Royal Boil Alice is a music project inspired by brutalist architectural styles (known as brutalism) which Croydon became known for after its big regeneration in the 1960’s.
In 2017, Club Soda was commissioned by Drake Music and Southbank Centre to create a piece of music inspired by the brutalist architecture of the Queen Elizabeth Hall on London’s Southbank.
Club Soda invited a number of its musicians to join the project, including a large number of young people. The musicians spent time researching at the Southbank’s Archives Centre. They were fascinated by some of the early concerts that were staged at the venue, notably that of Pink Floyd in 1967, David Bowie in 1969 and some of the early Radiophonic workshops that took place there. After spending time researching the archives and exploring the the Southbank, the musicians recorded music on the site of the Southbank itself. Together they created a new composition entitled, Echoes Through Time. No postproduction was used on the recording, in order to capture the pure atmosphere and the acoustics of the site, the reflections and the reverbs of the spaces.
Echoes Through Time, was first performed live at a special event held at the ICA on the 17th March 2017, along with three other commissions by disabled musicians. It was an evening of audio visual delight, performances, films, improvisation and installations featuring up and coming artists from across London.
In 2018, Royal Boil Alice was invited to perform Echoes Through Time at London’s Southbank, as part of a festival called Concrete Dreams, which revealed the stories of Southbank Centre’s 1960’s building and their early artistic beginnings.
The Mumbly Wolfs are a Croydon based semi-improvised rock ‘n’ roll band which have been compared to The Fall, Can and Eno period – Roxy Music. They were formed during a workshop led by Alan Courtis in 2015. They compose their music in jam/improvisation sessions. James Heath (Vocals and Drums) named the band and has so far written most of their lyrics.
In March 2018 they will release their self-titled debut album ‘The Mumbly Wolfs’, which was recorded live in London at Cafe OTO, Hackney 2015 and Matthews Yard, Croydon 2016.
Rock, punk, blues, soul and jazz all mixed up into good phonics
The Carbonators are based in Croydon and began as an echo-rock band that formed in 2011, initially to perform alongside the legendary Damo Suzuki (ex-CAN). Since then they have honed their own unique blend of Digital Blues, Punk/New Wave and Soul music. The band play rock n roll, punk, blues, soul and free jazz / improvised music all mixed up into good phonics.
Have been compared to Can, The Fall, Swell Maps, Roxy Music and Galaxy 500
Their latest release, ‘MONSTERTRONICS, contains 4 tracks plus an edited version of one the tracks. It was recorded between mid 2020 and 2021, remotely, as the band were unable to meet in person due to national Covid – 19 restrictions. With this record – for the first time – the band explored the possibilities of an entirely studio based production. The individual members each learnt to use music production software in order to make this record; ‘necessity is mother of invention’.
MONSTERTRONICS is released by St. Clements Records (the band’s own label), it’s their sixth release to date and follows their critically acclaimed mini album: ‘Conversation’
The Carbonators music is available from Bandcamp here!
