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Band Meeting: Chris Cleverley

Chris Cleverley has four nationally acclaimed albums under his belt, and ringing endorsements from The Times, Telegraph and BBC6 Music. His 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.

Your songwriting tackles some pretty deep and heavy subjects. So, what’s your go-to way to unwind after an intense writing session? Something quirky like playing video games, baking, or maybe watching alien conspiracy documentaries?

I’m a big believer that as artists we should aim to bring the whole of ourselves to writing and performing, to achieve true authenticity. I was always taken by the idea “the parts of our art we worry we should leave out are exactly the bits we should be putting in”. Of course that takes a lot and can be draining. There’s stuff I like to do every day to try and keep whole; breath each morning, run, lift weights, cook, read some non-fiction before bed. And then create space to just switch my mind off too; sit with my cat, watch some Homeland, watch some Mr Robot, some Breaking Bad, skateboarding videos, heavy metal guitar solo clips. To be honest it’s a lot of that nostalgia stuff that I was into as a kid that often relaxes me the most.

Chris Cleverley - photo by Alec Bowman Clarke
Chris Cleverley – photo by Alec Bowman Clarke

There’s a deep connection to artists like Elliott Smith and Sufjan Stevens in your work, as well as nods to folk legends like Joni Mitchell and John Martyn. How do you balance these diverse influences in your music?

So much of what I do is grounded in the classic fingerstyle guitar techniques. I’ve been studying the instrument for about 30 years and it’s my greatest passion. So all those folk revival musicians; Jansch, Joni, Nic Jones, have shaped my playing style immeasurably. I have such a strong affinity with their teachings. The contemporary influence comes in a lot lyrically. I’m a child of the 90s and early 00s, and so those ideas of the 21st Century mindset – that the great writers like Elliot Smith,  Anais Mitchell & Bright Eyes explore – have done so much to shape my thoughts around, self, identity, human connection, masculinity, etc. The result has been this curious blend of the old and the new.

Your live performances have been described as “hauntingly serene” and “jarringly raw,” creating an almost meditative experience. What do you hope the audience feels when they watch you perform live?

I’m really passionate about creating moments where we can feel relaxed, present and grounded; a safe space to bring the whole of ourselves and experience the music and atmosphere in our own uninhibited way. I’ve been really inspired by the ambient sound and breathing techniques of yoga nidra classes, where I’ve come away feeling totally unburdened. I like to try to infuse elements of this into the performance, with the hope that if you arrive not feeling 100% then you will be able to leave feeling at least a little better than when you came. It is amazing when someone tells you after the show that they have not been able to relax in that way for a while. In that sense, I try to make it more of a communal experience that we can all engage in, and less about just the performer on the stage having their moment.

Your upcoming EP, In the Shadow of John the Divine, takes a unique approach to Christmas music, offering something different from the typical seasonal songs. What inspired this project, and how do you hope listeners will connect with these songs?

Chris Cleverly - Aparitions Album CoverThere’s some great Christmas records by artists like Low, Sufjan Stevens and The Little Unsaid, which take a less orthodox approach to festive music, that have been a big inspiration. I grew up loving Christmas but find it interesting how many people I meet don’t share this experience. I’ve come to learn it’s a time full of curious contradictions; joy and wistfulness, love and loneliness, hope and grief. Rather than just saying ‘It’s Christmas time, let’s be joyous and have a party’ I wanted to dig deeper into some of these ambiguities, and aim to shine a more balanced, imperfect and human light on the season. As such it’s my hope these songs give a voice to anyone who can’t quite wrap their head round it all when December comes around.

I try to make it more of a communal experience

What are you looking forward to most about returning to Ashburton Arts – what can people expect?

I love this venue so much. The last time I was here in 2022 we did a fantastic show to a capacity crowd who were so supportive and welcoming. It’s a beautiful atmospheric, ambient room that’s just perfect for an intimate, candlelit concert. I’m performing solo, just guitar and voice, stripping the songs back to their purest form and focussing on the stories behind them. It will be one of the first times I’ve ever performed the new material and I can’t wait to get it out into the world and see what people think. I’m so happy to have the tremendous special guest Katie Whitehouse, who will be performing a solo set and joining me for some collaboration. I hope people can join us too for this special evening.

Chris will be performing at Ashburton Arts Centre on Saturday the 9th of November and will be supported by Totnes Singer-Songwriter: Katie Whitehouse

You can secure tickets for the event here

 

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