Memory of a Free Festival 2014, Fairywood + ‘Time Machine’ is one of this year’s Best Albums on FACT
July 25, 2014 § Leave a comment
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Greetings!
It’s July and as the sun infuses its energy upon us,
may this spread positives among us all!
In our musical world it’s been a really good year so far and continues to be so.
Raf and O’s new album ‘Time Machine has been selected as one of the best album of 2014 in FACT Magazine alongside Neneh Cherry and Rocketnumbernine in the Joe Muggs’s Top 10 Album list!!
We’re wonderfully blown away and very proud of this. Get yourself a copy of the CD Album HERE. Digital available in all good stores.
Some other wonderful news – Memory Of A Free Festival returns!
Raf and O have been invited to perform again at the re-run of the legendary Beckenham Free Festival organised by David Bowie and The Beckenham Arts Lab in 1969. On Saturday 16th August, Natasha Ryzhova Lau, with the help of some generous volunteers, is staging the event for a second year in a row, 45 years from the day and the date. Mary Finnigan, a key figure of the original festival is also involved and Roger Wootton from legendary Comus (who were playing weekly at the Arts Lab and played the Festival in ’69 ) will also take the stage. We’re thrilled to join all the artists, some of whom we met in 2013, we are opening up proceedings, see the LIVE page for full line up/flyer, location and transport details. Last year saw an audience of over 1000 people and £7000 pounds were raised towards the restoration of the Beckenham Bandstand; it was just wonderful despite a rain machine in full action; may the sun machine return safely to the Croydon Road Recreation Ground. Get there early, gates open 12.30, it’s only a fiver and there’s a beer tent this year too; we’ll be in action just after 1pm, don’t miss!
As well as the Beckenham Festival we’re really looking forward to perform at a new Festival in Brentwood, precisely Fairywood at Kelvedon Hatch, which used to be home to the secret nuclear bunker. The festival with its fairytale and thematic settings promises to be a magical gathering running on the weekend of the 9th and 10th August.
We will take the stage on the Sunday 10th, as the evening starts to fall. More info and tickets for the whole weekend or for the one day can be found HERE
And to cap it off we’ve recently been invited by the amazing Richard Strange to partake in a unique and very special William Burroughs inspired project at the Queen Elizabeth Hall planned for October, which will also see the Doctors of Madness reforming for a one off performance after 36 years! We are delighted and very honoured!! More details will be posted here in the very near future.
Raf and O x
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Images: Beckenham Bandstand graphic courtesy of Memory Of A Free Festival.
Photos of Raf and O performing at Memory Of A Free Festival in 2013 and on ”Time Machine’ session by Luigi Altilia.
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The Quietus Reviews ‘Time Machine’. Interviews / Session on Resonance FM, Ableton Live Expert + Feature on FACT.
May 31, 2014 § Leave a comment
May and June to be greetings!
We’re very honoured to have recently featured in The Quietus with an excellent review of our latest album ‘Time Machine’ by legendary music journalist David Stubbs:
‘There is a butterfly, acoustic delicacy about tracks like ‘Mad And Brilliant’, and yet also the deceptive, steel strength of spider silk in their complex weaving – Raf’s vocal ranges far and wide in her emotional and lyrical foragings…Freeze-frame any given second of this album and it’ll reveal a hive of pixellated, analogue activity’
David Stubbs, The Quietus
FACT Magazine have listed Raf and O’s ‘Squeezebox’ as one of the 36 best indietronica tracks! Taken from “Has The Air Gone Walking” debut 10” vinyl alongside Gagarin from 2008; to be on this fine selection we are indeed extremely pleased.
‘Superbohemian, super kooky…the sort of record that makes it feel like John Peel is still alive’
Joe Muggs, Fact Magazine
This month we’ve done a few interviews: Shout 4 music popped us some Q&A’s and we’ve also been featured on the Ableton Live Expert website with a video interview and a live in the studio performance of ‘Mad And Brilliant from the ‘Time Machine’ album. Martin Delaney came to film us and we spoke briefly about our Live set up. It was bright, fun to do and here it is!
(Continues below)
Meanwhile on the gig front, since launching our album at the fabulous Shoreditch Church (featured on David Bowie Official – see previous blog) we returned to Scaledown, where O’s bass made a rare appearance, closely followed by our very first gig in a record shop at Vinyl in Deptford, where we were bathed in psychedelic visuals courtesy of Punkvert VJs for the new Psyche Satyrday.
