Stanlaey is the musical moniker of the Bristol-based singer, composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Bethany Stenning, performing her original compositions live with Ben Holyoake (bass), Oliver Cocup (drums/percussion) and Naomi Hill (violin). Watch her video for Ode To Ovid on which Bethany shared the following:
Ode to Ovid is a song written based on the poem ‘The Golden Age’ written by Ovid. It circulates the theme of having an ‘Iron Twin’ as I you can hear in the lyrics, and these Iron twins are our shadows (implying we are in the Iron age/age of destruction) and we are seeking the age of gold (as again, sung in the lyrics). In the video, these Iron twins are quite literally present and shadowing the main characters as it tells the tale of their romance, and then downfall of the romance as it evolves into a complacent/phone fuelled marriage in a way.
Based around a circular motif played on the Hang drum, swelling strings and interwoven vocal patterns the track is taken from her forthcoming album, The Human Project, due for release in Spring 2019. The Human Project album is derived from a multi-faceted audio-visual project which involved 70+ musicians, artists, actors/actresses and videographers all under the direction of Bethany Stenning.
The music of Stanlaey has been influenced by a diverse genre pool of folk/jazz and cosmic atmospheres, drawing influence from artists such as Joanna Newsom, The Dirty Projectors and Kate Bush. Akin to these artists, the lyrical narratives of Stanlaey explore folk myths and Bethany’s unique takes on traditional narrative themes.
Stanlaey have previously performed live in venues in across the UK and Ireland. The Human Project film was premiered at Harbour Lights Cinema, Southampton Docks, May 22nd 2017. The music itself has since received the Southampton Hazel Muras-Osborn Composition award. The Human Project album was composed and recorded by Bethany, mixed by Bethany with London producer VVilhem and mastered by Oliver Baldwin, the engineer at the legendary Real World studios. The Stanlaey project began in late 2016, when Bethany started to develop a creative vision which married her passion for videography, story-telling, mythology and composition. The Human Project embodies seven elements, within seven songs and videos where each song comes to personify an element in a unique and distinct way.
Stanlaey UK Tour, October 2018
11th – Brixton Windmill, London
14th – The Rum Bar, Polzeath, Cornwall
16th – The Bell, Bath
17th – Crofters Rights, Bristol (with Ava Spencer Osbiston) 21st – The Harrison, London
Photo Credit: Barka Photography