The first in a series of free lunchtime concerts, please drop into the Michael Tippett Centre for an inspiring session for our visiting musicians. 

Harriet Riley & Alex Garden’s music presents a novel, hypnotic dialogue between a highly unusual pairing of instruments - fiddle and vibraphone. Each piece they perform is original and inspired by interesting single-word track titles with definitions given alongside to guide the listener’s attention. Their music takes in flavours from trad folk, minimalism and jazz and they regularly collaborate with Stevie Toddler on double bass - adding texture and depth to their sound.

The duo regularly works with Live Music Now - devoting time to making music more accessible and collaborative in spaces where live music is rare - such as SEN schools and care homes. Their performances and workshops are fun, dynamic, inclusive and often involve elements of storytelling and group participation.

'A stunning mix of dreamlike atmospheres and mesmerising energy, a bridge between different genres and one of the most adventurous albums in recent years.’ (Nominated - Album of the Year 2020) Bright Young Folk 

‘Wonderfully gentle...really beautiful’  BBC Radio 3 ‘

Free gig!

Harriet Riley & Alex Garden’s music presents a novel, hypnotic dialogue between a highly unusual pairing of instruments - fiddle and vibraphone. Each piece they perform is original and inspired by interesting single word track titles with definitions given alongside to guide the listener’s attention. Their music takes in flavours from trad folk, minimalism and jazz and they regularly collaborate with Stevie Toddler on double bass - adding texture and depth to their sound.

The duo regularly work with Live Music Now - devoting time to making music more accessible and collaborative in spaces where live music is rare - such as SEN schools and care homes. Their performances and workshops are fun, dynamic, inclusive and often involve elements of storytelling and group participation.

A stunning mix of dreamlike atmospheres and mesmerising energy, a bridge between different genres and one of the most adventurous albums in recent years.’ (Nominated - Album of the Year 2020) Bright Young Folk

‘Wonderfully gentle...really beautiful’

BBC Radio 3 ‘

Really interesting and lovely’

BBC 6 Music

After a sold out visit to God’s House Tower last year, Alex and Harriet return to lighten the hiemal darkness with their captivating combination of vibraphone and fiddle.

Their arcane, single-word tune titles are reflected in the tunes which lie ‘suspended between the energy of folk music, the avant-garde approach of jazz and minimalism, the steeliness of classical music and the atmospheres of cinematic soundtracks’.

The 15th century Crawford Room will provide an atmospheric backdrop to an evening of beguiling harmonies: come and be captivated...

Tickets

Tickets are £15.00 each. Their last (N)YTMG presents gig sold out, so don’t delay…

About the Musicians

Harriet Riley & Alex Garden’s debut album, Sonder, presented a novel, hypnotic dialogue between a highly unusual pairing of instruments: fiddle and vibraphone. Inspired by arcane single word track titles, obscure definitions are presented to guide the listener’s attention through their original compositions, taking in trad folk, minimalism and jazz along the way.

Their second album, Sonder II, builds on their first album while experimenting with new sounds and structures. To give you a taste of the delights to come, the band have released a pair of music videos made with videographer Nirvana Hue:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhMlpQWbCJk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGzzAN21-_Q

The band have been recording their third album, Sonder III, over the winter which will feature all new self-penned material and further collaborations with other Bristol-based musicians. Fans can get involved in helping to make this album through the project’s Patreon page.

CDs and other merch will be available from the band on the night.

Vibraphone: Harriet Riley

Fiddle, Octave Fiddle: Alex Garden

Double Bass: Stevie Toddler

https://www.facebook.com/harrietrileyalexgarden

https://harrietrileyalexgarden.bandcamp.com/album/sonder

https://patreon.com/harrietrileyalexgarden

About (N)YTMG

(Not) Your Trusted Music Guide is an accessible, fully searchable list of live events in (and around) Southampton which tries to cover music, theatre, dance, circus, spoken word and more. The intention is to remove any excuse to miss a gig through ignorance or claim there was nothing going on in the city. Now, more than ever, local artists and venues need our support…

https://nytmg.uk/

Free gig!

Harriet and Alex were due to perform here at The Barrel House, Totnes back in February 2022 as part of their UK tour which celebrated the launch of their second album – Sonder II. Sadly this gig had to be cancelled because of severe weather warnings hindering their travels. We are very pleased to be able to welcome them back albeit a year further on.

