Melting Vinyl: Bringing the cream of live music to Brighton.

An artist, turning the notion of acoustic singer-songwriter on its head.

Melting Vinyl are pleased to announce that Nick Mulvey will be playing the Komedia this autumn.

After leaving the Mercury-nominated Portico Quartet – which has influenced the likes of Alt-J – in 2010, Mulvey found a new solo acoustic freedom but did not rush into it. He released The Fever To The Form EP through Communion in Spring 2013 which was a long time in the making. For the first six months of his solo “career”, he deliberately made no contact with the music industry. “All I wanted to do was play my instrument every day, to be in a room on my own and study my heroes.” He’s hit the road hard, touring in support of Laura Marling, Laura Mvula, and Lianne La Havas.

Whilst the sparse, cleansed beauty of Nick Drake’s music can be heard (“He’s the main dude for me. It’s a reductionist thing, this boiled down music”), there’s a distinct sense of adventure more akin to the likes of Steve Reich, and even the guitar-picking intricacies of John Martyn that sits alot closer to his sound. It’s difficult to pinpoint but enriching to listen to. Mulvey listened over and over to songs such as Lennon’s Jealous Guy and Prince’s When Doves Cry, pulling them apart to understand their intricacies.

Following quality studio time with the likes of producers Dan Carey (Bat For Lashes) and indeed Alt-J favourite Charlie Andrew, Mulvey followed his single, Fever To The Form, with the jaunty, bass-heavy groove of Nitrous in September, and has just released his debut album First Mind, playlisted on BBC 6 music. It is a record that turns the notion of an acoustic singer-songwriter on its head, a lilting beast of a collection, loaded with influences and sounds from across the globe. It sounds fresh and it sounds alive.

“First Mind is captivating, full of intricacies and influences that should see it celebrated as one of the great albums of 2014.” – Clash Music ****