Goldheart Assembly
Encyclopedia
History
Goldheart Assembly formed in 2007, as a group of six musicians from various bands. They met at club nights, at Covent Garden’s Rock Garden, run by now-bandleaders James Dale and John Herbert. Slowly, after a period of “band hopping and stand ins,” a stable line-up became Goldheart Assembly, who bonded over a mutual love of The Beatles and named themselves after a Guided By Voices tune, Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory. Founding members James Dale and John Herbert often joke about how they met whilst working as zookeepers at Whipsnade Zoo.In 2009 they recorded a live session for Steve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq , sometimes known by his nicknames Lammo or "The Cat" is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio stations BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2.-Early career:He was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire...
on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, being the first unsigned band to do so "in years". In the same year, the band performed on the BBC Introducing Stage at the Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
, as well as a headline slot at the Camden Crawl and appearances at Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight Festival
The Isle of Wight Festival is a music festival which takes place every year on the Isle of Wight in England. It was originally held from 1968 to 1970. These original events were promoted and organised by the Foulk brothers under the banner of their company Fiery Creations Limited...
, Wychwood
Wychwood Festival
The Wychwood Festival is an annual music festival held at Cheltenham racecourse in Gloucestershire, UK, the weekend after the late May Bank Holiday...
, Middlesbrough Music Live
Middlesbrough Music Live
INTRO Festival is an annual music festival in England held across multiple stages in Middlesbrough town centre. It is run and organised by local promotions company Ten Feet Tall alongside the local council, and is highly regarded as hosting many bands who rose to fame shortly afterwards...
, Reading, Leeds and V festivals.
Goldheart Assembly’s debut single, a double A-side featuring the tracks So Long St. Christopher and Oh Really, was released on 15 June 2009 on the independent label Heron Recordings
Heron Recordings
Heron Recordings is an independent record label based in London, England. Bands on the label include The Beep Seals, Goldheart Assembly, Jennifer Gentle, The See See and Mossy Pine....
.
In late 2009 Goldheart Assembly signed to the independent UK label Fierce Panda Records
Fierce Panda Records
Fierce Panda Records is a London-based independent record label, with its first release in February 1994. It also produced a small number of releases that year by now famous artists such as Ash, The Bluetones, Baby Bird and Supergrass...
. Their debut album, Wolves and Thieves
Wolves and Thieves
Wolves and Thieves is the first studio album by Goldheart Assembly, released in 2010. The first single from the album was "King of Rome".-Track listing:# King of Rome # Anvil # Last Decade # Hope Hung High # So Long, St...
, was released to digital download on 8 March 2010, with CD release on 15 March. The majority of the album was recorded at Forncett Industrial Steam Museum in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, England, and several tracks feature the sound of live steam engines. The remaining tracks were recorded at Jools Holland
Jools Holland
Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...
's Helicon studios with British producer Laurie Latham
Laurie Latham
Laurie Latham is a British rock producer who worked with Glenn Tilbrook, Paul Young and others.He has produced albums by Echo & the Bunnymen, Squeeze and Slapp Happy.-Career:...
.
In June 2010 it was announced that guitarist Dominic Keshavarz had left the band.
It was announced in January 2011 that the band has started to produce a new LP.
Press
The band has recently picked up much favourable press, including a double-page article in NMENME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
magazine on 3 April 2010, and a feature in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
s First Sight column. Since its release, Wolves and Thieves
Wolves and Thieves
Wolves and Thieves is the first studio album by Goldheart Assembly, released in 2010. The first single from the album was "King of Rome".-Track listing:# King of Rome # Anvil # Last Decade # Hope Hung High # So Long, St...
has received universal acclaim from the music and UK national press, with positive reviews in publications including Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
, Uncut
UNCUT (magazine)
Uncut magazine, trademarked as UNCUT, is a monthly publication based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes film and books sections...
and NME magazines as well as The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
and The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
newspapers.
Style
Goldheart Assembly's sound has been described as organic and characterised by pastoral west-coast style vocal harmoniesVocal harmony
Vocal harmony is a style of vocal music in which a consonant note or notes are sung at the same time as a main melody in a predominantly homophonic texture. Vocal harmonies are used in many subgenres of European art music, including Classical choral music and opera and in the popular styles from...
. Taking an experimental approach to recording and songwriting, the band has been known to make use of unusual objects as musical instruments, such as metal radiator guards, doors and steam engines.
Members
Goldheart Assembly are:- James Dale: lead vocals, bass, Autoharp, misc.
- John Herbert: lead vocals, guitar, misc.
- Nicky Francis: drums, vocals, misc.
- Jake Bowser: instruments with keys, vocals, misc.
- Kyle Hall: guitar.
Previous members:
- Thomas Hastings: Portasound, ukulele, glockenspiel, vocals, misc.
- Dominic Keshavarz: guitar.
Discography
Albums:- Wolves and ThievesWolves and ThievesWolves and Thieves is the first studio album by Goldheart Assembly, released in 2010. The first single from the album was "King of Rome".-Track listing:# King of Rome # Anvil # Last Decade # Hope Hung High # So Long, St...
(March 2010) Fierce Panda RecordsFierce Panda RecordsFierce Panda Records is a London-based independent record label, with its first release in February 1994. It also produced a small number of releases that year by now famous artists such as Ash, The Bluetones, Baby Bird and Supergrass...
Singles:
- So Long St. Christopher / Oh Really (June 2009) Heron RecordingsHeron RecordingsHeron Recordings is an independent record label based in London, England. Bands on the label include The Beep Seals, Goldheart Assembly, Jennifer Gentle, The See See and Mossy Pine....
- King of Rome (March 2010) Fierce Panda RecordsFierce Panda RecordsFierce Panda Records is a London-based independent record label, with its first release in February 1994. It also produced a small number of releases that year by now famous artists such as Ash, The Bluetones, Baby Bird and Supergrass...
- Under The Waterway (May 2010) Fierce Panda RecordsFierce Panda RecordsFierce Panda Records is a London-based independent record label, with its first release in February 1994. It also produced a small number of releases that year by now famous artists such as Ash, The Bluetones, Baby Bird and Supergrass...
- Last Decade /Going Down Well (November 2010) Fierce Panda RecordsFierce Panda RecordsFierce Panda Records is a London-based independent record label, with its first release in February 1994. It also produced a small number of releases that year by now famous artists such as Ash, The Bluetones, Baby Bird and Supergrass...
- Harvest in the Snow (free download) (March 2011) Fierce Panda RecordsFierce Panda RecordsFierce Panda Records is a London-based independent record label, with its first release in February 1994. It also produced a small number of releases that year by now famous artists such as Ash, The Bluetones, Baby Bird and Supergrass...