Sonder II builds on the success of their debut album Sonder (2020) Harriet & Alex incorporate elements from their early work further whilst experimenting with new sounds and structures. The inspirational relationship between them as cutting-edge young musicians is curious and captivating. Three of the pieces on Sonder II are palindromic – meaning the composition sounds the same when performed forwards or backwards. Playing with inspiration from a range of musical influences like this, combined with their technical capabilities makes this a uniquely explorative new release.

harrietrileyalexgarden.com

The Invisible Apples is an acoustic contemporary jazz duo with a distinctively spiritual twist. Their debut album The Golden Threads & Mystic Lights of Duka was recorded at St George’s early in 2022, and features 10 compositions by the duo’s dazzling pianist, John Baggott (best known for his work with Portishead, Massive Attack, and Robert Plant). His meditative, richly melodic writing is brought to vibrant life in this lyrical yet muscular duo with Get The Blessing / Three Cane Whale’s Pete Judge on flugelhorn.

Following this, Harriet Riley, Alex Garden and Stevie Toddler present their hypnotic dialogue between fiddle, vibraphone and double-bass. Inspired by arcane, rarely used words – such as Sonder (the title of their debut album), which means ‘the realisation that each passerby is living a life as rich and complex as your own’ – they infuse folk tune composition with a mutual enthusiasm for minimalism and extended harmony, incorporating improvisation and unusual playing techniques along the way. ‘A stunning mix of dreamlike atmospheres and mesmerising energy, a bridge between different genres and one of the most adventurous albums in recent years.’ Bright Young Folk

A beautifully sensitive musical project creating soundscapes that will fill our village halls with a special beauty.

Harriet Riley & Alex Garden present a novel, hypnotic dialogue between a highly unusual pairing of instruments. Inspired by arcane single word track titles, obscure definitions are presented to guide the listener’s attention through original compositions, taking in trad folk, minimalism and jazz along the way.

Their albums and live shows promise to transfix audiences far and wide with their captivating new sound-world.

A stunning mix of dreamlike atmospheres and mesmerising energy, a bridge between different genres and one of the most adventurous albums in recent years. (Nominated - Album of the Year 2020)

Bright Young Folk

Wonderfully gentle...really beautiful

BBC Radio 3

A beautifully sensitive musical project creating soundscapes that will fill our village halls with a special beauty.

Harriet Riley & Alex Garden present a novel, hypnotic dialogue between a highly unusual pairing of instruments. Inspired by arcane single word track titles, obscure definitions are presented to guide the listener’s attention through original compositions, taking in trad folk, minimalism and jazz along the way.

Their albums and live shows promise to transfix audiences far and wide with their captivating new sound-world.

A stunning mix of dreamlike atmospheres and mesmerising energy, a bridge between different genres and one of the most adventurous albums in recent years. (Nominated - Album of the Year 2020)

Bright Young Folk

Wonderfully gentle...really beautiful

BBC Radio 3

The Tonic Sessions returns with a double headline show featuring Harriet Riley, Alex Garden and Stevie Toddler along with Jenny Lindfors from Sailing Stones.

Harriet Riley & Alex Garden’s music presents a novel, hypnotic dialogue between a highly unusual pairing of fiddle and vibraphone. Each piece they perform is original, taking in flavours from trad folk, minimalism and jazz.

Harriet and Alex are joined by Stevie Toddler on double bass, adding texture and depth to their sound.

Jenny Lindfors is a captivating singer-songwriter whose songs have been described as “demure majesty” by The Line Of Best Fit. Her return to live performance follows an intensive period of songwriting, observed through the prism of new motherhood.

Jenny’s ethereal vocals and hypnotic guitar playing is reminiscent of Agnes Obel, Linda Perhacs, Bobbie Gentry and the lost demo tapes of Laurel Canyon.

Bristol Beacon and Bristol Jazz & Blues Festival present

Unreserved seated event

All ages (Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult)

Doors: 19:00
Start time: 19:30

(N)YTMG presents: An Evening with Harriet Riley and Alex Garden

concinnity /kənˈsɪnɪti/ (n.)

a harmonious arrangement of parts.

In the depths of winter, what could be better than an evening of folk-inflected pastoral adventures that summon up the most delicious of sunny, summer days.  The unusual juxtaposition of vibraphone and fiddle allows Harriet and Alex to open up new creative landscapes.  Their arcane, single-word tune titles act as a guide as they bridge different musical worlds to forge their own beguiling soundscapes.  The harmonies created by the instruments as they interweave produce a ‘stunning mix of dreamlike atmospheres and mesmerising energy’.

