Mercury Over Maps XII : Rotten Bliss / light.box / Maguire & Thompson. Saturday 14th March 19:30

Mercury Over Maps is an extended residency by Bill Thompson at Hundred Years Gallery featuring performances, installations and talks with various collaborators and guest artists.

light.box – trumpet, bass and live electronics
light.box is an improvising duo where dark ambient meets gestural improv, gritty noise corrupts epic electronica: the instrumental sources of Alex Bonney (trumpet) and Pierre Alexandre Tremblay (bass) are subverted by their expansive electronic processing, yielding experimental and exploratory sound worlds.
light-box.bandcamp.com

Rotten Bliss – ‘cello and live electronics
Rotten Bliss is the violent, warm and weird visions of London based avant-garde cellist and vocalist Jasmine Pender.

Equally inspired by the wild physicality of Jacqueline du Pre and the shrieking glory of a cello played through FX pedals, Rotten Bliss explores the outer limits of the electric cello, fearlessly clashing hauntology, minimalism and folk horror with noise and art rock. Using various extended techniques, an ever-expanding chain collection, toe-operated devices and hand-made FX, Jasmine commands the audience through an elemental voyage, summoning nihilistic sailors and amorous fishes with her “unsettling and beautiful vocals” (Misfit City).

Rotten Bliss has toured England, France, Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. She has appeared at international festivals including donnaufestival (Krems, Austria), Supersonic (Birmingham, UK) and Do Disturb (Palais de Tokyo, Paris). Rotten Bliss recently performed at the closing night of Mariainsel, an island built by artists for Austria’s 6th Wasser Biennale.

The first album by Rotten Bliss, The Nightwatchman Sings, was released in October 2017 on the Reverb Worship label; the second release, Is there Glass on Neptune, followed in early 2018 on a compilation produced by iconic New York independent freeform radio station WFMU. Jasmine is currently working on the second Rotten Bliss album, Throb. Jasmine also performs in 11th Hour Adventists (with Jowe Head, ex-Swell Maps) and in cello duo False Echo (with Tim Bowen, ex-Chrome Hoof).
For more information: rottenbliss.com

Phil Maguire – live electronics
Phil Maguire is an artist from Scotland working with sound. Utilising computers, synthesisers, and tape equipment, Maguire produces music and sound works that explore emptiness and malfunction, of self and of machine.

Works by Maguire are released on various independent labels. He also collaborates in projects with musicians including Anne La Berge, James L. Malone, Mark Lyken and Eleanor Cully.

Maguire runs verz, a tape label and concert series. He lives and works in London. Website: philmaguire.com

Bill Thompson – solo Moog guitar + detritus
Bill Thompson is a sound artist and composer. He performs as a soloist and with a number of groups including M/H/T with Jan Hendrickse and Tom Mudd, Airfield with choreographer Ian Spink, and in the past with Keith Rowe, Faust, EXAUDI and others.

Although originally trained as a guitarist, Thompson has worked with live electronics for the better part of 15 years. Since 2016/17, however, he has returned to guitar using one built by Moog combining built in electronics with miscellaneous table top devices, found objects, flashing lights, and the occasional vibrator.

He has earned numerous awards and commissions including the PRS for New Music ATOM award, the GAVAA visual arts award, a PRS for New Music Three Festival commission, the 2010 Aberdeen Visual Arts Award, and was nominated for the Paul Hamlyn Award in 2012.
For more information visit: billthompson.org

 

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