Aurelie Live at Barrow AFC

Aurelie performed live at Barrow AFC on Friday 17th October as part of an exhibition presenting work from their residency at the club.



On display were selections from Francis' video installation Unbridled, prints, hand-packaged Unorthodox 1-2 CD's, tracks made by Glenn with local schools using graphic notation and project organiser John Hall's edition of books charting the career of fictional Barrow player Al Mobility.



The live section of the event consisted of a talk by Francis and Glenn about their work, followed by a live performance of Unorthodox 1-2. This used a series of recorded texts as a starting point from which to improvise a series of drones based around the notes BAFC.



Differing considerably from the recorded version, the set featured Dave Dhonau on samples, thumb piano, radios and drum machine, Francis on laptop, guitar and effects and Glenn on prepared guitar.

Look out for further posts on how to order the CD and upcoming performances.



Shiny: Aurelie in BAFC mode (clockwise from top left), Actor Damian Rose, Francis O'Donnell Smith, David Dhonau, Glenn Boulter.

Tent Show

Tracks by Aurelie were featured during September in an open air sound installation at the Heron corn Mill in Beetham, Cumbria. Curated by Cumbrian artist and musician John Hall, the piece also featured sounds made by children from Storth School and John Ruskin School as well as a track from mysterious Leeds-based group, the Wendigos.

An Unorthodox 1-2

During August and September, Aurelie spent time recording and editing the raw material for their Barrow AFC sound piece. The piece combines elements of spoken word, music and field recordings and is intended to be performed live, broadcast via radio and to exist as an edition of CD's. (See the project blog at: barrowafcdigital.blogspot.com for full details)

The script, written by Glenn, consists of three parts describing
a) a walk across Barrow to Holker St. stadium,
b) the atmosphere of the crowd during a match and
c) the experience of hearing the match in a domestic environment via radio. The script was then recorded with local actor, musician and Barrow supporter, Damian Rose.

Following this, the recordings were broken up into individual sentences, looped and processed to determine the rhythm and tone of three instrumental compositions. These were composed and recorded by Francis in collaboration with David Dhonau (cello and bass) and Ola Szmidt (flute). The three pieces of music, varying in tone from steadily building drones to minimalist cello melodies, were then edited together with the spoken word sections and sounds from a bank of recordings made at the ground to form the final recording.

Keep an eye on the blog for details of how to order the CD, as well as documentation of a live performance that took place at Holker St. during October. Further performances of the piece are planned, the first of which will take place at the Canteen Arts Media and Arts Centre in Barrow on Thursday 13th November.

is Mr Boulter aware of this?

?

a different Barrow I think. Glenn especially, this is a reasonably good resource:

http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=23858120583#/group.php?gid=23858120583

Welcome to the Cheap Seats

Barrovian music-lovers were treated to a sneak preview of Aurelie's forthcoming football drone opera An Unorthodox 1-2 this Sunday at the annual Barrow Live festival. Adverts for defunct local businesses and bits of feedback drifted seagull-like from the precariously positioned 'acoustic kiosk' towards a largely unmoved crowd.

However, the set was curtailed shortly after the twelve minute mark when it was announced that the Wonder Stuff were ready to launch into their ubiquitous bovine anthem. Other festival highlights included a water-free hook-a-duck stall and a Herzog doppelganger disguised as a St John's ambulance volunteer.

3 Vs. 15

Aurelie at the Phoenix on July 25th 08.
Players.
Francis O Donnell Smith (Piano - bowed and processed guitar - electronics - vox)
David Dhonau (Cello: Live looping - bass guitar - gameboy electronics)
Ola Szmidt (Masterful flute playing - vox)
Glenn Boulter (Sadly missed)
Euan Rodger (Sadly missed)

Images: Matthew Everatt

Aurelie/ Live at Phoenix Arts 25/07/08

A U R E L I E - Silence is twice as fast backwards

Aurelie: Live at Phoenix Arts 09_05_08




Let’s make up for your wasted life.
I’ll gladly play the role of Mephistopheles tonight.
A virtuous one, who demands no payment.
We even have a black dog.
Show us the way.

Images: Ola Szmidt (With thanks)

Paint a Vulgar Picture

Some newly cropped and artificially-aged recollections of the oil paint/real ale/penguin biscuit-splattered session that was the KLA tea party. August 2007.

Metro-Astley-Cocteau

Ephemera rescued from the many angled interior of the Black Drape Labyrinth...

Phoenix Set List (so far)

Rough outlines of pieces for Friday night, in running order. 5 Pieces of 10 minutes each. Black screen indicates stop and change to next piece (similar to the Haymarket). Feel free to add to or edit this. Also there is the all-important question of the after-show curry to be addressed....

1. Processed guitar piece. Starts off unaccompanied. Euan and Dave to come in. Glenn to play stuttering guitar drones.
Accompanies scene from The Perfect Human.

2. Conversation piece. To be directed by Euan. Instructions to follow...
Accompanies scene from Ikiru by Kurosawa.

3. E Nose and E Bows. Starts with single note guitar loops from Glenn. Ebows from Frank. Eaun and Dave to enter after 3 minutes or so and take it somewhere dark and unpleasant.
Accompanies scene from The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser by Herzog.

4. Krautrock thing. Euan to play 4/4 beat (Euan says think Barnowl by Caribou: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fFOeAs9dYq4). Frank on acoustic piano chords. Dave on bass (a modicum of funk required). Glenn on guitar. Will practice this one a bit on Thursday.
Accompanies further scene to be picked by Frank

5. New Layers of Dave. Dave on cello loops unaccompanied to start with. Rest to enter with radios (clean, processed, sampled, whirled round head etc.).
Accompanies scene from Orphee by Cocteau.

Phoenix Show Schedule

WEDS. 7th PM- Planning/playing session at RPM. (Frank and Glenn, Dave if free)

THURS 8th PM - Planning/playing session at RPM. (Frank and Glenn, Dave if free)
- Drop off instruments etc. at Phoenix before 5pm. (Frank and Glenn)

FRI 9th - 11am soundcheck /set up at Phoenix. (Frank and Glenn, Dave if free)
- There may be a chance to check visuals at 2.30 - 3.30pm (Frank and Glenn)
- On stage at 8:30pm - approx. 9:15pm. (All)

Aurelie Land Handsome Trout

Good news from the PRS Foundation: our application was successful! We'll be receiving a handsome 4 figure sum over the next 6 months towards finding and putting on shows, travel expenses and commissioning abstract choreography. Most importantly, this will have a ripple effect, leading to an invitable scaling up of the ritual pre-show victual takings.

In Praise of Burbage

Just read this and thought it was worth posting up - it's a rare interview with Henry Cow from 1974 in ZigZag magazine (lent to me by John Hall). I've been listening to/reading about them a fair bit since we last played... it seems like a lot of their working methods might be quite relevant to what we're doing... see what you reckon. Apologies for the somewhat ropey scanning - the magazine's slightly too big to fit in one go - there should only be a word or two missing here and there.