Bishopskin

“Bishopskin’s sound explores a musical landscape tread hundreds of years before, but presents something wholly revelatory”  So Young Magazine

“…something primal that transcends tradition and connects with the deeper spirituality that lurks at the bottom of folk music.” Hideous Mag

“Bishopskin…create music that contains both the glassy slickness of modernity and the essential, humming, throb of music at the beginning of language”  Totally Wired

Blending 14th Century Latin hymn with the jubilant energies of Ukrainian folk, London avant-garde outfit Bishopskin sustain their eclectic charms on prancing new cut ‘Stella Splendens’.

Forming from a  lockdown project between vocalist/artist Tiger Nicholson and guitarist James Donovan (formerly of HMLTD), the expansive nine-piece line-up has been quietly gaining notoriety for eccentric and blustering live performances that blend English pastoral folk, blues, punk, 19th Century Romanticism and mediaeval hymns, to forge a thrillingly unique sound.

In addition to numerous headline shows across their native London, the group have already garnered support slots for the likes of Opus Kink,  Wooze, Saint Leonard and DREXXXELS,  as well as fulsome support from indie tastemakers So Young, Still Listening, Hard of Hearing, Hideous Mag, Backseat Mafia, Totally Wired, Acute Pop and Post-Brexit Pop.

Recorded at North London’s Hermitage studios,  engineered/ produced by Matt Cooke and mixed by Jake Cartwright (Jockstrap),  ‘Stella Splendens’ offers another tease of  forthcoming debut album Babble, scheduled for release this coming October (date tbc) via Isolar Records.

With clarinettist/vocalist Tati Gutteridge taking lead vocal duties here,  frontman Tiger Nicholson explains the story behind the band’s stomping set closer :Tati took the reins of Bishopskin after we were asked to do a stripped back folk show in an ancient church in the city of London, a venue that survived the plague, fire of London sitting gayly on Roman footings. Having a bachelor of the arts in musical composition and a doctorate in theology, she was perfect. Tati designed the set masterfully, sewing in old folk and traditional choral music she’d collected through her studies and training. One of the jewels she’d found was the old hymn Stella Splendens. James put it to a Dakhabrakha style, probably drawing on Tati’s Latvian roots via the exceptional Ukrainian folk group. Tiger struggled with the Latin folk hymn lyrics and in frustration slapped my body to create the jig I do on stage.”

Tati, our clarinettist and one of the singers found this 14th century hymn which the we adapted for a show in an ancient London church. James arranged it in a Ukrainian style drawing on Tati’s Eastern European roots and a cheeky intro inspired by his former band HMLTD. Tiger gave up on the Latin lyrics and instead chose to slap his body in frustration creating a memorable performance of what seems to have become a fan favourite during live shows.