Clayhill was a British three-piece folk band comprising
Ali Friend,
Ted Barnes
Clayhill was a British three-piece folk band comprising Ali Friend, Ted Barnes and vocalist Gavin Clark. They released their debut album ''Small Circle'' in 2004, and released two EPs and another LP, ''Mine at Last'' (2006). Throughout the summe ...
and vocalist
Gavin Clark. They released their debut album ''Small Circle'' in 2004, and released two EPs and another LP, ''Mine at Last'' (2006). Throughout the summer of 2006 they toured with
Mercury Music Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual Music award, music prize awarded for the best album released by a musical act from the Music of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom or Music of Ireland, Ireland. It was cre ...
winners
Gomez and
Beth Orton
Elizabeth Caroline Orton (born 14 December 1970) is an English musician known for her "folktronica" sound, which mixes elements of folk and electronica. She was initially recognised for her collaborations with William Orbit, Andrew Weatherall ...
, as the support act on both her UK and US tours to promote ''
Comfort of Strangers
''Comfort of Strangers'' is the fifth studio album by English singer-songwriter Beth Orton. The album was recorded in just two weeks at New York's Sear Sound studio in the spring of 2005, with musician and composer Jim O'Rourke (musician), Jim ...
''.
In 2004, they appeared in the special Christmas concert at the
Queen Elizabeth Hall
The Queen Elizabeth Hall (QEH) is a music venue on the South Bank in London, England, that hosts European classical music, classical, jazz, and avant-garde music, talks and dance performances. It was opened in 1967, with a concert conducted by ...
in London as one of
Aqualung's special guests. In the same year their song "Afterlight" was used in the soundtrack of acclaimed
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 inc ...
thriller ''
Dead Man's Shoes''. Their cover of
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (musician), Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwrit ...
's "
Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want
"Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" is a song by the English rock band the Smiths. It was released on the B-side of the single " William, It Was Really Nothing" in 1984 and later featured on the compilation albums ''Hatful of Hollow'' ...
" is featured on ''
This Is England
''This Is England'' is a 2006 British coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Shane Meadows. Its plot centres on young skinheads in England in 1983, illustrating how their subculture became influenced by far-right politics. The f ...
'', also directed by Meadows.
Gavin Clark, lead singer of Clayhill, is featured on four albums by
UNKLE
Unkle (often stylised as U.N.K.L.E. or UNKLE, occasionally known as UNKLE Sounds) is a British musical outfit founded in 1992 by James Lavelle. Originally categorised as trip hop, the group once included producer DJ Shadow and have employed a ...
: ''
War Stories'', ''
End Titles... Stories for Film'', ''
Where Did the Night Fall
''Where Did the Night Fall'' is the fourth studio album from British electronic music act Unkle, released on .
Background
As a documentation of the work on the album, on 13 April 2009, James Lavelle, Unkle's mastermind, started an official "UN ...
'' and ''
Another Night Out''. He sings the track "Keys to the Kingdom", "Broken" and several on ''End Titles... Stories for Film''. He was formerly in the band
Sunhouse whose music features in Shane Meadows's ''
Twenty Four Seven''.
In 2005, Clayhill recorded a version of
Tim Buckley
Timothy Charles Buckley III (February 14, 1947 – June 29, 1975) was an American musician. He began his career based in folk rock, but subsequently experimented with genres such as psychedelia, jazz, the avant-garde, and funk paired with his ...
's "The River" for the tribute album ''
Dream Brother: The Songs of Tim and Jeff Buckley''.
Barnes and Clark provided the original music for another Shane Meadows movie, ''
Somers Town'' (2008). Tracks by Clayhill and by Clark (co-written with
Nick Hemming
Nicholas Hemming is an English musician and guitarist. He was formerly of the early 1990s indie band She Talks to Angels, is a key musician in the Willkommen Collective, and is currently the lead singer for The Leisure Society. Hemming als ...
) also appeared in Meadows's 2009 film, the mockumentary ''
Le Donk & Scor-zay-zee
''Le Donk & Scor-zay-zee'' is a 2009 British mock musical documentary film written and directed by Shane Meadows. It follows the fictional character of Le Donk, played by Paddy Considine, a roadie working for Arctic Monkeys, and Scorzayzee, a ...
''.
During a 5 September 2009 concert at the King's Place Music Festival, the band announced that the performance would be their last.
Gavin Clark died on 16 February 2015.
Discography
* ''Cuban Green'' EP (2004)
* ''Small Circle'' (2004)
* ''Acoustic'' (2005)
* ''Mine at Last'' (2006)
* ''Afterlight'' (2007)
See also
*
Red Snapper, of which Ali Friend was also a member
References
External links
''This Is England'' official site
{{Authority control
English folk musical groups