christmas Number 1 on the BBC Radio Cymru chart.
Psych folk
Psychedelic folk or psych folk is a loosely defined form of psychedelic music that originated in the 1960s through the fusion of folk music and psychedelic rock...
/ dream pop
Dream pop
Dream pop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s, when bands like The Passions, Dif Juz, Lowlife and A.R. Kane began fusing post-punk and ethereal experiments with bittersweet pop melodies into dreamy, sensual soundscapes. The term was almost...
group formed by multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
/ singer-songwriter Carwyn Ellis
Carwyn Ellis
Carwyn Ellis is a British singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and music producer from Wales. He is also known as the frontman of British psychedelic pop band Colorama as well as the bandleader / guitarist / bassist of Edwyn Collins’ all-star band.-Career:After a nomadic...
. Other members currently include Luca Guernieri on drums and David Page on Bass. The line-up varies frequently, both in the studio and on stage.
History
After a nomadic early childhood moving from town to town, Ellis' family settled in Anglesey, eventually moving to LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where he worked with numerous bands through a myriad of genres. Among the artists that Ellis has collaborated or performed with are Edwyn Collins
Edwyn Collins
Edwyn Stephen Collins is an Ivor Novello Award winning Scottish musician, playing mostly electric guitar-driven pop. Collins formed the musical group Nu-Sonics in 1976, which later became Orange Juice...
, Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
, Shane MacGowan
Shane MacGowan
Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan is an Irish musician and singer, best known as the original singer and songwriter of The Pogues.-History:...
, UNKLE
UNKLE
Unkle are a British musical outfit founded in 1994 by school friends James Lavelle and Tim Goldsworthy. Originally categorized as trip-hop, the group once included producer DJ Shadow and have employed a variety of guest artists and producers.-First incarnation :Lavelle and Goldsworthy were joined...
, North Mississippi Allstars
North Mississippi Allstars
North Mississippi Allstars is a Southern rock/blues jam band from Hernando, Mississippi, founded in 1996. The band is composed of brothers Luther Dickinson and Cody Dickinson , and Chris Chew...
, James Hunter
James Hunter (singer)
James Hunter is a Grammy Award-nominated English R&B musician and soul singer.-Career:Hunter's career began with a band called "Howlin' Wilf and the Vee-Jays," who released their first album in 1986 entitled Cry Wilf. Later he released three more with his own band...
, Lay Low
Lay Low
Lovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir , better known by her stage name, Lay Low, is an Icelandic artist and singer.- Biography :...
, The 2 Bears (Joe Goddard from Hot Chip
Hot Chip
Hot Chip are an English electronic indie band. They have released four studio albums—Coming on Strong, The Warning, Made in the Dark and One Life Stand.-Formation:...
& Raf Rundell), Romeo Stodart (The Magic Numbers
The Magic Numbers
The Magic Numbers are an English pop rock band comprising two pairs of brothers and sisters from Greenford. The group was formed in 2002, releasing their critically acclaimed debut album titled The Magic Numbers on 13 June 2005...
), Alex Kapranos
Alex Kapranos
Alexander Paul Kapranos Huntley , commonly known as Alex Kapranos, is a United Kingdom-based musician who is the lead singer and the guitarist of the Glasgow band Franz Ferdinand.-Early life:...
and Nicholas McCarthy
Nicholas McCarthy
Nick McCarthy is an English musician. He is the guitarist, backing/lead vocalist, and keyboardist of the Glasgow based band Franz Ferdinand as well as a member of the band Box Codax.-Early years:...
(Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand (band)
Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish post-punk revival band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos , Bob Hardy , Nick McCarthy , and Paul Thomson .The band first experienced chart success when their second single, "Take Me Out", reached #3 in...
).
In 2008, after a brief tenure in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Ellis moved to Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, emerging as a frontman in his own right and calling his band Colorama. They released their Japan only, debut album, Cookie Zoo on Noise McCartney / Bad News Records (Victor Entertainment
Victor Entertainment
is a subsidiary of Japan Victor Company that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It was formerly known as...
) in April 2008, and released their debut single, Sound via Redbricks Recordings in July 2008.
The band started playing together in early July 2008 and have since played Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
, Latitude Festival
Latitude Festival
The Latitude Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk, England. It was first held in July 2006....
, Home Game
Fence Records
Fence Records is a record label based in Fife, Scotland which is owned and run by musicians King Creosote and The Pictish Trail...