And to cap off the month, we popped into Resonance FM for a Live Radio Session on the excellent Dexter Bentley Hello Goodbye Show. Thoroughly enjoyed it! You can catch the podcast HERE where we are performing material from our latest album: You Made Me’,’Saturated Dreams’, ‘Lady Grinning Soul’and ‘The Fog’ with an interview.
Raf and O’s newly released LP ‘Time Machine’ is a hauntingly atmospheric, Folktronica masterpiece’
Dexter Bentley, Resonance FM
Our new ‘Time Machine’ Album and EP are available on the Bandcamp Page. Please support these independent releases by getting your copies HERE!
Raf and O
X
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David Bowie Official Features Raf and O’s New Album; ‘Time Machine’ is Out Now!
April 25, 2014 § Leave a comment
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Raf and O’s new full-length second album is OUT NOW!!!
Finally, we’re so proud to present Time Machine, self-released on Telephone, available on Bandcamp, iTunes and all good digital stores.
Latest press says:
“A beguiling slice of noir-pop…a total treat.”
The Girls Are
“Tripped-out hypnotic Raf and O embody the exploratory art school/mime period Bowie from bent out of shape Air meets folkloric avant-noir to ESG and Radiohead’s Hail To The Thief”
Monolith Cocktail
A special gig was staged at the beginning of the month to celebrate its release.
“She’s a tongue twisting storm, she will sing at the show tonight…”
David Bowie Official featured the launch for our new album.
We are absolutely thrilled !!!
“One of the more memorable events of the Beckenham Festival in September 2013 was RAF AND O’s haunting performance of David Bowie’s Lady Grinning Soul (http://smarturl.it/liveRAFnOlady)… Lady Grinning Soul is included on that new LP: Time Machine” David Bowie Official
The front cover captures Raf and O performing on the Beckenham Bandstand
GET IT HERE!
See picture to read in full. Continues below
We’d like to thank all who came down and once again Kaparte for the wonderful hosting.
More live performances are scheduled. Today we’re off to play at the ‘genuinely alternative after-office’ Scaledown. For more details, address etc, see our LIVE PAGE. Then next up is South East London in May; we shall be performing at Vinyl in Deptford. Details again will be added HERE.
Raf and O x
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Pictures by Angelique Le Marchand, Adam Donen and Lee Winter
‘Time Machine’ Album and EP Available Now! Presenting Official New Video And Launch At Shoreditch Church
March 25, 2014 § Leave a comment
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RAF AND O – TIME MACHINE OFFICIAL VIDEO
Hi folks,
lots of news since our last blog.
Cabaret Futura, in February, got us right into the mood. We performed ‘Dreamachine’ for the first time to its projected spinning counterpart right behind us! Massive thanks to Richard Strange for inviting us and for setting such a brilliant atmosphere!
Raf and O are proud to announce the TIME MACHINE EP on Telephone Records, featuring contributions from Merlin & Charles Hayward, Irmin Schmidt affiliate Kumo and Grace Jones collaborator Robert Logan. Available now in all good digital stores and on our NEW BANDCAMP SITE : ‘Interstellar spaciousness’ tweets EXCLAIM! Magazine and features the EP. Get your copy HERE!
Our December encounter with the moving image turned into the ‘Time Machine’ OFFICIAL video, featured in February on New York ‘s IMPOSE Magazine : “With silver space lining, stainless steel kettles and 3-D spectacles adorned; we enter the Raf and O “Time Machine” trip…whispering their song like tomorrow’s cautionary lullabies sent backward to today as an omen of intrigue.” Impose asked us as to how the video was realised and how we go about doing what we do. Both features can be read within the images below.
Pre-orders for the TIME MACHINE CD ALBUM are available now. The CD features ten original tracks + our version of David Bowie’s Lady Grinning Soul, with an immediate download of one track when you pre-order. The cover picture was taken on the Beckenham bandstand by Luigi Altilia during Raf and O’s performance of ‘Lady Grinning Soul’ at Memory Of A Free Festival (the remake of the iconic Beckenham Free Festival). GET THE NEW ALBUM HERE!
