Chris Cleverley
Chris Cleverley at The Heath Bookshop , Birmingham
Chris Cleverley £14.00
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About the show
Ambient Dream-Folk artist Chris Cleverley is joined by a very special band of guest musicians as they bring an alternative festive evening to the intimate low light of the Heath Bookshop for two nights this December. Here they will be sharing songs from Cleverley’s two critically acclaimed Christmas records ‘In the Shadow of John the Divine’ and ‘Gods Of All Things’ (“Holiday Music that doesn’t suck!” - No Depression).
This bittersweet festive compendium for our head-spinning modern age, combines a brand new selection of songs for the misfits, alongside reworkings of traditional carols, celebrating this curious, magical season, in all its joyful and melancholic contradictions.
Cleverley’s combination of intricate fingerstyle guitar and lush ambient soundscapes take inspiration from the Lo-fi American Greats, Elliott Smith, Sufjan Stevens & Phoebe Bridgers; A curious tapestry weaved from the hazy psychedelia of the 60s folk revival and the soulful oblivion of the 90s Pacific Northwest.
This unique brand of dreamy, psychedelic folk has taken him from the columns and airwaves of The Telegraph, Sunday Times and BBC 6 Music, to the world-renowned stages of Cambridge Folk Festival & the English Folk Expo, twice earning him FATEA Magazine’s ‘Male Artist of the Year’ Award.
Whether you love or loathe the festive period, this evening promises a welcoming, serene and reflective space for all to unwind in their own way, as the year draws to a close.
Featuring - Chris Cleverley
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.
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')