Manchester Scenewipe

Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo

Wednesday, April 20th, 2011, 10:26 am

Hailing from Bridgetown, Western Australia, Emily Barker is a compelling songwriter with a gift for weaving melody and words. Her talent is perfectly complimented by the magnificent arrangements of her band The Red Clay Halo, whose rootsy ensemble playing underpins Barker’s agile vocal blend of strength and fragility.

Together they have recorded three albums. The first was ‘Photos.Fires.Fables.’ (2007) – an eclectic tapestry of old-time narratives weaving gothic stories of fire, tragedy, love and hard lessons…

‘sharply observed, original songs …adventurously embellished by gypsy flourishes and haunting desert echoes that’d be at home on a Calexico album’ – Uncut

“This is a gorgeous, sincere voice that grabs you and won’t let go” – The Sun

Followed by ‘Despite The Snow’ (2008) – recorded in just 4 days over a snowy Easter weekend in Norfolk. Critically acclaimed in the UK and Australian music press, its opening track ‘Nostalgia’ became the theme tune to BBC One drama Wallander starring British actor Kenneth Branagh. The music went on to win a BAFTA and a Royal Television Award.

“Stripped free of studio frippery and all the better for its carefree simplicity” **** – Q Magazine

“The hills have yet to be emptied of gold if you know where to look.” – The Times

February 2011 saw the release of ‘Almanac,’ immediately attracting strong support from BBC radio with sessions for Cerys Matthews on 6 Music and Radio 4’s Loose Ends, and single Little Deaths picked as record of the week on Nemone’s 6 Music show. A stream of sold-out UK tour dates followed, culminating in a rapturously received show at London’s St Giles-In-The-Fields church at which Almanac was performed in its entirety including a stunning, stark version of Pause, soon to feature as the theme to forthcoming BBC 2 drama The Shadowline.

“This is a dream of a record. A new Marling, then? No, Barker offers something else…” – BBC Music editor’s choice Feb 2011

The band’s albums are entirely self-financed and released on Emily’s own imprint Everyone Sang, with Almanac being jointly funded by spareroom.co.uk and a pledgemusic.com fan-funded campaign.