Beth Jeans Houghton
| Du Blonde | |
|---|---|
 Beth Jeans Houghton & The Hooves Of Destiny performing at the Deaf Institute, Manchester, 2012. | |
| Background information | |
| Born |
c. 1990 (age 24–25) Newcastle Upon Tyne |
| Origin | Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England |
| Genres | Pop-folk,[1] Wonky pop, Psychedelic pop[2] Freak Folk[3] |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Labels | Mute, Static Caravan |
Beth Jeans Houghton is a singer, songwriter, musician and visual artist from Newcastle upon Tyne who plays her own music influenced by Psych, Rock, Punk, Blues, 70's Folk and soul. Her main instrument is electric guitar, however she also plays piano and bass.
Biography
Beth Jeans Houghton started writing songs in her teens. She first appeared in front of an audience in 2006 and issued her debut EP (a limited-edition 7”) on Bird Records in 2008. She then signed with Static Caravan Records, which released the single "Golden"/"Nightswimmer", produced by Adem, and her second EP, Hot Toast, Vol. 1 (produced by Mike Lindsay of the band 'Tunng'), both of which earned acclaim from the UK press. It was around this time that Houghton enlisted musicians Dav Shiel (drums), Edward Blazey (guitar, trumpet), Rory Gibson (Bass), Findlay McAskill (Violin) and Calum Howard (Keys), to play live and on her first full-length record. [4] Houghton signed in early 2011 with Mute Records, releasing her debut long-player in early 2012.[5] The album was recorded with Ben Hillier whose previous production credits include Blur, Depeche Mode and Elbow.[6]
The album Yours Truly, Cellophane Nose by Beth Jeans Houghton and the Hooves of Destiny, was released on 6 February 2012 and reached #83 in the UK Albums Chart.[7] Beth described writing the album in a recent interview: "I set out to make a record unaffected by outside opinions and I was happy to watch it grow in different directions. And yes, I am happy with the results; there is not a thing I would change."[8]
Houghton & The Hooves of Destiny toured the UK and Europe extensively during 2011 and 2012, appearing at multiple festivals including Glastonbury, The Great Escape, Latitude and Bestival. In April 2012, the band performed on 'Later... with Jools Holland' alongside Paul Weller and Willis Earl Beal.
In November 2012, Beth and her band flew to Los Angeles, California, to record their second album at 'The Boat' studio in Silverlake. However, after initial sessions going well, Beth became dissenchanted with the sound of the new album and the sessions were cancelled.
Houghton spent the next 9 months travelling around America, always returning to Los Angeles which had by this point become her spiritual home. During this time, Houghton reevaluated her musical direction, and continued to write.
Beth finally returned to the UK in September 2013 with the intention to begin the sessions for her second album, this time as a solo artist.
Style
Beth Jeans Houghton's first releases leaned more towards Psychedelic folk and soul, with elements of Blues, Punk and Psych Rock. However, the press's insistence on defining her as an 'anti-folk' artist, with comparisons to other female artists at the time, frustrated Houghton as she felt these comparisons bore no resemblance to her style and gave no credit to her real influences - music of the 60's and 70's, Garage, Punk, Classical, West Coast Psych etc.
Her artwork consists mostly of portraits, illustrations and paintings on canvas, but she tends to make use of whatever is at hand. Her style cannot be pinned down and she has displayed a love of realistic painting, comic book illustration, collage and sculpture.
She is a keen photographer, using both digital and film cameras. She also films and edits her own music videos using Adobe After Effects and Final Cut Pro.
Artists supported
- Adem[9]
- Bon Iver[9][10][11]
- Bowerbirds[10][11]
- Euros Childs[12]
- Fionn Regan[12][13]
- Imogen Heap[12][13]
- King Creosote[9][10][11]
- Mumford & Sons[11]
- Mystery Jets[12]
- Phosphorescent[11][14]
- Scott Matthews[13]
- St. Vincent[11]
- Stephen Fretwell[9]
- Tinariwen[9][10]
- Tunng[9][10]
- Cornershop[15]
Discography
Albums
- Yours Truly, Cellophane Nose (2012) #83 UK[7]
EPs
- EP – June 2008[16]
- Hot Toast Vol 1 – September 2009
Singles
- "Golden / Nightswimmer" – Static Caravan, 2009
- "Dodecahedron" – Mute, 2011
- "Sweet Tooth Bird" – Mute, 2012
- "Atlas" – Mute, 2012
References
- ↑ Tilden, Imogen (27 March 2009). "First Sight: Beth Jeans Houghton'". London: The Guardian.
- ↑ http://mute.com/beth-jeans-houghton/album-release-date
- ↑ MacKay, Emily (16 March 2012). "Beth Jeans Houghton - Freak folk's weird sister finally hits the charts". The Independent (London).
- ↑ Phares, Heather. "Beth Jeans Houghton". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-06-01.
- ↑ "Mute – Beth Jeans Houghton". Mute. 27 April 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ↑ "Wikipedia: Ben Hiilier".
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Yours Truly Cellophane Nose". www.chartstats.com. Retrieved 2011-06-01.
- ↑ "Beth Jeans Houghton Interview - 7Digital 2012".
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 "Beth Jeans Houghton". Woodwork Music. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Imogen Tilden (26 March 2009). "First sight: Beth Jeans Houghton". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 "Beth Jeans Houghton". The Daily Growl. 23 March 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 "Beth Jeans Houghton". The Crack. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 "Beth Jeans Houghton". Moseley Folk Festival. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
- ↑ Phil Alexander (1 June 2009). "Phosphorescent Burn Bright In London!". Mojo. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
- ↑ http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=59751370&blogId=515512534
- ↑ Anita Awbi (26 June 2008). "Beth Jeans Houghton: EP (Bird)". Music Week. Retrieved 12 July 2009.