Gravenhurst was the musical pseudonym of the English singer-songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and journalist Nicholas John Talbot (14 May 1977 – 2 December 2014). Talbot, from

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, England, signed to

Warp Records Warp Records (or simply Warp) is a British independent record label founded in Sheffield in 1989 by record store employees Steve Beckett and Rob Mitchell and record producer Robert Gordon.Southern, Richard (2003) "Label of Love: WARP", X-RAY, ...

. He died aged 37. His cause of death is undisclosed.

History

While Talbot began performing solo, in 1999 additional musicians helped expand Gravenhurst into a live band, with drummer Dave Collingwood also contributing performance and production work to several recordings. From 2004 to 2006 Gravenhurst performed as a trio with Huw Cooksley on bass guitar. On tour throughout 2007 and 2008, Robin Allender played bass, and Alex Wilkins played guitar. The release of ''The Ghost in Daylight'' in 2012 saw the formation of a new three-piece Gravenhurst Ensemble, featuring Rachel Lancaster on vocals, bass guitar and keyboards, and Claire Adams on vocals and percussion. Talbot also performed solo with a guitar and phrase-sampling, looping and droning devices. Gravenhurst is described as dark and atmospheric, veering between the noisy

shoegazing Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volu ...

sound of guitar bands such as My Bloody Valentine, the harmony-laden singer-songwriter territory of

Simon and Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of " ...

, and the intricate fingerpicking guitar styles of

Bert Jansch Herbert Jansch (3 November 1943 – 5 October 2011) was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s as an acoustic guitarist and singer-songwriter ...

and Nick Drake. Earlier releases were grounded in acoustic and folk styles, while '' Fires in Distant Buildings'' made moves towards psychedelic rock.

Flying Saucer Attack Flying Saucer Attack is an English space rock band formed in Bristol in 1992, led by songwriter David Pearce. Rachel Brook (now Rachel Coe) of Movietone was a member during the band's early incarnation; other musicians contributing to the gro ...

, a Bristol outfit who released a series of feedback-drenched, folk-inspired albums in the early 1990s, have been cited by Talbot as a major influence. A constant in the Gravenhurst sound is Talbot's fragile voice and vocal harmonies, intricate guitar work and unsettling and mysterious lyrical themes. Gravenhurst wrote and recorded original soundtrack music for the film '' Ein Freund von mir''. As well as the bespoke "Song Among the Pine", the Gravenhurst songs "Animals", "The Velvet Cell" and "Song from Under the Arches" feature prominently in the film. An instrumental version of the song "Nicole" is featured in the

Shane Meadows Shane Meadows (born 26 December 1972) is an English director, screenwriter and actor, known for his work in independent film, most notably the cult film '' This Is England'' (2006) and its three sequels (2010–2015). Meadows' other films i ...

film ''

This Is England ''This Is England'' is a 2006 British drama film written and directed by Shane Meadows. The story centres on young skinheads in England in 1983. The film illustrates how their subculture, which has its roots in 1960s West Indies culture, espec ...

''. The song "Black Holes in the Sand" is featured at the end of the "Johnny B. Good" episode of "The Unit." Talbot played guitar on "Changing of the Seasons" and "Borderline Personality" on the second War Against Sleep album, ''Invitation to the Feast''.

Silent Age records

Talbot contributed to Guy Bartell's electro-acoustic ensemble,

Bronnt Industries Kapital Bronnt Industries Kapital is a musical project from Bristol, England based around producer and multi-instrumentalist Guy Bartell. It has released six studio albums, ''Virtute et Industria'', ''Häxan'', ''Hard for Justice'', ''Turksib'', ''Arsenal'' ...

. In 2000 the pair set up Silent Age Records, a co-operative label which helped gain exposure for their own music as well as artists SJ Esau (

Anticon Anticon (often styled as anticon.) is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1998 by seven musicians and manager Baillie Parker. It is now collectively owned among six musicians, co-founder Parker, and ma ...

), War Against Sleep (

Fire Records Fire Records was an American independent record label, set up in 1959 by Bobby Robinson. Amongst others, it released records by Lightnin' Hopkins, Elmore James, Buster Brown and Arthur Crudup. At one point it was thought Fire had issued the la ...

), Mole Harness (Stray Dog Army), and Exercise One.

Journalism

Talbot was a freelance journalist, and conducted exclusive interviews with the philosopher John Gray and the comic book writer

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including '' Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', '' The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and '' From He ...

for the British online arts magazine ''

The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quietu ...

''. Talbot maintained a website archiving his journalistic work and a weblog entitled "The Police Diver's Notebook."

