Music / Ardyn
Maida Vale sessions with Bristol bands to be aired
BBC Introducing in the West recently invited four Bristol bands to appear at the legendary Maida Vale Studios as part of an annual showcase of local talent.
Understandably it proved a huge day for the artists who performed. How could you not be daunted by the studio which has housed thousands of recordings including the famous Peel sessions?
Although if anyone deserved the opportunity it was the variety of fast-rising, genre-spanning bands that the BBC selected, including Ardyn, Yola Carter, Swimming Girls (pictured above) and Harvey Causon.
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The BBC also kindly invited some local media along which included your Bristol24/7 correspondent.
Once inside the rabbit warren and having stumbled upon rooms which feel like time portals back to the 70s, we eventually found Swimming Girls having their session played back to them.
The band’s honey-sweet anthems were absolutely staggering through the set up and it really did justice to their sound.
Behind the desk at the session for Swimming Girls
One of the newer artists in the batch of invitees was Harvey Causon, who remains a fresh face on the scene yet still has people scrapping to book him for shows.
He delivered his set in the more intimate Maida Vale 5 which is better known as the home of Radio 1’s Live Lounge.
The minimal and fragile vocals of Causon are truly exposed in the space and it’s evident how quickly he will rise.
Ardyn were next up, delivering their remarkably haunting new single Throwing Stones.
The band, comprising of twin brother and sister have been a regular face on the Bristol festival scene, appearing at the likes of Dot To Dot multiple times.
It’s clear how far they’ve come since their emergence as an acoustic duo. Backed by a full band their sound has gained an enormous depth yet still feels charmingly vulnerable.
Having spent most of the day underground we had all shared a sense of cabin fever before Yola Carter woke us all up to finish the day.
Despite having the most powerful voice you’ll hear in a long time, she’s usually seen delivering her blend of country and soul in grassroots venues like The Golden Lion.
There was a moment in the studio where not a phone was in sight and it could have easily felt like we’d wound back 40 years.
Featuring one act at a time, these sessions will be aired for four consecutive weeks on BBC Radio Bristol, as well as other South West BBC stations, starting with Jan Ardyn on Saturday, January 13 between 8pm and 10pm.
BBC Introducing in the West presenters will also be talking to Radio 1’s Huw Stephens about the trip later this month.
Main photo: Swimming Girls outside the BBC Maida Vale Studios
Read more: Creating the magic of television in Bristol
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