These are the songs, tunes, symphonies and anthems of Bonfire Hill. An aural almanac. A musical guide to the seasons, rhythms, celebrations, events, special days and darkling nights when the veil is thin…
Bonfire Hill is somewhere just North of here. It holds a commanding view of the surrounding countryside - the moors, valleys, fields, rivers, streams, woods and, in the distance, the sea.
Bonfire Hill can be reached by following the old road. The one your ancestors took. The route they first trod, through the trees, across the plain. There are houses on Bonfire Hill. Some are warm and welcoming, some are quiet and secluded, some are ancient - built into the hillside - some are modern and forward facing.
Bonfire Hill is not shrouded in the past. But the old ways run deep. The tree roots run deep. The trees know and the birds know and the hares know. The Ragged Robin still grows in the same meadows every spring. The swallows still return to the same skies every summer.
Yet the modern world sits comfortably amongst the ruins on Bonfire Hill. Supporting them and preserving them and binding them together so they are not forgotten. The electricity crackles alongside the sparks and flames of the fires. The music oscillates and thrums and the voices sing out and mix with the recordings of singers gone before.
Bonfire Hill is a hollow hill. The sleeper wakes when the moon rises and the sun sets.
Bonfire Hill is not shown on any map but it exists in every corner of the country. It’s easy to find if you know where to look…
credits
released June 21, 2023
Bonfire Hill is a new collaboration between Rebecca Denniff (Subphotic, Band of Cloud) and David Owen (Band of Cloud, The FLK). Every month in 2023, they will release a 12 minute track that will be inspired by the specific folklore, customs and traditions of that month. Each track will be available on the 21st of the month, a reflection/refraction of where we are at that point in 2023 placed against the wider context of where we’ve come from and how we got here.
Expect a combination of field recordings, compositions, spoken word, and traditional song underpinned by folktronica, ambient, electronics and experimentation.
Bonfire Hill is a collaboration between Rebecca Denniff (Subphotic, Storm Chorus) and David Owen (Band of Cloud, The FLK). During 2024 they will release four triptychs about life on Bonfire Hill. It's dark on the uncanny slopes. Tread carefully.
supported by 56 fans who also own “A Year on Bonfire Hill: June”
This is very close to what I heard/felt everytime we visited the grandparents in Runcorn.
Ominous dread. Bleak dystopia. Concrete and terraced houses. Plus the air smells! MonkeyMajiks
supported by 53 fans who also own “A Year on Bonfire Hill: June”
Here we have a bit of instrumental folktronica, the brainchild of Gordon Chapman-Fox. Various keyboards mix with crisp acoustic guitar, creating a semblance of wistful nostalgia. The music is delicate and languid, sometimes bordering on supernatural. My only complaint is that it’s an EP, I could stand a lot more of this in one sitting. Nickie Harte Kelly