About The Red Barn
Marcella Puppini and Katharine Blake formidably join forces to create a macabre supergroup where tales of obsessive love are riddled with murder, betrayal and necromancy.
The genre of dark country is explored through traditional arrangements and original songs as these queens of vocal harmony weave their storytelling magic.
Katharine Blake, musical director and composer of Mediaeval Baebes and lead singer and songwriter of Miranda Sex Garden, has previously delved into this world as a guest vocalist on Nick Cave’s ‘Murder Ballads’ album as the voice of the ‘Lovely Creature’. Her work with Mediaeval Baebes has spanned nearly 3 decades where she has enjoyed a no.1 and no.2 classical album, an Ivor Novello award and a double Emmy nomination. Her first band, the recently revived Miranda Sex Garden have achieved cult status as a uniquely avant-garde goth rock band.
Marcella Puppini is the founder and creative director of the platinum-selling vocal harmony group The Puppini Sisters and a resident DJ at Torture Garden, with an illustrious career as a designer with Vivienne Westwood in the late ‘90s, as founder and composer of Weimar-Punk Orchestra Marcella and The Forget Me Nots, and as the only female guest conductor of the prestigious Russian jazz band The George Garanian Big Band.
About The Urban Voodoo Machine
Led by the darkly charismatic, Norwegian-born Paul-Ronney Angel, The Urban Voodoo Machine is a supremely talented collective of London-based musicians who have been bringing the spirit of the carnie to an ever-growing audience of dedicated fans these past few years.
Sounding like they should be from the Deep South, the band are self-styled purveyors of 'Bourbon-soaked Gypsy Blues Bop'n'stroll'.
We know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking: “Why should I care about The Urban Voodoo Machine? They’ve been around for ages, haven’t they? Aren’t they a novelty band who wears funny make-up? Don’t they sometimes play jazz? Aren’t half of them dead or something?”
So bear with us, sunshine, cos you clearly need educating.
The Urban Voodoo Machine came to him in 2002 as a fully-formed idea. He’d lead a band who’d play ‘Bourbon Soaked Gypsy Blues Bop’n’Stroll’. They’d dress in black and red. There would be a LOT of them. And their music would sound like a great night out in a dangerous part of town.
From the get-go, The UVM fused junkyard blues and stinging rockabilly with mariachi horns, fiddles, sinister cabaret and punk rock tangos. “I wanted to play rock’n’roll music with a different instrumentation,” says Angel, “taking inspiration from everything from delta blues, latin and gypsy music without losing the spirit and attitude of punk.”
His lyrics – part Lemmy, part Bob Dylan – made other (more acclaimed) songwriters sound totally. Fucking. Boring.
“We’re not Americana and we're definitely not ‘retro’,” says Angel. “I write songs about living in London right now. Although having a shit time, no money, heartbreak, mental illness, addiction and suppression from the big guy is kinda universal and timeless, I guess…”
“Yeah-yeah-yeah,” you’re thinking, “but can they cut it live?”
Well, there’s a reason why they’ve played Glastonbury, Download, Latitude, Bestival, Hard Rock Calling and toured with The Pogues and New York Dolls.
With an act honed alongside the burlesque dancers, snake-charmers and fire-eaters they call friends, The UVM have become one of the greatest live acts in the country – terrifyingly bizarre, hysterically funny; a riot for the eyes and sensation for the ears: a sing-a-long, drink-a-long, clap-a-long affair.
WSW are incredibly proud to bring this supergroup The Red Barn comprising of internationally renowned musicians in Marcella and Katharine, and the astonishing Urban Voodoo Machine and their wealth of musical experience will undoubtedly create an unforgettable evening in Whitby.
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