Headfirst Editor's Pick
"Like a delightfully broken Ben Webster, Alabaster dePlume's fragile, breathy saxophone playing is as immediately captivating as it is extraordinary. Expect delicate solo work, warm ensemble and spoken word in turmoil from the Mancunian's bitter tongue."
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A gig held at The Trinity Centre on Tuesday 6th May. The event starts at 20:00.
Ear Trumpet Presents: Alabaster DePlume. Standing Show at Trinity, Trinity Road, BS2 0NW - 14+ (Under 16s to be accompanied by a responsible adult)
Doors 7:30pm, Show 8:00pm
Gus Fairbairn, aka Alabaster DePlume, has a pocketful of phrases that he uses all the time whether he’s walking down the street or holding court with musicians and an audience. For a long time the Mancunian would tell anyone who’d listen that they were doing very well. More recently, it’s another phrase which has a similar effect and which belies his unwavering commitment to personal vulnerability and collective politics: “Don’t forget you’re precious.”
A process that is people-first not product-first ensures that the music is unique; often gem-like. Alabaster DePlume’s songs are built on sonorous circular melodies and luminous tones that transmit calmness and generosity in warm waves – unless they’re raging against complacency and the everyday inhumanity of end times capitalism. Most importantly, he brings a valuable transparency to his work. “This is what I’m really doing,” he says. “I want to talk about why I’m doing this, and how I’m doing this.
"[DePlume] delivers a serene reminder of what matters most" - Pitchfork
"DePlume is a fixture on the London avant-jazz scene whose greatest value is openness" - NPR
Ecclesiastical and intimate, Gooch’s music resides somewhere between meditative flow and classical arrangement, recalling incantatory chanting as much as folk songwriting. Her looping vocals and evolving ambient electronics draw you in and invite you to listen more closely — harmonized vocal layers spin in place while she solos on top of them; buzzing organ tones lend a liturgical atmosphere with an almost imperceptible hint of serration in their edges. Behind this reverberated tapestry are worlds of soundtrack ambience and classical song construction.
“Using her voice, a synthesizer, some reverb, and little else, Lucy Gooch makes music of surprising complexity.” Pitchfork
“Gooch's voice is rich and angelic, matching the timbre of the lush surrounding instrumentation.” Bandcamp, best Ambient Albums review
“Somehow extremely dramatic but elegantly understated.” Loud And Quiet
eartrumpet
Entry requirements: 14+, any under 18s accompanied by 21+ adult 1:1 ratio
Doors 7:30pm, Show 8:00pm
Gus Fairbairn, aka Alabaster DePlume, has a pocketful of phrases that he uses all the time whether he’s walking down the street or holding court with musicians and an audience. For a long time the Mancunian would tell anyone who’d listen that they were doing very well. More recently, it’s another phrase which has a similar effect and which belies his unwavering commitment to personal vulnerability and collective politics: “Don’t forget you’re precious.”
A process that is people-first not product-first ensures that the music is unique; often gem-like. Alabaster DePlume’s songs are built on sonorous circular melodies and luminous tones that transmit calmness and generosity in warm waves – unless they’re raging against complacency and the everyday inhumanity of end times capitalism. Most importantly, he brings a valuable transparency to his work. “This is what I’m really doing,” he says. “I want to talk about why I’m doing this, and how I’m doing this.
"[DePlume] delivers a serene reminder of what matters most" - Pitchfork
"DePlume is a fixture on the London avant-jazz scene whose greatest value is openness" - NPR
Ecclesiastical and intimate, Gooch’s music resides somewhere between meditative flow and classical arrangement, recalling incantatory chanting as much as folk songwriting. Her looping vocals and evolving ambient electronics draw you in and invite you to listen more closely — harmonized vocal layers spin in place while she solos on top of them; buzzing organ tones lend a liturgical atmosphere with an almost imperceptible hint of serration in their edges. Behind this reverberated tapestry are worlds of soundtrack ambience and classical song construction.
“Using her voice, a synthesizer, some reverb, and little else, Lucy Gooch makes music of surprising complexity.” Pitchfork
“Gooch's voice is rich and angelic, matching the timbre of the lush surrounding instrumentation.” Bandcamp, best Ambient Albums review
“Somehow extremely dramatic but elegantly understated.” Loud And Quiet
eartrumpet
Entry requirements: 14+, any under 18s accompanied by 21+ adult 1:1 ratio
Other jazz gigs
— Bristol Beacon
jazz
indie rock
singer-songwriter
indie folk
experimental pop
