Cate Le Bon: British Music Abroad
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SXSW 2010
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Cate Le Bon currently resides in Cardiff’s infamous French quarter and befitting a songwriter who only writes in the dark, her music is a heady and highly personal Gallic stew of equal parts Nico, Malkmus and the chronicler’s own emotional observations on the impossibility of existence.
Disheartened by the constant stream of dead animals she found herself burying in her parents farm in Penboyr, West Wales, and inspired by her father’s impeccable record collection (The Velvets, Neil Young, Pavement et al) Cate packed her things and begrudgingly set sail for the neon lights and ample rehearsal space available in her country’s capital.
Following a string of club night shows in the city, Cate caught the attention of SFA front man Gruff Rhys who over a cigarette and a glass of brandy offered her some support slots with his band. Cate continued to gig extensively in the UK releasing singles and a Welsh language EP (‘Edrych Yn Llygaid Ceffyl Benthyg’) on the Indie Record label Peski. Knowing that there’s never too much of a good thing, Rhys roped Cate into his hip hop exchange program Neon Neon. What began as a guest vocal appearance on their debut single I Lust You, resulted in a year of touring the world as part of their band.
During a month’s break from the road Cate recorded her debut full length album ‘Me Oh My’ to rapturous critical acclaim. On the back the album’s US release in April 2010, Cate completed a two month tour stretching from SXSW in Texas to Café Hotel in Los Angeles. Cate returned for the British festival season, seeing out the summer at Glastonbury, The Great Escape and Field Day to name a few.
At the dawn of 2011, Cate re-entered the studio to start work on a new record. Drawing on her experiences of the last year, Cate has created collection of pop nuggets that sound like they’ve fallen off the back of a broken carousel, imbued with the playfulness of Faust and Syd Barrett and the tropical melodies of Os Mutantes. The new album, CYRK, is due for release at the dawn of 2012.