Band personnel

* Nick Talbot - vocals, guitar (1999–2014; his death) * Chris Macartney - drums (1999–2000) * Dave Collingwood - drums (2000–2012) * Huw Cooksley - bass (2004–2007) * Robin Allender - bass (2007–2012) * Alex Wilkins - guitar (2007–2012) * Claire Adams - vocals, drums (2012–2014) * Rachel Lancaster - vocals, bass, synthesizer (2012–2014)

Discography

Singles and EPs

* ''Gas Mask Days'' EP CDr ( Silent Age Records, 2002) * "The Diver" 7" (For Us Records, 2003) * '' Black Holes in the Sand'' EP LP/CD (Warp Records, 2004) * "The Velvet Cell" / "See My Friends (edit)" 7" (Warp Records, 2005) * "Animals" / "Herne the Hunter" Download only single (Warp Records, 2006) * "Trust" / "Underfoot" 7" (Warp Records, 2007) * "Hollow Men" / "Longest River" 7" (Warp Records, 2007) * "Nightwatchman's Blues" / "Farewell, Farewell" 7" doublepack in hand-printed poster sleeve (Warp Records, 2008) * "The Prize" / "Song to the Siren" 10" (Warp Records, 2012)

Albums

* ''Internal Travels'' CD (

Red Square Red Square ( rus, Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad', ˈkrasnəjə ˈploɕːətʲ) is one of the oldest and largest squares in Moscow, the capital of Russia. Owing to its historical significance and the adjacent historical build ...

/ Mobstar, 2001), second pressing of 500 copies (Silent Age Records, 2003) * '' Flashlight Seasons'' CD (Sink & Stove Records, 2003), re-released internationally on LP/CD (Warp Records, 2004) * '' Fires in Distant Buildings'' LP/CD (Warp Records, 2005) * '' The Western Lands'' LP/CD (Warp Records, 2007) * '' The Ghost in Daylight'' LP/CD (Warp Records, 2012) * ''Offerings: Lost Songs 2000 - 2004'' LP/CD (Warp Records, 2014, CD only as part of box set)

Soundtrack and compilation appearances

Certain Gravenhurst tracks have also been contributed to soundtracks and compilations, some of which are not available elsewhere, including: * "Long Way Home" – (''555CD55'' – 555 Records compilation, 2003) * "Damage part III" – (played solo on Irene Trudel's

WFMU WFMU is a listener-supported, independent community radio station, licensed to East Orange, New Jersey. Since 1998 its studios and operating facilities have been headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey. It broadcasts locally at 91.1 Mhz FM, i ...

radio show in 2003). * "Romance" – (played on Irene Trudel's WFMU radio show in 2003) * "The Laden Trees" – (''Children Are Fascinated by Fire'' –

compilation, 2004) * "Black Holes in the Sand (edit)" – available on certain Warp promos of ''Black Holes in the Sand'', 2004. * "The Diver" – ('' Dead Man's Shoes'' soundtrack, 2004) * "Stillwater" – ('' The Hospital Radio Request List Vol II'' compilation, June 2004) * "See My Friends (edit)" – (available on a Warp promo CD for "The Velvet Cell" single, 2005) * "Herne the Hunter" – (bonus track on Japanese edition of '' Fires in Distant Buildings'', 2005) * "Animals" – (included on the

Camden Crawl Camden Crawl was a music festival in Camden, London, which first appeared in 1995 and then was held annually from 2005 to 2014. Overview Rather than a single venue, Camden Crawl operated at multiple venues simultaneously, with different acts tak ...

double CD, 2005) * "Entertainment (live)" – ('' Comes with a Smile'' magazine, issue 20, January 2006) * "Song among the Pine" – ('' Ein Freund von Mir'' soundtrack, October 2006). According to the credits on the soundtrack CD, additional soundscapes were provided on this track by

collaborator Guy Bartell. * "Entertainment" – (''Ein Freund von Mir'' soundtrack, October 2006) * "Nicole (Instrumental)" – (''

'' soundtrack, May 2007) * "Paint a Face" (''Neil Halstead Tribute'' 7" by Gravenhurst / Beach Fossils. Sonic Cathedral Recordings, 2012)

References

External links

Gravenhurst official website

Nick Talbot's journalism website

Nick Talbot's blog
;Reviews
Gravenhurst – 'Fires in Distant Buildings' (4.5/5)

Album review on Soundfires.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gravenhurst English alternative rock groups Musical groups from Bristol Warp (record label) artists Musicians_from_Bristol