And finally…Raf and O’s ‘Time Machine’ Album Launch at the splendid Shoreditch Church: April the 4th, curated by the renowned and excellent Kaparte. Do get your tickets HERE, before they run out, it will be a night full of surprises. We are really looking forward to play our new album and more! Truly special guests on the night.
Roger O‘Donnell from The Cure! He will be joining Adam Donen and expect more still! Leaving you with an old English nursery rhyme ‘Oranges and Lemons’.
See you down in Shoreditch!!
X
Raf and O x
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Click on the picture twice to read the full articles
Cabaret Futura And The Time Machine Is About To Land
February 7, 2014 § Leave a comment
Hello! First blog of the year and 2014 starts with a bang!
Raf and O are playing Cabaret Futura in just over one week! Richard Strange‘s legendary monthly club, established in the 1980s was ‘the focus and meeting place for the energy, which fed the explosion in fashion, photography, filmmaking and music, serving the need for specific and not standardised tastes’. Re-opened four years ago, past guests have included Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, Michael Nyman and many others. Not to be missed!
This February celebrates Burroughs, who would have been 100 and after watching a documentary about friend and collaborator Brion Gysin, one winter day, a new song just flew out: it’s called ‘Dreamachine’ and we are really excited about playing this at Cabaret Futura for the first time! February is also both ‘Raf ‘and ‘O’s birthdays and what’s better than celebrating by performing?
So come down, Monday 17th, all details and FB event on the LIVE PAGE.
And here are the latest updates for ‘Time Machine’.
This March we are very excited to be releasing an eponymous EP ahead of our album: ‘Time Machine EP’ is scheduled for 24 03 2014. It contains the original Time Machine plus three fantastic reworkings from Merlin & legendary Charles Hayward of This Heat fame, Kumo AKA Jono Podmore collaborator of Irmin Schmidt from Can and part of collective Metamono and Robert Logan electronic composer who has also contributed to Grace Jones latest releases.
‘Time Machine’, Raf and O’s second album, will be officially released on 21 04 2014. So looking forward! We are celebrating with a special event, the Album Launch on 04 04 2014, promoted by wonderful Kaparte at the ancient parish St Leonard’s (Shoreditch Church). On the same night, the excellent poet, songwriter and actor Adam Donen will also be launching his new album and there will also be some amazing special guests. Watch this space!
There are still some EARLY BIRDS TICKETS left, so get them HERE while you can!
More details and FB event on the LIVE PAGE
Raf and O x
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Projecting Ahead
December 4, 2013 § Leave a comment
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Hello and December greetings!
2013 is now drawing to a closure. We look back at the highlights of the year: launching Lady Grinning Soul at Café OTO alongside Larsen & Little Annie and performing at Memory Of A Free Festival, (watch Live video), the remake of the iconic Bowie‘s Beckenham Free Festival to raise funds for the bandstand.
Kaparte Oxjam’s night, our last live outing at the Ivy House also felt special; fantastic feedback and lots of very receptive people from each side of the stage. Still cherishing some fabulous gigs.
Raf and O have taken the rest of this year off from live shows and shall return in 2014. Just been confirmed we will be playing at the fabulous Cabaret Futura in February; can’t wait! More dates will be announced soon. In the meantime, we’re working on all logistics for ‘Time Machine’. Our second album will be released in April 2014, a bit later than predicted, but the ‘Time Machine’ will be landing this time. Ahead of the album a new single in March too. We will keep you posted with details and development as they happen. Darkness finds its way in some new inspired tunes as the light reduces and the nights grow longer. New material is in process. Projecting ideas ahead, we hope to bring these fresh sounds to you in the not so distant future! This month we’re prepping something ...
And lastly, we leave you with the latest live pictures from the Kaparte Oxjam gig courtesy of Angelique Le Marchand. X
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Memory Of A Free Festival – Lady Grinning Soul Live Video – Raf and O on The Beckenham Bandstand + Kaparte Oxjam 2013
October 13, 2013 § Leave a comment
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When we wrote about our memories of the festival in our last blog , we mentioned a new video was on the way – here it is, all the way from the Beckenham bandstand!
Raf and O perform a micro rendition of David Bowie’s ‘Memory Of A Free Festival’ and ‘Lady Grinning Soul’.
Huge thanks to Luigi Altilia for filming. Further below – ‘Beckenham: Free Festival at bandstand jogs memories of a star man’s arts scene’.
