Biography
"Tarnished, bittersweet music that conjures up Portishead"
– The Guardian
From their East London warehouse, a coterie of young musicians and artists have grabbed the attention of the previously US-centric Steampunk scene. No longer beholden to the traditional media industry, the internet generation have harnessed the hardware, software and distribution channels they grew up with to give birth to a new culture – the first truly indigenous folk culture of the internet. Steampunk is an aesthetic of the mechanical inventions of the industrial revolution, the last great period of technological upheaval. The Steampunk look has been adopted by a rising counterculture whose ideals echo punk-inspired self reliance and anti-establishment sentiments, but with nihilism replaced by an optimism about human potential. The past year has seen a slew of Steampunk specific festivals and events across the world, the creation of a peer reviewed journal ("Neo-Victorian Studies"), and features in The New York Times, Wired magazine and on MTV.
"The Clockwork Quartet is a Dresden Dolls-esque collective of 20-odd musicians, actors and cabaret performers who all play various bizarre and morbidly dark characters. Intrigued?" – NME
The Clockwork Quartet consists of a core quartet of guitar, bass banjo, violin and cello, with help from accordion, oboe, piccolo banjo, Stroh violin, musical saw, and the magnificent Steamdrone, as well as the percussive possibilities of clocks, metronomes, discarded mechanical parts and found objects. Members include two trained luthiers, a carpenter, a jeweller, a prop maker and sculptor, a doctor of zoology. Available through the band’s website are beautifully crafted leather-bound Victorian-style pocket books filled with song lyrics, music and original illustrations, along with unique Clockwork Quartet jewellery.
The Clockwork Quartet are based at House of Strange studios (Noah and the Whale, Emmy the Great, Mumford & Sons).
Members:
Hannah Ballou "The Raconteuse" - Vocals & Yarns
Patrick Gleeson "The Conductor" - The Fearsome Baton of Authority
The Clockwork Quartet:
Noura Sanatian - Stroh Violin
Maral Mohammadi - Cello
Nadia Walsh - 6 String Banjo, Guitar
Stuart Lawson - Bass Banjo
Hugo Sheppard "The Fugitive" - Accordion & Vocals
Dr Matt Wilkinson "The Doctor" - Oboe, Musical Saw & Vocals
Will Segerman "The Lover" - 5 String Banjo, Piccolo Banjo & Vocals
Edward Saperia "The Magician" - Percussion & Vocals
Jason Griffiths "The Scientist" - Percussion & Vocals
Emma Butterworth "The General's Wife" - Viola, Percussion & Vocals
Ashley Gardner "The Engineer" - The Steamdrone
Website: http://www.clockworkquartet.com/.
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