The 15th century Crawford Room will provide an atmospheric backdrop to an evening of bewitching harmonies: come and be enchanted…

Tickets

£10.00 which will go on sale on 10 January 2022: which this space!

About the Musicians 

Harriet Riley & Alex Garden’s debut album presents a novel, hypnotic dialogue between a highly unusual pairing of instruments: fiddle and vibraphone.  Inspired by arcane single word track titles, obscure definitions are presented to guide the listener’s attention through their original compositions, taking in trad folk, minimalism and jazz along the way. The album was recorded in Bristol during the summer of 2020 and released in November the same year. Their February 2022 tour features special guest Stevie Toddler on double-bass, promising to transfix audiences far and wide with their captivating new sound-world.

Vibraphone: Harriet Riley

Fiddle, Octave Fiddle: Alex Garden

Double Bass: Stevie Toddler

https://godshousetower.org.uk/eventer/nymg-presents-an-evening-with-harriet-riley-and-alex-garden/ 

A stunning double-bill of two all-acoustic Bristol-based collaborations that highlight the elegiac, transient, enigmatic quality of nature and human experience. Concinnity = a harmonious arrangement of parts.

piano + film is a collaboration between musician/composer Pete Judge (Get The Blessing, Three Cane Whale) and the award-winning audio-visual artist Kathy Hinde. Expect a selection of pieces from Judge’s solo piano albums (described by critic Richard Williams as “the perfect music for the times we’re living through”) and some as yet unreleased new tunes, all with the backdrop of Hinde’s “brilliant and beautiful” (Guardian) large-scale projections, incorporating new eco-processed, handmade 16mm film.

www.petejudgemusic.com
www.kathyhinde.co.uk

Following this, Harriet Riley, Alex Garden and Stevie Toddler present their hypnotic dialogue between fiddle, vibraphone and double-bass. Inspired by arcane, rarely used words – such as Sonder (the title of their debut album), which means ‘the realisation that each passerby is living a life as rich and complex as your own’ – they infuse folk tune composition with a mutual enthusiasm for minimalism and extended harmony, incorporating improvisation and unusual playing techniques along the way. ‘A stunning mix of dreamlike atmospheres and mesmerising energy, a bridge between different genres and one of the most adventurous albums in recent years.’ Bright Young Folk

https://www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk/whats-on/alex-garden-harriet-riley-stevie-toddler/

Harriet Riley and Alex Garden (featuring Stevie Toddler) present a novel, hypnotic dialogue between the unusual pairing of vibraphone and fiddle, taking in trad folk, minimalism and jazz.

Without frills or fuss, mother and daughter Fran Foote and Belinda Kempster share songs from their Essex family history of farming and working on the land. Fran grew up immersed in the local folk scene, learning songs from her parents from a very young age.

Tickets available here: https://www.efdss.org/whats-on/26-gigs/10672-harriet-riley-alex-garden-and-belinda-kempster-fran-foote

Harriet’s home town of Totnes. Ticket’s available here: https://barrelhousetotnes.co.uk/harriet-riley-alex-garden/

Double header gig with David Grubb, a fellow RWCMD graduate of Harriet Riley. Info and Tickets available here: https://thegate.gigantic.com/harriet-riley-alex-garden-david-grubb-tickets/the-gate-arts-centre/2022-02-12-19-30

‘Wonderfully gentle...really beautiful’ - BBC Radio 3 

A unique blending of jazz, folk and minimalism, Harriet Riley & Alex Garden’s music has a chilled-out style all of its own. A union of fiddle and vibraphone, they transform traditional tunes into bewitching, dreamlike soundscapes. This special gig will feature music from their debut album Sonder which was recorded in Bristol during the 2020 lockdowns, funded by a community Kickstarter appeal. With special guest Stevie Toddler on double-bass, they promise you will be captivated. 

Come and join us for an amazing evening with these rising stars!

Tickets available hereL https://tickets.cedarshallwells.co.uk/events/36755/rising-stars-alex-garden-fiddle-harriet-riley-vibraphone 

Jozef Van Wissem • jozefvanwissem.bandcamp.com
Harriet Riley & Alex Garden • harrietrileyalexgarden.bandcamp.com
--
Jozef van Wissem is an avant-garde composer and lutenist playing his all black, one-of-a-kind custom-made baroque lute all around the world.
--
Tickets & info • hdfst.uk/E66436
More events • gravytrainbristol.co.uk
--
Ages 18+
Presented by Gravy Train & BLG Promotions.

Harriet Riley and Alex Garden perform at the Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol featuring Stevie Toddler on Bass with support from Jow.

Tickets available here: