Trembling Bells
Encyclopedia
Trembling Bells is an English
folk rock
group formed by drummer Alex Neilson
, a musician with a strong history of free and improvised playing with several artists. Based in Glasgow, the group are signed to Honest Jon's Records and have released three albums through the label.
vocalist and musician Lavinia Blackwall in the free improvisation
folk music
project, Directing Hand. Neilson gathered a group from members of his previous musical projects, consisting of bassist Simon Shaw (formerly of Lucky Luke) and guitarist Ben Reynolds along with occasional players George Murray (trombone) and Aby Vuillamy (viola), both formerly of Scatter
and The One Ensemble.
The group signed to Honest Jon's Records in 2009 and released debut Carbeth in April 2009. The album was well received by critics. Carbeth holds a 76 (mostly favourable) rating from 7 reviews at Metacritic
.
The band's second album, Abandoned Love, was co-produced with Belle and Sebastian member Stevie Jackson
and released a year later in April 2010. Between albums Ben Reynolds was replaced by Mike Hastings on guitar. The critical response to this album was again positive. "Hidebound fol-de-rolling is just not an option for this band; they take the antic forms, loosen them and make them arresting and new once more." wrote Kitty Empire in The Guardian. Comparing with the debut album John Mulvey said that "The same elements remain – though perhaps less String Bandish whimsy – but this time, Trembling Bells are gutsier, more forthright, glowing with confidence" Abandoned Love was tipped as a possible nomination for the 2010 Mercury Music Prize, but their label did not enter the album into the contest.
Third album, The Constant Pageant was released on the 21 March 2011. Reviews were again generally favourable. Critics observed a move towards mainstream pop Popmatters gave the album nine out of ten, stating "We should probably we careful about reading too much development into the material on album number three, because some of it appears to date back to the time of their debut (“Goathland”, for example, was in the band’s live repertoire from the start). Even so, it is still tempting to say that The Constant Pageant is the strongest collection Trembling Bells have yet put out." The reviewer for Uncut gave a mixed review, writing "one hopes the band will not steer too close to plain old indie rock." The album has an 81 out of 100 at Metacritic based on 5 reviews.
Trembling Bells performed a BBC Radio 6 Music session on the Marc Riley
show on Monday, 6 Jun 2011.
and the Incredible String Band
. Lavinia Blackwall's soaring vocal style has drawn comparisons to Sandy Denny
and We Five
's Beverly Bivens
. Stuart Maconie
described their music as "wild and romantic, witty and heartbreaking", saying that "It has both the charm of folk music and the power of rock". John Mulvey has said "the rickety spirit of various Pastels
/Bill Wells
affiliates can be heard occasionally"
2009. In 2010 they performed at All Tomorrow's Parties Bowlie Weekender 2 curated by Belle and Sebastian.
The group toured the UK and Ireland
in Spring 2011 to promote The Constant Pageant
In August 2011, the group conducted a 5-date tour of the UK in collaboration with Mike Heron
of the Incredible String Band
. Reviewing their London
show at the Vortex Jazz Club
Robin Denselow gave it four out of five stars and said the gig was "This was an intriguing double bill, matching one of the originators of the experimental British psych-folk scene against its most interesting current exponents."
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
group formed by drummer Alex Neilson
Alex Neilson
Alex Neilson is an English drummer, percussionist and singer who is currently based in Glasgow but grew up in Leeds. He has performed alongside a large number of bands and artists including Lucky Luke, The One Ensemble Of Daniel Padden, Ashtray Navigations, Alastair Galbraith, Isobel Campbell,...
, a musician with a strong history of free and improvised playing with several artists. Based in Glasgow, the group are signed to Honest Jon's Records and have released three albums through the label.
Career
Neilson had previously collaborated with early musicEarly music
Early music is generally understood as comprising all music from the earliest times up to the Renaissance. However, today this term has come to include "any music for which a historically appropriate style of performance must be reconstructed on the basis of surviving scores, treatises,...
vocalist and musician Lavinia Blackwall in the free improvisation
Free improvisation
Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician involved. The term can refer to both a technique and as a recognizable genre in its own right....
folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
project, Directing Hand. Neilson gathered a group from members of his previous musical projects, consisting of bassist Simon Shaw (formerly of Lucky Luke) and guitarist Ben Reynolds along with occasional players George Murray (trombone) and Aby Vuillamy (viola), both formerly of Scatter
Scatter (band)
Scatter are an improvisational collective, based in Glasgow. Their music is heavily influenced by jazz and folk ....
and The One Ensemble.
The group signed to Honest Jon's Records in 2009 and released debut Carbeth in April 2009. The album was well received by critics. Carbeth holds a 76 (mostly favourable) rating from 7 reviews at Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
.
The band's second album, Abandoned Love, was co-produced with Belle and Sebastian member Stevie Jackson
Stevie Jackson
Stevie Jackson is a Scottish musician and songwriter. He plays lead guitar and sings in the Glasgow based indie band Belle & Sebastian. Jackson's guitar playing is distinctively retrogressive and melodic, with a heavy use of reverb and minimal effects...
and released a year later in April 2010. Between albums Ben Reynolds was replaced by Mike Hastings on guitar. The critical response to this album was again positive. "Hidebound fol-de-rolling is just not an option for this band; they take the antic forms, loosen them and make them arresting and new once more." wrote Kitty Empire in The Guardian. Comparing with the debut album John Mulvey said that "The same elements remain – though perhaps less String Bandish whimsy – but this time, Trembling Bells are gutsier, more forthright, glowing with confidence" Abandoned Love was tipped as a possible nomination for the 2010 Mercury Music Prize, but their label did not enter the album into the contest.
Third album, The Constant Pageant was released on the 21 March 2011. Reviews were again generally favourable. Critics observed a move towards mainstream pop Popmatters gave the album nine out of ten, stating "We should probably we careful about reading too much development into the material on album number three, because some of it appears to date back to the time of their debut (“Goathland”, for example, was in the band’s live repertoire from the start). Even so, it is still tempting to say that The Constant Pageant is the strongest collection Trembling Bells have yet put out." The reviewer for Uncut gave a mixed review, writing "one hopes the band will not steer too close to plain old indie rock." The album has an 81 out of 100 at Metacritic based on 5 reviews.
Trembling Bells performed a BBC Radio 6 Music session on the Marc Riley
Marc Riley
Marc Riley is a British musician, alternative rock critic and radio DJ on BBC 6 Music. Formerly a member of The Fall, he had his own record label, In-Tape, and also worked as a record plugger...
show on Monday, 6 Jun 2011.
Influences and style
Trembling Bells' references late 1960s psychedelia and British folk revival acts such as Fairport ConventionFairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
and the Incredible String Band
Incredible String Band
The Incredible String Band were a psychedelic folk band formed in Scotland in 1966. The band built a considerable following, especially within British counterculture, before splitting up in 1974...
. Lavinia Blackwall's soaring vocal style has drawn comparisons to Sandy Denny
Sandy Denny
Sandy Denny , born Alexandra Elene Maclean Denny, was an English singer and songwriter, perhaps best known as the lead singer for the folk rock band Fairport Convention...
and We Five
We Five
We Five was a 1960s folk rock musical group based in San Francisco, California. Their best-known hit was their 1965 remake of Ian and Sylvia's "You Were on My Mind", which reached #1 on the Cashbox chart, #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart...
's Beverly Bivens
Beverly Bivens
Beverly Bivens was lead singer with the American West Coast folk-rock group We Five from 1965-67. After her marriage to jazz musician Fred Marshall and the break-up of We Five, she sang for a while with the experimental Light Sound Dimension, but, by the late sixties had largely left the music scene...
. Stuart Maconie
Stuart Maconie
Stuart Maconie is an English radio DJ and television presenter, writer, journalist, and critic working in the field of of pop music and popular culture. He is currently a presenter on BBC 6 Music, where he hosts an afternoon show five times a week , alongside Mark Radcliffe, called the Radcliffe...
described their music as "wild and romantic, witty and heartbreaking", saying that "It has both the charm of folk music and the power of rock". John Mulvey has said "the rickety spirit of various Pastels
The Pastels
The Pastels are a group from Glasgow, Scotland, UK.Their early records for labels like Whaam!, Creation, Rough Trade, and Glass Records, had a raw and immediate sound, melodic and amateur, which seemed at odds with the time...
/Bill Wells
Bill Wells
Bill Wells is a Scottish bassist, pianist, guitarist and composer.He is best known for his group the Bill Wells Octet, since the early 1990s, but he has performed and recorded in a wide range of settings, including collaborations with The Pastels, Maher Shalal Hash Baz, Future Pilot A.K.A., Lol...
affiliates can be heard occasionally"
Live Performances/Tours
Trembling Bells played at Green Man FestivalGreen 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...
2009. In 2010 they performed at All Tomorrow's Parties Bowlie Weekender 2 curated by Belle and Sebastian.
The group toured the UK and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in Spring 2011 to promote The Constant Pageant
In August 2011, the group conducted a 5-date tour of the UK in collaboration with Mike Heron
Mike Heron
Mike Heron is a Scottish singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work in the Incredible String Band in the 1960s and 1970s.-Career:...
of the Incredible String Band
Incredible String Band
The Incredible String Band were a psychedelic folk band formed in Scotland in 1966. The band built a considerable following, especially within British counterculture, before splitting up in 1974...
. Reviewing their London
London
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...
show at the Vortex Jazz Club
Vortex Jazz Club
The Vortex Jazz Club is a London venue that primarily features live contemporary jazz. The club's official website features book reviews and jazz CD reviews by critic Chris Parker....
Robin Denselow gave it four out of five stars and said the gig was "This was an intriguing double bill, matching one of the originators of the experimental British psych-folk scene against its most interesting current exponents."
Band members
The current line up of Trembling Bells is:- Lavinia Blackwall (keyboard, guitar, vocal)
- Alex Neilson (drums, vocal)
- Michael Hastings (guitar, vocal)
- Simon Shaw (bass guitar, vocal)
Singles
- 2010 New Year's Eve's the Loneliest Night of the Year with Bonnie Prince Billy and Mike Heron.