Monday 14 October 2019, 7.30pm
Pleased to welcome back the incredible Korean folk artist Kim Doo Soo for his first show here in five years, this time performing with accordionist Kim SoonOak.
"The total effect is intimate, and when arrangements are enhanced by electric guitar, organ, cello or trumpet, it's with great delicacy. Vocally I kept thinking of JJ Cale, that low-pitched refusal to speak up, and this is a husky, lived-in voice. At first its quivering seems off and mannered, but eventually its emotional impact is enormous for such a quiet style. Kim Doo Soo has a habit of letting ends of lines fall in a spine-tingling fade. Emotionally we are in the territory of Dylan's "Knocking On Heaven's Door": harmonies are simple and melodies anthemic." - Clive Bell, The WIRE (review of '10 Days Butterfly')
Support comes from a new trio featuring field-recordings from Hong Kong based artist Fiona Lee through the first 2 months of the 2019 protests, visuals from London-based artist Livia Garcia, and piano/vocals from Xu Shaoyang. Payment for the trio will be donated to Spark Alliance 星火同盟 抗爭支援 , a no profit support fund for the hong Kong protesters.
Kim Doo Soo is the deepest and most introspective of Korea's acid folk singers with songs telling tales of political oppression, alcoholism, suicide, and a ten-year period of mountain seclusion. Kim Doo Soo has been active since the 80s and his first record ‘시오리길/A Long Way‘ was released in 1986 on the Korean label Seorabul Record. He first came to the attention of the west via Damon & Naomi's International Sad Hits compilation in 2006. He has also released records via Japanese label PSF and the UK’s Blackest Rainbow.
Xu Shaoyang has mastered a beguiling sophisticated-naive style overflowing with humanity and beauty and that's what makes this Chinese musician so special.
He is a collaborator of the rather splendid cult errant pop group Maher Shalal Hash Baz, and like the Japanese collective his songs pick apart conventional ideas of musicality by embracing fragments, happy accidents and the spirit of amateurism.
Over the years he has performed with musicians such as Lee Ranaldo, Ana Da Silva, Tenniscoats, Eric Chenaux, Jens Lekman, Oneida, Tomoko Sauvage.
After years in Canada, Japan, and Scandinavia, Xu currently resides in London, England.
Born in Hong Kong, Fiona Lee's works of art are derived from the intersection between installation and performance. Listening creates an important connection between Fiona and the world; this is when she feels the movement of every single moment. She believes her art creations represent the progress she is making in exploring and accepting her own and others' possibilities.
Livia Garcia is a visual artist and a railway civil engineer. She received a full scholarship in 2008 to pursue her MA(Fine Art) at The University of Leeds, UK. Garcia is also the founder and director of the platform and micro art space Project DIVFUSE to support the development of multi-media and sound art. Her recent art practice involves working with various musicians, such as Steve Beresford, the London Improvisers Orchestra, ONe_Orchestra New, Dave Tucker, Catherine Pluygers etc with her film graphic scores.
www.divfuse.com
www.liviagarcia.com
