Live from the Chapel, a new EP from London multi-instrumentalist and folk interpreter Charlie Wheatley, is something of a teaser: a twenty-five-minute, four-track recording marking the beginning of a three-part project looking to cover around forty songs, many traditional and some of Charlie’s own compositions.
Interestingly, for each chapter in this new series, Charlie aims to change the lineup of musicians, highlighting his fascination with the organic, ever-changing shape of folk music through the ages. For Live at the Chapel, the stage arrangement is somewhat unusual, with Charlie on acoustic guitar, flanked by Tom Moore on viola and both Nina Harries and Tom Wheatley performing on double bass. This unconventional setup is highly effective in creating a mood around the tunes, with the combined low notes of all three stringed instruments filling the cavernous space of the West End’s Stone Nest, a nineteenth-century Welsh church, bringing serious ambience to the sound.
Charlie’s exploration of folk manuscripts from the British Isles is firmly rooted in traditional dance music, but there is plenty of experimentation, as on A Tune for Eadie / Old Molly Oxford / Idbury Hill. A Cotswolds and Oxfordshire trio of Morris dances, the band begin the piece furtively, with plucked viola lines skulking alongside low bowed notes and bass thuds. With signs of improvisation and minimalism, this two-minute intro is unexpected and, when it gives way to a more conventional dance tune, the character of the music has altered, with the lower bowed strings working with sharply flat-picked guitar to bring dark undertones to the music that are fully exploited by the wonderful acoustics of the historically rich venue.
Lighter in character for the most part is Roman Wall / Paddy Carey’s, a beautiful Irish jig that very much enjoys the loud, punchy character of Charlie’s Gypsy-jazz acoustic guitar. But Charlie is clearly a particularly creative and curious artist, as the subtle adornments present here demonstrate. Throughout this vibrant piece, you can hear odd percussive notes coming from one of the double basses. It’s a fascinating little detail, but it’s ever-present and adds a more serious vibe beneath the jaunty main melody. The same can be said of the viola, which mostly mirrors the guitar, but with scattered, scratchy shards of notes that add to this darker hue.
It’s fair to say the instrumental setup on Live at the Chapel is a masterstroke and will leave us fully anticipating Charlie’s next little curveball. I love how this decision-making alters the DNA of these age-old tunes. The textures of the strings behind the sturdy guitar melodies of the hornpipe shanty tunes Bristol / Lemmie Brazil’s no.2 / Y Washael let the listener drift from the tune into a lulling drone and back, giving the music a hypnotic feel.
These little details make for a wonderfully fresh and vibrant EP. Charlie and his collaborators breathe new life into these traditional pieces, performed with real verve and a penchant for ambiguity, adding a distinctive edge to the sound. Live at the Chapel feels like the start of something quite special. More please.
Live at the Chapel (September 22nd, 2026) Self-Released