Every now and again we try and bring you the finer things in life. Sure, there's loads of indie, goth, electro and Viking death metal to talk about but what about music on the more classical end of the spectrum? Portico Quartet are currently touring their "inimitable" sound with Basquiat Strings and will headline a gig at the Union Chapel this Friday. We'll be there but we're not sure what to expect. They have an instrument called a "hang" which looks a bit like 2 tortoises stuck together. We like what we hear though and, man, it'll sound amazing in the Chapel. So we had a chat with them in transit via the magic of email.
Who's who in the Quartet?
Well Duncan plays drums, Nick plays hang, Jack plays sax and Milo plays bass
Whereabouts in London are you based and what's ace about it?
We live together in a house between Brixton and Clapham... erm, there's the best bakery in all of London just round the corner called the Old Post Office Bakery and a lovely pub with a theatre called The Landor.
What are you up to at the moment?
Sitting in a hotel in Newcastle after playing the Sage Gateshead last night, and were off to go see Hadrians Wall on the way up to Edinburgh for another gig tonight.
What do you sound like?
Modern classical meets contemporary jazz meets other stuff along the way
What's your favourite London venue?
We do love the Southbank Centre in its entirety.
Can you think of an unusual London location that you would like to play?
The whispering gallery in St.Pauls Cathedral.
What's your favourite record shop in London?
Ray's Jazz on Charing Cross Road.
What's your favourite song/album so far this year?
I dont know about stuff thats come out in 2008 but recent stuff is albums by Feist, Bela Fleck and Evelyn Glennie, Ben Allison (man size safe).
What other new London bands / artists should we be checking out?
Basquiat Strings, Polar Bear poet... too much!
Where can we see you playing next?
The Union Chapel this Friday but it's sold out! So probably at the Ritzy Cinema Cafe in Brixton. (Ed - we'll be there, reporting back!)
What's your London secret?
Candid Cafe in Angel. although that's probably not much of a secret.
Check Portico Quartet's MySpace page for more dates & info. More on Basquiat Strings here and look out for our review of the gig over the weekend.