Thanks goes to Wendy Woo for sending the newspaper clipping from the day above.
And from the iconic victorian bandstand to the stylish art deco settings of The Ivy House in Nunhead. Keeping it live in the South East, Raf and O will be performing next, at the excellent Kaparte Oxjam Festival- a great line up, alongside Ernesto Tomasini, Gagarin and more. Friday 18th October, a night of experimental and electronic music, avant-garde entertainment, visuals and djs. All proceedings will go to Oxfam. For details, address, tickets and FB event, please see our LIVE PAGE.
See you there!
X
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‘We Played Our Songs And Felt The London Sky …’ Memories Of Memory Of A Free Festival
September 23, 2013 § Leave a comment
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photo by Dave Flynn Photography
photo by Luigi Altilia
‘Tons of aliens came down, did you not recognise them?’ #rain Raf and O tweet. So the rain machine came down this time, but the crowd was not afraid.
Umbrella heaven in Croydon Road Recreation Ground and we all had a fabulous time!!!
‘Memory Of A Free Festival managed to recreate the magic of the original event’ – a local newspaper reports. The Beckenham Free Festival remake to save the iconic bandstand has been supported by David Bowie who donated signed items that were auctioned on the day. Media coverage includes the Independent, Daily Telegraph, NME, several others got behind the Festival. BBC news and radio also covered the event.
Raf and O had the pleasure to play a live session/ interview for BBC Radio Kent Breakfast Show prior to the Festival.
‘We played our songs and felt the London sky …’
photo by Dave Flynn Photography
We also had the privilege to open up proceedings on the Beckenham bandstand. After initial speeches from festival organiser Natasha Ryzhova Lau and Mary Finnigan who organised the original one with David, we took the stage; it had just started to pour down…the wind was sweeping the rain onto the bandstand, but we did not care, the audience was great, we opened with a micro rendition of ‘Memory Of A Free Festival’ then we played the rest of our set and ended with ‘Lady Grinning Soul’. I felt David’s energy up there.
It was a pleasure to share the stage with all who performed, we met some great people, performers, technicians, the audience, volunteers, people from present, past and future; Bill Liesegang, Amory Kane and Mary sharing their memories from 1969. All together at the end for a jam session joining in a longer version of ‘Memory Of A Free Festival’ – Darcy Debrett brought and played an harmonium for the occasion. This was the closure to the second chapter on the bandstand.
Then the auction …
Thanks to Mark Sparkler who compered on the day, Val on sound, big thanks to Natasha who’s done a fab job, Luigi Altilia for filming, all who took photographs, all who shared this moment. A live video from the event will be posted up soon.
Next we will be playing at the ever wonderful Kaparte Oxjam Festival – please check our LIVE PAGE for details and tickets.
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Time Machine And The Sun Machine – Memory Of A Free Festival 2013
August 7, 2013 § 1 Comment
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Raf and O announce the new album ‘Time Machine’ will be out in the autumn. We are extremely pleased to say that our album will be out before the year’s over; July called for some splendid sun, we’ve been walking and replenishing! We’re now making plans for our new release and will keep you posted.
On the gigging front, we’ve been playing some fresh material. Performing on the carpet where Bob Dylan stood and played London for the first time, Scaledown 90 at The King and Queen was our recent live outing. On the night also a powerful solo performance by the brilliant Charles Hayward. Thanks Scaledown for hosting us, it was a great night!
X
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Raf and O performing ‘Lady Grinning Soul’ December 2012 and Raf and O in the studio
We’re playing ‘Schrödinger’ And It’s Scaledown!
June 24, 2013 § Leave a comment
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Hi folks,
our next live outing will be at Scaledown a regular and welcome monthly night from the promoters of The Orchestra Pit.
Raf and O are so looking forward to join this month’s line up which will also see the splendid Charles Hayward performing!
Bird Radio’s birthday also beckons this July, we shall be joining the cocktail of musical elements in celebration at Stoke The Fire – details will be posted on our Live page.
Thanks to Jude Cowan for hosting us at the Full Stop last month where we tested out our new song ‘Schrödinger’ and to those who were there to support the experiment.
First up, this Friday, Scaledown 90! Upstairs at the King and Queen, London, W1.
Details HERE and FB EVENT
Raf and O x
