MUSIC | WANDERING WIRES
John performs, composes, arranges, records and produces with Wandering Wires.
A searing mix of jazz, soul, Brazilian and electronic sounds, Wandering Wires are establishing themselves as one of the most exciting bands emerging from the UK jazz scene. The Oxford-based quartet are enchanting audiences up and down the country with their fresh approach to song-writing, with grooves and electronics inspired by the likes of Jordan Rakei and Floating Points, combined with vocals reminiscent of Gretchen Parlato and Nai Palm.
Formed at Oxford University, Wandering Wires have supported the likes of The Comet is Coming and Flamingods.
They have performed twice at the Vortex Jazz Club and twice at the Pizza Express Jazz Club Dean Street, having sold out all their shows, and made their debut at Green Man, BBC Big Feastival and 42 degrees festivals over the summer of 2021, They have appeared with QM Records (Brighton) and Sofar Sounds (London) as well as on line ups at Truck and Are You Listening’ Festivals.
After an experimental debut EP, ‘Departures,’ the group’s debut album, ‘Homecoming’ was released in 2018. It has since been featured regularly on BBC Introducing and was described as ‘genre-fluid treat’ by Nightshift Magazine.
Wandering Wires are Olivia Williams (vocals), John Young (keys) Joe Bradley (bass) and Tim Davies (drums). Having met whilst studying at Oxford University, they between them hold degrees in French and Portuguese, Philosophy, Politics and Economics, Music and Physics – widely contrasting backgrounds that play a large part in the group’s multi-faceted approach to jazz.
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QUEEN OF THE NIGHT
Our latest single is available to stream and purchase on all major platforms now.
Released Feb 21, 2020
Wandering Wires are:
John Young, Olivia Williams, Tim Davies, Joe Bradley
John Young - Piano, Fender Rhodes, Keyboards, Arrangements
Olivia Williams - Vocals
Tim Davies - Drums, Percussion
Joe Bradley - Bass
Harry Greene - Tenor and Alto Saxophones
Nick Budd - Trumpet
Felix Fardell - Trombone
All tracks written and produced by Wandering Wires
Recorded and mixed by Tim Davies
Mastered by Dick Beetham at 360 Mastering
Artwork by Alex Christian (Bal)
© All rights reserved
MOVING ON
Filmed and edited by Toby Elwes
Recorded and mixed by Tim Davies
Mastered by Dick Beetham at 360 Mastering
Wandering Wires are: Olivia Williams - Vocals; John Young - Piano; Joseph Bradley - Bass; Tim Davies - Drums
HOMECOMING
Entirely self-written, recorded and produced, with mastering by Dick Beetham, the engineer behind Jordan Rakei and Alt-J, Homecoming brings out the best in the band’s music: demanding yet intimate, exciting but emotional, the album is about love, distance, and change, with lyrics in Portuguese, daring time signatures, and an orchestra’s worth of instruments, all merged into a sound world like no other.
Homecoming is available to stream and purchase on all major platforms now.
Released March 3, 2018
Wandering Wires are:
Olivia Williams, Tim Davies, John Young, Joe Bradley, Ben Clapin
Olivia Williams - Vocals, Flute
Tim Davies - Drums, Percussion, Trumpet, Flugelhorn
John Young - Piano, Fender Rhodes, Keyboards, Violin, Arrangements
Joe Bradley - Bass, Extra Vocals
Ben Clapin - Saxophone
James Graham - Trombone
Nell Norman - Violin
Sydney Gagliano - Viola
Georgina Lloyd-Owen - Cello
Max Kiener - Guitar
All tracks written and produced by Wandering Wires
Recorded and mixed by Tim Davies
Mastered by Dick Beetham at 360 Mastering
Artwork by Josie Perry
With special thanks to:
Oxford University Faculty of Music, especially Chris Pidgeon, Liz Green and Dan Hulme; Kipper Eldridge, Alex Hehir, Dick Beetham; Kevin and Emma Davies and all our families, for their endless support and encouragement; Steven Bradley, for the loan of his Fender Rhodes; Oriel College Senior Library for the use of their piano, and Brasenose College for their generous support.
© All rights reserved
DEPARTURES
An album inspired by leaving somewhere, someone or something.
Released October 22, 2016
All songs written and performed by Wandering Wires
Produced by Tim Davies and John Young
Drums on 'What I Feel', 'Boarding Alone', 'To Those High Places', 'Without You' and acoustic bass on 'Boarding Alone' recorded by Nick Moorbath at Evolution Studios, Oxford.
Mixed and Mastered by Tim Davies
Artwork by Stephanie Young
Cover Design by Tim Davies
© All rights reserved
REVIEW BY NIGHTSHIFT MAGAZINE (January 2017)
If writing about music is indeed like dancing about architecture, then Wandering Wires are well placed to provide an appropriate soundtrack to such an abstract concept.
This gem of a debut album is a successful experiment in the unification of the polar ends of the jazz spectrum into a satisfying white light. A corking example of this is the opener, `What I Feel’; after a choppy dub rewind intro sets out a stabbing atonal piano riff and vocal loop foundation; it’s built on by insistent Stax trumpet and on up fty storeys with a orid sax solo from Ben Clapin. If you’re thinking Vincent Herring meets Blue States meets Paul Bley, then you’ve been going to some cool parties.
This ghostly and clever cross-pollination goes on throughout the album; the diverse spectres of Miles Davis and Jon Hopkins appear in `Sail’ and `Our Shifting Lives’; the sweet depths of avant discord are plumbed in `(Reset) All Connections’, and if you hanker for a synthetic choral earworm, look no further than `To Those High Places’.
As a counter to all the instrumentals and electronica, singer Olivia Williams drips her sultry Sade-like vocals over two tracks, `Boarding Alone’ and `Without You’, as if Thievery Corporation and Tycho had made an angelic pact.
Wandering Wires contain some serious young talent, and calling this collection `Departures’ is entirely apt; they soon will be going places.
Paul Carrera
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OTHER LIVE VIDEOS
'Don't Tell Me' | BBC Music Introducing in Oxford Session | 12/03/20
''Always' | BBC Music Introducing in Oxford Session | 27/10/18