His 2022 album ‘Broadcast The Secret Verse’ released to a tidal wave of critical acclaim, with RnR calling it “a masterpiece – ★★★★” and Americana UK describing it as “One of the best albums of 2022 – 9/10”. Through this pronounced stylistic shift, Cleverley relaxed into a bold new artistic persona, capturing his myriad influences from Lo-fi Indie Folk, Electronic Synthwave, Ambient and Slowcore music.
Bio
“As surreal as Fforde. As loaded as Ballard”
Time passed and Time Passing
Chris Cleverley was born under a solstice moon, in the honeysuckle mysticism of a late 80s Midsummer. As his fledgling days unfurled, the symbolic sounds of ‘Hunky Dory’, ‘Gracelands’ and ‘Ladies of The Canyon’ echoed from the woodchip walls of the South Birmingham terrace where he was raised; quiet and curious, saturnine and shy.
Here, the soul of a young artist was shaped.
Fast-forward three decades; Four nationally acclaimed albums under his belt, and ringing endorsements from The Times, Telegraph and BBC6 Music. Cleverley’s boundary-shattering ‘Dream-Folk’ songwriting sits on the cutting edge of modern folk, exploring challenging contemporary themes from displaced people to the fragile beauty of our natural world.
A true guitar-man, his elaborate alternate tunings, percussive rhythms and ambient sound design flow beneath a visceral lyrical style inspired by the Lo-fi American Greats, Elliott Smith & Sufjan Stevens; a curious tapestry weaved from the hazy psychedelia of the 60s folk revival and the soulful oblivion of 90s Pacific Northwest.
From the fairy-light intimacy of concert venues, to the stages of world-renowned festivals, Chris has built a sturdy following in his 7 years touring the new British Folk Scene. With replenishing calm and warm humour, his one-man live show occupies the space between a concert performance and a yoga nidra meditation; Jarringly raw, hauntingly serene and effortlessly 21st Century.
Cleverley is a performer whose presence occupies the room effortlessly – taking his audiences on a journey deep into the self, unpicking how we as individuals relate to the increasingly beguiling world around us. Whether exploring forgotten feminist voices, pervasive artificial intelligence, anxious minds or simply voicing the screams of our deteriorating natural world, Cleverley’s music remains deeply affecting and highly relatable.
As a student of Nic Jones and Joni Mitchell records, Cleverley’s guitar playing is infused with the hazy, dreamlike essence of the 60s Folk Revival. Rich with lightning fast melody and dexterous percussive slap, his blistering yet delicate technique places him firmly amongst the standout musicians on the New British Folk Scene. His dynamic live performance, revered by audiences and musicians alike, has provoked the full spectrum of emotional response from pin-drop silence to standing ovation.
2019 saw the release of his landmark 2nd album ‘We Sat Back and Watched it Unfold’, under the helm of BBC Folk Award-winning producer Sam Kelly (Kitty Macfarlane, Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys). The album, described as “Genuinely Important” (RnR Magazine) garnered widespread praise from national folk press and BBC radio. With his characteristically unflinching songwriting, the 12 tracks confront some of the most beguiling challenges of our fragmented modern age. This was followed by 2021’s ‘Live From The Glass Isle’; a set of intimate acoustic recording, captured at the foot of Glastonbury Tor on the pagan festival of Lughnasadh.