, The Sŵn Festival
Swn
The Sŵn Festival is a music festival curated by BBC Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens and Cardiff-based promoter John Rostron, which takes place annually in Stephens' hometown of Cardiff, Wales. The first Sŵn Festival took place on the 9–11 November 2007...
, Port Eliot Festival, Truck Festival
Truck Festival
Truck Festival is an annual independent music festival in Oxfordshire, England. It was started in 1998 by the Bennett family , who decided that mainstream festivals such as Glastonbury had become too commercial and predictable. It is held in July at Hill Farm in Steventon, near Abingdon...
, National Eisteddfodau, the Green Man Festival
Green Man Festival
The Green Man Festival is an independent music festival held annually in the Brecon Beacons, Wales. It has evolved from a one-day, 300 capacity event in 2003, to a three-day festival with live music including psych, folk, indie, dance and Americana across five stages, as well as DJs playing...
and many more.
In 2009, Colorama announced the tragic news that their double bass player David Fletcher
David Fletcher (musician)
David Eldon Fletcher was a British musician and Principal Double Bass of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and guest Principal Bass of the Norwegian National Opera in Oslo....
had died at the age of 37 on 29 June, from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
suffered in his sleep, just days after Colorama’s appearance at Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
.
September 2009 saw the UK release of Colorama's album, Magic Lantern Show on Redbricks Recordings, featuring songs in Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. Included was the song 'Dere Mewn' which has since become a modern classic in Wales. Described as 'incredible' by Huw Stephens
Huw Stephens
Huw Stephens is a radio presenter currently broadcasting shows on BBC Radio 1.-Early life and career:Stephens was born in Cardiff, Wales, the son of the author and literary journalist Meic Stephens...
and hailed a 'Soft Psych Classic' by Sean Rowley
Sean Rowley
Not to be confused with the late Sean Rowley from the band, Cause And Effect.Sean Rowley is a disc jockey on BBC London 94.9 and BBC Radio Kent....
, Magic Lantern Show was enthusiastically received with extensive radio play on XFM
Xfm
Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...
, BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music is one of the BBC's digital radio stations, was launched on 11 March 2002 and originally codenamed Network Y. It was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years....
, BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, BBC Radio Wales
BBC Radio Wales
BBC Radio Wales is the BBC's national radio station broadcasting to Wales in the English language. Operated by BBC Wales, it began broadcasting on 12 November 1978 following the demise of the old "Radio 4 Wales" when BBC Radio 4 became a national network and moved from medium wave to long wave...
, C2
C2 (radio)
C2 is a Welsh language music and youth strand on BBC Radio Cymru, broadcast on weeknights between 8pm and 1am from BBC Cymru's studios in Cardiff and Bangor....
and BBC Radio Cymru
BBC Radio Cymru
BBC Radio Cymru is BBC Cymru's Welsh-language radio station, broadcasting throughout Wales from studios in Cardiff, Bangor, and Aberystwyth on FM since 1977. At the time of its launch it was one of the few FM-only radio services in the UK...
.
In the autumn of 2010, Colorama released their third album BOX on Noise McCartney / Bad News Records (Victor Entertainment
Victor Entertainment
is a subsidiary of Japan Victor Company that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It was formerly known as...
) in Japan and via See Monkey Do Monkey Recordings in UK. Shortly afterwards, they released a Christmas single, 'Cerdyn Nadolig' ('Christmas Card') which garnered them the Welsh Christmas Number 1 on the BBC Radio Cymru chart.
Albums
- Cookie Zoo (2008, Japan); Noise McCartney / Bad News Records
- Magic Lantern Show (Mini LP) (2009, UK); Redbricks Recordings
- BOX (2010, Japan); Noise McCartney / Bad News Records
- BOX (2010, UK); See Monkey Do Monkey Recordings
Singles
- Sound (2007, UK); Redbricks Recordings
- Cerdyn Nadolig / Christmas Card (2010, UK); See Monkey Do Monkey Recordings
Compilation albums
- The Music Sounds Better With Huw: Vol. 1 (2008, UK); Wichita RecordingsWichita RecordingsWichita Recordings is an independent record label located in London, founded in 2000 by Mark Bowen and Dick Green. Its most notable signees are Bloc Party, The Cribs, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Bright Eyes, My Morning Jacket, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Her Space Holiday, Los Campesinos! and Peter Bjorn and John...