Biography
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Years Active
2007 – present (17 years)
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Founded In
Brighton and Hove, England, United Kingdom
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Members
- Benjamin James
- Georgia Train
BITTER RUIN'S BIOGRAPHY
WHERE THE SOUND COMES FROM…
Bitter Ruin are Georgia Train and Ben Richards. Described as a boy/girl duo but never to be underestimated when it comes to both their live and recorded sound, Bitter Ruin's dynamic is a huge part of what makes them stand out. They met in 2007 and began crafting their sound through a number of self-released EPs. Interestingly, these multi-instrumentalists had wildly opposing musical backgrounds with Georgia veering towards the melodic female songstresses Bjork, Billie Holiday, and Edith Piaf whilst Ben remained focused on his guitar skills and the rockier sounds of Jeff Buckley, however both found a common ground with Antony and the Johnsons, St Vincent and even Nick Cave.
"It was the songwriting that brought us together, we were creating such weird and interesting music that it didn't matter that we didn't share tastes because we BOTH liked what WE were creating. It was exciting to be pulled away from your normalcy."
So the music has ended up somewhat eclectic and Ben and Georgia themselves still find it a tough task to put a label on it. Interesting, intellectual and yet hooky songs range in instrumentation from a folky acoustic sound in 'Pushin' Out The Light' and 'A Brand New Me', reminiscent of Laura Marling, to White Stripes gritty rock in 'Leather for Hell' and even dark, synth driven sounds in the Bjork-esque 'Diggers'.
Bitter Ruin have been described by others as Noir Pop, Indie, Rock, Punk, Folk, Soul, Flamenco, Classical and so many more sub-genres, but the best thing to do is listen and make up your own mind.
“We don’t mind what people want to call us, as long as they GET IT”.
And people are getting it and talking about it…
"Initially rather disturbing but ultimately brilliant!" and "an exquisite, emotional song by Bitter Ruin" (Stephen Fry).
“Holy shit, that girl can sing” (Amanda Palmer)
“You two are AH-mazing” (Tim Minchin)
"The absolutely unique @BitterRuin" (Ben Folds).
THE STORY SO FAR…
Since their formation, Bitter Ruin have been a loud and proud voice in the brave new world of DIY artists, gigging, recording and releasing music direct to their fans around the world through social media. They've played stages worldwide on tours with big names and yet have still retained a dedicated underground following who thrive off each low-fi release. Their EPs are known throughout small indie pockets from New York to New Delhi and in 2013 Ben and Georgia reached out to their most loyal fans to ask for their help and support in recording their 2nd album. A huge Kickstarter campaign was the testament to their hard work and apparent musicianship when the money raised well in excess of what they had asked for, smashing their initial target within the first 12 hours. The resulting album "Waves" is due for release in the Spring of 2014, with "The Rocket Sessions" EP being bit of a taster of what's to come.
ARTISTS BITTER RUIN HAVE WORKED WITH…
Ed Sheeran, Ben Folds, Amanda Palmer, Tim Minchin, Matt Lucas, The Dresden Dolls, Duke Special, Luke Sital Singh, Kate Miller-Heidki, Melissa Auf Der Maur, Jherrek Bischoff, Brian Viglione, Jarboe and many more.
http://www.bitterruin.com
https://www.facebook.com/bitterruin
https://twitter.com/BitterRuin
http://www.youtube.com/bitterruin
http://bitterruin.bandcamp.com
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