Ruby Throat is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

neofolk Neofolk, also known as apocalyptic folk, is a form of experimental music blending elements of folk and industrial music, which emerged in punk rock circles in the 1980s. Neofolk may either be solely acoustic or combine acoustic folk instrumenta ...

musical

duo Duo may refer to: Places *Duo, West Virginia, an unincorporated community and coal town in Greenbrier County, West Virginia *Duo, Tampere, a shopping centre in Hervanta, Tampere, Finland * DUO, a twin-tower development in Singapore Arts, enterta ...

formed in 2007 by English vocalist

KatieJane Garside Katrina Jane Garside (born 8 July 1968) is an English singer, songwriter, visual artist, and poet. She is known for her dynamic musical projects, which have ranged in style from noise rock to acoustic folk-influenced, and featured vocals ranging ...

and American guitarist Chris Whittingham. The duo were formed during the dissolution of Garside's former band,

Queenadreena Queenadreena was an British rock music, English alternative rock band that formed in London, England in 1999 by vocalist KatieJane Garside and guitarist Crispin Gray, who had previously collaborated in the celebrated but short-lived band Daisy ...

, and have recorded four studio albums. In 2020, Garside and Whittingham released music together under the name "Liar, Flower".

History

Ruby Throat formed in 2007 during the time in which KatieJane Garside's band

was in stages of dissolution. Garside met Whittingham, an American from

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

while he was

busking Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...

at a train platform in the

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...

, and asked him to collaborate with her on a musical project. Known for the hard-edged musical aesthetic of Garside's former bands

Daisy Chainsaw Daisy Chainsaw were an English rock group who were active between 1989 and 1994 started by guitarist and songwriter Crispin Gray. The group's original lead vocalist KatieJane Garside appeared on the band's early EPs and 1992 debut album, '' E ...

and Queenadreena, Garside sought a stripped down, folk-oriented sound when forming Ruby Throat, with many of the duo's songs being based around acoustic guitar, and evoking a

folk noir Neofolk, also known as apocalyptic folk, is a form of experimental music blending elements of folk and industrial music, which emerged in punk rock circles in the 1980s. Neofolk may either be solely acoustic or combine acoustic folk instrumen ...

sound. The duo's first release was '' The Ventriloquist'' (2007). The album was well-received, and critics drew comparisons to the work of

PJ Harvey Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments. Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined loca ...

and others. ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' said of the album: "Garside’s breathy, nearly childlike voice is the dominant element of The Ventriloquist, gentle acoustic guitars and lap steels setting the stage for her voice. Despite the somber lyrical themes, this is a clear heir to the lineage of ethereal makeout albums like those from

Mazzy Star Mazzy Star is an American alternative rock band formed in 1988 in Santa Monica, California, from remnants of the group Opal. Founding member David Roback's friend Hope Sandoval became the group's vocalist when Kendra Smith left Opal. Mazzy Star ...

and the

Cocteau Twins Cocteau Twins was a Scottish rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981 and replacing Heggie with multi-instrum ...

." This was followed by a ''Tour EP'' and ''Out of a Black Cloud Came a Bird'' (2009), their second studio album, which featured a cover of "Nothing" by

Townes Van Zandt John Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997) was an American singer-songwriter.

. To promote the record, the duo embarked on their first tour of the United States, performing shows in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, and

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

. In 2012, they released their third studio album, ''O' Doubt O' Stars'', which was written and recorded while the duo were sailing on the

Lea River The River Lea is a steep continuous river located in the north-western region of Tasmania, Australia. The river has an average gradient of and a peak grade of that flows from Lake Lea to Lake Gairdner (Tasmania), Lake Gairdner. The river fl ...

and North London waterways. ''PopMatters'' said of the album: "Beginning with the quietly devastating epic “Stone Dress”, it's clear that ''O’ Doubt O’ Stars'' is aiming for something uncompromising and original. The fact that it succeeds in accomplishing this as much as it does is no small feat and makes it worthy of any accolades it will (and should) receive." Each of the group's releases have receive hand-crafted packaging, artwork, and sometimes personal handwritten lyrics and other accompaniments from Garside. Garside and partner Whittingham spent 2012 living on their yacht, Iona. In 2014 they released a new song, a cover of "Secret Fires" by

The Gun Club The Gun Club were an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States, which existed from 1979 to 1996. It was formed and led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Jeffrey Lee Pierce. History Early days (1979–1980) The Gun Club w ...

, which appeared on the third

Jeffrey Lee Pierce Jeffrey Lee Pierce (June 27, 1958 – March 31, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and author. He was one of the founding members of the band The Gun Club, and released material as a solo artist. Biography Early life Pierce ...

Sessions compilation ''Axels & Sockets''. It was announced on 1 August 2014 that Ruby Throat's fourth album would be called ''Baby Darling Toporo'', eventually released in 2017. Ruby Throat released ''Stone Dress'' in 2018, a compilation of some of the band's favorite tracks from the last 4 albums along with a bonus CD titled ''Liar, Flower''. The duo went on to release the 2020 album ''

Geiger Counter A Geiger counter (also known as a Geiger–Müller counter) is an electronic instrument used for detecting and measuring ionizing radiation. It is widely used in applications such as radiation dosimetry, radiological protection, experimental ph ...

'' under the new moniker Liar, Flower.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Compilation albums

Singles

Members

- vocals *Chris Whittingham -

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

lap steel guitar The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap. Unlike the usual manner of playing a traditional ...

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in ...

References

{{KatieJane Garside English alternative rock groups English folk musical groups English musical duos Freak folk Musical groups established in 2007 Musical groups from London Folk music duos