To Celebrate the release of DREAMS TAKE FLIGHT, the two-years in the making new album from Band of Holy Joy, they broadcast Notes From A Gallery an online exhibition of short film, performance art, live radio and wall art live from Gallery 46 and broadcast on YouTube nightly from the 24th to 27th of February.
Two new video films from an astounding collection of artists (details below) will play each night from 8 in total, with a performance that corresponds or is inspired by that evening’s films.
“The songs themselves are shot through with personal ghosts and private acts, nagging doubts, fleeting moments of hope, illuminating the tricky art of living with love in these dark precarious times, always chancing to get by through whatever means, of magic music image light.” says Johny Brown, the phenomenally resistant singer, who formed Band of Holy Joy in 1984 in New Cross, South London with experiments revolving around cheap junk shop instrumentation and rudimentary electronics. After two self-issued cassettes, they signed to South London indie label Flim Flam for a string of singles and two 1987 albums; More Tales From The City and the live LP When Stars Come Out To Play. They reached a commercial and critical peak after signing to Rough Trade, with Manic, Magic, Majesticin 1989, and Positively Spooked in 1990. “As a statement of intent we will inhabit Gallery 46 for the duration of the exhibition and create visual and sound works whilst we are there, setting up a radio station, creating visual works, recording sounds, breaching isolation. Themes concerned with walls and masks, constraints and freedoms, lost connections, brutal interventions, crowded isolation and clouded behaviour.“
THIS IS THE FESTIVAL SCENE – Alexandra Lort Phillips
Alexandra Lort Phillips lives in Edinburgh where she is producing theatre and film, she is the cofounder of Yard Heads along with fellow artistic director John Paul McGroaty. www.yardheads.com
TAKE A LEAP INTO THE GREAT UNKNOWN – Jonny Mugwump
Jonny Mugwump, formerly of the Exotic Pylon, oversees The Neon Hospice radio station, is digital editor at large for Repeater Books and comprises one half of Psychological Strategy Board https://linktr.ee/jonnymugwump
THAT MAGIC THING – Inga Tillere
Inga Tillere is a Latvian born London based artist working with photography and film. Inga is responsible for all Band of Holy Joy visuals from sleeve to screen to stage. https://cargocollective.com/ingatillere
WHEN LOVE IS NOT ENOUGH – Gil De Ray
Gil De Ray is a musician film maker and one half of the multi-media duo Cold Lips. Originally from Glasgow and now residing in Berlin Gil has toured across the world blending musical performance with video projections. He is currently working on a 50-minute, psychedelic road trip film ‘Pathway to the Stars’ with an accompanying soundtrack album. https://gilderay.bandcamp.com/
ON SET ROMANCE – Tam Dean Burn
Tam Dean Burn is an actor across many platforms and theatremaker. He has been working extensively with the artist Bill Drummond. He also sings in the Burnsian band The Bum-Clocks and plays baritone horn in the Glasgow community brass band Brass Aye. Tam is a committed activist focussing this year on COP26 in Glasgow in November https://vimeo.com/tharmas
NOTES FROM A GALLERY – Bjorn Hatlesklog
Bjorn Hatleskog is a Scots Norwegian experimental musician and sound artist based in London. His work explores the nature of feedback loops and, noise and interference. He is a joint curator of the Liminality performance art exhibitions an integral member of Tuatha and runs the record label adaadat https://www.adaadat.co.uk/romvelope/
THIS RHYTHM OF LIFE – Fliss Kitson
Fliss Kitson is the drummer and co-ordinator of The Nightingales. She is an illustrator who graduated from Norwich Art School and has continued to express herself with illustration ever since. After seeing the videos Fliss made for The Nightingales, Band of Holy Joy asked her to contribute to this present collection. @flisskitson
A NEW CLEAR VISION – Jo Joelson
Jo Joelson is a London based artist, researcher, curator and writer working across social engagement, sculpture, architecture, film and publishing. She has a background as a light designer with a pioneering, experimental approach and is the author of the book Library of Light: encounters with artists and designers, published by Lund Humphries (2019).
ADRENALIN FOR THE STARS – David Erdos
David Erdos is an actor, writer, director, lecturer and filmmaker with over 400 professional credits. The author of ten books of poetry, plays and essays. He is an associate editor of Mu and The International Times and a collaborator with numerous leading figures in the counter-culture. His daily lockdown poems can be found at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTF8w39Ch-LuOuC7yEa0K9Q
You can read David’s first review of Dreams Take Flight here in the magazine of resistance, International Times. http://internationaltimes.it/adrenalin-for-the-stars/
DREAMS TAKE MY FIGHT – Kirsty Allison
Kirsty’s poetry is compared to Patti Smith, Bukowski, Blake and all the greats. She grew up in journalism, DJed internationally, founded Cold Lips and is Managing Editor of Ambit She is releasing preview recordings as Vagrant Lovers. Her debut novel PSYCHOMACHIA is coming out with Wrecking Ball Press later this year. kirstyallison.com
LATE SPRING CLIPPED WINGS – Sukie Smith
Actress, writer, singer, musician, activist, producer, curator, director, performer and presenter.
Sukies work includes: Three critically acclaimed albums with her band Madam, filming with Nic Roeg and Mike Leigh. Performing new writing at The Royal Court and Hampstead Theatre. She currently presents SOUNDVISION for Soho Radio. https://madamband.com/
DREAMS TAKE FLIGHT RITUAL INVOCATION – KEVIN QUIGLEY
Kevin is an artist / curator. He is an archeologist of the mystic who’s main interest is exploring and expanding on esoteric culture within art making. https://atalentfordestruction.com/
Musicians include Daryl Holley (drums), Mark Beazley (bass), Peter Smith (keyboards), Andy Diagram (trumpet), Barbara Bartz (string arrangements), Graham Dowdall (electronics)and Sukie Smith (backing vocals), and it was recorded and mixed by Brian O’Shaughnessy, mastered by Stuart Moxham and is released on vinyl by Tiny Global Productions.