"Psychedelic delight that will bring you to a state of bliss or trigger flashbacks to brilliant musical offerings of yesteryear... Superb musical mastery, fascinating dynamics and professionalism in production" ~ Big Takeover Magazine
"Pleading, swirling Powerpop that clearly references the heroic Pop of the 80’s with a contemporary bent' ~ Fresh On The Net
"A ridiculously talented duo... sublime" ~ Egg Box Essentials
"This group is fantastic, creating a landscape of sonic adrenaline-powered dream-rock bliss... somewhere between Ride’s Carnival of Light, Kula Shaker and Ocean Colour Scene. Somewhere we’re happy to be taken" ~ The Record Stache
Britain's The Gorstey Lea Street Choir present 'That Chitty Bang Majik', a propulsive upbeat brass laden indie pop track that builds to a crescendo of question and answer vocals, it's main lyrical themes being isolation, lack of communication, escapism and 'Carpe Diem frustration.
This is the second taster from their forthcoming 8-track album '...from Prince's Park to Farsley - Volume I', to be released via Britain's 500 Broadcast Recording Co. This single follows up the release of lead track 'Bluebird, Hollywood... Domino'.
The Gorstey Lea Street Choir are Michael Clapham and Russ Phillips, two friends whose musical collaboration is rooted in a friendship that blossomed over 35 years ago. Having met as teenagers in the mid-'80s, it took until 2016 for them to turn their teenage plans — discussed back when both were involved in aspiring Manchester bands — into a reality with the birth of this project.
Recorded at the Gorstey Shack (Russ’s converted garage) and Magic Garden Studios in Wolverhampton with producer Gavin Monaghan (Robert Plant, Editors, Ocean Colour Scene, Scott Matthews, Squeeze, Goldblade), 'That Chitty Bang Majik' was mixed by legendary producer George Shilling (Blur, Primal Scream, Cathal Coughlan, Teenage Fanclub, Mike Oldfield) and mastered by Ride frontman / producer Mark Gardener at his OX4 Sound Studio in Oxford.
"The song came about last January after a Christmas repeat that we had both watched of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' Michael stated, 'we love the film and the soundtrack and we started discussing 'the flying car'' and before you know it '...that Chitty Bang Magic' was born," says Russ Phillips.
"This song represents the poppier side of our indie credentials whilst still retaining our core vibe, 12 string guitars chime alongside brass punctuations and Moog synths, with the two vocal Gorstey chant upfront, telling the story of the track. We are really looking forward to folks hearing the rest of the LP in early July when it arrives, the 4 new tracks and the 4 re-imaginations of 'Extended Play One' tracks by Choque from Black Star Liner," says Michael Clapham.
Based in the former Staffordshire mining town of Burntwood, their music runs with the moods, widely described as dystopian, electric, hopeful, hopeless and thoughtful... The sort of sounds Henry Spencer would have played if he had a Sony Walkman.
‘…from Prince’s Park to Farsley - Volume I’ is the follow up to the duo's ‘extended play one’ album, which was released in December 2020 and received support from BBC 6 Music, BBC Introducing, Amazing Radio, and a whole host of DAB and worldwide radio stations.
In 2018, Russ and Michael entered Wolverhampton's Magic Garden studios to work with old friend and producer legend Gavin Monaghan, resulting in their debut single 'The British Isles' featuring an inspired spoken-word intro from Joe Strummer. Chris Hawkins from BBC Radio 6 Music picked up on the track, kicking things off again after a 35-year hiatus.
As of June 22, 'That Chitty Bang Majik' will be available everywhere digitally, including Apple Music and Spotify. The '...from Prince's Park to Farsley - Volume I' LP, set for release on July 9, can be pre-ordered via Bandcamp.
CREDITS
Written and arranged by Michael Clapham and Russ Phillips
Performed by The Gorstey Lea Street Choir
Recorded at the Gorstey Shack and Magic Garden Studios with Gavin Monaghan
Mixed by George Shilling
Mastered by Mark Gardener at his OX4 Sound studio in Oxford
Video edited by Michael with original drawings and cartoons from Russ.
The #carshare footage is one take with a wink and a nod to #PeterKay #carshare and #JamesCorden #carpoolkaraoke @JKCorden @peterkay_co_uk
Keep up with The Gorstey Lea Street Choir
Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Twitter | Soundcloud | YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify | Booking | Press contact