ŠKUC Buba and Kino Šiška presents: ANNA CALVI (singer-songwriter, alternative rock – UK) Hailed as “the best thing since Patti Smith” by Brian Eno, as well as being included on the BBC’s Sound of 2011 list, the hype surrounding London-born Anna Calvi came to fruition during late 2010. Gaining critical acclaim among music journalists, Calvi
ŠKUC Buba and Kino Šiška presents:
ANNA CALVI
(singer-songwriter, alternative rock – UK)
Hailed as “the best thing since Patti Smith” by Brian Eno, as well as being included on the BBC’s Sound of 2011 list, the hype surrounding London-born Anna Calvi came to fruition during late 2010. Gaining critical acclaim among music journalists, Calvi drew comparisons with the passionate and brooding musicianship of the likes of Nick Cave and PJ Harvey. The dense and rich musical influences that inhabit Calvi’s world are broad and distinctive strokes of sultry flamenco, smoke-filled blues, and seductive goth pop/rock. Adding to this tapestry of influences, Calvi has claimed to have been inspired by the films of David Lynch, Gus Van Sant, and Wong Kar Wai; the cinematic element to her music contributes a mysterious and unyielding undercurrent to her work.
Half Italian singer/guitarist Anna Calvi grew up being exposed to a multitude of genres of music by her music-loving father. According to the Suzanne and I Songfacts, she cites the classical composers Ravel and Debussy among her influences and her music has been described as “brooding melodramatic goth-pop.”
At the age of 17 and after eschewing art school in favor of a music degree, Calvi began to learn her trade and started to assemble musical partnerships. In 2006, she met percussionist and harmonium player Mally Harpaz and later recruited drummer Daniel Maiden-Wood. The release of her debut single, “Jezebel,” in the fall of 2010 was an electric cover version of the Edith Piaf standard.
Calvi entered Black Box studio in France with the much-lauded producer Rob Ellis to record her self-titled debut album in 2010. Using vintage analog equipment, Calvi created a velvet Wall of Sound that justified the hype in the buildup to its 2011 release. Following the release of her debut album, Calvi was inundated with award nominations for accolades such as Best British Breakthrough Act at the BRITS in 2012, and she was presented with the European Border Breakers alongside being invited to judge that year’s prestigious Mercury Prize. Toward the end of 2012 she lent her powerful voice to Noah and the Whale’s title track, “Heart of Nowhere,” between sessions for her second release, One Breath, which was issued on Oct. 7 2013.
INFLUENCES
Django Reinhardt, John McLaughlin, David Bowie, Nick Cave, Velvet Underground, Roy Orbison, Messiaen, Ravel, Debussy, Ennio Morricone.
