On Friday night, Swedish duo Wildbirds & Peacedrums took part in A Ritual For Elephant & Castle, an event held at the Coronet Theatre, in the heart of Elephant & Castle, which also featured sets by Septic Heart and Chrome Hoof. For the occasion, Mariam Wallentin and Andreas Werliin invited amateur percussionists and drummers to join them for a one-off performance.

In just two albums, the brilliant debut Heatcore and its follow up, The Snake, published in as many years, vocalist Mariam Wallentin and drummer and percussionist Andreas Werliin, who are also a couple, have established their particular blend of primeval avant-pop based on Wallentin’s wonderfully warm and colourful vocal tones and Werliin’s omnipresent drumming, occasionally reminiscent of The Creatures. Their live sets have long gathered praises all over Europe, not only on the traditional rock circuit, but also in jazz circles. Continue Reading »

WILDBIRDS & PEACEDRUMS
The Snake
BAY65
The Leaf Label 2009
10 Tracks. 42mins59secs

Buy: CD | LP

A year ago, the excellent Leaf Label delivered Heatcore, the debut album by Wildbirds & Peacedrums, a Swedish duo formed of husband and wife Andreas Werliin (drums/percussions) and Mariam Wallentin (voice). The album, originally released a year before in their homeland, had been gathering considerable praises in the whole of Scandinavia, resulting in the pair pocketing the prestigious Jazz In Sweden 2008 prize, a considerable honour for a band evolving outside of the jazz canon. In addition, the pair’s deeply organic and incendiary live shows helped established them as one of the hottest acts to have emerged from Sweden in a while.

The Snake, recorded in Gothenburg and originally released in Sweden a year ago, sees Wallentin and Werliin considerably developing the scope of their collaboration. Continue Reading »

Swedish vocal and drums outfit Wildbirds Peacedrums, whose debut album album, Heatcore, was released last year on Leaf, are now set to release it’s follow up, The Snake, on 13 April, once again on Leaf.

The Snake was originaly published in the band’s native land last year. Recorded in live conditions in Gothenburg, Sweden, the album is said to expand on the band’s original sound by introducing steel drums, piano, xylophone and marimba.

Wildbirds & Peacedrums are set to return to the UK for a string of live dates to coincide with the album release. Dates as follow:

1/04: Brighton
2/04: Norwich
3/04: Bristol
4/04: Sheffield
5/04: Glasgow
6/04: Manchester
7/04: London

Wildbirds & Peacedrums | The Leaf Label

Swedish duo Wildbirds & Peacedrums are set to return to the UK for a few festival performances this summer and later this September for a string of live dates. The pair will appear at the Wireless festival in London on Sunday 6 July on the Bella Union stage, then at the sixth edition of the Green Man Festival on Sunday 17 August.

Wildbirds & Peacedrums will then embark on a series of live dates across the UK and Ireland. Here is the list of confirmed dates:

8/09: Manchester
9/09: Belfast
10/09: Dublin
11/09: Leeds
12/09: Nottingham
13/09: Bristol
14/09: Larmer Tree Gardens, Dorset – End of the Road Festival
15/09: London
16/09: Brighton

Wildbirds & Peacedrums | The Leaf Label

Swedish ensemble Mariam Wallentin and Andreas Werliin, whose debut album, Heatcore, was recently released outside of their homeland by Leaf, graced Kilburn’s Luminaire for a somewhat short but perfectly formed headlining set.

First to take to the stage was London-based Banjo Or Freakout, who has gained a bit of a reputation in recent months with the tracks posted on the act’s MySpace page and was featured on Drowned In Sound’s artists to look out for. Continue Reading »

WILDBIRD & PEACEDRUMS
Heartcore
BAY61CD
Found You Recordings/The Leaf Label 2008
12 Tracks. 40mins50secs

Like a less exuberant Creatures, singer Mariam Wallentin and drummer Andreas Werliin piece together a surprisingly compelling collection of visceral vocal-and-percussion-based songs which find their feet somewhere between free jazz, afro beat and Nordic tribal tradition.

Formed in 2004 after Mariam and Andreas met at the Academy of Music and Drama in Gothemberg, Wildbirds & Peacedrums began performing live a year later, and, after publishing two limited edition CDR albums, started working on Heatcore in 2006, using a mobile studio, which allowed them to record in a variety of locations and use a wide range of sonorities to support their rudimentary formation. The album was originally published last year on Swedish label Found You Recordings, and now finally gets a well deserved worldwide release, just as they are gearing up for the release of their sophomore effort, The Snake, in their native land. Continue Reading »