Taken from the Mediaeval Baebes recent eleventh studio album MydWynter, we’re delighted to be able to premiere the new video for the beautiful ‘Carol Of The Bells’ right here today on Backseat Mafia.
The album itself is a darker reminder of the pre-Christian original of the Winter Festival, all the tracks are produced and arranged by Queen Bæbe Katharine Blake, previously founder of the recently revived Miranda Sex Garden, MydWynter – and yes, the title is a gentle nod to Ari Aster’s unsettling pagan horror movie Midsomma.
Of the track, Katherine exclusively told us “Christmas is going spooky this year! This arrangement of Carol of the Bells, originally a Ukrainaian folk melody, is inspired by Danny Elfman’s writing style, particularly the soundtrack to Tim Burton’s ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’. The video was filmed in two different cemeteries, as befits the eerie atmosphere of the music. The legendary Highgate cemetery provides one location, and the lesser known, and more overgrown Abney Park Cemetery in Stoke Newington is also featured, a venue which we broke into, gorillas style, in the very early days of the band, to perform a candle-lit concert amongst the dead.”
As ever, the Baebes do a fine line in the beautiful yet mysterious, authentic yet gothic, subtle yet (in this case at least) festive singing and playing, with recorders and lutes (I think!) and a variety of percussion the order of the day, and while most of the Baebes sing the traditional Carol, so Katherine gives us something new and rather wonderful over the top.
Check it, and the brilliant pagan inspired video, here
Catch the Baebes on their supporting tour
December 2022
4th Cardiff, Acapela Studio
6th Milton Keynes, The Stables
7th Bolton, Bolton Parish Church of St Peter
8th Leeds, Leeds Minster
9th Stoke On Trent, Stoke Minster
10th Newcastle, The Cathedral Church of St Nicholas
11th King’s Lynn, St Nicholas’ Chapel
15th Truro, Truro Cathedral
16th Chagford, St Michael’s Church
17th Glastonbury, St John The Baptist Church
18th Sandwich, St Mary’s Art Centre
19th Colchester, Colchester Arts Centre
20th Horsham, St Mary’s Church
21st London, Heath Street Baptist Church, NW3
Tickets online at mediaevalbaebes.com/live
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